2024-01-02 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Special 2023 ILA Issue

Featured Story

Almost all SPLAT members were able to attend the 2023 Idaho Library Association (ILA) conference in Twin Falls, Idaho. We asked them to share some reflections about their conference experiences for this special issue of the Curiosity Report. 

From Rebekah Bitikofer:

My favorite session at ILA 2023 was Darn it! Hosting an All-Ages Visible Mending Program/Maker Meet-Up: Sewing and Mending. Learning about how other libraries handle their crafting programs is always a good time and this group of presenters was engaging, funny, and very informative. Visible mending programs have a variety of benefits. They are sustainable, build community, provide opportunities for social interaction, and teach practical skills. They can be for any age and usually bring in a good crowd. You can teach visible or discrete mending programs with fairly low costs.

Many community members have craft supplies that they’re happy to donate. However, these programs can be time intensive. You should plan lots of time for prep, set up, instruction, and clean up. Folks that are new to crafts (such as sewing/darning/knitting) will need more clear instructions. It can be fun to have an open crafting time but this can create a barrier to entry. If you don’t know how to do a craft, consider hiring a presenter or having library volunteers help out. After getting all of that information, we also got to practice some visible mending ourselves. I’ve even mended my dog’s bandana with the supplies provided.

From Maggie Dumont:

ILA was pretty great this year and they had some fabulous sessions. One of my favorites was seeing the Family Place Space room that Eagle Public Library has installed at their location. Which is the first in Idaho! Most libraries have a designated space for kids, but Family Place spaces are specially designed for children 0-5. One of the requirements for a Family Place space is a once a week, for 5-weeks, course where parents and children come for a “Stay and Play” activity. Each involves an outside community resource professional spending time at the library to help with different aspects of child development in social, physical, intellectual, creative, and emotional aspects. This course takes place two times a year.

The program does not stop at just the 5-week courses though. The collections for a Family Place space are specially built with early literacy in mind. This includes books, music, multimedia, kits, and dress up clothing, just to name a few. And the space is open year round for everyone to enjoy.

The space that Eagle Public Library has built is such a fun room! It is highly decorated, very colorful, and incredibly inviting. You can see the progression pictures by clicking here. And you can learn all about Family Place Libraries at their website by clicking here.

From Mariah Farmer:

I had the opportunity to participate in a preconference at ILA this year as a SPLAT member, where we delved into the future of libraries through a futures thinking exercise. We engaged in imaginative scenarios using a prompt sheet, selecting a type of future, an object, and a theme. The activity involved assembling objects from seemingly random supplies.

The collaborative storytelling within the group was a blast, making the experience both engaging and just plain fun. One standout creation that emerged was the “Dorothy Detectors” – a pair of red loafers with the ability to provide insights into gardens. These loafers could predict plant suitability, nutrient levels, and potential animal habitats. The concept was both creative and believable.

The entire experience was playful and thought-provoking, highlighting the importance of injecting play and creativity into adult activities. It could serve as a fantastic addition to a staff day game or event, offering not only educational value but also an enjoyable experience for participants.

From Monique Gaddy:

I had a wonderful time participating in the SPLAT pre-conference in Twin Falls this year! I was a little anxious that my assistance would be lacking in some way, future’s thinking takes some time to mentally adjust to. At the beginning I was seeing that confusion and then there it was, the moment where everyone just starts sinking into the future scenario. All of a sudden we were creating a foundation for our future, and brainstorming the library’s response to that scenario. It was like watching something magical happen. Our capacity to learn, adjust, and then work together as a team to support shared visions will always amaze me. Personally, every time I witness it unfolding with a group of people, I am filled with hope and wonder and become more and more comfortable with the concept of Future’s Thinking.

From Annie Gaines:

An Ode to the Pancake Machine at the Holiday Inn Express in Twin Falls, ID

In a hotel where bleary morning light gleams,
there stands a marvel: the pancake machine.

With the touch of a button, an easy command,
batter is poured with precision, made on demand.

Guests gather ’round, anticipation in the air,
as golden circles cook along the conveyor.

Inspiring enthusiasm, confusion, delight,
the pancake machine works its morning rite.

