2019 Joint Conference ILA/NLA/NSLA

What is authentic leadership? How do you become a leader who is confident and true to who you are? In this session, join mid-career library leaders to learn about the qualities of authentic leadership, how authentic leadership differs from other leadership models, and why authentic leaders are often successful. Participants will take time to reflect upon their leadership principles and values, and how they align with those of authentic leaders. Participants will then join colleagues in conversation about why those principles and values resonate with them, and how those values play out as a leader. Finally, the session will finish with a conversation about what it feels like when our actions don’t reflect our values as authentic leaders, and how to bounce back in those moments. At the end of the session, tools and resources will be shared to help you continue your journey toward authentic leadership.

Your school library program serves every student, but are you reaching all of your students? Inclusive learning opportunities must be designed with intention. Attendees will use hands-on learning to reimagine traditional Microsoft tools like Word and OneNote to accommodate audio, visual, and active engagement through Immersive Reader and Dictate tools. This session will also showcase the use of these digital tools to create a more accessible, digitally literate, and inclusive library learning environment for students.

While readers’ advisory has always been a core part of the library, it has not always been a place where staff feel like they succeed. In this session, you’ll learn about the ways OPL librarians are providing tools to re-engage staff and patrons around books and reading. You’ll hear about the ways multiple departments in the system have come together to form teams dedicated to strengthening readers’ services. Some examples of the projects you’ll hear about include: forming staff teams for outreach events and creating content for the website; establishing an internal genre study group; promoting books online through an annual “best of” list; creating a reading challenge for patrons; and utilizing digital tools for staff to chat about books and media across branches. Come prepared to take in new ideas in order to get back to the basics of books!

We will go over the basics of designing an escape room from scratch—everything from creating a narrative, to utilizing supplies already on hand, to working with unique spaces. Then, we will explore ways to adapt rooms, using the same story line and props, to appeal to various age groups.

The first part of our presentation will cover the basics of designing an original escape room. We will offer tips for selecting a fandom, creating a narrative, and mapping out the space. Then, we will delve deeper into the cognitive advantages of escape rooms and how they can be used to create multi-generational programs. We will discuss the benefits of using one space for multiple programs and how to adapt puzzles to fit varying levels of ability. We will talk about our experience planning and hosting a Stranger Things escape room for teens and adults, share what we learned, and what we hope to do better in the future. This presentation is meant to go beyond creating escape rooms and examine how staff can increase efficiency and program attendance by appealing to all ages.

In spring 2018, the Marion Public Library Teen Services Staff took ownership in responding to local business complaints of “loitering teens” by forming the Marion Youth Coalition (MYC.) MYC is comprised of civic leaders, local business owners, and city staff. This organization creates policies and communication surrounding community teen services ranging from the school hallways to store aisles. MYC launched a community-wide PBIS incentive system in January 2019, where teens can “shop rewards” at their schools and public libraries.

As the new Collections Strategy Manager at the Marion Public Library, one of my first projects was a big one: weeding the entire library collection (approximately 170,000 items) to prepare for new spaces and new strategies for curating our collection. With our anticipated move to a new, larger library three years away, we have to make the space we have (and have long outgrown) work for us. Partnering with our library director, marketing manager, adult services librarian and youth services librarian, we have created a plan to:
*Weed areas of the collection
*Communicate ongoing changes to our patrons in positive and impactful ways via signage, talking points, and social media
*Identify areas of our collection that will benefit from fresh merchandising within the library for increased circulation and exposure.

Weeding is necessary and vital to the continued growth of a library. This session will discuss how to create support for a large weeding project with the library staff, communicate effectively with patrons on the obvious changes to the collection, and how to partner with city departments and businesses to manage the flow of weeded materials from the library.

I will also share the ups and downs of undertaking such a large weeding project-the frustration, the constant adjusting for time and space, continually maintaining a positive attitude and staying motivated. Meeting the expectations of staff, keeping communication open and honest, and reigning in enthusiastic staff—those who want to weed everything NOW.

NLA and ILA team up to cover Intellectual Freedom hot topics in a panel discussion format. The necessity of meeting room policies for libraries, particularly in light of the recent controversy surrounding the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Interpretation will be discussed. Considerations for library use versus public use and co-sponsorship of events will be covered as well.

Communicating with non-librarians and patrons about Intellectual Freedom topics can be fraught. Scripts for library staff can be useful in conversing in different situations, such as with children, parents, or at the time of a complaint. One librarian will share scripts used in their library, and recommendations for writing and implementing scripts.

The move toward self-service in libraries can create additional challenges when it comes to maintaining patron privacy. Considerations for moving to a self-service model include weighing patron privacy and ease of use.

In context of our significantly divided and often contentious society, how do library staff manage patron responsibility to use the library in a manner which respects the rights of others to use library space and materials, permits staff to conduct library business, and maintain a secure and comfortable environment?

NLA's Intellectual Freedom Manual was created by members of the IF round table primarily to inform and educate Nebraska librarians about intellectual freedom issues. It was envisioned as a brief and handy reference for Nebraska librarians and as a necessary update to a 2004 manual. It has also served as the focus of five presentations to a variety of audiences in the state.

So much depends on our ability to craft and deliver a compelling presentation. Our professional credibility, our commitment to the common good, and our ability to advocate to stakeholders are just a few reasons that we need to think long and hard about how we communicate, how we interact, and how we create content that appeals to our target audiences. This program will provide a crash course for presenters of all types. If you are new to the game and the thought of standing in front of others make you sweat, this is the program for you. If you are a seasoned presenter looking to take it to the next level, this is the program for you. Discussions will include everything from creating good content, to presentation design and tools, to communication 101. And as an extra bonus, we will spend some time thinking about how we modify presentations for different venues (face to face and/or online). Aw, come on -I promise we’ll have some fun.

Discussion about applying complex cataloging rules to provide public access to local history, valuable material, and unusual objects.

Discuss what is a print disability and the resources available for patrons. Learn about our services for people with print disabilities, in both Iowa and Nebraska. Description of our services, application process, how we circulate our books and equipment and the different programs that are available through the Iowa and Nebraska Regional libraries and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Learn how libraries of all type can become patrons of our libraries.