MLA 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE HOME  |  REGISTRATION RATES  |  SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE  |  FEATURED SPEAKERS  |  BREAKOUT SESSIONS  |  VENDOR AND SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES  |  MLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE HISTORY  |  CALL FOR PANELISTS

MLA 2022 AnnUAL CONFERENCE BREAKOUT SESSIONS

*Schedule is subject to change

Friday, October 21, 2022

9:00 – 10:00 AM  |  10:15 – 11:15 AM

Wednesday | 3:15 – 4:15 PM

Yo quiero leer: Impacting Migrant Families Through Literacy

Armed with a grant, enthusiasm and a vision on how to provide a literacy outreach program to migrant farmworkers and their families, Fennville District Library set out on a new journey. Learn how the library identified, engaged and developed relationships in their local migrant community. Recognize library programs, services and activities that impact migrant communities. Explore the challenges and opportunities staff utilized to create a replicable model of outreach services to a traditionally underserved community.

Outcomes:

• Participants will identify potential strategic partners in their community.
• Participants will be able to build sustainable services to an underserved population.
• Participants will develop best practices for respectful and responsive outreach.

Speaker:  Teresa Kline, Fennville District Library

Track: Reimagine

Tags: Great for small and rural libraries

Digital Collection Developments in the Mitten

This session consists of 3 presentations about the current digital collection development activities in the state of Michigan. The 1st presentation is a case study of the issues involved in documenting and photographing more than 100 murals in the Eastern Market area of Detroit for an online exhibition titled Detroit Mural Map. Next is a research study examining digital collection development policies in academic libraries at institutions of higher education in Michigan. A surprising sketch of these policies emerged & their essential components are identified. The final presentation explores the selection criteria used for digital collection development, and how representative these collections are of their local communities. In each presentation there is an underlying interest in exploring digital collections as conduits (or barriers) for the exchange of information across multiple constituencies.

Outcomes:

• Participants will identify and express components in digital collection development policies.
• Participants will assess their organization’s selection criteria to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in their digital collections.
• Participants will plan for future digital collection developments at project and programmatic levels

Speakers: Joan Beaudoin, Meg Bruce, and Cameron Socha, Wayne State University

Track: Connect

Tags:  Great for academics

Building a Culture of Wellbeing At Your Library

A supportive work environment leads to employees who are more engaged and happier at work. But what does that look like in practice? This workshop will help you begin to build a culture of wellbeing at your library by making small shifts in your thinking and practices. Participants will experiment with practical ways to bridge the divide between management and staff by helping staff get engaged; avoiding triggering stress responses in staff; promoting a sense of belonging and psychological safety; using team members’ unique strengths; and respecting staff as whole people.

Outcomes:

• Participants will understand what triggers stress responses in people and how to avoid those responses while promoting a sense of belonging and psychological safety.
• Participants will have tools to discover and develop their unique strengths, and spot the strengths in staff members.
• Participants will have developed a strategy that allows them to take a pause to recenter and refocus before and after reacting. 

Speakers: Jenny Kobiela-Mondor and Lissa Krull, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for trustees 

Outreach on Wheels: Book Bikes for Beginners

Aren’t book bikes the coolest? In Summer 2021, Spring Lake District Library started biking around town on our custom book bike, talking to people about the library, checking out books, and hosting outdoor storytimes. In this program, you’ll learn about the process we went through to make our book bike go from dream to reality. First, we’ll tell you how much the bike cost and where we found the funds (and the plans) to build it. Next, we’ll talk about the actual construction of the book bike. Then, we’ll talk about where we take the book bike, what we do once we’re out in our community with it, and our future bike-riding plans. Throughout, we’ll give you an opportunity to ask questions and we’ll share some lessons we learned along the way. Let’s just say, we know what works, but we also know what really doesn’t work.

Outcomes:

• Participants will know more about the logistics of having a book bike.
• Participants will be able to evaluate if a book bike is a realistic option for their library.
• Participants will brainstorm a list of possible locations within their own community where their book bike might be welcomed.

