Netspeed

This session will have you engaging in various education games suitable for both the classroom and for public library programming for school-age children. Challenges from grades 3 – 12 will be presented that ignite students’ natural drive to problem-solve and can be used to teach core academic subjects which already embed competencies and provide many cross-curricular connections. 

Public libraries have an ethical obligation to preserve our customers’ privacy and right to privacy. Libraries traditionally collect customer information to allow access to our physical collections, but customer privacy concerns become much more complicated when thinking about how that customer information is used by libraries’ digital content vendors to give customers access to our online resources and initiatives. EPL is exploring how our customers’ information is transmitted, collected, and stored by our digital content vendors. Learn more about the new ALA Digital Privacy Guidelines, privacy initiatives, and the new tools and policies EPL is using to protect our customer information and to increase our customers’ understanding of their online privacy with our digital collections.

Over the last several years, many academic libraries have engaged in institution-wide outreach efforts promoting the value of research data management and the importance of data archiving and sharing. A happy result of this work is that PIs leading research projects that are concluding are now bringing data archiving requests for well-managed research data directly to libraries. But much of this data has the potential to consume hundreds of terabytes of storage space – some from individual projects alone. These storage-hungry datasets require development in software, hardware, policy, and service so that these large digital treasures can be archived according to academic library commitments to strong data stewardship. We conducted an environmental review of select mature large-filesize data archiving services to identify services offered to research. We will share practices and policies for data archiving and an overview of the more challenging large data archiving scenarios facing academic libraries.

Is your library full of older patrons who struggle to use a computer or send a text message? This presentation will outline how increased digital literacy can have a positive social impact in your community. When your senior patrons are comfortable using, understanding, and creating digital content, they become active digital citizens – able to reliable interact with the world through the use of technology. As we debunk the myth that seniors are unwilling and unable to learn about technology, we will explore the many ways to incorporate technology and digital literacy into library programming. From one-on-one support to intergenerational learning and passive programming, digital literacy learning can be supported in a variety of ways in libraries. Learn the dos and don’ts of teaching tech to seniors and discuss solutions to common issues, such as varying literacy levels, a lack of familiarity, and losing your patience!

Linked data is an emerging web-native method for publishing and consuming structure (meta)data in order to promote discoverability of, and linkages between, resources. The move to linked data within libraries has been uneven, with lack of skills and expertise as well as practical starter projects often identified as barriers to joining the movement. The University of Alberta Libraries has been working with the Canadian Linked Data Initiative (CLDI), forming partnerships at the local, national, and international levels, and participating in groups and projects aimed at developing standards and practice for linked data in libraries. These partnerships and experiments are being used to guide practice at the local levels. We will give an overview of linked data and its importance to libraries, a survey of ongoing developments in linked data application for libraries, and a view of planned and ongoing projects at the U of A and CLDI as exemplars of possible ways forward.

Like most large academic libraries in North America, University of Alberta Libraries (UAL) currently relies heavily on Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Library of Congress Classification (LCC) for subject access to both our print and digital collections. While the use of LC standards comes with many recognized advantages, it understandably causes challenges in terms of adequate and appropriate representation of the Canadian context. In the fall of 2016, the Decolonizing Description Working Group was formed to investigate, define, and propose a plan of action for how we could more accurately and respectfully represent Indigenous peoples and contexts through our descriptive metadata practices. This presentation will provide an overview of the group’s process and recommendations and subsequent plans and outcomes.

The Online Reference Centre is an outstanding resource for K-12 students, staff, and parents offering professionally vetted databases mapped to all areas of the Alberta curriculum. Public library staff now have access to the ORC as well, enabling them to deliver better service and homework help for their young patrons. Come to this session and learn the basics of the ORC and everything it has to offer! FOLIO: The What and How 

Innovation thrives on a digitally literate population with access to powerful computing tools. Data consumption is becoming more pervasive as everything becomes digitized and all levels of government are making a push for open data. However, access to tools is not evenly distributed, and the digital divide is growing deeper between those that have the means to use the tools and data and those that done. In our presentation, we will discuss how free and open tools are being used in Alberta and around the world to participate in the digital economy and increase digital literacy. We will highlight Jupyter, an open source analytics tool combining live code, visualizations, and text in an entirely web-accessible format.

As the Internet of Things (IoT advances and an increasing number of personal and household devices become connected, the implications for individual privacy become much greater. Public librarians occupy a unique position in their potential for advocacy and education about privacy and the IoT. Makerspace programs are an especially apt place to begin a dialogue with patrons to help them understand how new technologies can affect their privacy and how they can better navigate online and data-sharing environments. While Canada’s privacy legislation undergoes review over the next few years, librarians can open a dialogue with patrons and provide educational programs that will allow patrons to become more critical digital citizens.

Most of us are familiar with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Some of us already use these tools for our libraries. But are we using them effectively? Let us show you how to create a social media plan and set goals so you can get the most out of social media and effectively market your library, programs, and services. You will learn why a social media presence is essential for your library’s advocacy and marketing, tips on creating the best posts for each platform, and how to create your own customized social media plan.