Back in Circulation Again 2024

In the quickly changing landscape of equipment lending, I will be exploring how our library has experimented with our equipment lending program in the last 3 years, with changes to the equipment checkout software we use, the policies we enforce, and the ways we train student workers and staff. Changes to our equipment lending software have moved us from having equipment managed by individual departments or available through the library’s management system (spreadsheet-based tracking and Alma), to software that specializes in calendars and library of things lending (Springshare’s LibCal), and now to software that is built specifically for equipment lending (WebCheckout). Policy adjustments have included how we handle late returns, the length of reservations, how far in advance people can make reservations, renewal periods, and restrictions on who can check out certain materials. With these changes, we adjusted our student worker model as well—from having student workers in a variety of departments handle different equipment, to having it be managed by the access services student workers, before transitioning to having a dedicated pool of student workers. While there are pros and cons to each of these lending methods, I will discuss why we have chosen to make specific changes, why we have made so many changes to the program in such a short period, the challenges this has presented, and take a look forward at what we anticipate for the future along with how this can apply to other institutions.

Our community, like so many others, is grappling with the drug epidemic, with our library having a front row seat to the grip it has on the people in our community. This included continual drug use in our building, causing us to close our bathrooms multiple times a day, finding drug paraphernalia in and around our building and an overall disruption to our loyal patrons. In addition, our staff had to emotionally watch the swift decline of patrons they cared so much about. To combat this, we took a multi-pronged approach when it came to trying to keep our bathrooms safe, and our patrons alive. This involved hiring contract security in addition to our library security staff, getting approved to have Narcan in our buildings, and ultimately installing sensors in all our public bathrooms to decrease drug use and allow the public and staff to use the library as intended. This long journey came with a lot of steps, problem solving and some hard-won victories that we are proud of. We believe that sharing our experience can help not only other libraries start the process of installing sensors, but hopefully in the end, possibly save a life.

Do you want to learn how to build "Themed Engaging Activities that Motivate" and inspire your TEAM? This presentation shows how to start from a need or a simple idea and craft training to meet the needs of your team using the time you have available. In this workshop you'll learn meet the training needs of your team including promoting excellent customer service, safety, shelf maintenance, team cohesiveness, and more. Twelve monthly activity training template ideas will be provided as a resource, such as Customer Service Bingo, Skill Balloon Hunt, Snack Chats, I SPY and more. In addition, you will have the opportunity to build your own training activity and specialize it to meet your team and organization's needs during the workshop.

"Ready, Set, Advocate" is an entire advocacy toolkit for any library to utilize for building a platform from which to create an advocacy platform from. It is robust enough to appeal to all library types, and the speakers have experiences in a variety of libraries. The presentation talks about a continuum of the advocacy process from concept development through execution and beyond. “Ready” covers the development of the issue to advocate. “Set” covers the prep work required to form the message. “Advocate” covers the execution of the plan. All three topics are covered in this broad based presentation. The intended audience of this presentation is all library staff; from entry level through executive.

Participants will learn how to use the Power Flower activity to engage their teams in a conversation about identity and power. The workshop will demonstrate how to use self-reflection, storytelling, and deep listening to build the trust necessary to have honest conversations about equity and justice.

In 2022 Baldwin Public Library joined the national trend of having one department handle both Circulation and Technical Services – but only because our Head of Technical Services left to be a librarian in the private sector. Rather than hire a replacement, our administration combined both departments and promoted the Head of Circulation (not a librarian) instead. Come hear what has worked for us, what hasn’t, and what we still need to do! Features advice on staffing, job duties, and training and includes a Q&A/participatory portion at the end. For reference, at Baldwin cataloging, processing, and acquisitions as well as system administration and circulation are overseen by our new Access Services department.

Learn more about how our library has implemented kanban boards to enhance our student assistant experience. Kanban boards are a tool to help manage and visualize workflows and processes. They have helped our students become more independent in their work and has strengthened their decision-making skills while increasing productivity. During our session, we will help you create your own personal or shared kanban board and tell you more about how we have successfully utilized them in our library!

We often equate hard work with progress. However, the key to true productivity and fulfillment lies in working smarter, not harder. This session will focus on efficiency, innovation, and effective time management.

By leveraging technology, streamlining processes, and prioritizing tasks, we can achieve more with less effort. Working smarter means setting clear goals, delegating when necessary, and continuously seeking improvement. It's about finding the optimal path to success, rather than continuing a process because we have always done it that way.

Not every library has access to specialized analytical software such as Tableau or MS Power BI. Still, circulation managers and librarians need to be able to make meaningful connections between circulation data, space usage, patron counts, marketing campaigns, and patron engagement to improve library services. It is possible to use Excel as both a data collection and visualization tool for Circulation and Access Services related data. This provides an easy and cost effective solution for circulation managers since many institutions, both public and private, have access to Excel through MS Office.

