ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition

Join IMLS during the 2024 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, CA June 27-July 2, 2024.

View the list of sessions pertaining to IMLS and IMLS-funded grants below and visit booth #1853 each day for additional information and giveaways.

The conference and exhibits will be located at the San Diego Convention Center 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101. Registration details can be found on the 2024 ALA Annual Conference website.

Our Office of Library Services staff members will be available in booth #1853 to discuss IMLS grant programs and initiatives.

Saturday, 6/29 9:00am - 10:30am PT InfoLit

Information literacy empowers people with critical skills to find, evaluate, use, and create information. You can use the resources on this page to cultivate information literacy in your community. Learn more at: https://informationliteracy.gov/

Saturday, 6/29 12:00 pm - 1:00pm PT PBS Books

Approaching and celebrating the semiquincentennial anniversary of America’s independence, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and PBS Books join together to produce “Visions of America: All Stories, All People, All Places,” a digital-first series of videos and virtual conversations that explores our post-pandemic nation with a renewed interest in the places, people, and stories that have contributed to the America we live in today. Learn more at www.visionsofamerica.org

Saturday 6/29 1:00pm- 2:30pm PT IMLS's Office of Research and Evaluation

Join IMLS Director of the Office of Research and Evaluation, Matt Birnbaum, Phd, Marisa Pelczar, PhD (IMLS Program Analyst,) and Emily Plagman (IMLS Social Science Analyst) to learn more about IMLS policy research, evaluations and surveys and data.

Sunday, 6/30 10am-12:00pm PT PBS Books

Approaching and celebrating the semiquincentennial anniversary of America’s independence, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and PBS Books join together to produce “Visions of America: All Stories, All People, All Places,” a digital-first series of videos and virtual conversations that explores our post-pandemic nation with a renewed interest in the places, people, and stories that have contributed to the America we live in today. Learn more at www.visionsofamerica.org

Sunday 6/30 3:00pm - 5:00pm PT InfoLit

Information literacy empowers people with critical skills to find, evaluate, use, and create information. You can use the resources on this page to cultivate information literacy in your community. Learn more at: https://informationliteracy.gov/

Saturday 6/29 10:30am – 11:30am PT Understanding Needs for Library Facilities: Upcoming National Studies

Location: Marriott Marquis, Grand Ballroom Section 03
Two upcoming national studies will provide important new information about the condition of and need for library facilities nationwide. Physical facilities – including buildings, grounds, bookmobiles, and other physical infrastructure – are crucial to enabling libraries to serve their users. However, there is little existing data about the condition of library facilities nationwide and whether current facilities are meeting community needs – for instance, whether certain communities are underserved by library facilities, whether library facilities are accessible to people with disabilities, and how access to library facilities is impacted by natural disasters and extreme weather. This timely session will describe ongoing research on these topics and opportunities for libraries to contribute information. Panel 1 will present an upcoming study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Panel 2 will introduce research being commissioned by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

 

 

Presenters:
Cynthia Landrum
Acting Director
Institute of Museum and Library Services

Matthew Birnbaum
Research and Evaluation Director
Institute of Museum and Library Services

Emily Plagman-Frank
Strategic Research and Evaluation Officer
Institute of Museum and Library Services

Jennifer Kim
Senior Analyst
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Tania Uruchima
Analyst
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Jennifer L. Headley
Project Manager
FedWriters

Moderator:
Gavin Baker
Deputy Director, Public Policy & Government Relations
American Library Association

Saturday 6/29 9:00am – 10:00am PT The PRISM Project: Learning about Prison Library Services from People who are or were Incarcerated

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 25 A B C
The PRISM Project, funded by an IMLS National Leadership Grant, seeks to understand the outcomes of prison library services from the point of view of people who are currently or were incarcerated in Colorado prisons. This mixed-methods research study successfully conducted focus groups inside 19 state-operated adult prisons and worked with Remerg, a nonprofit re-entry organization, to conduct focus groups with formerly incarcerated people across Colorado. We also conducted surveys with currently and formerly incarcerated people across Colorado. This study has given the research team an unprecedented opportunity to use people-centered, outcomes-focused assessments with incarcerated people. We will share our preliminary results with librarians who are interested in services members of our community who are or were incarcerated.

