Two of the biggest players in the information world, Amazon and Google, are competitors and role models for libraries. Rebecca Jones interviews our speaker, a customer relationship management (CRM) expert, about Amazon from a customer perspective. Both speakers provide some insights and provocative challenges for those of us in the information business.

The popular annual favorite features our super searcher who continues to surprise and impress with new strategies, techniques, and tips for getting the most out of web research. Bates, the host of Searchers Academy, provides an up-to-the-minute and jam-packed-with-valuable-tools-and-tips talk. Always lots of new and exciting secrets, this session is not to be missed!

This session features new discovery and search engines Molyneux shares the secrets of Sciencescape, a new science discovery engine, while Gould discusses blekko and DuckDuck Go. Speakers provide search tips and tricks.

Join this spirited discussion facilitated by the editor of the new Online Searcher magazine, Ojala, as our expert searchers share new techniques and tools as well as their secret tips and tricks.

Putting power in the hands of the people has always been at the forefront of the minds in Douglas County Libraries. Taking things to the next level, they are creating in-browser ebook readers, enabling social networking through apps on Facebook, and using an Adobe Content Server to encode digital rights management and circulate titles. They’ve implemented a recommendation engine in the catalog, launched a mobile app that integrates with OverDrive, and installed digital touchscreen power walls in all branches. They’ve investigated freemium business models, crowdsourcing and OPDS, embraced VuFind with its ebook integration and discovery features, and become a lending library for the Internet Archive. Hear more and be inspired to try them in your library!

Discovery — making library resources searchable and delivered to all users no matter where they are physically located and what Internet devices they use is definitely a challenge today. Our panel begins with a discussion of how new mobile web technologies such as “responsive design” are affecting content provider’s development strategies, how today’s most popular content sources and types are driving future “native app” requirements (e.g., ebooks, audio, medical resources, cloud accessible saved items), and what the future mobile strategies might look like. Then our expert searchers provide some tips and tricks for mobile search and discovery.

Sponsored By

Information Today, Inc. invites all registrants and exhibition visitors to a reception on Monday in the Exhibit Hall from 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Website design as a field is still changing rapidly as new technologies and new design ideas are created to make websites more beautiful and functional. King takes you through the newest web design trends, illustrates with real examples, and lets you know what to incorporate, what to watch for, and what to ignore.

Is your library site all it could be? Far too often, library websites harbor major usability and design issues that prevent patrons from easily accessing the wealth of resources available to them. Speakers evaluate real-world library websites using authoritative guidelines and reveal the most common usability and accessibility sins being committed. Find out how your library website stacks up: Is it a sinner or a saint?

The way libraries communicate with users is rapidly evolving from text-heavy blog posts to 140-character tweets and visual information. With patrons’ increasingly short attention spans, visual information allows us to convey our message instantly. The first presentation discusses the use of Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram to show, rather than simply tell, information. It shares examples of visuals created by staff and student workers to pique the interest of library users. Smith describes how adaptive, responsive design allows libraries to create websites that auto-magically size and arrange elements to work best for the user’s device—desktop, mobile, whatever. He shows an example of optimizing slideshows across platforms. Blyberg introduces you to a toolset that lets you design webpages that look professional and behave like next-generation websites. He illustrates how Twitter Bootstrap, a simple and flexible CSS and JavaScript library, makes you look like a seasoned web designer.

Speakers share what they learned mining data from a biennial study of the websites of more than 600 public libraries. They looked for the presence of web technologies including RSS feeds, virtual reference, and integration with various social media networks. Find out which technologies are most common in U.S. public libraries, how they are being used, and use their research to inform the decisions about your library’s use of web technologies.

With tools such as LibGuides, librarians are able to quickly create course/subject guides for their classes or departments. But do they have sustainability, accuracy, and quality? University Library at UNC is shifting from encouraging librarians to create more guides for every information need to identifying high-quality, high-use subject guides that can be easily maintained over time. Find out how UNC inventoried and assessed the existing subject guides. Learn about the workflow process developed to take on the maintenance of guides. Bowen discusses the value of embedding LibGuides in learning management (LMS) systems. Learn how to add course-level guides generated through LibGuides into Blackboard Vista and Blackboard Learn shells. Bowen shares survey results of students in a communications course and describes what they think of visible links in the LMS to guides and what benefits they derive from this placement.

Sponsored By

Information Today, Inc. invites all registrants and exhibition visitors to a reception on Monday in the Exhibit Hall from 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

For years, libraries and librarians have been leveraging open source software to extend services to our patrons and staff. We are at a point in the development of low-cost hardware where it is possible that libraries can save significant costs and extend capabilities by embracing open hardware. The growth of the Maker Movement around the country illustrates what is possible in libraries now and what capabilities open hardware may provide us in the future. This presentation discusses the Maker Movement, the different platforms for building custom hardware, and why libraries should not only be paying attention, but actively embracing this next stage of technology.

This session focuses on different innovative technologies that are extremely unique and how they could be brought into library settings, from technology that we already own (laser tag, Sphero, Sifteo, gesture-based computing, and so forth) to technology that may be rolling out in the future. Get a sense and feel for new age technology and feel confident that you can bring it into your community to increase circulation, patron usage, or offer more programs.

This session discusses, augmented reality, ranked as an emerging tech by recent Horizon Reports. Flinchum illustrates how augmented reality tools can bring local history to life, creating interactive exhibits anywhere. He shares some of the free tools and techniques to push your historical collection out into your community! The third presentation discusses the next-gen library with a blended virtual and physical space perhaps using a “Double” robot as your surrogate to browse a library rare books collection in a library building while sitting at your dorm, finding information about library hours and maps by scanning QR codes on the wall of the library building, watching instructional videos on how to make double sided copies via Aurasma or Layar apps on your smart phone, or sharing what you are reading from a book in real time with your teammates through Google Project Glass. This is not science fiction; hear how the next-gen library will look as a place to foster learning, sharing, collaboration, and innovation.