Speakers: Maggie McKeithan and Alison Taylor, Spring Lake District Library

Track: Create

Tags:  Great for small and rural libraries 

Personalizing Your Presence: Social Media That's FUNctional

Burned out by the grind of daily social media posting across several platforms, the social media team at PDL decided to use the results of their library's new strategic plan as an opportunity to start fresh and make social media fun again. With an eye on intentional posting and inclusivity, they created a new social media system with the goal to reduce stress and burnout, make posting across platforms fun and functional, and that ultimately better reflects and engages with the community.

Outcomes:

• Participants will leave with the knowledge of a concrete organizational system that will ease their posting responsibilities.
• Participants will have gained ideas of intentional social media posts that best align with their libraries' mission statement and/or strategic plan.
• Participants will leave with tools and strategies that help them better define the voice of their social media.

Speakers: Sarah Vargas and Jessica Keeler, Plymouth District Library

Track: Reimagine

Tags:

Wednesday |  4:30 – 5:30 PM

Michigan Humanities' Programs and Grants for Your Library

Michigan Humanities (MH) will highlight the following programs:

• The Great Michigan Read (GMR), is a statewide literacy program focusing on humanities themes. GMR partners receive free books, readers & teachers guides, bookmarks, and opportunities for funding.
• Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils, brings traveling exhibits to libraries, museums, and other organizations in rural towns.
• The Arts & Humanities Touring Grant program is a resource for libraries looking to find arts & humanities performers to present programming to library patrons.
• Bridging Michigan Grants provide Michigan nonprofits with up to $2,500 that can be used to spark in-depth thinking and conversation about the persistent social, economic, and cultural issues of systemic inequity that divide our communities.

The presentation will include an overview of each program and grant opportunity, details on how to apply or register, and Q&A.

Outcomes:

• Participants will learn about MH's program and grant opportunities.
• Participants will learn how to apply and/or register for MH's program and grant opportunities.
• Participants will learn how to use these programs and grants to their advantage.

Speakers: Estee Schlenner and Ashley Ross, Michigan Humanities

Track: Connect

Tags: Great for small and rural libraries, Great for students 

Making Tough Topics as Easy as 1-2-3

During this time of political turmoil, pandemic fatigue, and community divisiveness, library workers are struggling to help their communities navigate tough topics. In order to address this growing and ongoing need, Clinton-Macomb Public Library has developed an annual initiative, the 1-2-3 Program, designed to provide a forum for community members to learn, discuss, and connect. Each year, our library spends four months tackling a timely topic through intentional reading and programming in order to foster learning for everyone and understanding in our community.

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to design a community forum for their patrons to discuss timely topics.
• Participants will create and implement at least 2 programs around a timely topic.
• Participants will be able to generate staff buy-in for a community discussion program.

Speakers:  Amy Young, Celia Mulder, and Lisa Mulvenna, Clinton-Macomb Public Library

Track: Connect

Tags:  Great for trustees

It Takes A Village: Anchor Institutions and Public Health

The well-being of a community can be measured in many ways. However, new research supports the notion that the most important factor in longevity and health is interpersonal relationships. More precisely, it’s impacted by two fundamental types of relationships: close friends and frequent acquaintances. As the demographics of many areas change over the coming decades, anchor institutions such as libraries will play an increasingly important role in the social determinants of health within the communities they serve. It’s a role libraries should understand and embrace.

Outcomes:

• Participants will learn how shifting demographics will transform the well-being of many communities and what impact social capital has on their future.
• Participants will define strategies outlining how libraries can provide experiences that can foster close friendships and frequent acquaintances within the community.
• Participants will discuss research outlining the importance of the modern village and the role libraries will play in future economic development strategies as effective anchor institutions. 

Speakers: Zachary Benedict, MKM architecture + design

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for Trustees

Charting the Path to a Digital Local History Room

Local history rooms connect libraries’ communities to their past. How do we reach a wider audience while still protecting these often fragile or difficult to access collections? Digitization can increase and improve access to our history, but projects need to reach beyond digitization and include plans for access and long-term preservation. Meet three statewide experts who can help plan for and execute digitization, digital access, and digital preservation projects to help protect their valuable collections and share them with a broader audience.

