Reveal Your Superpower! (Tights and Cape Optional)

May 19th, 2015
9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Champlain College, Burlington, VT
For a schedule with times, meals, etc, please see the full conference program (PDF, 10 MB).

Pre-Conference, May 18

Everyone Is Welcome: Tools for Confident and Safe Patron Interactions by Tammy Boudah, Fletcher Free Library, College Street, Burlington

You never know who will come into your library. Tammy Boudah from Howard Center will lead this workshop to help you feel confident that you can provide service to everyone, including people with mental health problems and substance use disorders. It will include a discussion of language, diagnoses, stigma, how to set boundaries, and how to engage with people who are in need of service, but not a threat. It will cover when and who to call for crisis intervention. There will also be time to discuss situations you encounter or have encountered in your libraries. Tammy Boudah is a native Vermonter and Burlingtonian. She has been a member of the Howard Center Street Outreach Team for eleven years, working with a variety of individuals experiencing struggles with homlessness, mental illness, addiction, poverty, and other issues.

Keynote Address

Reveal Your Superpower! (Tights and Cape Optional) by Scott Bonner, IDX Student Life Center

Scott Bonner has been the Director of the Ferguson Municipal Public Library since July 1, 2014.  He has been a professional librarian for 9 years with a strong focus on serving the community.  Before entering library work, Bonner worked in mental health, working with kids and teens.  He received his master’s degree in library science from University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou).  He is married with 4 kids, ranging from 10 years old to just-turned-1. Barely a month into his directorship, events in Ferguson put his community in the national spotlight. While businesses closed and the start of the school year was delayed, Scott kept his library open. It became a refuge for the community, serving as a gathering place for students while local schools were closed. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottyBonner!

First Session

Conversation with Scott,  Joyce 201 Scott Bonner, Library Director, Ferguson Municipal Public Library

Have questions for Scott? Now’s your time to ask! This session is a relaxed conversation with the keynote speaker.

Library Partnerships and Community Collaborations, IDX Student Life Center Amy Olsen (Lanpher Memorial Library)

Come get ideas on how building relationships within our communities will help assess community needs and give ways to get involved.

LakeCraft, Joyce 310 Nina Ridhibhinyo, Education Group Programs Manager, ECHO Center

Lakecraft is a virtual world modeled in the computer game Minecraft using real data on the Lake Champlain watershed. It can be used as a powerful tool for engaging students in the digital exploration of local geography.

Workplace Bullying in the Library, Joyce 304 Carol Geary (Bibliotemps)

Learn about workplace bullying and how to create policies and procedures to create better work environments.

Data-Driven Librarianship, Perry Presentation Alan Carbery (Champlain), Sean Leahy (Champlain), Janet Cottrell (Champlain)

Join this panel to hear how one institute is using data and assessment to demonstrate value and guide services and decision-making within the library.

Basic Book Repair , Joyce 210 Helen Linda (Goddard College)

Learn common techniques for reinserting falling-out pages, fixing torn pages, and reattaching book insides to their hard covers for items in your circulating collection. Bring a book from your to-repair pile to practice on, repair materials will be provided. This session is strictly limited to 15 participants, you will receive confirmation via email to attend. Update: If you would be interested in additional opportunities to learn this skill, please email members@vermontlibraries.org and we’ll pass that info along to the Technical Services Section.

Basic Book Repair Handout (PDF, 202 KB)

Second Session

Statistics for Annual Public Libraries Report, Joyce 304 Rob Geiszler (VTLIB)

Tips to make these statistics easier to track and compile. Learn how to use these numbers to help you advocate for your library!

Practical and Inexpensive Maker Projects, Joyce 201 Thad Gembczynski (Deborah Rawson Memorial Library), Bree Drapa (Westford Public Library)

Not enough money in the budget for a 3D printer? Want to move beyond crafts and LEGOS? We’ll show you how to get started with inexpensive Maker projects. Plenty of time for hands-on exploration!

Ditching Dewey, Joyce 310 Nancy Daigle (Thatcher Brook Primary School), Jessica Summer (Winooski Memorial Library), Amanda Perry (Winooski Memorial Library)

Come see how three librarians dumped Dewey to make their collections more accessible to patrons of all ages.

Ditching Dewey Slides (PDF, 14 MB)

Rapid Reviews, IDX Student Life Center Amy Howlett (VTLIB), Selene Colburn (UVM), Ernie Drown

These booktalkers hit the highlights of the best adult fiction and nonfiction in the past year.

Rapid Reviews Handout (DOCX, 179 KB)

Threshold Concept Secret Sauce, Joyce 211 Andy Burkhardt (Champlain College), Alan Carbery (Champlain College)

Learn about real-world examples of how one library is already adapting the revised ACRL framework!