IMLS grant: LG-252330-OLS-22

Presenters:
Charissa M. Brammer
Director, Library Research Service
Colorado State Library

Erin Boyington
Adult Institutions Senior Consultant
Colorado State Library

Sara Wicen
Research Assistant, Library Research Service
Colorado State Library

Amy Bahlenhorst
Research Analyst
Colorado State Library- Library Research Service

Chelsea Jordan-Makely
Co-Chair, Library Services to the Justice-Involved Interest Group
Griswold Memorial Library

Saturday 6/29 9:00am – 10:00am PT Cultivating Community Relationships: Bridging the gap between libraries and high school career & technical education

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 3
A high school, a public library, and librarians from a public, regional comprehensive university formed a partnership in 2022 through a federally funded grant program to introduce Black high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) students to professional careers in library and information science. Through this program, CTE students engage with academic library mentors who deliver a monthly LIS curriculum and gain professional paid internship experience while working at a library. This program provides benefits to all community partners involved. The students get to learn about librarianship as part of a cohort while earning a paycheck, the CTE program gets to introduce students to a nontraditional career, the library gets enthusiastic students who enjoy working in their community, and the program staff get to develop and refine a program-based toolkit that we hope will become a national model that encourages students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in LIS. This panel discussion will focus on building successful, cross-community partnerships to support programs that bridge CTE and libraries.

IMLS grant: RE-250110-OLS-21

Presenters:
Tammie Busch
Catalog and Metadata Librarian
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Jacob Del Rio
Electronic Resources Librarian
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Elizabeth Kamper
Information Literacy Librarian
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Debra Casimere
Secondary Coordinator
Sumner Senior High School, St. Louis Public Schools

DeAnna Anderson
Teen Specialist
Julia Davis Library, St. Louis Public Library

Moderator:
Lora Del Rio
Director for Research, Teaching, & Learning
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Saturday 6/29 9:00am – 10:00am PT Little Free Library and Public Library Collaborations: Not Just for the Front Yard Anymore

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 9
Little Free Library Executive Director Greig Metzger, LFL National Board Member and SJSU iSchool Director Anthony Chow, and San Diego County Library Director Migell Acosta will share how Little Free Library book-exchanges are more than a suburban phenomenon and increasingly being used as strategic outreach to build community book access and sharing ecosystems. As library systems build outreach initiatives and literacy advocates assist under-resourced communities, the Little Free Library book box can be an integral tool in the toolbox of public libraries committed to serving as community hubs and increasing their outreach footprint. In this brief overview, we will explore the history of Little Free Library's grant programs including Read in Color, a diverse book initiative, and its Indigenous Library program, and explore hands-on experiences of SJSU's School of Information’s IMLS-funded Reading Nation Waterfall project and San Diego County Library's community outreach. Attendees will gain a fresh perspective of Little Free Library and its programs and be left with ideas on potential ways to collaborate and join the Little Free Library global network.

IMLS grant: LG-246416-OLS-20

Presenters:
Anthony S. Chow
Professor and Director
San Jose State University School of Information

Greig Metzger
Executive Director
Little Free Library

Migell Acosta
Director
San Diego County Library

Saturday 6/29 9:00am - 10:00am PT Introducing LibParlor Online Learning: An Open-Source Curriculum for LIS Researchers

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 2
Have you wanted to pursue your own research in Library and Information Science (LIS) but are unsure of how to start? You aren’t alone - the lack of affordable, accessible, and effective training opportunities means many library workers do not have the resources, time, or support to learn how to do research effectively, which leads to a field that lacks diverse, inclusive, and robust scholarship.

Utilizing funds granted by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, the presenters of this session have created a free, sustainable curriculum that provides library workers with the foundational knowledge and specialized skills necessary to conduct and publish rigorous original research in an effort toward improving LIS literature and promoting lifelong learning. This curriculum centers reflection and encourages learners to use their own lived experiences to inform their research journey, while also offering vital information that serves to democratize the often-privileged information around research and publishing for the public good.

This presentation will serve as the official launch of LibParlor Online Learning: An Open Source Curriculum for LIS Researchers, and will share preliminary pilot participant data to demonstrate how the curriculum has resonated with learners. Attendees interested in LIS research will learn how this curriculum could be of use to their own professional development as well as others in the field. Attendees will also be able to evaluate the curriculum and receive support from the presenters on how to embed this program into their own library organizations to support a robust culture of research.