Outcomes:

• Participants will emerge with knowledge about resources in the state for digitization, online access, and digital preservation and how to access those resources.
• Participants will emerge with knowledge about how they work together to sustainably care for digital content over the long-term.
• Participants will emerge with knowledge about how the public can engage with that content and with their library online in order to foster a broader impact.

Speakers: Biz Gallo, Library of Michigan; Chelsea Denault, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services; Richard Adler, Michigan Service Hub

Track: Create

Tags: Great for academics, Great for trustees

So You're Thinking About Forming a Union?

Organizing with your coworkers has clear advantages. You’ll win greater job security, create conditions for more equitable pay, have a voice in decision-making, and increase library worker visibility in your community. There is immense potential in organizing a union, yet many don’t know the first steps or find themselves skeptical about or even hostile to the idea. Without strong unions, what happens to the future of libraries?

Outcomes:

• Participants will understand characteristics of an organized workplace.
• Participants will have reasons to consider organizing.
• Participants will understand how to take the first steps to organize 

Speakers: Angelo Moreno, UAW Local 2256; Meredith Kahn, University of Michigan; Katie Dover-Taylor, William P. Faust Public Library of Westland

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for trustees, Great for students

Thursday | 9:45 – 10:45 AM

Creating Inclusive and Diverse Youth Toy Kits

Are you wanting to add circulating toys to your children’s collection but aren’t sure where to start? Hear about Ypsilanti District Library’s experience with creating play, STEM, sensory, and reading kits. Learn tips about selecting diverse and inclusive materials. processing and maintaining toys, procedure development, and cross departmental staff involvement. Get an exclusive peek inside YDL’s kits and participate in an interactive brainstorming session.

Outcomes:

• Participants will have a set of resources to refer to when developing their own youth kit program.
• Participants will have a greater understanding of how to select books and manipulatives for youth play kits with multifaceted diversity in mind.
• Participants will have a more knowledge of what is involved with implementing youth kit procedures across multiple library departments.

Speakers: Liz Pitcher and Psyche Jetton, Ypsilanti District Library

Track: Reimagine

Tags:

Library Staff Onboarding and Development with MeL

Build core competencies in your library team and provide robust access to your community through MeL. Learn how to use resources through the Michigan eLibrary to onboard new staff members, provide professional development opportunities for seasoned staff, and translate that knowledge to the community.  This session will provide everything you need to optimize your organization's staff development strategy.

Outcomes:

• Participants will identify at least one MeL resource to incorporate in their library staff onboard process.
• Participants will identify at least one staff development activity that can be utilized during a staff meeting or professional development event.
• Participants will identify at least one MeL resource that could be featured in library programming (in-house or outreach) after staff is trained.

Speaker: Heather Wood-Gramza, Library of Michigan

Track: Connect

Tags:               

Financing Library Construction and Improvement Projects with Bonds

This session will detail the financing options for a Michigan library.  We will go into detail of the types of projects that can be funded with bonds, the various types of bond structures and the Michigan laws that must be met when bonding for a capital project. In addition, we will walk through the timeline and steps of a Michigan library financing and what items to think about when undertaking a bond issuance which will include the funding resource to repay the bond’s debt service.

Outcomes:

• Participants will better understand the financing options available to a Michigan library
• Participants will understand which professionals to contact when facing a capital project need
• Participants will understand the financing timeline of a capital project

Speakers: Nate Watson, PFM Financial Advisors LLC

Track: Create

Tags:   

Library Marketing: The Gap Between Awareness & Usage

They don't teach you marketing in library school. So how do you do it and reach your diverse community? Learn how to connect your collections, events and services to your diverse community members by telling your library story using strategic methods. We will discuss: Content creation, how to tell your library story, social media strategy, email marketing dos and don’ts; and making your case to administration. Examples of marketing plans, social media policies, content marketing strategy, editorial calendars & more will be provided.

Outcomes:

• Participants will become proficient in identifying target audiences and crafting specialized messages in their library communications.
• Participants will be able to confidently use social media to advertise library resources, events and services and increase community awareness.
• Participants will be able to create a marketing plan and editorial calendar to prepare marketing campaigns, targeted email messages, and more.

