Wish me luck travelling, I’ll need it.
Below is a program sampler. Sometimes I end up attending whatever meeting is easiest to get to (some events are in the loop area of Chicago — others a couple miles away at the Convention Center…). Lots of great options.
Friday, June 23
12:30 PM – 2 PM – Beyond the ‘Racial Stalemate’ – 12:30-2 3rd session Hyatt Regency McCormick, Grant Park/CC 12C In his 2008 speech on race titled “A More Perfect Union,” then-candidate Barack Obama described a “racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years.” He suggested that, if we don’t do something different, “nothing will change.” Now, more than eight years later, we’re still stuck. How do we move forward? Using an approach known as “racial healing,” facilitators will lead participants through a process that invites story-telling, vulnerability and deep listening. The goal is to provide leaders with a tool currently used by hundreds of organizations to help uproot the flawed belief in a racial hierarchy. Facilitated by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, sponsored by the ALA Public Programs Office and the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services.
Please only register for one session, as they are identical. Meeting Type: Preconference/Institute, Program, Ticketed Event Content Area: Transforming: Community Relationships Interests: Community Engagement, Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership, Public Relations, Social Change, Transforming Libraries Type of Library: Academic, Community College, Elementary School, High School, Middle School, Public, Regional System, School/Media Center Sponsors: ALA
4:00 PM – 5:15 PM – Opening General Session featuring Reshma Saujani – McCormick Place, W375b/Skyline Since 2012, Girls Who Code has taught computing skills to and inspired more than10,000 girls across America–and they’re just at the beginning of their mission to close the gender gap in tech. Reshma Saujani, the Founder and CEO of the national non-profit organization, is also the author of the groundbreaking book Women Who Don’t Wait In Line, in which she advocates for a new model of female leadership focused on embracing risk and failure, promoting mentorship and sponsorship, and boldly charting your own course. Girls Who Code is growing fast, with a goal of reaching one million young women by 2020 (by when 1.4 million jobs will be open in computing related fields in the US, but we are only on pace to fill 29% of them with computing graduates, and a mere 3% of those will be women). The organization has been featured in more than 100 publications and media outlets, from The New York Times to The Today Show, and has more than 105,000 Twitter followers—likely including some of your patrons and students. The forthcoming book Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World (August 2017, ages 10 and up), will show girls how coding skills are relevant to their lives and will get them excited about creating their own apps, games, and robots. With dynamic artwork, down-to-earth explanations of coding principles, and real-life stories of girls and women working at places like Pixar and NASA, it sets out to prove that coding is truly for everyone, no matter their interests. “The world is advancing in technology and women and girls need to educate ourselves on computer science to catch up. I don’t know how to code but this book has inspired me to learn,” says Malala Yousafzai, Student, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund. The Friendship Code, a fictional title, will be published at the same time as Girls Who Code. Saujani has been named one of Fortune’s 40 under 40, a WSJ Magazine Innovator of the Year, one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in New York by the New York Daily News, Forbes’s Most Powerful Women Changing the World, Business Insider’s 50 Women Who Are Changing the World, and an AOL/PBS Next MAKER. Listen to her TED Talk “Teach girls bravery, not perfection” to learn more about her passions and philosophy. Sponsored by: Penguin Young Readers Sponsors: ALA.
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM – Exhibits Opening Reception – Exhibit Hall The Exhibit Hall opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony immediately following the Opening General Session that features a brief welcome by ALA and local dignitaries. The Exhibits Opening includes food, drink, and entertainment through the exhibit hall, giving exhibitors and attendees their first chance to network as the exhibits kick off.