From Chris Thielen:

One of the ILA sessions I attended this year was called, “Proactively Enhancing Patron Technology Literacy.” The presentation was given by Reed Hepler, the Digital Initiatives/OER Librarian at the College of Southern Idaho.

During his presentation, Hepler walked us through a smattering of generative AI tools. We looked at large language model chatbots such as ChatGPT, Bard, Bing Chat (rebranded now as Microsoft Copilot), Claude.ai, and Perplexity. Chatbots such as these use generative AI and are conversational in application and in tone. Chatbots often use, what are called, deep learning and natural language processing to effectively learn and process information given by the user.

We also looked at text-to-image-models (tools that create images using only text prompts) such as DALL-E 2, Getimg.ai, Canva’s AI Image Generator, Microsoft Designer, and Stable Diffusion, education systems utilizing generative AI, and AI content detection tools (such as Copyleaks and GPT-2 Output Detector).

But how might this be helpful to library professionals in Idaho? How can tools like these be used to nurture and enhance technology literacy in patrons? One way to accomplish this is to provide patrons access to these tools. The tools themselves are great, yes, but even more significant is in how we might use them. The possibility, the potential.

Something Hepler said during the presentation stuck with me. He said that in order to be proficient and effective professionals, we need to stay informed and remain on top of this developing technology and its many applications. As librarians, we need to be aware of important technologies. And we need to be willing to learn about how they work. But why take my word for it? Here’s R. David Lankes to say it better:

Lifelong learning is a core value of librarians. This is reflected not only in the services we provide, but also in how we conduct ourselves as librarians. We are constantly learning both about the subjects of interest to the communities we serve and also about librarianship itself. As a librarian, you must be part of the ongoing discourse of the values and systems librarians build. How can you expect your community to be efficient and effective learners (knowledge creators) if you yourself don’t model that behavior?

Knowledge creators. I love that. It’s not enough to simply provide resources for our patrons. We need to be learning alongside them! We need to engage with what interests them. This seems to me the point that Hepler is making as well.

Also, here’s a photo of some patio pods at the Redhawk Gastropub in Twin Falls. They’re a few bucks more to use, but they’re heated and overlook the gorgeous views of the Snake River Canyon.

From Ann Veloso:

What I Learned from my 2023 ILA Annual Conference Solo Presentation Experience

My first presenter attempt at an ILA Annual Conference went something like this…

What Went Wrong:

• I got exposed to COVID at The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) Annual Conference in Wichita, Kansas, a few weeks prior to the ILA Annual Conference in Twin Falls. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t feeling too great.
• This presentation was originally planned as a group presentation, but last-minute staffing changes quickly turned this into a solo presentation (with subsequent late-night revisions to my presentation and slides).
• The prior presenters in the room went over their allotted time, so I didn’t get time to test my connectivity. What could possibly go wrong?
• Surprise, technology glitches! Thanks to Chris Thielen and the venue’s IT guy, problems were quickly resolved.
• How could I possibly convey all of the amazing and special details about the Eagle Public Library’s Family Place Space in 45 minutes? I promise that I practiced and timed my presentation at least 3 times the night before. Each time I practiced, I had about 25 minutes of presentation material. Surprise again, on presentation day I made it through only 70% of my material in the allotted 45 minutes. What!?

What Went Right:

• I had a packed audience for this presentation.
• So many great questions were posed by the attendees.
• Since I didn’t make it all the way through my presentation, hopefully, I left the audience wanting more.
• I had a great time at the annual ILA Conference, and I definitely learned from this presentation experience.
• Would I ever present again? Absolutely!

Please visit the Family Place Space at Eagle Public Library next time you are in the area. Email me to schedule a special tour or ask questions about Family Place Libraries: aveloso@cityofeagle.org. Check out these cool pictures that show the transformation of the Library’s meeting room into the Family Place Space at Eagle Public Library.

P.S. Even my favorite library promoter/marketer, Angela Hursh, knows about the Family Place Space at Eagle Public Library (wait until the end of the video, but don’t fast forward because Angela has a great message for all of us). Watch Angela’s recent YouTube video.

SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at https://libraries.idaho.gov/splat/

SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-253624-OLS-23). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.