IMLS grant: RE-250054-OLS-21

Presenters:
Chelsea Heinbach
Teaching and Learning Librarian
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Hailley Fargo
Head of Education & Outreach Services
Northern Kentucky University

Nimisha Bhat
Subject Librarian
University of Cincinnati

Saturday 6/29 10:00am – 11:30am PT Collaborating with Graphic Design Students to Create an Accessible Brand Identity (Poster 13)

Location: Sails Pavilion, Poster 13
Recognizing the opportunity to work directly with students, a team of academic library workers partnered with a group of graphic design students to co-design a marketing brand identity for an IMLS grant project. Based on the inclusive values and vision of the project, four students selected our academic library team as clients to conceptualize, design, and deliver a branding package that we were able to fund through the grant. With a focus on accessibility and an iterative approach, we met weekly with the student team to discuss carefully considered design elements and accessibility concerns. Through this innovative collaboration, the students were able to gain professional experience while we supported their experiential learning. At the same time, the library team learned marketing and design principles from the students, and all team members gained significant knowledge of accessibility within design.

IMLS grant: LG-250070-OLS-21

Poster Author(s):
Lisely Laboy
Grant Project Manager
University of Florida

Krista Aronson
Diverse BookFinder Director
Bates College

Lourdes Santamaria-Wheeler
Exhibits Coordinator
University of Florida

Poster Presenting Author(s):
Lisa Campbell
Instruction and Outreach Librarian
University of Florida

Brittany Kester
Education Librarian
University of Florida

Saturday 6/29 4:00pm – 5:00pm PT Expanding Library Services to Incarcerated Youth

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 4
Providing library services to incarcerated youth is critical. Illiteracy and a lack of interest in reading are among the unmet needs of detained and incarcerated youth. There is a link between engaging young people in meaningful activities, particularly those aimed at helping to shape young people’s identities, opportunity, and education. Reading and the practice of literacy—which include access to a library and library services—is a direct way in which young people can begin to focus their identities and outlooks more positively.

The focus of this presentation is underserved youth. The services to incarcerated teens and young adults being provided in Washington State, Institutional Library Services, is based on fifty years of direct library services to adult incarcerated individuals. The new project provides library services to incarcerated youth in residential facilities and collaboration with public library systems (King County Library System) in detention centers. The project was supported with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), (Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding and was then fully funded by the state. This successful model is deployed and could be replicated.

Linking newly published standards from ALA and IFLA to incarcerated youth has not been explored and discussed well in the profession. Youth incarceration is being viewed differently but is still in place in most states and has very poor outcomes. Library services to incarcerated teens and young adults are critical services that are often poorly budgeted, they may lack professional skills and may not provide excellence in service. This project will demonstrate a successful approach, although it will outline many challenges we still face in addressing this need.

Additionally, the Washington model, introduces Role Playing Tabletop Gaming to enhance social emotional learning which is a new and innovative approach- all with the library as place for these enhanced collaborative learning opportunities.

IMLS grant: 2022-WA-91834

Presenters:
Sara Jones
State Librarian
Washington State Library

Jen Haas
Branch Librarian, Echo Glen Children's Center
Washington State Library

Poppy Louthan
Public Services Librarian, Youth Services
King County Library System

Sunday 6/30 9:00am – 10:00am PT iLead: Preparing Tomorrow’s Library Leaders with an EDI Lens

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 28 D E
As the world begins to consider a post-pandemic future, library leaders face many complex challenges involving new patterns of life, work, and information access. Such evolving dynamics increasingly demand new expectations for libraries and information organizations and staff especially as an increased focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is one of the central priorities within our rebuilding of society. As a national collaboration among LIS educators, state libraries, and national library associations, iLead will identify curricular leadership core competencies for librarians and library staff, emphasizing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

This planning project has been organized to build diversity at all levels with 4 main goals: 1) Research and identify leadership and EDI core competencies; 2) Design a curriculum outline that specifies measurable learning outcomes; 3) Design a LIS practitioner - and educator-informed accessible, flexible, cost-effective, and impactful library leadership program focused on EDI, and 4) Design an iLead MOOC shell. A national collaboration among LIS educators, state libraries, and national library associations will identify and design the iLead leadership development program to achieve these goals.