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM – EBSS Social – 600 N. Michigan Ave
Saturday, June 24
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM – You Can’t Stay Neutral on a Moving Train: Making Critical Librarianship Tangible Through Library Programs and Exhibits – McCormick Place, W187c Many librarians struggle with the practical application of critical librarianship in their everyday work. Through library public programming and exhibits, libraries have the opportunity to highlight the voices and concerns of those from traditionally marginalized groups. This panel will cover concrete example of how to integrate social justice into library programs and exhibits. These examples provide the audience with a diverse range of settings and topics so the audience can implement some of these ideas in their own libraries. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Core Values Interests: Adult Services, Equity Diversity & Inclusion Type of Library: Academic, Public Sponsors: EMIERT
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM – The intentional library: creating a better user experience with service design and design thinking (RUSA_ETS) – McCormick Place, W180 As the field of UX expands and libraries adopt a more user-based way of designing services and solving problems, the techniques, and subsequently, the jargon associated with the field have expanded. Speakers from both libraries and the design industry will explore the intersection between design thinking, user experience, and service design with the intention of clarifying each approach, and providing the audience with practical applications for developing user-centered services to implement at their own institutions. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Transforming: Services Interests: Assessment and Evaluation, Buildings and Facilities, Emerging Technologies, Public Services, Transforming Libraries Type of Library: Academic, Association, Community College, Consortium, Corporate, Elementary School, Federal, Government, High School, Information-related Organization, Joint Use, Law, Library School, Medical, Middle School, Museum, Native, Nonprofit, Other, Prison Library, Public, Regional System, Research Library, Rural, School/Media Center, Special, State Library, Student, Tribal, Undergraduate Sponsors: RUSA, RUSA_ETS
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Re-Framing Information Literacy for Social Justice – McCormick Place, W187c The new ACRL Framework for information literacy provides scope for addressing social justice, but stops short of explicitly addressing the topic. This presentation examines how instruction librarians can promote social justice using the Framework as a lens. It will identify ways for addressing social justice within each frame, offer practical ideas developing a social justice IL pedagogy, and make a case for expanding the framework to include a new frame focused on social justice. Content Area: Transforming: Teaching & LearningInterests: Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Information Literacy, Instruction Type of Library: Academic, Community College, High School, Library School, Student Sponsors: ACRL
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Teaching with the Framework from the Ground Up (ACRL) – Hilton Chicago, Buckingham Room Presented by the ACRL Student Learning and Information Literacy Committee. Have questions and ideas about teaching with the Framework? In this interactive discussion you will learn ways that you can use the Frames to teach first year students, transfer and nontraditional students, upper level and graduate students. Ideas for lesson plans will be shared. Discussion points will be compiled and shared with participants. Meeting Type: Forum/Update/Assembly Interests: Information Literacy Type of Library: Academic, Research Library, Student Sponsors: ACRL
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM – All-Committees Meeting (ACRL EBSS) – Hilton Chicago, Waldorf Room. We’ll be meeting virtually so I’ll not be at the all-committees meeting this year.
