Category: General information

Education

LITA Learnings: So Many Choices for Spring 2019

| Chrishelle Thomas
lita: empowering libraries through technology

Check out our new spring lineup and get details on our latest round of online learning to boost your skill set! Click on each courses link for detailed descriptions, biographies and registration. Multimedia Instruction: Connecting through Course IntegrationMay 1 – May 22, 2019Presenter: Leah Howd Techniques in Managing a Library Services PlatformMay 30, 2019, Noon – 1:00 pm Central TimePresenter: Hong Ma Creating an InterDisciplinary Space @ Your LibraryTuesday June 11, 2019, Noon – 1:00 pm Central TimePresenter: Jessica Bennett Managing Special User Groups in Academic LibrariesJuly 16, 2019, Noon – 1:30 pm Central TimePresenter: Charissa Brammer and Sommer Browning Universal Parity to Resources: Rethinking Library AccessJuly 25, 2019, 1:00 – 2:00 pm Central TimePresenters: Christine Elliott and Courtney McAllister Guiding Students through Digital CitizenshipAugust 7, 2019, 11:00 am – 12:30 Central TimePresenter: Casey Davis Can’t attend the live events? No problem! Register and you’ll receive a link to the recordings. Check the LITA…

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Author Interview: Library Technology Planning for Today and Tomorrow

| Kyle Breneman
Library Technology Planning graphic

An interview with the author, Diana Silveira. You’re a consultant with your own company, Novare Library Services. How did you get there? I started out working for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, a large public library system in North Carolina then, after a few years, I moved to Florida where I worked for a multi-type library cooperative, Tampa Bay Library Consortium, which runs several statewide and regional programs. I still do training through the Florida multi-type library cooperatives and bring in speakers from other library systems throughout the country to present webinars for Florida Library Webinars. While working for Tampa Bay Library Consortium, I recognized that there was a real need within local public libraries for someone to come alongside and help with technology planning. Now, through my own company, I support libraries with technology training, planning, and web design. There are many rural libraries without technology resources in Florida, and…

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Interview with LITA chat panelists Plamen Miltenoff and Mark Gill

| Janet Crum
Twitter Chat graphic

The LITA Twitter chat on March 29 (1pm Eastern/12pm Central) will feature two projects and three panelists. In this post, we interview panelist Plamen Miltenoff, MLIS Professor at St. Cloud University. Plamen and colleague Mark Gill, VizLab Director  at St. Cloud University, created an augmented reality prototype for library orientation, and Plamen interviewed librarians from several universities about their approach to XR in academic libraries. Both will participate in the chat using the @SCSUtechinstruc Twitter handle and will talk about their projects and low-end approaches to using  XR in libraries. We recently interviewed Miltenoff about these projects. Q. Tell us a little about your role at your institution. What are you responsible for? SCSU is a midsize university; ~15K students with about 800 faculty. Our student are mostly first-generation students. Mark is the Director of the Viz Lab, and he deals with faculty and students around the campus. I am Informedia Specialist with…

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Interview with LITA chat panelist Ilana Kingsley

| Janet Crum
Twitter Chat graphic

The LITA Twitter chat on March 29 (1pm Eastern/12pm Central) will feature two projects and three panelists. In this post, we interview panelist Ilana Kingsley (@IlanaKingsley), who just finished a two-year NEH-funded project to create an Islandora repository of material from the Rasmuson Library’s Alaska & Polar Regions Collections & Archives.  Q. Tell us a little about your role at your institution. What are you responsible for? I’m an Associate Professor of Library Science and the Web Librarian for University of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson Library. I’m responsible for web development (e.g., testing/trying new web applications) and for maintaining several Drupal-based web sites for the library (e.g., library.uaf.edu and jukebox.uaf.edu). I also serve as administrator of our LibGuides, WordPress blogs, and for some of our electronic databases.  Besides web work, I teach A LOT. I teach a required 1-credit Library Information & Research class (LS101) and when I have time I…

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Accepting applications for the LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award

| Cinthya Ippoliti
lita: empowering libraries through technology

The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to offer an award for the best unpublished manuscript submitted by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited graduate program. Sponsored by LITA and Ex Libris, the award consists of $1,000, publication in LITA’s refereed journal, Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), and a certificate. The deadline for submission of the manuscript is February 28, 2019. The purpose of the award is to recognize superior student writing and to enhance the professional development of students. The manuscript can be written on any aspect of libraries and information technology. Examples include, but are not limited to, digital libraries, metadata, authorization and authentication, electronic journals and publishing, open source software, distributed systems and networks, computer security, intellectual property rights, technical standards, online catalogs, and universal access to technology. To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled…

