Teaching

Cat McIlroy (she/her)

Librarian, Sexsmith Secondary School

Information literacy has always been a part of librarians' vernacular, but because students are facing an increasingly endless abyss of digital information and misinformation, it is now librarians' responsibility to show them how to navigate.

Cat will discuss how librarians can help high school students become information and digitally literate. The session will include ways to partner with teachers, engage with students in-person and virtually, and the methods to make things relevant and fun.

If you have been wanting to design posters, brochures, and other documents, but haven't had the time to learn advanced software, this workshop might be your answer. Canva is a free, browser-based layout software loaded with pre-designed templates for creating items such as posters, tri-fold brochures, business cards, flyers, newsletters, slideshow presentations, etc. You can also start with a blank document and build from scratch. It’s linked to free image libraries such as Pexels and Pixabay, or you can upload your own images and logos, or images you’ve downloaded from places such as Unsplash. Your designs are auto-saved, and can be shared with others to collaborate on as a team. This workshop covers: Attendees can apply the skills learned in this workshop to the other layouts available on Canva.
Workshop Recording:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d0qAwCh_JJdsyTLcDkyinuF4jzci-rlj/view?usp=sharing

This preconference session will help participants find a way to develop staff’s data literacy by leveraging Library Carpentry training (https://librarycarpentry.org/). Library Carpentry’s goal is to create a community of learners who embrace technologies & software to get work done more effectively. This session will begin with an explanation of Library Carpentry & how the presenters have applied it at the University of Alberta Libraries. Participants will then learn tangible & scalable ways they can use Library Carpentries at their libraries to break down barriers for library staff’s professional development around coding & data analysis. Following these discussions, participants will take part in a hands-on Intro to Data workshop demo (https://tinyurl.com/yasz3n2n), highlighting pedagogical techniques that help demystify key-tech concepts & support learners at all levels.

It’s 20 years since the class of 1998 graduated! They are working in academic, public, and medical libraries, in government, in library consortia, as curriculum specialists, learning designers, information specialists, and more. For students or those early in their librart careers, this is a great opportunity to see the astonishing variety of career paths available to MLIS graduates and get some tips.
Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the different jobs and career paths open to librarians
• Get career advice from SLIS grads
• Discover top skills and strategies to succeed as a librarian

Is video dead or just hibernating? This session will look at the changing educational need for DVD and streaming video and explore sources that still exist for video. We will examine how Learning Management Software (LMS) has impacted video usage, compare streaming video and DVD, explore access points for video and user preferences, and discuss participant experiences.
Learning Objectives:

• Assess whether DVD is still alive and well or is really dead
• Explore and compare DVD and streaming video as an educational tool
• Discover if there is still a need and use for DVD or streaming video in education 

Presentation delivered at the Alberta Library Conference 2018 in Jasper, AB.
Communities all over Alberta are seeing an increase in self-represented litigants due to the recession and the high cost of legal representation. This means that more people are coming to libraries to access information about the law and their legal rights. Like libraries, public legal education organizations like CPLEA work to provide the public with reliable sources of information. Searching for legal information tends to be very reaction-driven (i.e. my landlord is evicting me; my partner and I are separating, etc.). By standing together, we can empower Albertans to know and assert their rights before a legal dispute arises. For more information about the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) or to access free legal information resources, visit www.cplea.ca.

Description: Explore how the Graphic Novel is an often-misunderstood yet extremely versatile format that facilitates uniquely stirring forms of expression. Explore a variety of Graphic Novels to suit any age and interest.
Abstract: Discover the many different faces of this versatile and often overlooked storytelling format. Participants will learn about different genres of Graphic Novels for all ages, including literary, biographical, non-fiction, historical, award-winners, LGBTQ, manga, and more. Examples will be examined with suggestions for school librarians & teachers, reluctant readers, and those who seek out a sophisticated read. Examine an excerpt from a Graphic Novel that might challenge you conceptions of the format.
 
Learning Objectives:

• Give fresh consideration to Graphic Novels and their broad appeal for library patrons, students, and people of all ages and interests
• Discover different genres of graphic novels and consider the classification of Graphic Novel as a format vs. a genre
• Examine a Graphic Novel excerpt more in-depth and challenge potential preconceptions about the format

 
Target audience: Librarians, Library Staff (Public and School)
 
Tags: comics, graphic novels, manga, readers advisory, web-comics, formats, genres, fnmi, lgbtq, libraries, teaching, reading, books, classification, preconceptions, excerpts, patrons, reluctant readers,