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Visibility & Engagement: Design, Develop, or Refresh your Online Instruction – McCormick Place, W179a Getting enthusiastic faculty buy-in, creating engaging online learning spaces, and identifying meaningful assessment strategies are all key components to building an effective online instructional presence. Whether supporting online or web-enhanced courses, today’s academic librarians need a visible presence to engage students and faculty alike. In this session, four practitioners will share their successes and failures, and what they have done to create high-impact online instruction programs. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Transforming: Teaching & LearningInterests: Distance Learning, Emerging Technologies, Games and Gaming, Information Literacy, Instruction, Librarianship, Literacy, Marketing, Outreach Services, Public Relations, TechnologyType of Library: Academic, Community College, High School, Research Library, Undergraduate Sponsors: ACRL_DLS
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM – EBSCO Academic Library Luncheon – Hyatt Regency McCormick 2233 S.MLK Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – COL Telecom Subcomittee Meeting – Palmer House, Dearborn 1
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group – Palmer House, Salon 03
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – RUSA President’s Program: Forget the Future: Our Time is Now with David Lankes – McCormick Place, W190a Our communities-our colleges, our towns, our schools, our businesses-need us. As those we serve face growing tensions of nationalism, xenophobia, racism, extremist politics, and social media sites that seems better at building filter bubbles than societies there is a need for a community of professional dedicated to the common good and founded on knowledge. However our communities don’t need us to gate keep a collection, offer up workshops, or staff a building. They need us adding value to their lives with them in their homes, classrooms, offices, and devices. Speaker David Lankes will explore how reference and user services not only remain relevant, but mobilize to addresses the real challenges of today’s community. Responders include: Valerie Gross, President & CEO of Howard County Library System (HCLS) and Roberto C. Delgadillo, Research Support Services Librarian at the University of California, Davis. Meeting Type: Program, President’s Program Content Area: Transforming: Customer & User Expectations Interests: Administration and Management, Leadership, Organizational Change, Outreach Services, Personnel and Staffing, Professional Development, Public Services, Reference Services, Strategic Planning, Support Staff, Training, Transforming Libraries Type of Library: Academic, Association, Community College, Corporate, Elementary School, Federal, Government, High School, Medical, Middle School, Museum, Native, Prison Library, Public, Regional System, Research Library, Retired, Rural, School/Media Center, Special, State Library, Tribal, Undergraduate Sponsors: RUSA
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – What They Don’t Teach You in Library School: Using Emotional Intelligence to Succeed as Academic Librarians of Color – McCormick Place, W187b Librarians of color enter the workforce prepared to fulfill technical, interpersonal, service, or scholarship duties but are often blindsided by institutional, systemic, or social factors surrounding race, color, religion, or ethnicity. Experienced academic librarians of color will share personal anecdotes and use the frameworks of emotional intelligence and career capital to help participants learn strategies to succeed in their jobs, craft actionable plans to achieve their career goals, and connect with their peers. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Career Development Interests: Career Advice, Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Librarianship, Networking Type of Library: Academic, Association, Community College, Library School, Research Library, Seeking Employment Sponsors: ACRL
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – How Are Our Instructors Truly Using Media? A Multifaceted Approach to Developing Departmental Course Media Use Profiles – McCormick Place, W175b One of the challenges for librarians working with media collections is deeply understanding the use of these materials in course context. This program will describe a multifaceted approach to this challenge that combines mining large corpora of departmental syllabi using NVIVO text analysis software with reserves, survey, and interpersonal correspondence data to build departmental media resource use profiles at Minnesota. This piloted approach, in consultation with subject librarians, has fostered a better sense of instructional department based media use that will help inform decision making for media collection management and development, media services refinement, and targeted instructor media support outreach. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Transforming: Teaching & Learning Interests: Assessment and Evaluation, Collection Development, Instruction Type of Library: Academic,Community College Sponsors: VRT
