2022 Hot Topics Conference Agenda

Having FUN in Topeka!
with David Lee King, Digital Services Director at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Having a fun work environment helps keep library staff inspired and positive. Same thing with your local library community – a happy community is a successful one, and fun helps! Can your library include a sense of fun and play in everything you do? I think so! This presentation shares how Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library includes a sense of fun in everything we do, for staff, customers, our digital branch and our building. Examples of how we include fun (both customer- and staff-focused) are provided. Outcome: attendees will have some ideas on how to include fun in staff- and customer-focused activities.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type: Academic, Public, School, Special

Not-Your-Grandma’s Book Club
with Julie Miller, Library Media Specialist at Clay County District Schools

Running a successful book club can be a real challenge! My high school book club averages 25-30 teens every month (and that’s after school on a Friday). How do I keep high schoolers coming back month after month? In this session, I will share several games that we play, from Kahoot! trivia about the book (with questions mined from the members), Mafia and “Killer” for mystery books, Victorian parlor games for historical fiction, book “speed dating,” and more. Games allow our members to get to know each other by having fun together. Come to this session to get ideas on how to spice up your club, whether you work with tweens, teens, or adults!

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type:  Academic, Public, School
Presentation

Don’t Touch the Lion:  Touch-less Library Orientation
with Amy Harris, Instruction & Assessment Librarian at Saint Leo University

Learning Objectives – By the end of the session participants will be able to: 1. Distinguish between static and dynamic QR codes. 2. Evaluate the usage statistics created by dynamic QR codes. 3. Create their own touch-less library orientation using LibGuides, QR codes, and information they already have about their library

Students had to find each station in the library, which has 3 floors. We told them the total number of stations there were to find in the library, but not where they were. When students found a station, they scanned the QR code posted at that station. The QR code leads to the LibGuide page about that station. There is a video and a different librarian on each page.

For example, one of them was our Commuter Corner where we have two “sleep pods”. The LibGuide has a video about the sleep pods. I tried to make the videos short and interesting vintage sci-fi shows for the theme. REDACTED LINK. The LibGuides all look odd on a computer screen but rendered perfectly on phones.

The happy hunters took a picture of each object or space they had found to prove they had been there. Scanning, reading, watching videos, and taking photos were all done on their own phones so there was no contamination. During orientation week we use a dynamic QR code to capture statistics. The rest of the semester we use a static code. That is purely a budgeting issue.

Students got points for each station they found. Different prizes were awarded based on the number of stations they were able to find. Students had a chance to rate the scavenger hunt using slips of colored paper. The students enjoyed the hunt, chatting with library personnel, and student workers. It was a convenient game to fill gaps of time in our regular orientation schedule.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type: Academic, Public, School, Special

Games in the Library for Adults:  Low Cost, Low Maintenance, High Fun
with Jonathan Klotz, Librarian II – Circulation Section Head at Volusia County Public Library

Discuss game programming for adults (considered to be all patrons beyond Teen classification) in a library setting. Attendees will learn – – Why games are important for socialization at all ages – How games can break down barriers between individuals of different ages, genders or backgrounds – What game programs have been run at Port Orange Regional Library – Which worked/didn’t work and any challenges faced by staff – Potential programming ideas for their own home libraries Games, from those as simple as checkers to the complicated 4X style of Twilight Imperium, provided unique opportunities for individuals of all ages and backgrounds to engage in an activity with set boundaries, rules and outcomes. The shared interest of participating in a defined experience creates a natural common ground for discussion and empathizing with other people. This is what can be accomplished through the act of play and it’s why children can so easily make friends at a park while adults can struggle to form friendships. There’s less opportunities to engage in the act of play in a public setting as people get older, which is why the public library is uniquely positioned to serve the community in this capacity.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type:  Public
Handout 1
Handout 2

Pajama Jam:  Adapting Bedtime Stories for College Students
with Lea Cason, Librarian at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Christopher Stepp, Librarian at Florida State College at Jacksonville, and Trina McCowan, Librarian at University of North Florida

Join us in a live demo as an active Pajama Jam participant, where we will play a game with one lucky prizewinner. We will also take you behind the scenes to share our takeaways with book selection, advertising ideas, copyright thoughts, and a few more nuggets that make this a fun event for everyone. After participating in this event, you will have tips and understanding to create your own online college reading event.