Speaker: Katie Rothley, Northville District Library

Track: Create

Tags: Great for students

Owning Our Roles: Bridging the Humility Gap Part 1

Whether you’re a manager or staff member, you bring your whole, best self to work. Sometimes, others won’t meet your expectations, or even your minimum requirements of their role. Yet we must all assume noble intent. We will share helpful mindsets such as practicing self-compassion, extending grace to others, reframing, and having a realistic sense of control over our choices. In this session, we will offer you a roadmap to develop personal resiliency skills in the office. 

Outcomes:

• Participants will name three resiliency skills critical to the workplace.
• Participants will understand three ways to cultivate looking at coworkers' perspectives.

Speakers:  Elissa Zimmer, Van Buren District Library; Liz Breed, Jackson District Library; Sonya Schryer Norris, Plum Librarian Consulting

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for trustees

Thursday | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

From the Inside Out: Transforming the Flint Public Library

In the face of incredible adversity, the Flint Public Library transformed itself into a modern and flexible beacon for learning in the community.  With a vision centered on creating a facility that is just, confident, and aspirational, the library remade itself from the inside out.  This session will describe how transformation begins, provide the tools and lessons learned in the process, and share the result.  By bridging community and action, this future forward process proves that transformation can happen at any scale.

Outcomes:

• Participants will learn from the inevitable challenges presented by a transformational library renovation.
• Participants will understand the importance of equitable decision-making as a driver of modern library design.
• Participants will explore the importance of community building and sharing as part of a successful project that connects and bridges. 

Speakers: Toby Olsen, OPN Architects; Kay Schwartz, Flint Public Library

Track: Reimagine

Tags: Great for trustees

Owning Our Roles: Bridging the Humility Gap Part 2

Whether you’re a manager or staff member, you bring your whole, best self to work. Sometimes, others won’t meet your expectations, or even your minimum requirements of their role. Yet we must all assume noble intent. We will share helpful mindsets such as practicing self-compassion, extending grace to others, reframing, and having a realistic sense of control over our choices. In this session, we will offer you a roadmap to develop personal resiliency skills in the office. 

Outcomes:

• Participants will name three resiliency skills critical to the workplace.
• Participants will understand three ways to cultivate looking at coworkers' perspectives.

Speakers: Elissa Zimmer, Van Buren District Library; Liz Breed, Jackson District Library; Sonya Schryer Norris, Plum Librarian Consulting

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for trustees

Inclusive Communication Tools for Non-Verbal Library Users

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Core Vocabulary Boards are a common tool for those who are non-verbal. Northville District Library partnered with Speech-Language Pathologists to create library-focused, low-tech core vocabulary boards for library patrons. We will provide a brief overview of AAC, share the importance of these tools, present our creation process, discuss training for this service, and offer guidance about how other libraries might also implement core boards.

Outcomes:

• Participants will have an understanding of what Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Core Vocabulary Boards are and the importance of these tools for the minimally verbal and non-verbal community.
• Participants will have a base knowledge of resources that will support the creation and implementation of a core vocabulary board for their local community and library.
• Participants will have a guide to help them navigate the necessary steps in creating and implementing this new service in their library.

Speakers: Cathrine Trautman, Lia Gargaro, and Susan Oleson, Northville District Library

Track: Create

Tags:

I can do THAT with MeL?!

The MeL eResources provide content that can be used by a variety of audiences. Knowing tips and tricks to make the most of each product can help you leverage them to save budget dollars and supercharge your programming. Yes, you can do THAT with MeL! 

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to identify key features of the MeL eResources.
• Participants will be able to use the MeL eResources to help fill gaps in library content.
• Participants will be able to discover content that can be used for library programming.

Speaker:  Laura Warren-Gross, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services

Track: Create

Tags: Great for students

Resources for Veterans and Becoming a MI Veteran Connector

This presentation will cover the free and confidential services offered to MI veterans and their families via Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and the Veterans Health Administration. Programs to be highlighted include the Michigan Veterans Affairs Resource Service Center (1-800-MICH-VET), Buddy to Buddy Veteran Peer Mentorship, and emergency financial assistance via Michigan Veterans Trust Fund. The presentation will also cover aspects of MVAA‚Äôs role within the SAMHSA Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families to our communities across Michigan. This includes information on the MI Veteran Connector and our collaboration to create free outreach and educational training with the VA. With this collaboration, the Saginaw VA Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator will highlight their new role within the VA along with the VA‚Äôs public health approach to suicide prevention.