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Euromonitor Internationalâs cocktail hour – Railway Exchange Building 224 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM – Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Ceremony and Reception – Hilton Chicago, Grand Ballroom Notes: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carnegieadult In its sixth year, the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are celebrated at ALA’s Annual Conference in Chicago. Hand-picked by our expert selection committee of librarians, independent booksellers and book reviewers that work closely with adult readers, these books have made a lasting impression. Join us for this celebratory event with featured speaker, Sara Paretsky, and a chance to mingle with the winning authors, Matthew Desmond and Colson Whitehead during the dessert and drinks reception. These awards are cosponsored by Booklist and RUSA and supported by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. This year’s event is sponsored by NoveList. Tickets can be purchased at 2017.alaannual.org/ticketed-events with code RUS1. Meeting Type: Ticketed Event Content Area: Books & Authors Interests: Adult Services, Collection Development, New ALA Members, Popular Culture, Readers’ Advisory Type of Library: Public Sponsors: ALA, RUSA
Sunday, June 25
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Readex Breakfast Presentation – Hyatt Regency Chicago – Ballroom Level (East Tower) Columbus Hall / Columbus AB 151 East Wacker Drive Notes: Presenter: Paul Finkelman (about immigration law)
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM – Re-Skilling for a Digital Future: Developing Capabilities and Capacities in Digital Scholarship for Academic Librarians – McCormick Place, W187c
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM – Solidarity in Action: Combating Xenophobia and Islamophobia – McCormick Place, W183b
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – OITP – Tech Education in Libraries: Google’s support for digital literacy and inclusion – McCormick Place, W187b How can we better support our youth to participate in and benefit from the digital future? Join Google’s Connor Regan, Associate Product Manager, Be Internet Awesome, and others a team from Google to learn a about range of free resources to help librarians, families, and communities to promote digital literacy and the safe use of the internet. Meeting Type: Program Interests: Adult Services, Children’s Services, Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Information Literacy, Library School Education, Rural and Small Libraries, Technology, Urban Libraries, Young Adult Services, Youth Services Type of Library: Elementary School, High School, Library School, Middle School, Native, Public, Rural, School/Media Center, State Library, Tribal Sponsors: ALA
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Moving Beyond Sticky Notes: Making Design Thinking Work in the Real World – McCormick Place, W183a Design Thinking is often used at conferences or workshops to get people excited and show cool new tools that library staff can use to innovate. Yet while we feel energized at the workshop, many of us are unsure of how to turn those exercises into a practical application back at the library. During this Ignite Session, you’ll learn a set of Design Thinking exercises, which build upon one another, providing a complete roadmap from problem to solution through to implementation. Walk away ready to dive into innovating and solving real world problems with confidence. Meeting Type: Ignite Session Interests: Continuing Education, Training, Transforming Libraries Type of Library: Public Sponsors: ALA
Noon-12:45 Exhibit Hall / Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – OITP – You Make the Call in the Copyright Game – McCormick Place, W193 In this gameshow format, expert panelists will make arguments for and against fair use. Then, the audience will vote—fair use or not? You decide! The panelists will get “points” for every majority answer on their “side.” Who will win? Everyone wins when they better understand copyright and fair use. Meeting Type: Program Interests: Accessibility (ADA-compliance), Copyright, Digital Libraries, Ebooks, Electronic Resources, Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Intellectual Freedom, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Library School Education, Preservation, Scholarly Communication, Trends and Forecasting Type of Library: Academic, Association, Community College, Consortium, Elementary School, Federal, High School, Information-related Organization, Library School, Middle School, Nonprofit, Prison Library, Public, Regional System, Research Library, School/Media Center, State Library, Undergraduate Sponsors: ALA
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Deprofessionalization, Cutbacks, and Progressive Librarianship in the Trump Era – Swissotel, Lucerne III Moderator: Jane Glasby, Manager for the Blind and Print Disabled, San Francisco Public Library John Buschman, Dean of University Libraries, Seton Hall University “November 8, 2016, the Public, and Libraries” Abstract: What, now, is the library in the life of its public(s)? How the public(s) that libraries face have changed in recent (neoliberal) times clarifies library responses within our current neoliberal environment. John’s recent article: “The Library in the Life of the Public: Implications of a Neoliberal Age” The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy 87, 1 (January 2017): 55-70. Mark Hudson, Head of Adult Services, Monroeville Public Library (PA) “Community-Building vs. Customer-Driven Librarianship: Countering Neoliberal Ideology in Public Libraries” Abstract: What concrete models of community-building librarianship do we have to counter the