This presentation provides a brief overview on how to use simple pivot tables and charts in Excel to turn raw data into meaningful visualizations that can be used to make informed decisions that can have positive impacts on marketing efforts, utilization of space, and delivery of services to patrons. The methods demonstrated in this presentation are simple and direct with no need for specialized training on the part of the attendees. The first half of the presentation will focus on how to format data and create visualizations including data dashboards using pivot tables in Excel. The second half of the presentation will demonstrate how this methodology is being used in the CTR Library at the University of Nebraska at Kearney to make informed circulation management decisions.

The presentation will take a total of 40 minutes with an added 20 minutes post-presentation for questions and discussion.

In summer 2023, Ball State University Libraries unified the main-floor service desks in our main campus library, merging reference and circulation/reserves services to simplify the user experience. Following the pandemic and a wave of faculty retirements, the Libraries saw a growing need to strengthen relationships on campus through our librarian liaison program. Usage data revealed changes in students’ library behaviors, indicating that existing service models also needed to change. Our unified service model built capacity for librarians to advance our strategic priorities through the liaison program. As we merged physical spaces, Access Services and Research & Teaching Services staff worked side by side to learn from each other as we adapted our techniques for assisting library users. The change brought fresh perspectives and streamlined approaches to longstanding processes such as lost & found, returned books, and key access. Student staffing was also a critical consideration, and the unified desk brought about the need for an entirely new, unified student role. Student assistants from Reference and Circulation/Reserves were combined and cross-trained, enabling them to provide streamlined assistance at the newly created Library Information Desk. This session will share our experiences moving to a combined service desk and reflect on our process of change management. By involving key staff in the planning and implementation process, we achieved significant progress in a relatively short timeframe. Additionally, post-implementation task forces enabled frontline staff to continue to finesse changes, fostering an iterative and collaborative approach to changes and contributing to a greater sense of ownership among team members.

This presentation explores the impact of adopting digital library initiatives on access services workers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), Geisel and Wong Avery Libraries. We will share the expertise and experience of frontline staff and student employees and the lasting impact of operationalizing new policies in a post-COVID world. Digital first initiatives have been strongly prioritized by libraries to promote equitable access, cost effectiveness, and technological growth and advancement at UCSD. The way libraries’ digital prioritization affects both users and library administration has been studied and considered in great detail. Yet the impact of digital first on access services staff and student employees is often overlooked. User needs shifted significantly in 2020 making existing digital frameworks more relevant. Staff who worked at service points became proficient in these technologies and acquired a range of skills.

These teams have been largely responsible for educating and supporting users through this technological transition. This change in digital first has produced both positive results and growing pains for users, frontline staff and student employees. Leadership can leverage the bank of first-hand knowledge and experience of front line staff and student employees to develop new initiatives. Through the content and interactive elements we share, attendees will come out of our presentation with an understanding of the impact that digital first initiatives have on staff, student employees, and users. In addition, attendees will be motivated to apply this knowledge in ways that will be beneficial for all.

When people hear that the Studio at the UTC Library checks out audio/visual equipment worth up to $6,000 to students, they are shocked! They can’t believe we “give” students such expensive equipment. However, use of quality audio and video equipment is paramount to student success on our campus and others due to the rise of High Impact Practices and multimedia assignments. These assignments are common across the disciplines at our university, from Nursing to English to Anthropology, but most departments do not provide the equipment needed to complete the assignments. Our circulating collection, worth over $100,000, provides access to high-end equipment for students regardless of major or financial status, and our team of both full-time staff and faculty, as well as part-time student staff, fill in the instructional gaps to ensure that students are trained effectively to use the equipment.

Since the Studio opened in 2015, we have used iterative design to develop tools and resources to help our staff and students understand and use advanced equipment for a variety of creative projects. Using custom check out sheets for each equipment kit during circulation allows us to both review the equipment and potential fines/fees with patrons, as well as train new staff on the circulation process. In this presentation, we will discuss how we design (and redesign) check out sheets to minimize lost or broken equipment and related financial costs, as well as provide instruction on using equipment for both patrons and staff.

Are you ready to be video recorded while working at a public service desk or in the stacks? Chances are increasing that library staff will be faced with a First Amendment auditor's attempt to get footage for their social media. In this interactive session, I will discuss the First Amendment and high-level policies that your library should have in place and staff must know. I will use video examples of audits created by Vernon Area Public Library staff to highlight what (and what not) to do during an audit, and engage the participants with unique scenarios to encourage discussion about what to do in difficult situations. The goal of this session is for participants to walk away better prepared to professionally handle a First Amendment audit in their library.