This ALA program will highlight the IMLS -funded project’s goal of providing learning opportunities that prepare and empower the LIS workforce with an EDI lens to serve their communities’ diverse culture and socioeconomic backgrounds and needs.

IMLS grant: RE-254923-OLS-23

Presenters:
José A. Aguiñaga
Assistant Professor
San José State University iSchool

Sanda Erdelez
Director
Simmons University

Rebecca Stallworth
Assistant Professor
Simmons University School of Library and Information Science

Susan W. Alman
Lecturer
San José State University iSchool

Martín J. Gomez
Consultant
President/CEO at MJ Gómez Associates

Sunday 6/30 11:00am – 12:00pm PT “Let Us Help Advance the Field”: Neurodivergent Librarian Voices Shaping Neuroinclusive Library Workplaces

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 28 A B C
Did you know that approximately 20% of your workforce is neurodivergent? Did you know that most library workplaces are not yet neuroinclusive? Come learn how to foster a neuroinclusive work environment that will benefit all library employees and result in improved services to your community. Drawing on an IMLS-funded research project highlighting the experiences of neurodivergent librarians and supervisors, along with their neurotypical colleagues, this session will detail the workplace experiences of neurodivergent librarians and the barriers to and enablers of inclusion they encounter in libraries. Participants will learn neuroinclusive practices in the workplace to create a supportive environment for neurodivergent library workers. The presenters will share components of a forthcoming toolkit, which includes educational materials, resources, and more, designed to improve libraries’ capacity to recruit, hire, onboard, retain, and advance neurodivergent librarians.

IMLS grant: RE-252303-OLS-22

Presenters:
Hala Annabi
Associate Professor
University of Washington Information School

Christine M. Moeller
PhD Candidate
University of Washington Information School

Sunday 6/30 11:00am – 12:00pm PT Connecting the Pipeline: Louisiana Libraries, OER, & Dual Enrollment from Secondary to Postsecondary

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 3
In 2021, LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network received an IMLS National Leadership grant to support the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) for dual enrollment (DE) courses in Louisiana and to create a model for connecting OER initiatives between secondary and postsecondary institutions within a library context. To support this work, project teams conducted interviews and focus group research with high school librarians, DE instructors, and OER and DE stakeholders. This qualitative research explored barriers to and affordances of leveraging high school librarians as DE OER leaders. While the findings revealed that school librarians were uniquely positioned to contribute to DE curriculum, they were not involved in the design process or familiar with OER, and therefore unable to advocate for its consideration. As a result, project teams designed and facilitated a professional development to connect DE educators and school librarians and build capacity with OER.

In this session, we will discuss the results of this research and subsequent professional development; share products, tools, and processes that emerged this work; and give voice to school librarians working to advance OER in their context and the barriers they face. To achieve this, after reviewing grant background and findings detailing the challenges and opportunities for high school librarians to support curation, creation, and/or implementation of OER in DE courses in Louisiana, we will share (1) an asynchronous professional development model to create high school librarian OER leaders, along with opportunities to scale this training; (2) a formative evaluation rubric to reflect needs of high school students; and (3) school librarian feedback and next steps undertaken in their ongoing work to position themselves as OER leaders. We will engage in facilitated discussion to reflect with the audience on how this research resonated with their experience.

IMLS grant: LG-250151-OLS-21

Presenters:
Laurie Blandino
Associate Commissioner and Executive Director
LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network

Amelia Brister
Library Director
Louisiana Delta Community College

Charles Hatcher
VP, Research and Development
ISKME

Sunday 6/30 11:00am – 12:00pm PT Learn How to Negotiate for a More Sustainable Future

