| January 8, 2014 | Registration opens |
| April 9, 2014 | Registration closes |
| April 23, 2014 | Conference begins |
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Authentic assessments: Praxis for the distance librarian Do you provide information literacy instruction online? Do you struggle with how to assess whether your hard work is paying off in the form of student learning? If you are pouring over yet another semester's worth of multiple-choice quiz results trying to figure out whether you helped your students learn what you wanted them to learn, join me for a presentation about the pitfalls of the most commonly deployed assessment tools in the online environment and learn about some new ways to measure student learning and by doing so, enhance your own teaching practice. _________ |
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"But what do they DO with what they find?” Asking hard questions about – and taking a hard look at – student research papers (Handout) Frustrated with the sense that we were continually leading students to sources, only to drop them off at the cliff’s edge of understanding what to DO with the resources, we decided to take on an institution-specific research project which looked broadly at our students’ papers. What we found was a bit horrifying – and a bit wonderful. Come hear about our experiences as we tailored the study to our unique needs, running a pilot project for a year. Learn from what we have learned as we look to take the project forward. _________ |
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Circle the wagons & bust out the big guns! Tame the “wild west” of distance librarianship using "Quality Matters" benchmarks Is your university rushing to claim the riches of expanded distance education offerings? Do you feel like you’ve been hog-tied to the back of a bumpy wagon for the ride? Even if your institution doesn’t subscribe to Quality Matters, our trail guides (er, librarians) will offer you some key tips for creating opportunities for collaboration across campus, demonstrating your value to faculty that teach online, and using benchmarks to assess the efficacy of your online research guides. By the end of this lively session, we guarantee you’ll be hollering “yee ha”! _________ |
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Creating an information literacy badges program in Blackboard: A formative program evaluation Badges? We don't need no …. Actually, a system of digital badges might come in handy. Several librarians went on a journey to implement a system whereby students could earn tangible proof of completion of specific information literacy skills. Learn how these librarians collaborated with instructional designers to create, implement, and assess a digital badge system in a pilot program using Blackboard and Mozilla’s Open Backpack initiative. _________ |
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Designing LibGuides as instructional tools for critical thinking and effective online learning Did you ever wish for an easy-to-maintain tool to create course-level or assignment-level instruction for online or distance students? LibGuides can provide the solution! LibGuides provide a versatile and easy-to-maintain platform for delivering step-by-step, scaffolded tutorials that enhance learning outcomes through chunking, reduced strain on cognitive load and working memory, and metacognition. Tutorial-type LibGuides, compared to Pathfinder-type guides: stand alone as modules for online learning; improve student learning outcomes for specific courses; and promote lifelong habits of critical thinking and research skills. _________ |
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Developing adaptable online information literacy modules for a learning management system Explore a successful example of one library’s collaborative, fast-tracked creation of fully customizable online information literacy modules. Engage with the designers to learn how they developed AAC&U Information Literacy Value Rubric-aligned modules that could be adapted to any academic discipline and delivered in a fully online or hybrid format. Come away with practical ideas for developing and implementing your own online information literacy projects. _________ |
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Dusty relic to shiny treasure: Embedded in a multicultural environment Far from being dusty old relics who are guardians of the book, embedded librarians need to be proactively leading students through the digital maze of the virtual library. Working with students more than 7,000 miles away changed our perceptions of how we teach and they learn, and how people interact online. We will share how as embedded librarians we re-positioned ourselves and our services to be an integral part of the educational experience. Working with students whose cultural norms are centuries different than our own and for whom English is a second or third language, librarians must be information gurus. _________ |
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Elevating engagement and community in online courses (Handout & photo) Community, while inherent in assumptions about online education, rarely materializes as an integral component of the experience. Misconceptions and misguided motivations can derail participation and engagement in the online setting. Creating a successful online community is dependent on knowing what works in the face-to-face environment and implementing effective parallels online. We will discuss best practices for building community in online information literacy courses and leveraging motivators to keep students and instructors engaged. While this session focuses on online information literacy courses, many of these strategies can be applied to online workshops, embedded librarianship, and other instructional initiatives. _________ |
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Embedded librarians: Just-in-time or just-in-case? A research study Would you like to embed yourself in a class but don’t think you have the time to do it? Join me to learn more about a research study conducted at a large community college to investigate the impact of a ‘Just-in-Time’ embedded librarian. Student information literacy skills were examined in multiple sections of an online English course with a librarian embedded for two weeks (Just-in-Time) or embedded for the full semester (Just-in-Case). The two different models of the embedded librarian were used to examine impact of timing and duration of the librarian on students’ performance on research-related assignments. _________ |