In fall 2023, Technical Services and Access Services at The College of New Jersey began cross-training staff members. Due to attrition, we were short staff members who have the authority, skills, and experience required to make professional judgments in regard to unique patron interactions in Access Services. Tasks for each of these units have dramatically changed over the years due to increasing electronic resources and technology advances allowing for more automation. With continued budget constraints, we needed to holistically rethink workflows across all library units. As a step in ongoing organizational realignment, four staff members from Technical Services agreed to work two hours a day at the Circulation desk to ensure positive patron interactions with patrons and to keep the desk open during key business hours. Our presentation will map the shared knowledge and skills that the Technical Services staff members already possess with the knowledge and skills needed In Access Services. We will also discuss the benefits of having staff members in both units working closely together as they collaborate on shared workflows and recommend further streamlining. Direct feedback from staff members reflecting on how their cataloging and other technical skills benefit the work of the Access Services (and how being immersed in the processes of Access Services benefit the work of Technical Services) will be presented.

The North Liberty Library transitioned away from Dewey classification for nonfiction in 2011, switching to a modified BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) or more commonly, the book store model. We get frequent calls about the process, how we got started, and what reaction has been from the public. The process continues to evolve over ten years after we started, and we've learned a lot along the way. Using this book store model eliminates a lot of confusion and mystery that surrounds the Dewey Decimal System, and hopefully presents a less biased approach to organizing a nonfiction collection.

Step into the world of library Circulation Services with our interactive game show! Join in the fun as teams answer questions about access and circulation services, promoting teamwork, communication, and customer service skills. The game show format simulates real-life customer interactions at a circulation desk, providing participants with a dynamic and entertaining environment to enhance their customer service skills. The game show structure is designed with rounds of questions and challenges that are related to access and circulation services, incorporating scenarios and real-life examples. Teams will navigate these scenarios, applying their knowledge and problem-solving skills. Audience participation includes interactive polls and quick challenges, and participants are encouraged to share their experiences and insights during the Q&A session. Winning teams receive incentives, adding an element of friendly competition. This workshop is perfect for all library professionals, including paraprofessionals, librarians, and managers, who want a unique and entertaining way to explore access and circulation services. The workshop will run for approximately one hour, allowing for a well-paced game show experience and a Q&A session. Strengthen your teamwork and communication skills, enhance your customer service capabilities, and gain a deeper understanding of best practices in access and circulation services—all through an enjoyable and interactive medium.

What kind of "personality" does your academic library have? If it is anything like Fondren Library’s was pre-pandemic, it might be described as traditional, quiet, serious, or staid and the events offered by the library would probably fit into that description as well. That is until Fondren staff got the library party started by creating an events’ committee for promoting library resources and services! This session will explore the evolution of Fondren’s library events and events’ committee beginning with our offering of minimally planned "study breaks” organized by the Circulation department, to scheduling online events during the pandemic, to planning and implementing major year-round fun events involving all of the library staff and departments for library promotion. We will also discuss how to bring often introverted library staff together to form an events’ committee and provide practical tips as to how any library can get the party started! We will also review what events have been wildly successful at the library as well as some of our “duds'' and why the events turned out that way.

Session participants will learn how to plan and implement small to large events, how to make the events more inclusive, how to truly listen to students for the kind of events they would like to have, and how to include non-patron facing library staff in collaboration for the event.

Over the past decade, Kenosha Public Library envisioned space renovation and improved collection development. Despite facing the challenges of the pandemic, civil unrest, and the loss of our administration office building in 2020, we persevered, earning recognition as the Wisconsin Library Association’s Library of the Year in 2020 and an IMLS National Medal Finalist in 2021. In 2022, an unexpected opportunity allowed us to launch a design plan that propelled us three years ahead of our strategic plan, integrating innovative collection development goals. We genrefied our fiction collection, started the transition away from the Dewey Decimal System in non-fiction, and established a hybrid Pop Asia collection. Join us to dive into the details of our transformation, discover our process for deciding difficult taxonomy, explore the methods used for reshaping our collections, and learn about the significant outcomes observed a year later.

Libraries, especially public libraries, went through a major service model revamp as a response to the pandemic. As we reviewed services, programs, and how we interacted with the public, it also revealed how much public libraries need to rely on the perspectives and expertise of all staff to provide meaningful services and programs. As middle managers, how do we do that? In the past two and a half years as a branch manager, I have consciously attempted to share decision making and authority with employees while concurrently providing clear expectations and support. Join me in this discussion. I’ll share how I’ve built relationships with employees to help them identify their expertise and ability to problem solve with their colleagues and stopped being an obstacle for my employees being able to recognize and embrace their leadership skills and the challenges I encountered or am still encountering. I look forward to learning from participants what strategies have worked for them or what they are working on changing.