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 5 B
Do you negotiate for resources or services for your library? Did you have to learn negotiation skills and strategies on the job? Did you never imagine that you’d have to understand the nitty gritty of contracts and licensing? If so, you will leave this session aware of a new free resource and community that can support you in developing your negotiation knowledge and skills. The ONEAL Project has developed a new open educational resource (OER) that includes lectures, readings, assessments, and hand-on assignments where learners will not only learn negotiation best practices and strategies but will also begin doing preparation work that can be immediately applied when negotiating on the job. In addition to learning about this resource attendees will learn about the community being created to provide support for library professionals as well as key issues and trends uncovered during community forums and through an interview research study. Note that the project has focused on creating content for academic libraries (community colleges, liberal arts colleges, universities, and related consortia) and MLIS programs wishing to teach this skill set. While the content developed around licensing is geared toward an academic audience, the negotiation strategy and planning techniques in the OER are widely applicable across all types of libraries. The Open Negotiation for Academic Libraries (ONEAL) project has been generously funded through the IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

IMLS grant: RE-252353-OLS-22

Presenters:
Katharine V. Macy
Collection Assessment Librarian
Indiana University - Indianapolis

Courtney Fuson
Asset Management Librarian
Belmont University

Scarlet Galvan
Collection Strategist
Grand Valley State University Libraries

Sunday 6/30 2:30pm – 3:30pm PT The Future Is Universal: Inclusive Changes to E-rate

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 07 B
Join an expert panel for a moderated discussion of recent and proposed changes to the E-rate program concerning Tribal libraries, cybersecurity, and hotspot lending. E-rate, which has provided discounts on libraries’ internet access and networking equipment for over two decades, must become more flexible to address equitable access for unserved and underserved communities. Panelists will include staff from the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau, a state E-rate coordinator who assists public and Tribal libraries with filing, and a public/Tribal library representative who can provide perspective on how these program changes affect libraries on the frontlines of digital inclusion. Staff from public and Tribal libraries, as well as other E-rate stakeholders, are encouraged to attend and ask questions.

IMLS grant: 2022-KY-91331

Presenter:
Molly O'Conor
Attorney Advisor
Federal Communications Commission

Moderator:
Lauren Abner
ERTF Chair, State E-rate Coordinator
Kentucky Public Libraries

Monday 7/1 10:30am – 11:30am PT Seeking Immortality: Using VR to Preserve and Share the Northern Cheyenne Tribe's Language and Culture

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 11 B
Seeking Immortality seeks to preserve the language and cultural artifacts of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe (NCT) in Virtual Reality. The three goals of the project are to 1) Digitally preserve the NCT language and culture, 2) To support the NCT in building the institutional capacity to do this work on their own, and 3) To develop a model for using state-of-the-art virtual reality technology to preserve and richly share the NCT language and cultural heritage. Virtual reality was selected as the environment from which to deliver access to the NCT's language and culture due to its 3D access, browser-based virtual reality using browser-based Frame VR software, and the ability to use AI to "immortalize" elders and other members of the tribe speaking their native language and also sharing their stories and traditions.

IMLS grant: NAE-252443-OLS-22

Presenters:
Adrienne Violett
Director and Tribal Librarian
Chief Dull Knife College

Rosalia Badhorse
Staff
Chief Dull Knife College

Anthony S. Chow
Professor and Director
San Jose State University School of Information

Darra Hofman
Assistant Professor
SJSU School of Information

Sophia LaMonica
Project Manager
SJSU School of Information

Anna Lyons
Project Manager
SJSU School of Information

Amber Stewart
Project Manager
San Jose State University School of Information

Alfredo Alcantar
Library Technology Integration (LTI) Manager
San Jose State University, School of Information

Cole Higgins
VR Consultant

Monday 7/1 1:00pm – 2:00pm PT Empowering BIPOC Youth Through Library Services

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 23 A B C
Libraries have a crucial role to play in providing empowering spaces and services for BIPOC youth. This panel, supported by an IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) research grant, aims to showcase the innovative approaches, evidence-based strategies, and success stories that demonstrate how libraries can effectively cater to the needs and interests of BIPOC youth. Through a dynamic and interactive discussion, the panelists will explore how libraries can foster empowerment, inclusivity, and positive identity development among BIPOC youth, with a specific focus on the outcomes of research funded by the IMLS grant. The panelists will not only share their insights and experiences but also offer practical takeaways from the research that can be implemented in libraries across the nation.

IMLS grant: RE-254943-OLS-23

Presenters:
Joe Sanchez
Professor/PhD
Queens College GSLIS

Jillian E. Rudes
School Librarian
New York City Department of Education

Katy Hepner
Regional Manager- Librarian
New Orleans Public Library