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Embedded with the military: It's all about the relationships Do you work with military service members? Learn how this librarian with help from her friends…aka IT and faculty…embedded into an online program assisting military. Hear the inside scoop and gain some possible military resources along the way. _________ |
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Emerging roles: Key insights from librarians in a Massive Open Online Course From the cutting edge of innovations in online education comes the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), a potentially disruptive and transformational mechanism for large scale learning. What’s the role of librarians in a MOOC? What can librarians learn from participating in a large scale professional development opportunity delivered in an open environment to illuminate their own practice? This presentation explores the experiences and perceptions of librarians/information professionals participating in an LIS-centered MOOC taught by the authors. We will share insights gained from active participants in the course as they encounter this emerging landscape rife with chaos and opportunity. _________ |
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Enhancing mobility: Increase traffic to your mobile platform by integrating value-added services Although Kimbel Library had a mobile platform in production for some time, it only saw a substantial increase in usage when new, value-added services were integrated into the platform. The presenter will discuss the implementation and integration of discovery services, chat/SMS capabilities, and computer availability maps into our mobile environment, and how adding these services significantly increased traffic to our site. Also discussed will be web vs. native app usage trends, and future services that under consideration that will further increase traffic through our mobile environment. _________ |
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Faculty & librarians unite! How two librarians and one faculty member developed an information literacy strategy for distance education students We all know that collaboration with faculty is crucial when developing effective information literacy initiatives. But can a truly collaborative approach exist when teaming up with distance education faculty? In our session we will discuss how two librarians from a small public university, together with an enthusiastic faculty member, developed an information literacy approach for a distance education course based on the ADDIE instructional design model. Attendees will hear from both faculty and librarians as we discuss the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the program, including future plans, and we will offer strategies for attendees interested in similar initiatives. _________ |
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Gazing into the crystal ball: Using scenarios for future visioning of a distance learning library service Have you ever dreamed of creating the ideal future library? Well, now is your chance. Join us to learn more about the scenario approach to envisioning the distance learning library service of the future and beginning to plan for it now. Join a library consultant, library director and distance learning library administrator in their discussion of one library’s experience with the scenario approach and the planning that resulted. Come learn how to look into your own crystal ball! _________ |
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Growing embedded librarians like kudzu: How the embedded extension service creates more embedded librarians without creating new positions Embedded librarians are similar to embedded journalists – librarians are where the action is! This service has become a standard at a time when colleges are moving more programs to distance format, creating increased need for embedded librarians. Online librarianship is becoming commonplace, are new librarians learning the skills to keep up? Central Piedmont Community College developed a creative solution: the Embedded Extension Service. MLIS interns apply and are accepted to the project. Then, they are trained in embedded librarianship practices and tools, and take part in assessment measures while providing reference services to distance students. _________ |
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Instruction on the go: Reaching out to students from the academic library (handout) Does library instruction always take place in the classroom? Can it be delivered to students wherever they are? Have you taken the leap into webinars, online instruction, or digital delivery? Learn how a series of online synchronous library webinars were created for students and faculty to enhance the needs of university level instruction. From these webinars the future of online library instruction, embeddedness, librarian sustainability, and instruction formats will also be explored. _________ |
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It takes a village to design a course: Embedding a librarian in course design Do you often feel as if the faculty member teaching a course calls you, the librarian, to provide instruction as an afterthought once the realization hits that library resources are needed for an activity or assignment? This is frustrating for librarians, but even more so, for students in the course. In this session, several librarians will provide tips and tricks for creating partnerships and proactively becoming involved in course design. The presenters will discuss the benefits and challenges faced in a team approach to course design, along with providing real world examples. _________ |
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Listen to what you cannot hear, observe what you cannot see: Evidence-based methods for evaluating and enhancing the user experience in distance library services As distance librarians, we often do not have the opportunity to engage face-to-face with our library users. Without personal interaction, how can we determine if our library services are effective in meeting the needs of our distance learners? If we can’t talk to or observe our users, how can we evaluate the user experience in distance learning? Expand your assessment skills and learn how to use a variety of evaluation methods to measure service effectiveness and enhance the user experience in distance library services. _________ |
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Making it work: Creating a student-friendly repository for instructional library videos As fashion guru Tim Gunn would say, “Make it work!” Join us to learn how an Instructional, Reference, and Web Services librarian worked together to assess and optimize their library’s current instructional videos in order to create a stylish, mobile-first repository from the ground up by overcoming issues regarding usability, accessibility, incompatibility, and project management. Discover how you can transform your individual training videos into an organized, user-friendly repository that will leave your distance students raving. You already have the materials, and we’ll provide you with a template to make it work! (Literally—we’re giving it away!) _________ |
