with Casanna J. Jackson, Jacksonville University
Email:  cjackso29@ju.edu

The purpose of this workshop is to present realistic work-from-home solutions for library employees by leveraging technology. At the end of the presentation, participants will have completed a worksheet to determine if a sustainable work from the model is possible in their library. This workshop is perfect for library managers who want to update their library’s work model or library employees looking to create a work-from-home model for themselves. Technology is the critical ingredient in the success of our model. The lack of technology was the reason for many of our early failures; ultimately, technology helped us create a successful and sustainable solution. In my presentation, I will outline our biggest technology challenges and how we overcame them. Home internet access, up to date technology, and software challenged library personnel. Employees need internet access at home. Employees want to work from home; however, many do not subscribe to internet access at home; they use their phones for at-home tasks. This model proved problematic for us and resulted in frustration and a lack of confidence in the employee. Our second most significant issue was the need for up-to-date technology and the ability to access files from work. Many employees had outdated computers or used a tablet-style mobile devices for home use. These devices were not sufficient for working from home and created a productivity issues. In addition, software compatibility and essential functions were not operational on older and mobile style devices. Training Gaps: Employee proficiency in collaboration tools such as Zoom, Teams, project management software, communication techniques, and MS Office. I assigned specific NEFLIN workshops to assist with training and increasing software comfortability.

with Drigo Garcia-Salas, Audio Production Instructor, Orange County Library System

This presentation explores how music creation technology can enhance student learning by promoting creativity, improving understanding of music theory, encouraging collaboration, and enhancing communication skills. The use of digital audio workstations, synthesizers, and other music production tools is discussed as a means for students to experiment and create music in a hands-on manner. The presentation highlights the various benefits of music creation technology, from inspiring creativity to developing essential skills and fostering collaboration. This is a valuable resource for organizations looking to fill the void in schools’ art and music programs by implementing music creation technology into their library programming.

Slides

with Brian Pichman, Evolve Project
Email:  bpichman@evolveproject.org

By now, most people have heard of ChatGPT as a conversational AI that can create conversations and answer questions. This flashy technology has helped introduce AI to the masses, yet this type of conversational AI has been around for almost a while in various formats. This session shows some of the less-known things you can do with AI, such as creating content for your blog/website, creating videos, generating marketing material, tweets, and more. Brian Pichman of the Evolve Project will share some access to technology to let participants play and create AI content to bring back to their library.

with Nick Tanzi, The Digital Librarian
Email:  library.tech.programs@gmail.com

With their disruptive nature, emerging technologies can elicit feelings of both fear and excitement. Our speaker shares strategies and tips for first identifying, then incorporating new technologies into a library setting to provide your community with critical access and program/service opportunities.

Slides

with Olivia Hattan-Edwards, Systems Librarian at Jacksonville University
Email:  ohattan@ju.edu

Small libraries often mean limited staff. Limited staff means everyone should know a little bit about everything. The systems librarian at the Carl S. Swisher Library at Jacksonville University discovered the need for everyone on staff to understand the common technology questions asked by users when accessing electronic library resources. To improve response times and equip staff with the knowledge and confidence to answer such questions, a training session was developed that all staff (professional and paraprofessional) attend at least twice a year. This presentation will discuss the training session, including the training materials used, how the training is conducted, and feedback from staff on the usefulness of the training. Attendees will leave with ideas on how to replicate a session.

Slides

with Diana Silveira, President of Novare Library Services
Email:  dee987@gmail.com

The list of digital threats grows every day and more sophisticated. During this session, we will explore the following:
– What are the current threats? We will delve into phishing, ransomware, social media cloning, and other threats
– How to identify threats when online
– Proactive Steps to take to secure yourself online
The session will be filled with practical tips you can easily implement, ideas on how to educate users, and resources to help you stay abreast of new dangers.

Slides

with Borui Zhang, Natural Language Processing Specialist at University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries
Email:  boruizhang@ufl.edu

The presentation will provide a brief history of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and other relevant concepts (e.g., machine learning) around it. It will include several practical case studies from different domains (gaming, horticulture, healthcare, image recognition, and language models) that use AI methods. The talk is aim to help academic library professionals to know more about AI research methods by learning how academic school patrons may use them on a general level. Learners will start by getting familiar with the key terms and concepts in AI and learn how different types of data can be represented in AI systems. No jargon is used in the presentation, so it is friendly to audiences from different backgrounds.

with Vanya Walker & Michael Sweeney, Instructional Designers at Orange County Library System
Email:  walker.vanya@ocls.info

Engage patrons with the science of robotics through Battle Robots! Introduce students to core STEAM concepts, including electrical and mechanical engineering, programming, and robotics, as well as team branding and fair play through combat robotics clubs and camps for tweens and teens. Have fun battling robots and walk away with activities you can use in your library.