Over a decade ago, the Wisconsin State Law Library shifted many of its manuals and documentation to an internal staff wiki. Learn how the library set its initial goals for an online staff manual, and how those markers of success have changed over the years. Walk away from this session with a step-by-step plan to develop and improve your own knowledge sharing platforms.

Introduction:
Our presentation will commence with an overview of Qatar National Library, highlighting its vast collection, dynamic user base, and the annual influx of 30,000 new patrons. The increasing demand for library resources, reflected in over 400,000 physical checkouts annually, underscores the need for innovative solutions to manage this workload effectively.

Technological Innovations:
The core of our presentation will focus on the technological advancements implemented by the Access Services team. We will delve into the Automated Book Sorting System, self-borrowing and return stations, mobile app borrowing, Stack Map for efficient book location finding, and iPads strategically placed for catalog access. These technologies collectively contribute to a seamless and user-friendly library experience.

Future Developments:
As part of the library's commitment to staying ahead in the technological landscape, we will explore upcoming innovations. A new robotic system is set to join the team, addressing misshelving challenges and optimizing shelving arrangements. Additionally, the library aims to extend its reach by providing remote access through strategically placed library vending machines in various locations across Qatar.

Work Pressure Management:
Acknowledging the importance of maintaining service quality during peak periods, especially on weekends, our presentation will provide insights into the strategies employed by Qatar National Library. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge on how the library effectively manages work pressure, ensuring a positive user experience even during high-demand periods.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, our proposal promises an engaging presentation that goes beyond technology, offering a holistic view of how Qatar National Library navigates the evolving landscape of library services. Attendees will gain insights into technological implementations, future developments, and effective work pressure management strategies, positioning our presentation as a valuable resource for libraries seeking to adapt and thrive in the digital age.

Bringing books and materials to those that can no longer make it to the library because of health or mobility issues is a great library resource you can offer patrons in your community. Middleton Public Library started providing this service in 2022 and we will share how this successful program got started with a few volunteers and very little cost.

The two presenters for this program will be Katharine Clark and Megan O’Keefe, both with Middleton Public Library. Katharine Clark is the Deputy Director of the Middleton Public Library. She has previously worked at the Beloit Public Library, E.D. Locke Public Library in McFarland, WI and the Madison Public Library system. She has been actively involved with the Wisconsin Library Association for over 20 years, serving on many committees and most recently has been elected as WLA-President Elect. Megan O’Keefe is new to the library profession and a recent graduate from the University of Denver. Megan has also worked at the New Glarus Public Library and completed her internship at the Stoughton Public Library in Adult Services. She is currently an Assistant Public Services Supervisor for Middleton and has taken up coordinating Homebound Delivery Services.

What strengths do librarians who have previously worked in public libraries bring to the academic library environment, specifically the Access Services unit? Public librarians sometimes struggle to get their foot in the door when applying for academic librarian positions but often offer specific strengths to this new environment. Access Services, with its strong public-facing role in the library, can be a particularly good fit. This session considers the similarities and differences between public library and academic library Access Services as well as the strengths and different perspectives that public librarians bring to this area of the academic community, some of which may be overlooked. Pulling from her own personal experience transitioning from public to academic libraries and from research, the presenter will explore this experience to suggest our profession broadens our perspective when hiring.

Tour the library archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society! The Wisconsin Historical Society’s nationally known Library and Archives, located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, collects, preserves, and makes available both published and unpublished materials about the history of Wisconsin, the United States and Canada. The Library and Archives also serves as the North American history research center for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and provides access to collections owned by the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. The archives are home to millions of historic photographs, negatives, films, architectural drawings, cartoons, lithographs, posters, and one of the biggest newspaper collections in the United States. Visitors can expect to traverse all four floors of the building, but there are options to take an elevator if preferred.

Please note that indicating your interest in this tour on Sched will NOT register you for the tour. To sign up, please follow this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cY6E2kRkwNqNTAzzLzptT9cmoL5KgLC4dvMIu5b9770/edit?usp=sharing

This on-campus tour examines the 12,000-plus years of human existence documented along the shores of Lake Mendota, particularly the history of the Ho-Chunk Nation, on whose ancestral land the university now sits. It is an award-winning, place-based walking tour that welcomes guests to learn about the First Nations of Wisconsin. Participants visit UW-Madison campus buildings, historical markers, and archaeological sites to discuss historic – and contemporary – relationships with First Nations.  The walking tour is not fully physically accessible due to sustained periods of walking over various terrain such as stairs and inclines in elevation (e.g., Bascom Hill). Participants are encouraged to dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Photographs and/or recording of any type are not permitted during the tour.


Please note that indicating interest in this tour on Sched will NOT register you for the tour. To sign up, please follow this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eRvPjAHmTRqqSQFvgslDjZcVCdNeztUGLHGWlMYTeH8/edit?usp=sharing