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Making it work for everyone: HTML5 and CSS3 for responsive, accessible design on your library’s website More and more people are turning to smartphones, tablets, and other oddly-sized devices to view websites. At the same time, there is a growing recognition of the need for websites to be universally accessible. As a result, traditional modes of web design are becoming less and less useful. By using HTML5 and CSS3, librarians can make accessible websites which serve patrons regardless of personal abilities, and regardless of the device and screen resolution they use. This session will discuss the basic concepts of Responsive Design and Accessible Design, and will suggest steps for creating a more effective library website. _________ |
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Massive open online librarianship – emerging practices in response to MOOCs Want to engage in the MOOC discussion but not sure where to begin? Get up-to-date on the current state of MOOCs in higher education while exploring the opportunities and challenges facing librarians serving Massive Open Online Courses. Explore the needs of MOOC students and discuss practices that can be adapted and adopted as librarians prepare to support this newly emerging, highly diverse student population. _________ |
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Mobile resources use in a distance learning population: What are they REALLY doing on those devices? Have you ever wondered what your students REALLY do on their mobile devices? We know that millennials are attached to them, but what about non-traditional distance students? Join us as we examine survey results showing how distance-based, graduate nursing students use their mobile devices to assist with school work and access information. We will also discuss how librarians support mobile learning at their institution and explore popular apps. _________ |
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Should I stay or should I go now? Measuring the effectiveness of recorded pre-class tutorials vs one-shot instruction (handout) During the Fall 2013 semester, the researcher had the opportunity to present the same library and research instruction to three sections of a Master's level Social Work Research Methods class both on and off campus. One class received a traditional face-to-face library instruction session while the other two classes had access to an online library orientation covering the same information as the lecture. All three sections completed a survey to assess their library knowledge before library instruction and a similar survey two weeks after library instruction to measure the effectiveness of library instruction. _________ |
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Teaching an online information literacy course: Is it equivalent to face-to-face instruction? Interested in turning your one-shot classes into something more in-depth? Wondering how to best teach distance students the basics of research, even if they never step foot in the physical library? Two distance librarians from different sides of the state describe how they created and co-taught an online, three-credit information literacy course, and how it compared to concurrent, in-person sessions. _________ |
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The chat is coming from inside the house: An analysis of perceived chat behavior and reality Do you use chat in your library? Do you know where your students are using chat? See how a large research institution analyzed three years of chat statistics to investigate and gain a better understanding of their patrons’ chat behavior. The results were compared to a survey given to the information professionals using chat reference, examining the perceptions of our chat service versus the results of our statistical analysis. We will share insights on the types of information we gathered and why, as well as our findings- some unexpected! _________ |
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What do they have that we don't have? Local libraries and distance students -- why do students stray and can we get them back? A significant number of distance students report they “stray” from their home institutions by using local libraries, despite the fact that distance education librarians work hard to provide customized resources and services tailored to their programs and needs. Are public libraries and special libraries able to meet the research needs of distance learners, or are these students being underserved? This presentation explores why distance students may choose non-academic libraries over academic libraries, and the impact of this use - on libraries serving unaffiliated distance learners, and on libraries with underutilized distance library services. _________ |
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What if you build it, and they still won’t come? Addressing student awareness of resources and services with promotional videos A needs assessment exposed that our daily library users were unaware of the resources and services in which we devote a lot of our budget and time. To try to fix that problem, we started creating one minute promotional videos focusing on the needs of our distance learners. This project was inspired by the Library Minute videos available on YouTube, but we used college students as actors, directors, and scriptwriters! This session will describe creating the videos; publicizing of the videos in orientations, flipped classrooms and more; and finally the results of the needs assessment before and after. _________ |
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Would you watch it? Creating effective and engaging video tutorials Come learn about some new tools and tricks to create effective and engaging video tutorials. Dive into the world of screencasts, slidecasts, live action, animation, and interactive videos. Catch an overview of tools that can fit multiple budgets and technological skill sets. Everything from the merits of free, consumer-level products to professional grade tools will be covered. No matter the type of tool used, there are considerations for creating and distributing video tutorials. Based on literature reviews and professional experience, we’ll discuss effective designing of videos that are high-definition, mobile-friendly, and accessible for disabled viewers. |