Outcomes:

• Participants will have an increased awareness of why and how to screen for military status.
• Participants will have an increased awareness of the Veterans Crisis Line and the MDHHS Veteran Navigator Program within the State of MI.
• Participants will have knowledge of resources available to Service Members, Veterans, and their families including how to make a referral for earned military-connected benefits. Participants will know how the above factors tie into suicide prevention in our veteran communities.

Speakers:  Julie Cortright, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency; Andrea Norton, Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Care Facility

Track: Connect

Tags: Great for small and rural libraries

Thursday | 1:15 – 2:15 PM 

But What About The Children? Law & Children in the Library

Public libraries have a cherished image in the American cultural psyche as welcoming, safe and idyllic places for children. However, the realities of modern public libraries including controversies over choices of reading material, photography, exposure to online content,  films, video games and the library of things have prompted the question, "What is a public library's responsibility towards the safety and oversight of children in the library?" This program will discuss the ways laws address a public library's duty towards children, how those expectations are often at odds with patron and library staff inclinations and suggest tips and resources for libraries to create and revise policies to better reflect the realities of public libraries and children while maintaining a warm, welcoming, and engaging environment.

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to identify the characteristics of reasonable legally compliant policies to serve and protect child patrons.
• Participants will be able to discover strategies and practical steps to employ to address bias and censoring behavior or policies.
• Participants will discover strategies and resources to assist in training staff to resist confusing personal ideals and opinions with library policies regarding children in the library. 

Speaker: Clare Membiela, Library of Michigan

Track: Reimagine

Tags: Great for trustees

Michigan Arts and Culture Council Grants for Libraries

COMING SOON

Outcomes: COMING SOON

Speaker:  Jeff Garrett, Michigan Arts and Cultural Council

Track:  Connect

Tags:

Leadership in Difficult Times: Directors Helping Directors

Being a director is difficult enough without the added challenges of a pandemic, First Amendment Audits, the increasing number of challenges to materials, and trying to fill open positions during the Great Resignation. A panel of directors at different stages in their careers, from the recently appointed to the veterans, will discuss how they handle adversity, go-to resources, and professional networks to tap into for fellow directors, directors-in-training, or anyone in a leadership role at their library.

Outcomes:

• Be aware of professional networks and resources to utilize for help with issues of concern facing the library
• Be able to self-reflect and assess how they handle conflict
• Be able to develop their leadership communication skills within their organization

Speakers:  Chase McMunn, Orion Township Public Library; James Pugh, Orion Township Public Library; Cathy Russ, West Bloomfield Township Public Library; Alyson Lobert, Commerce Township Community Library; Wesleyann Johnson, Center Line Public Library

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for students 

The Post-Pandemic Library According to Directors & Designers

The pandemic shut many public amenities down, and disadvantaged residents suffered at a disproportionate rate. Creative opportunities like loanable hotspots, mobile libraries, and cutting-edge content distribution allowed libraries to continue to connect patrons to essential resources. In this session, two library directors, a design architect, and an interior designer will discuss how these new opportunities can be leveraged and maximized for ongoing service to patrons in different contexts.

Outcomes:

• Participants will understand the resources needed to implement a basic or advanced recording studio for both synchronous and asynchronous video presentations.
• Participants will be able to describe the key elements of implementing a resource station (staffed and/or unstaffed) for people wrestling with homelessness.
• Participants will be able to outline the costs (direct and indirect) of launching and supporting a mobile library.