Slides
Handout

with Todd Digby, Chair of Library Technology Services at University of Florida
Email:  digby@ufl.edu

The University of Florida (UF) launched the UF Digital Collections (UFDC) in 2006. Since this time the system has grown to over 16 million pages of content and over 1 million items. The locally developed digital library system consisted of an integrated public frontend interface and a production backend. As a result of the monolithic design of the system, the ability to adapt and make changes to the system became increasingly difficult as time went on and the size of the collections grew. The system developed out of core needs for the digitization production team. As production processes changed, the system was modified to make improvements on the backend for production, but in the last decade, the same investment was not made in the public interface, which became dated and was not mobile responsive. A decision was made to develop a new system, starting with decoupling the public interface from the production system. This presentation will examine our experience in the development and rollout of the new UFDC, Digital Library of the Caribbean, and a new Florida Digital Newspaper Library.

with Diana Silveira, President of Novare Library Services
Email:  dee987@gmail.com

How can we stay organized with so much going on in the world and at work? How can we streamline the digital world to prevent being overwhelmed? During this interactive session, we will explore the following:
● Free Tools to help you organize any project
● Organizing incoming emails and data
● How to minimize distractions and focus
● Pragmatic strategies to help you become and stay organized

Slides

with David Lee King, Digital Services Director at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Email:  davidleeking@gmail.com

Makerspaces and media labs are in a continuous state of evolution and do not have to be challenging or expensive so think about meeting your population at a starting point and create a rewarding experience together. Get tips and lessons learned about how to promote and manage these emerging library spaces and programs. Following the opening of a new makerspace/creative space, hear the library’s plans for how to manage and market it!

with Vanya Walker & Michael Sweeney, Instructional Designers at Orange County Library System
Email:  walker.vanya@ocls.info

Get patrons of all ages excited about returning to the library with drones. Introduce youth and adult students to the exciting world of drone technology and lucrative careers for drone pilots. Get hands-on experience piloting drones and walk away with activities you can use in your library. 1. Students will describe drone technologies and the industries that benefit from drones. 2. Students will describe library programs that respond to community interest in drone technologies. 3. Students will pilot drones through a series of challenges.

Slides
Handout

with Kendall McCurley, Andrew Macfarlane, and Victoria Slaughter; Librarians at St. Johns River State College – Orange Park Campus
Email:  kendallmccurley@sjrstate.edu

Using Springshare’s LibWizard, St. Johns River State College’s librarians have created a set of tutorials to help students through their research journeys, which covers evaluating sources, how to use the databases, and how to use the library catalog. These tutorials provide instant feedback, certificates of completion, promotion to library LibGuides, a plethora of question types, the ability to insert multimedia content, and the ability to share tutorials via links. The purpose of this project was to find alternative library instruction options for the demonstrative, one-shot instruction model. We wanted to optimize librarian instructional time with students through a flipped classroom library instruction model which will allow librarians to engage students with activities during our face-to-face instruction. The learning outcomes for this presentation include learning how to construct a tutorial through LibWizard, how to add a certificate and view the statistics, as well as receiving an example of a flipped classroom library instruction model through a demonstration of the SJR State Library’s tutorials.

with Ashleigh Lara, Damien Jackson, and Deborah Williams; Florida State College at Jacksonville
Email:  deborah.m.williams@fscj.edu

The session consists of an overview of a training session on 3-D printing provided by library staff to students at the Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Deerwood Center to re-engage students with this medium since the pandemic and a brief talk about the ways the North Campus LLC uses 3-D printing to engages students. The STEAM labs at both locations where the 3-D printers were housed had not been used for nearly 3 years due to the pandemic, so the staff began to revive enthusiasm for their use. The staff at the North Campus re-discovered 3-D printing as a means to create FSCJ swag to give to students to encourage school spirit, engage them in printing activities and peak their curiosity about it. Additionally, the Deerwood Center staff connected with a faculty member to make small flower pots using the 3-D printers that students could use to grow plants for a class project. At the North campus, the staff created cell phone holders, ID badge holders and Dyslexia reading guides with the FSCJ logo as giveaways to students. The participants in this session will first learn about strategies to engage students using 3-D printing. Second, they will understand the knowledge level needed to make beginner, intermediate and advanced projects. Third, the participants will learn how to make in-house swag as giveaways to increase school pride.

with David Lee King, Digital Services Director at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Email:  davidleeking@gmail.com

Technology has changed the face of libraries and is continuing to change how we work and how we deliver services to customers. In fact, the past few years have pushed us, and in some cases made us scramble, to discover and experiment with new technologies and tools, to train our staff and community, and to look for new ways of doing our core activities. This presentation introduces emerging technology trends and shows how those trends are reshaping library services. Examples are provided of how to incorporate and adapt these evolving trends into libraries.

with Brian Pichman, Director of Strategic Innovation at Evolve Project
Email:  bpichman@evolveproject.org

Join Brian Pichman and his Consumer Electronic Show (CES) recap. CES is the ultimate tech conference that unveils the latest and greatest in tech gadgets and gizmos. Brian will share his findings of the next must-have technology announced at the event, along with some library partnerships that can help evolve your library’s maker spaces. Learn more about tech trends such as AI, Metaverse, Robotics, and more with some hands-on time with the latest and greatest gadgets.