ideology of customer-driven ‘business model’ (neoliberal) librarianship in public libraries? How is a pervasive technocratic rationality deprofessionalizing librarianship by redefining librarians as technicians, away from our historic identities as educators and cultural workers? Peter McDonald, Dean of Library Services, Fresno State “Manifest Destiny, the Morrill Act, and Maker-Spaces: Academic Libraries in the Service of Capital” Abstract: McDonald will present a brief historical overview of how neoliberalism saturates the workings of the academy, with antecedents dating back to feudalism on through Manifest Destiny to the ‘Free Markets’ credo of today. Maura Seale, Collections, Research, and Instruction Librarian, Georgetown University “Efficiency or Jagged Edges: Resisting Neoliberal Logics of Assessment” Abstract: Librarianship has been pervaded by a will to collect and assess data, often in an effort to prove our value and thereby escape austerity measures. Yet assessment is dominated by neoliberal logics that focus on efficiency. How might we reframe assessment so that it both effectively represents our work and resists neoliberalism? This session is sponsored by the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) and the Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG) Meeting Type: Discussion/Interest Group Interests: Ethics, Social Change Sponsors: SRRT
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Where There is Thunder, There is Lightning: EDI and Change in Libraries – McCormick Place, W176a The ALA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Implementation Working Group will feature lightning talks on equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives from a broad range of libraries. Presenters will have 5 minutes to share their successes and failures with initiatives designed to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in their libraries. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Core Values Interests: Equity Diversity & Inclusion Type of Library: Academic, Public, School/Media Center, Special Sponsors: ALA
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – OITP – Report from the swamp: Policy developments from Washington – McCormick Place, W187c “We live in interesting times” has never been more true in the world of national policy and libraries. Come to this session to learn about what’s happening in Washington and what ALA is doing about it. Specific topics will be determined in mid-June, but are likely to include net neutrality, E-rate, an overview of the Trump Administration and federal agencies that are important to libraries, and progress in areas such as small business. Panel: Marc Gartler (moderator), Madison (Wisc.) Public Library ; Larra Clark, ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and Public Library Association ; Alan S. Inouye, ALA OITP ; Ellen Satterwhite, Glen Echo Group, Washington, D.C. Meeting Type: Program Interests: Administration and Management, Advocacy, Community Engagement, Copyright, Emerging Technologies, Equity Diversity & Inclusion, Ethics, Foundations, Friends Groups, Funding, Information Commons, Information Literacy, Intellectual Freedom, Intellectual Property, Leadership, Legislation, Outreach Services, Partnerships, Privacy, Strategic Planning, Technology, Urban Libraries; Type of Library: Academic, Association, Community College, Consortium, Corporate, Elementary School, Federal, Government, High School, Information-related Organization, Joint Use, Law, Library School, Medical, Middle School, Museum, Native, Nonprofit, Other, Prison Library, Public, Regional System, Research Library, Retired, Rural, School/Media Center, Seeking Employment, Special, State Library, Student, Tribal, Undergraduate; Sponsors: ALA
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG) Meeting – Swissotel, Lucerne III
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM – A Night of Reference with Oxford University Press – School of the Arts Institute 112 South Michigan Avenue of Chicago
Monday, June 26
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM – Demystifying the Federal Reserve (RUSA_BRASS) – McCormick Place, W175a. Did you know that the Federal Reserve System (“The Fed”) not only engages in setting United States monetary policy, but also provides education and resources to researchers, students, and consumers? Have you met FRED, FRASER or ALFRED? Dr. Christian Zimmermann, Assistant Vice President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, will introduce you to these newly updated and improved databases and more. He will provide an overview of the Federal Reserve System, its role in the U.S. economy, and the economic data, information and research produced in twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors. Come early for breakfast (8:00-8:30am), sponsored by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Program Flyer. To join the conversation on Twitter, please use the hashtag #bizref and mention @RUSA_BRASS and @CZimm_economist. Meeting Type: Program Content Area: Updates/Briefings Interests: Community Engagement, Continuing Education, Electronic Resources, Government Documents & Information, Information Literacy, Literacy, Professional Development, Reference Services, Research and Statistics, Training Type of Library: Academic, Community College, Consortium, Federal, Government, Information-related Organization, Nonprofit, Public, Research Library, Special, State Library, Student, Undergraduate Sponsors: RUSA, RUSA_BRASS