Speakers: Dennis Jensen and Hannah Snyder, C2AE; Ryan Wieber, Kalamazoo Public Library; Kristin Shelley, East Lansing Public Library

Track: Create

Tags:               

Students' Positions on Library Boards

Government for Tomorrow (GFT) is a nonprofit with the mission to help cities and schools create student positions on local government boards. The organization, started by a northern Michigan high schooler just over a year ago, has helped thousands of students be represented by peers since its creation. GFT helps develop the student position, go into classrooms to present the opportunity, and select and train the student to be the most effective board member possible. The nonprofit has had success with Library Boards in the past and would like to expand collaborations across the state.

Outcomes:

• At the end of the session, participants will understand the benefits of a student position.
• At the end of the session, participants will understand the process of facilitating a student position.
• At the end of the session, participants will understand what a collaboration with Government for Tomorrow entails.

Speaker:  Liam Dreyer, Government for Tomorrow

Track: Reimagine

Tags:  Great for trustees

Thursday | 3:00 – 4:00 PM

Want to Host a Social Work Field Student? Here's How!

Public library budgets often prevent administration from hiring social workers. A cost-effective solution to this problem is to enlist a social work field student to join library staff. Using the presenter's research and current literature on the topic, this session will discuss the "how-to's" of public libraries collaborating with a college or university to host a social work field student.  Areas of discussion include: (1) how to start the process; (2) tasks that students can assume in their role as field student; (3) supervision arrangements; (4) how to get buy-in from library staff; (5) communication with the college/university; and (6) potential barriers and solutions to those barriers.  Zettervall and Nienow (2019) contend that social work field students placed in libraries can provide a wealth of benefits.  Besides being a cost-effective measure to serve the increasing demands of consumers, it is a way for public libraries to test out the need for a full-time social worker on staff.

 Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to articulate the advantages of having social work field students in public libraries.
• Participants will be able to identify the potential barriers that might present when social work students join public library staff.
• Participants will critically discern the viability of implementing this model in their own library systems. 

Speaker: Mark Giesler, Saginaw Valley State University

Track: Reimagine

Tags: Great for academics

SEL Using Makerspaces and Passion Projects in Libraries

Social-Emotional Learning Using Makerspaces and Passion Projects in Schools and Libraries will demonstrate successful step-by-step projects that can be used in library programming for students in grades 3-6. Each project is connected to the CASEL's SEL framework. Learn how to connect your programs to help kids develop the SEl skills they need for success. Based on Julie Darling's book Social-Emotional Learning Using Makerspaces and Passion Projects. 

Outcomes:

• Participants will leave with step-by-step maker programming ideas
• Participants will learn about how to connect these with CASEL'S SEL framework.
• Participants will get ideas for free tools to use to foster SEL.

Speaker: Julie Darling, Ann Arbor Public Schools

Track: Lead

Tags:

Beyond Books; Bringing Innovative Items to Your Library

Can you imagine being able to check out a telescope from your library? What about a cake pan shaped like Wonder Woman or Nintendo Switch or sewing machine? Well it's happening all over the country as libraries are adding their own versions of ‘library of things’ to their collections. This session will dive into the culture of libraries of things and follow one library's journey in setting up their first ‘Innovative Items Collection’.  We would follow the Rochester Hills Public Library's journey of starting from scratch writing their new collection development and lending policy for this new collection, researching new reservation software, ordering and processing items beyond books, assessing collection needs and patron reactions.  Journey with us as we explore our ups and downs, mistakes and high notes in bringing items beyond books to our library.

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to identify key benefits a collection like this could have on their library
• Participants will be able to identify specific needs in their community this collection could help fulfill
• Participants will be able to sketch out a draft road map to how they might start their own collection beyond books

Speaker: Tierney Czartoski, Rochester Hills Public Library

Track: Create

Tags:

Strategic Planning for Community Impact

Does your library need a new strategic plan?  This session is for you!  Learn how to guide your library through a strategic planning process that will result in a clear, focused plan to serve as your roadmap for increased community engagement and impact.  We‚Äôll talk about each phase of the process, how to involve the community, and the role of Board and staff members.  Plus, you'll get tips for implementing your strategic plan so it doesn't end up on a shelf. 