Libraries, archives, and museums are respected in their communities, but is it enough? Edson discusses how they need to cultivate, catalyze, spread, and generally be a vector for increasing peoples’ day-to-day commitments to their communities and their causes, in other words, social entrepreneurship. By working together, their collaborative activities can scale and have an even greater impact. Be prepared for some radical thinking and strategies! Following Edson, are some real-world examples of where our future lies. Like libraries, all museums want to go mobile, but often their money and efforts are thrown after bespoke systems and native apps that look good on paper but fail to meet actual user needs, then are labor-intensive and expensive to sustain after launch. Instead of building silos, SMK has initiated a collaborative pilot project between nine Danish art museums to come up with a shared, sustainable mobile platform. Hear how the concept as well as content is co-created with users to encourage users to participate and share their own views on art and to ensure that the multilingual platform fulfills actual user needs. Then hear about the Danes’ Digital Library, a joint infrastructure, a purchasing partnership, and an organizational framework. The partnership includes the purchasing of web-based materials, management of metadata, operation and development of technical infrastructure, ebooks, data repositories, library automations systems, curation, shared data, and more.

Sponsored By

Information Today, Inc. invites all registrants and exhibition visitors to a reception on Monday in the Exhibit Hall from 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Mobile devices are quickly becoming an essential element in both personal and workplace productivity. Library IT staff are faced with the challenge of maintaining network security with the flexibility of a mobile workforce. All types of libraries are being impacted by BYOD, whether they realize it or not. Do you have policies and guidelines in place regarding these devices? Our speakers share some insights, and then the audience shares their insights with their colleagues.

Are libraries “book warehouses” or “knowledge makerspaces”? The nature of “things” patrons create with library tools has changed in recent years as educators and libraries incorporate new technologies and new media in the learning experience and as methods of communication become increasingly (digitally) visual. However, this increasing complexity of tools has not changed the library’s central role of providing the space for information consumption, the training in support of various literacies, and support of knowledge creation in whatever form the researcher requires. The only thing that has really changed is the nature of the tools libraries support. Are we providing a broader array of tools needed to support multiple-media learning and literacy that enhances our relevancy to constituents—and to funding agencies? Join the discussion!

How is your library evolving? To meet changing demands at our institutions, many libraries have undertaken innovative technology initiatives over the past few years. Our libraries can develop best practices from sharing the results of our experiments with new services with each other. This is your chance to participate in an open forum. This session uses the “fishbowl” format to engage audience members in a discussion of creative library technologies. Speakers facilitate comments from audience participants in the fishbowl and encourage discussion from the audience as well on topics ranging from the latest whiz-bang gadgets to effective technology instruction tactics.

This interactive session starts with an overview of what metrics to look for and how to develop them from experienced librarians. It then proceeds with a whole-room discussion and brainstorming on how to get the right data to make an impact to funders and stakeholders.

Sometimes it can be most helpful to hear what libraries are thinking of doing next, as well as visions of the next big thing. A small panel of big thinkers share brief thoughts on what the BIG things for libraries will be in the next few years, then participants share their institutions’ plans! Have your notepad or mobile device of choice ready to jot down potential collaborators.

Sponsored By

Information Today, Inc. invites all registrants and exhibition visitors to a reception on Monday in the Exhibit Hall from 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Join this lively session to discuss the new flipped learning model, when flipping a class is appropriate, when it is not, and how to flip a class effectively. Arfstrom, a local school media specialist, and a “flipped classroom” teacher show how school librarians can support their colleagues in this new methodology while also addressing many common misconceptions and concerns about it. Flipped learning is best done with collaborative support, and the school librarian/media expert is a key part to the success!

This session will explore the endless possibilities for using iPads and apps to further learning in the school library. The topics covered include using iPads and apps for teaching research skills, using QR codes, using apps for book reviews and trailers, and sharing student work. Attendees come away from this session with ideas that can be used with a variety of grade levels.

The Common Core and its growing following are calling for unprecedented use of nonfiction texts in our K–12 classrooms. This presentation highlights exemplary nonfiction online resources, models strategies for guiding students’ comprehension and inquiry, addresses distinctions between working with electronic and paper-based texts, and shares a variety of units that target deep understandings and creative media use, including vetted online tools for crafting and assessing students’ knowledge products.

In 2006, Helene Blowers launched a learning program called 23 Things, also known as Learning 2.0. This self-paced, independent, professional development program encouraged staff to explore new information technologies and helped them gain confidence to explore the uses of these tools in the workplace. Nearly 7 years later, close to 1,000 library groups have replicated the program or developed variations on it. Quite a few programs have been developed specifically for school library staff, and in some cases, school librarians have taken the lead and developed learning programs for their classroom and administrative colleagues. This session looks at the experiences the speakers have had running a variety of learning programs for K–12 staff, best practices, and an assessment of the impact these programs can have on staff and organizations.

How does misinformation originate and spread? What cognitive factors come into play when students evaluate sources? And what can we do to teach them to de-bias their judgments? Ignite your teaching by learning to model quick-and-dirty “rules of thumb” that students can use or revise when they evaluate sources during short research tasks. And, conversely, learn when to add “points of friction” into your instructional design, so that your students will be willing to think deeply when their research project is “worth it.”

Sponsored By

Information Today, Inc. invites all registrants and exhibition visitors to a reception on Monday in the Exhibit Hall from 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.