ILA Conference 2013 (Tues.) - Sarah

Tuesday:

The Best (and Not So Best) Practices in Social Media
The presenters shared how their libraries (two public, one academic) maintain an active presence on social media. I was interested to learn how differently these libraries approach social media. For example, one library relies on a departmentally-diverse social networking committee of ten, while another allows only two librarians to post to its social media sites in order to protect the library’s “voice.” I came away with some helpful tips.

E-Book Essentials: Everything You Need to Know About E-Books and Libraries Now
This session was an informative glimpse into the complicated relationships between libraries and publishers. Keith Michael Fiels (ALA) covered the history of publishers working (and not working) with libraries and Larra Clark (ALA) shared e-book advocacy resources. Finally, Deirdre Brennan (RAILS) announced the new Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Program, through which Illinois libraries will discover and “make famous” an unknown self-published author of a work of adult fiction.

Refreshing User Space within an Existing Library: The UIC Library IDEA Commons
Jay Lambrecht (UIC) and architect Andy Tinucci showed us how UIC transformed a 15,000 sq. ft. room into a 24-hour active learning space through the thoughtful use of lighting, furniture, and layout. During the design process, they divided the space on paper into Fixed, Flexible, and Lounge zones and then selected the furniture and lighting that met the intended purpose of each zone. I especially liked the use of whiteboard walls and metal curtains that students can manipulate to create impromptu group study rooms.

Better Websites Make Happier People: Web Management Essentials beyond Virtual Design
In my last session of the day, Anne Slaughter (Oak Park PL) explained how to create a content strategy for your library's website. I learned a lot from her presentation and think the LGPL website would benefit from the type of written content strategy she described. Also, Richard Kong (Arlington Heights Memorial Library) discussed usability testing and Brodie Austin (Des Plaines PL) showed us how to make our content visually appealing, create a conversation, project confidence, and understand context.

I also attended the free ILA Preconference on Monday:

RDA--It’s Not ARmageDdon: A Practical Guide to Using the New Cataloging Code
Adam Schiff (U of Washington) and Bobby Bothmann (Minnesota State U, Mankato) walked us through book and AV cataloging using RDA in MARC, pointing out LC PCC PSs, their personal preferences, and system tips along the way. This session clarified a few best practices for me, and the handouts are excellent reference tools.