Outcomes:

• Participants will understand why having a strategic plan is critical for focusing energy and efforts
• Participants will have the tools to design a strategic planning process that is right for their library
• Participants will understand how to transition from strategic planning to implementation and how to measure success

Speaker: Amanda Standerfer, Fast Forward Libraries

Track: Connect

Tags: Great for trustees

Bridge and Conquer: Promotion Change in LIS Education

This panel presentation by faculty of the School of Information Sciences (SIS) at Wayne State University explores ways in which they bridge divides between information professionals, faculty, students, institutions, and very diverse populations. A highlight of the session will be the work of SIS students who have creatively addressed information-related problems that create bridges to varied communities. The session will be visual and interactive, with a special invitation for input from attendees regarding the state of higher education in our field. 

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to articulate four ways in which research connects with the real world of libraries and other information settings.
• Participants will be able to describe ways in which applied research can improve the lives of their libraries' communities.
• Participants will be able to better understand ways in which higher education in our field can forge connections between our field and the communities we serve. 

Speakers: Tom Walker, Hermina Anghelescu, Timothy Bowman, and Bin Li, Wayne State University, School of Information Sciences

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for students, Great for academics

Friday | 9:00 – 10:00 AM

The First Amendment: A Library Puzzle

Public libraries have a special relationship with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. However, it is not always clear or easy to understand exactly how this relationship can affect library operations and policy. This presentation uses a fictional library and an interactive format to identify and discuss common library policies and occurrences which could trigger First Amendment problems. Participants are encouraged- but not required-to play along.

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to evaluate their library's policies and procedures for certain First Amendment Issues.
• Participants will be able to utilize program discussion and resources to formulate First Amendment  informed policies and procedures.
• Participants will be able to identify solutions to certain First Amendment issues.

Speakers: Clare Membiela, Library of Michigan

Track: Reimagine

Tags: Great for trustees, Great for small and rural libraries

#LibraryTikTok: Use TikTok to Create Magical Connections

TikTok is more than a popular social media platform. It is a playground to promote library services, programs, books, and everything libraries while connecting with a wider audience and demographic. Learn from the Fowlerville Library TikTok account, which has gone viral multiple times. They are known for their successful "One Star Review Guess Who" series, inclusive recommendations, & quirky library life. Through visual screenshots, videos, and demonstrations, they will discuss different aspects of video creation, share behind the scenes set-up, amazing impacts and connections they've had with patrons, arguments that support libraries using TikTok and more! TikTok brings libraries into the modern era of communication and social media, but it's also an opportunity to debunk the Hollywood stereotype of library life and show the world just how awesome libraries are!

Outcomes:

• Participants will identify ways libraries can use TikTok to communicate with the public
• Participants will apply TikTok trends, videos, and strategies to library marketing techniques
• Participants will analyze what makes a library TikTok video successful and meaningful

Speakers: Storm Kopitsch and Zoe Guettler, Fowlerville District Library

Track: Connect

Tags:

Staff Challenge: Interactive Onboarding Using Beanstack

Onboarding is an essential part of new employee success and it allows organizations to purposefully build a team-centered culture where everyone has an understanding structure, mission and vision.  Yet, many organizations struggle to make their employee onboarding experience more than just about processes and paperwork. This presentation will describe how to use Beanstack, software many libraries already have to host reading challenges for patrons, as an innovative onboarding tool. Learn how library managers can create structured training processes with opportunities to highlight expectations about organizational values like teamwork, service, inclusion and more.  New staff can enjoy a self-paced experience that gives them needed information in an organized way and that allows them to refer back over time.

Outcomes:

• Understand how onboarding is more than staff training on policies and procedures
• Identify how onboarding can impact the culture of their organization.
• See Beanstack, and potentially other tools, as options to create a more engaging onboarding experience.

Speakers:  Keegan Sulecki, Troy Public Library

Track: Lead

Tags:

Taking on Literacy...Literally!

Bellaire Public Library is taking on the important task of helping families improve their literacy skills in reading and information. Three programs at BPL - "Just Read!" for school-age children, "Prescription to Read" for teens and adults, and "A Family Literacy Program" - each address specific literacy needs in our community.  Session participants will learn about each of these programs, how they are organized, promoted, and funded. Suggestions on how to implement similar programs for all class sizes of libraries will be discussed. Participants will also leave with a kit of materials to help them create similar literacy programs at their own libraries.