Oh, I Just Use the Search Bar, Perry Presentation Angele D. Mott Nickerson (VTLIB), Thomas McMurdo (VTLIB)

Overview of the large-scale redesign of the VTLIB website. Designed for libraries embarking on website redesign.

Oh, I Just Use the Search Bar Slides (PPTX, 8 MB)
Vermont Department of Libraries Content Guide (DOCX, 32 KB)
Suggested Readings Handout (DOCX, 13 KB)

Third Session

Architects, Engineers, & Builders: Oh, My, Joyce 304 Jeannette Bair (Rochester Public Library)

Beginning a renovation project at your library? Come learn what to look out for from a library that’s just finished a building project.

Starting a Seed Library: Tips and Tools, Joyce 310 Amy Wisehart (Hartland Public Library), Molly Kennedy (Brandon Free Public Library)

Come learn how to start a seed library, tips and tools for implementation, and possibilities for resource sharing statewide.

Process Art at Library Story Time, Joyce 211 Amy Olsen (Lanpher Memorial Library), Marie Olsen

Learn ways to enhance art activities to provide children with what they need to freely experiment with materials and use their imaginations in concrete form.

We’re Not Open Yet: or Effective Signage, Perry Presentation Abby Noland (Rutland Free Library)

This is a humorous and throught provoking view of finding the best way for your library to put up signs that the public will read in your library. Audience participation encouraged.

Effective Signage Handout (DOC, 28 KB)

What Can Guide on the Side Do For Your Library?, Joyce 201 Dan DeSanto, Daisy Benson (UVM), Graham Sherriff (UVM)

UVM is in their second year using this free software that can lead users through interactive tutorial experiences. Come learn about this software and the UVM Libraries’ experiences!

Appy Hour, Joyce 210 Amanda Perry (Winooski Memorial Library), Andy Burkhardt (Champlain College)

Curious about how to use smartphone or tablet apps in the library to help keep you organized or make your library more productive? This is the session for you! Come prepared to share your favorites with the group.

Fourth Session

Guidance on Common Legal & HR Issues in Libraries, Joyce 304 Caroline S. Earle, Esq., Robin A. Freeman, Jr., Esq.

This session is designed to provide practical legal and human resources advice to libraries that do not have in-house counsel or a human resources professional on staff. (Questions to be submitted anonymously in advance.)

Guidance on Common Legal & HR Issues in Libraries Slides (PDF, 367 KB)

Tabletop Games @ the Library, Perry Presentation Travis Perry (Franklin County Gamers), Hannah Tracy (Fairlee Public Library)

Looking to liven up library gaming programs? Come learn how libraries have successfully implemented these types of programs, and examine several games in person. Plenty of time for questions.

VELI Roundup, Joyce 210 Wendy Martin (VT Center for the Book), Sally Anderson (VT Center for the Book)

Have you participated in VELI, or are you considering it? In this session, learn about the program and hear librarians share success stories and programming examples from their VELI trainings.

Who Do I Call, Where Do I Go?, Joyce 211 Ann Dillenbeck 

Are you ever uncertain how to handle patron interactions where you suspect abuse or drug use? This session will help identify resources to better support staff and difficult patrons.

Academic Library Show & Tell:  Pecha Kucha Sessions, Joyce 201 Laura Crain (SMC)

A variety of presenters from academic libraries share their innovative topics in the 6 minute 40 second Pecha Kucha format, with plenty of time for discussion.

Open Library: How We Lend ebooks Worldwide for Free
presented by Jessamyn West
Open Library / Randolph Technical Career Center

EmPOWERing Your Students: An Interactive Activity for Learning Citation Style
presented by Karen Lamson
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Recipes and Much More: The Vermont Cookbook Collection at UVM
presented by Prudence Doherty, University of Vermont

Picture This: Using Instagram to Promote Your Library
Laura Crain & Kristen Hindes, Saint Michael’s College

Show Me the Money: Finding Funding for Current and Future Faculty
presented by Jennifer Bonnet, University of Maine

Patents: No Need to be Afraid
presented by Scott Schaffer, University of Vermont

Project Management Apps for Busy Librarians, Joyce 310 Amber Billey (UVM)

Learn the benefits of project management apps to help keep tasks organized and get things done. This session will give you simple project management tips, and explore web-based applications such as SmartSheet, BaseCamp, FreedCamp, Trello, and Asana.

Poster Sessions

VLA Health Information Round Table

Quickguide to Health Literacy Handout (PDF, 456 KB)
Health Information for Individuals and Families Handout (PDF, 463 KB)
Helpful Resources Handout (DOCX, 22 KB)