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Education

Accessibility for All: Screen Readers – a LITA webinar

| Chrishelle Thomas
Screen Reader Icon

Sign up now for Accessibility for All: Screen Readers Over 25 million Americans are blind or have low vision and would benefit from access to a computer equipped with screen reading software. There are many different options available to libraries when choosing which screen reading software to make available to their patrons. This 90 minute webinar will compare the five most popular screen readers and different types of accessibility aids. We will also discuss making your library website more accessible, creating partnerships with outside organizations, and how to better extend outreach to include all patrons. Presenter: Kelsey Flynn, Adult Services Associate at both the Joliet Public Library and the White Oak Library District, Illinois Tuesday December 18, 2018, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time View details and Register here. Check out this additional upcoming LITA continuing education opportunity: Making Games and Online Interactive Content Instructor: Ruby Warren Offered: February 6, 2019 –…

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Education

LITA Webinars and Web Courses This Fall!

| Chrishelle Thomas
lita: empowering libraries through technology

Check out our new lineup and get details on our latest round of online learning to boost your skill set! Online Courses Do you regularly manipulate MARC and metadata sets? Metadata Management Tools Offered: October 23 – November 6, 2018 Instructor: Kelsey George Looking for a beginner’s crash course in game making software and process? Making Games and Online Interactive Content Offered: February 6 – February 27, 2019 Instructor: Ruby Warren Webinars Learn how to create a User Research and Usability (UX) Lab in your library: Positioning UX as a Library Service Thursday November 15, 2018, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time Presenter: Lisa Gayhart Learn how to better serve blind and low vision patrons by utilizing screen readers in a library setting: Accessibility for All: Screen Readers Tuesday December 18, 2018, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time Presenter: Kelsey Flynn Discover additional upcoming LITA webinars and online courses Questions or Comments? Contact us…

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Nuts and Bolts of Data Visualization – a LITA webinar

| Chrishelle Thomas
Data visualization graphic

Understand basic concepts and terminology of data visualization and select appropriate types of visualization to present data effectively. Nuts and Bolts of Data Visualization Thursday May 31, 2018, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time Presenter: Vincci Kwong Libraries collect many different types of data, from demographic data, usage statistics to survey responses. As the amount of data grows, how can we present data and information clearly and efficiently in order to assist decision making? In this 90 minute webinar, we will discuss what data visualization is, learn different types of visualization and how to choose an effective visualization for a dataset. At the end we will explore Microsoft PowerBI that enables users to create dashboards and interactive reports Register Online, page arranged by session date. Also consider: The Privacy in Libraries LITA webinar series final webinar: Take Back Researcher Privacy Wednesday May 23, 2018, Noon – 1:00 pm Central Time Presenter: Sam…

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What You Need to Know about the New ALA Connect

| Jenny Levine
ALA Connect logo - Engage, Learn, Grow

The new ALA Connect has launched, and we want to make sure you’re aware of some things that will affect LITA members, even if you’ve never used the site. LITA will not be using ALA Connect until July, but your member profile lives there so it’s very important that you log in, view the default privacy settings for your profile, and decide if you want to keep or change them. We’ve provided a LITA Connect FAQ that answers some basic questions about editing your profile, understanding your privacy settings, setting your email notification preferences, and using the LITA Member Directory. I want to stress that while ALA has set the default privacy levels for your profile information, you have full control of what is visible and none of your contact information is available to anyone else unless you change that setting yourself. There are four settings for each section of…

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Education

LITA Education Call for Proposals – Deadline Extended

| Cinthya Ippoliti
lita: empowering libraries through technology

What library technology topic are you passionate about? Have something to teach? The Library Information Technology Association (LITA) invites you to share your expertise with a national audience! For years, LITA has offered online learning programs on technology-related topics of interest to LITA Members and wider American Library Association audience. Submit a proposal by May 10th, 2018 to teach a webinar, webinar series, or online course for Summer/Fall 2018. We seek and encourage submissions from underrepresented groups, such as women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities. All topics related to the intersection of technology and libraries are welcomed. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: Visualization Privacy and analytics Data librarianship Technology spaces Ethics and access Project management Augmented and virtual reality Data-driven decision-making Tech design for social justice Diversity in library technology Collection assessment metrics beyond CPU Government information and digital preservation Instructors receive…

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