Outcomes:

• Participants will understand the basic concepts of reading and information literacy and how these concepts affect communities.
• Participants will be able to implement similar programs at their own library.
• Participants will leave with a packet of information including sign up sheets, promotional materials, resources, and timelines to help create similar programs

Speaker: Cindi Place, Bellaire Public Library

Track: Create

Tags: Great for small and rural libraries

Winter Reading-Flamingos in the Snow!

Flamingos in the Upper Peninsula? Must be the Peter White Public Library's Winter Reading program! In fall and winter of 2021, the PWPL was still operating under COVID-19 restrictions, working hard to connect with the youth of the community and encourage them to keep reading. The PWPL Youth Services Librarian saw a post on social media from a different library that was using yard flamingos during their summer reading program and thought " Flamingos in the Snow" for a winter reading program! After a successful 2021 program that saw more 400 yard flamingos around town, PWPL has expanded the winter reading program and gone miniature-with more than 4,500 hours of reading logged as kids read to earn new miniature items for their habitats. PWPL also added a Teen Winter Reading program, teens reading to the chance to win a gift card in 2022.  An easy, fun, and highly motivating program, and an amazing way to engage kids with reading during the long winter months.

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to implement an easy winter reading program on a budget
• Participants will take with them a collaboratively created document of winter reading program themes, formats and incentives for both rural and urban libraries
• Participants will increase wintertime library visits and participation

Speaker: COMING SOON

Track: Connect

Tags:

Dramatic Play in Your Library

A Dramatic Play center can be of great value to your library's families! Dramatic Play centers are an easy thing to create, with huge benefit for children and caregivers for comparatively small effort and time required by staff. Construed of free play with a set theme, children show their adults how to play and how to interact with them. A Dramatic Play center is also fantastic for children playing with each other-learning how to cooperatively play, set rules for play and more.

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to create a dramatic play station at their library no matter the budget or space constraints
• Participants will take home a list of ideas for dramatic station themes that they will have contributed to during the session
• Participants will understand the value of a dramatic play station for bonding children and adults together around the act of playing

Speaker: COMING SOON

Track: Connect

Tags:

Friday | 10:15 – 11:15 AM

The National Labor Relations Board – Protecting Employee Rights

COMING SOON

Outcomes: COMING SOON

Speaker: Elizabeth Kerwin, National Labor Relations Board

Track: Reimagine

Tags:  Great for students

Sensory Accessibility and Inclusion: KultureCity

Sensory inclusion has become one of the most important and most often overlooked aspects of public service. Whether the individual has Autism, PTSD, Dementia  or Down Syndrome, they deserve to be welcomed and accommodated at public libraries in particular. And while the Clarkston Independence District Library has been an Autism-friendly environment for years with special programs as well as volunteer opportunities, it was time to take things to the next level with KultureCity.

Outcomes:

• Participants will have learned that sensory inclusion is more important than most people realize.
• Participants will have learned that individuals with sensory needs fall under several categories.
• Participants will have learned that accommodation goes beyond mere acknowledgment.

Speakers: Stacia Serafin and Chris Nadeau, Clarkston Independence District Library  

Track: Connect

Tags:

Intellectual Freedom Panel

COMING SOON

Outcomes: COMING SOON

Speakers: COMING SOON

Track: Create

Tags: Great for trustees

Library Law Q & A with Anne and Clare

A Q&A session centering on legal questions concerning the library community. Anne Seurynck, an attorney with Foster, Swift Collins and Smith, and Clare Membiela, Library of Michigan library Law Consultant will field questions from session attendees on a variety of library law topics. Any legal information will be solely for informational and discussion purposes and is not to be considered legal advice. 

Outcomes:

• Participants will be able to identify the legal concepts behind certain library legal issues
• Participants will be able to determine whether their library is in compliance with certain legal requirements.
• Participants will discover  resources available to address some library legal issues 

Speakers: Clare Membiela, Library of Michigan and Anne Seurynck, Foster, Swift Collins and Smith

Track: Lead

Tags: Great for trustees, Great for small and rural libraries