Registration for LITA’s Midwinter Institutes opened today with ALA’s joint registration! Whether you’ll be attending Midwinter or are just looking for a great one day continuing education event in the Chicago/Midwest area, we hope you’ll join us.
When? All workshops will be held on Friday, January 30, 2015, from 8:30-4:00
Cost for LITA Members: $235 (ALA $350 / Non-ALA $380)
(If you are a member of LITA use special code LITA2015 to receive the price of $235.)
Workshops Descriptions:
Developing mobile apps to support field research
Instructor: Wayne Johnston, University of Guelph Library
Researchers in most disciplines do some form of field research. Too often they collect data on paper which is not only inefficient but vulnerable to date loss. Surveys and other data collection instruments can easily be created as mobile apps with the resulting data stored on the campus server and immediately available for analysis. The apps also enable added functionality like improved data validity through use of authority files and capturing GPS coordinates. This support to field research represents a new way for academic libraries to connect with researchers within the context of a broader research date management strategy.
Introduction to Practical Programming
Instructor: Elizabeth Wickes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This workshop will introduce foundational programming skills using the Python programming language. There will be three sections to this workshop: a brief historical review of computing and programming languages (with a focus on where Python fits in), hands on practice with installation and the basics of the language, followed by a review of information resources essential for computing education and reference. This workshop will prepare participants to write their own programs, jump into programming education materials, and provide essential experience and background for the evaluation of computing reference materials and library program development. Participants from all backgrounds with no programming experience are encouraged to attend.
From Lost to Found: How user Testing Can Improve the User Experience of Your Library Website
Instructors: Kate Lawrence, EBSCO Information Services; Deirdre Costello, EBSCO Information Services; Robert Newell, University of Houston
When two user researchers from EBSCO set out to study the digital lives of college students, they had no idea the surprises in store for them. The online behaviors of “digital natives” were fascinating: from students using Google to find their library’s website, to what research terms and phrases students consider another language altogether: “library-ese.” Attendees of this workshop will learn how to conduct usability testing, and participate in a live testing exercise via usertesting.com. Participants will leave the session with the knowledge and confidence to conduct user testing that will yield actionable and meaningful insights about their audience.
More details about these workshops will be coming in interviews with the instructors in October! If you have a question you’d like to ask the instructors, please contact LITA Education Chair Abigail Goben at [firstnamelastname]@gmail.com