Skill Level: Academic
Library Type:  Beginner
Handout

Building a Creative Space in the Library
with David Lee King, Digital Services Director at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Libraries aren’t just about books any more. Many libraries now offer ways to actively create things like music, videos, podcasts, and physical items. Here’s a glance into communities creating creative spaces, what libraries are doing in this area, and at the creative spaces at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. Outcome: Attendees will understand what’s happening around creative spaces in local communities, in libraries, and will have some ideas on how to make creative spaces in their library spaces.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type:  Academic, Public, School Special

Organized Chaos
with Patty Duval, Media Services Specialist at Alachua County Public Schools

How can you create organized chaos? It takes lots of planning! This 45 minute session will provide you with some ideas on how to plan and manage learning centers in your library. In addition to some activity suggestions, participants will have access to a robust center rotation tool.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type: School

Escape Challenges
with Mary Renee Galloway, Hope Place Public Library Branch Manager, Library Associate at Volusia County Public Library

Escape Challenges are interactive puzzles that help patrons develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and support core literacy tenants. Escape challenges can be developed for most ages, for individuals or groups, and can be adapted to any facility space (not requiring a special room in which patrons are literally “locked.”). Participants will learn what an escape challenge is, the steps to creating one, and how to market through advertising and social media. At the beginning of the presentation, the concept of what an escape challenge is will be explained as “An escape challenge is a series of puzzles/riddles that often subscribe to a central theme (e.g. Pirate Ship, Bank Heist, etc.) that are scattered around a facility/room for patrons to solve.” Next, I will compare an escape challenge to a commercial Escape Room, will explain the benefits when applied as a library program (particularly during the pandemic), and will share steps to creating one. Escape challenge hosts would learn how to: develop a theme and overall goal, determine the audience, the complexity, type, and quantity of puzzles are needed, create the puzzles, answer sheets, and hints, and then practice program execution. After created, practiced, and finalized, comes sharing steps to marketing the program. I will explain which marketing tools are best, what information to include, etc. Throughout the whole session, examples of previous escape challenges will be shared. At the end of the session, the participants should be able to create a successful escape challenge.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type: Public
Handout

Roll for Initiative:  Dungeons & Dragons in Libraries
with Kate Duong, Youth Services and Outreach Librarian at Columbia County Public Library

This presentation, aimed primarily at librarians who work with teens, will explain the ins and outs of starting a Dungeons & Dragons program at their library. Dungeons & Dragons has seen a resurgence in popularity due to its prominence in shows like “Stranger Things,” podcasts such as “Critical Role,” as well as people searching for new activities that they could do from home during the COVID-19 shutdowns. A D&D club is a low-cost program that teaches teamwork, leadership, planning, problem solving, and organization all while promoting creativity. Youth Services Librarian Kate Duong, Youth Program Specialist Emma Miles, and Library Assistant/Dungeon Master Billy Camplin of the Columbia County Public Library will draw on their experience running their own successful teen D&D club to discuss how to get started, share resources and best practices, and talk through possible obstacles to implementation.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type: Public, School

Thinking Outside the Library:  How Hiding Stuffed Animals in a Park Fostered New Connections in the Community
with Laura Armstrong, Youth Services Librarian II at Volusia County Public Library

