Live sessions are longer (20-50) presentations given synchronously at their scheduled times. Attendees can discuss and ask questions of the presenters following the presentation. To attend a live session, click on the “Register” link below the presentation title and enter the requested information. Presentations will be recorded and made available after the conference.
Can I have your attention, please: Connecting students and archives in a new reality
Towson University’s Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) department often collaborates with faculty members to turn the archives into a critical thinking lab. During the pandemic our institution switched to all-virtual instruction, which meant our work had to be adapted to succeed in this new reality. In some cases, this presented challenges relating to which archives instruction sessions were appropriate for an online version and which would need to be re-envisioned.
The faculty members we collaborate with see us as partners and at this time this partnership demands creativity and flexibility from us. This presentation will address the challenges we faced, our lessons learned, and how we are applying this insight to enhance our instruction program anticipating there will be more virtual learning moving forward.
Ashley Todd-Diaz – Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections and University Archives, Towson University
Ashley Todd-Diaz is Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections and University Archives at Towson University. She also teaches as an adjunct professor in Emporia State University’s Master of Library and Information Science and Archives Studies Certificate programs. Her interests include archives as organizations, perceptions of archives, and archival literacy. She holds a Ph.D. from Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management, an MSIS with a concentration in Archives and Records Administration from SUNY at Albany, and an MA in English and American Literature from New York University.
Felicity Knox – Archives Associate, Towson University
Felicity Knox is an Archives Associate for Special Collections and University Archives at Towson University. She is interested in connecting students and other community members to archival records, and measuring the impact archives can make on those communities. She specializes in the Towson University history and is co-author of the book, Towson University: The First 150 Years. She holds an MLIS from the University of Maryland, College Park
Digital Maryland: A Year in the Life
Digital Maryland is a long-term digitization project based out of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. The collection is built through collaboration and partnership with cultural heritage institutions throughout Maryland. But what does that partnership look like when you are new in your position, your department has just been reorganized and there’s a global pandemic?
Jodi Hoover – Digital Resources Manager, Enoch Pratt Free Library
Jodi Hoover is the Manager of Digital Resources for Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library Resource Center. She has worked with image & moving image collections in special, academic and public library collections. She holds an M.L.S. from University of Maryland, College Park and an M.F.A in Studio Art from Towson University.
In-Person to Virtual in Six Weeks: Moving a Conference Online due to COVID-19
Click here to access the recorded session.
The Scholarly Communication Assessment Forum (SCAF) was planned to be held on the Sacramento State campus on May 4 & 5, 2020. When pandemic-related shelter-in-place restrictions were imposed in mid-March and it became clear an in-person event would be impossible, the project team had to quickly shift to a virtual event. While quickly changing the format of the event was challenging, there were also unexpected benefits. The project team was able to collect much richer data by recording all sessions and breakout discussions. Extending the timeline for the project also allowed for more in depth analysis of forum transcripts and considered writing time to create the white paper and rubric.
This session will provide conference attendees with the lessons learned from the process of reimagining a long-planned event in the context of the unique challenges posed early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the broader implications for keeping these types of events virtual in the future. In addition, the presenters will share themes discussed during the forum, as well as the SCAF whitepaper and rubrics expected to be released in December 2021.
Nicole D. Lawson – Associate Dean for Academic Services, California State University, Sacramento
Nicole D. Lawson is Associate Dean for Academic Services at California State University, Sacramento. In this capacity she leads public services, instruction, and assessment planning for the library. She received MSLIS from Drexel University. Nicole has more than ten years of experience as a leader in public services in academic libraries.
Emily K. Chan – Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship, California State University, Sacramento
Emily K. Chan is Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship, University Library at San José State University. In her role, she oversees reference and research services, information literacy, collection development, special collections, and some scholarly communication programming. She received her MLIS from San José State University. Emily has almost 15 years of academic library experience. She is also tenured with San José State University Library. Her research involves the use of technology to streamline, improve, and document library services and processes. She is also interested in scholarly communication and diversity issues.
Daina Dickman – Scholarly Communication Librarian, California State University, Sacramento
Daina Dickman is Scholarly Communication Librarian at California State University, Sacramento where she is responsible for all aspects of Sacramento State’s scholarly communication program. She received her MLIS from San Jose State and her MA in Comparative Studies from Ohio State University. She is AHIP certified by the Medical Library Association. She has over ten years of experience in librarianship.
Reference Services in the Pandemic and Mental Health
Click here to access the recorded session.
Reference services have had to adapt in the last year, and so have library workers. This session will be about changes to reference since the onset of the pandemic, and how those changes have affected workers on a personal level.
Rachel Finston – Library Associate, DC Public Library
Rachel Finston has been working in libraries for eight years. Her favorite work duty is readers’ advisory. She will be receiving her MLIS from the Catholic University of America in August 2021.
Wrangling Virtual Reference Questions: A Case Study in User-Centered Process Design
With the increase in usage of virtual support services in academic libraries over the past year, it is more important than ever to provide a responsive and seamless user experience for all. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Pittsburgh Libraries designed and adopted a distributed approach to answering virtual reference questions to provide efficient and consistent research support for our community. Come to this session to learn how the pandemic disruption prompted our team librarians and staff to pivot to a new way of handling virtual reference questions. We will explain how these changes lead to better patron service and deeper collaboration across library units.
Christopher Lemery – Liaison Librarian to History, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Government Information, University of Pittsburgh Oakland Campus
Christopher Lemery is a Liaison Librarian for History, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Government Information, where he’s been since 2015. He’s an active member of ALA and ACRL. Christopher received a BA in Political Science from Grove City College and an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ethan Marek – Public Services Librarian, University of Pittsburgh Greensburg Campus
Ethan Marek is Public Services Librarian at Millstein Library at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. He is involved with the Behavioral Sciences division and works primarily with undergraduate students. Ethan has been with the University of Pittsburgh since 2015. He received his BA in History from Pennsylvania State University, University Park and his MSIS from the University at Albany in Albany, New York.