“Did I just see a flamingo in that tree?” was a commonly heard statement in the park across from the Port Orange Regional Library during the summer of 2021. Questions like this became the norm around the library because staff had partnered with the Port Orange Parks and Recreation department for a 6 week long stuffed animal search that brought the library outdoors and allowed both organizations to build connections in the community in new ways. Laura Armstrong, a Youth Services Librarian from the Port Orange Regional Library, will share about how this unique program came to be and how it impacted the library during a time when indoor programming was limited. She will give tips on how to plan and implement a similar program in other communities, including how to manage logistics and navigate lessons learned (e.g., put the animals up really high in trees or participants will try to climb and get them). She will also share about how this program has led to further partnerships with the Parks and Recreation department and has inspired even more “thinking outside the library” when it comes to reaching current and new library users through unique mysteries, escape challenges, and scavenger hunts. The goal of the presentation will be to inspire attendees to: • Notice what other organizations are doing in their community and think about how the library can work with them to accomplish their mutual goals in fun and simple ways. • Think differently about scavenger hunts, mysteries, and escape challenges as a way to reach library users both inside and outside the library. • Walk away ready to try this specific program in their community because they know the practical steps for planning and implementing.

Skill Level: Beginner
Library Type: Academic, Public, School, Special

As the Game Spins:  The Evolution of an Online Escape Game
with Julie Pactor, Faculty Librarian at Florida State College at Jacksonville

In the Spring of 2020, FSCJ’s Library and Learning Commons was searching for ways to add interactive online content to keep students engaged with the library during the pandemic. Librarians Lea Cason and Julie Pactor worked together to create an online escape game that would teach students how to evaluate websites for reliability and accuracy. This presentation will trace the evolution of the project, including the various platforms we tried, how we adapted the game when we switched from teaching the CRAAP method to teaching SIFT, plus the occasional pitfall encountered along the way. Attendees will learn: – Some of the various platforms available for hosting online games – How and why we settled on Genially as our platform – The importance of story to the online gaming environment – How we successfully promoted the game – How we updated the game when FSCJ switched from CRAAP to the SIFT method for evaluating websites.

Skill Level:  Beginner
Library Type:  Academic, Public, School

Hard Reads Gaming:  Fighting Game Tournaments in the Library
with Curtis Burkhardt, Children’s/Young Adults Event Coordinator at Bradford County Public Library

Those who attend will be introduced to the Fighting Game Community, its growth, and how to implement tournaments at their own libraries. They will learn the basic setup needed, along with all of the tips and tricks to help make it grow from an advent member of the FGC who hosts his own tournaments.

Skill Level:  Beginner
Library Type:  Public, School
Handout

Bringing Global Studies Alive with Virtual Reality
with Emily O’Neill, Academic Librarian at Florida State College at Jacksonville

Educational objective: To share our wins and lessons about conducting educational VR sessions to help students gain a deeper understanding and context regarding a memoir set in Italy and cultural aspects of Columbia and Spain. Outcome: To inspire others to use VR to engage students/patrons more fully in learning about various cultures. Technology objective: To inform on the issues that arose with using VR headsets that are over 3 years old now as well as the techniques of screencasting and video making to help students understand what steps to take with the headset on. Outcome: To empower participants on common issues facing older VR headsets as well as ideas of how to simplify instruction on using the headsets. I will share our objective of helping students develop a connection to the subject and why it is important to feel globally connected. Participants will learn about the projects for our Author Series memoir and a Spanish class. I’ll briefly share about the steps it took to prepare for these events: meeting with faculty to craft the session, libguide creation, tech updates, screensharing capture, safety precautions, etc). I’ll share the results of the sessions via the words of students and faculty.

Skill Level: Intermediate
Library Type:  Academic, Public, School
Presentation

How to Navigate Virtual Programming Challenges without Compromising Your Creativity
with C. Sean Waters, Library Specialist and M. Gorman, Librarian at Alachua County Library District

We will showcase our highly successful Pride Month Jeopardy, an asynchronous program created with Drupal 7’s blogging platform, and discuss the challenges we faced implementing it. Presentation will include examples from the Jeopardy game, demonstrations of obstacles encountered, and how we modified solutions without compromising goals. Participants are encouraged to examine and discuss their own unique opportunities… And maybe answer a few trivia questions, just for fun. Goals: Create engaging virtual programs using limited technological platforms. Objectives: Balance the needs of a program with the limitations of a platform. Build self-confidence and creative problem-solving skills. Cultivate an adaptive attitude when facing perceived failures. Embrace experimentation and messy mistakes! We will discuss efforts in adapting to a platform that was not built for the intended program, and how to think beyond initial reservations and find excitement in the process. Presentation will also include tips and tricks; attendees can learn from our mistakes and develop their own methods going forward. This flexible approach can also increase interest and investment from staff – especially important when many institutions are facing low morale and burnout. Though the primary audience is public library programmers, these skills apply to any project-oriented position. School librarians, electronic collections staff, and marketing/social media coordinators may gain inspiration. Attendees will leave with new perspectives on in-person and virtual programming. They will gain skills to assess their technological limitations, foster creativity and collaboration among staff members, and develop alternative solutions to challenges in order to create more intriguing and engaging programs for their patrons…. June is right around the corner, why not host your own Pride Month Jeopardy?

Skill Level:  Intermediate
Library Type:  Public, School

Video Game Tournaments at Your Library
with Josiah Harper Cook, Library Aide II at Suwannee River Regional Library

What does it mean to host a video game tournament at your library? What does it involve? How is it done? What obstacles get in the way? What games are played? Over the course of this session, all of these questions will be answered, as well as questions that you may not even think to ask. We’ll start with an introduction explaining what a video game tournament is, and the rise in popularity of “e-sports” and competitive gaming. Then I will stress the potential impact of a library-hosted video game tournament and why every library would benefit from one. I will talk about everything a person needs to know to not only organize and host such a tournament but how to make an unforgettable experience for patrons. Throughout the presentation I will break down every step of the process, starting with the materials and equipment one needs along with an estimated cost to get the program off the ground. I will discuss the best ways to go about registration for competitors, and we will also address concerns regarding COVID-19 protocols. I will go over the methods we implement during the tournament to keep track of what’s happening, and how this makes the process simple for the program facilitator. I will go over complications that may arise and concerns that may need to be addressed. I will also discuss ways to go the extra mile to bring the program up a notch and make it a memorable event. We will also discuss a few other notable video game-related programs which can be piggybacked on a tournament’s success. By the end of this session, participants will be fully prepared to present video game-oriented programming at their library, not only tournaments. Attendees will also receive handouts that summarize the key points.

Skill Level:  Beginner
Library Type:  Public, School
Handout 1
Handout 2

The Search for Fun:  Scavenger Hunts as a High-Impact Programming Option
with Debra Robbins, Youth Services Head at Volusia County Public Library

In spring 2020, the Volusia County Public Library (VCPL) closed its facility doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The county quickly implemented a limited capacity reopening in summer 2020. As summer 2021 approached, face-to-face programming limitations remained in place. New Smyrna Beach Regional Library staff were eager to introduce passive summer programming that would engage and entertain young patrons. In summer 2021, Youth Services librarians Debra Robbins and Carly Ries added scavenger hunts to the programming calendar. Scavenger hunts were an immediate hit with young patrons and their caregivers. Presented biweekly to children in grades K-5, participants did more than search for clues. They learned about their library branch and its resources including Surfcat, VCPL’s library catalog. They also shared a fun library experience with family and friends. Over time, scavenger hunt programming evolved to include patrons of all ages. VCPL in-person programs resumed in January 2022. Scavenger hunts remain an essential element of New Smyrna Beach Regional Library programming. The presenters will share their experiences with scavenger hunts, including: • Scavenger hunt planning: know your target audience • How scavenger hunts can add sparkle to themed programming • Scavenger hunts as a teaching tool • Tips and tricks for maximum engagement

Skill Level:  Beginner
Library Type:  Public, School
Handout 1
Handout 2