MLA 2024 Conference

Many librarians are tasked with caring for their building in addition to running their library. Without the proper training and knowledge, this can be a daunting venture. In this session (also led by Jack Rol, Construction Manager with the Mayo Clinic) we will talk about the basic steps librarians can take to develop a plan for their building that will help track and identify issues early before they become costly emergencies.

The Minnesota Historical Society digitizes Minnesota’s newspapers and makes them available in the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. Learn more about the MNHS newspaper collection, digitization processes, how this work is supported, and what you can find in the digitized newspapers and in the Hub. Newspapers are a valuable resource for personal and family research, for students and teachers, and for local libraries, historical societies, businesses and more, documenting the people, places, events, and stories of a community over time.

How do we connect and engage with people so that we can advocate for our libraries? We tell our stories. How do we craft the best stories? There are some great ideas in the book, Effective Data Storytelling: How to Drive Change with Data, Narrative and Visual, by Brent Dykes.

I will briefly discuss our consortium short course where we used this book, along with some of the key data storytelling concepts. Then participants will go through an exercise to get you thinking about what data you have and start sketching out your own data story.

At the end of this session, participants will understand key data storytelling concepts. Participants will apply these concepts to their situations and start creating their own data stories. The intended audience is anyone who wants to create more effective data stories in order to connect and engage with people and ultimately advocate for their library.

In an increasingly asynchronous world, libraries are faced with the challenge of offering service hours and access to library spaces in ways that meet their users' needs. One emerging solution is self service access, which extends service beyond regularly staffed hours. As a complement to traditional staffed hours, these new service models can be a valuable addition by offering patrons the opportunity to use their libraries when it best suits their schedules. In this session, four library systems in the Twin Cities Metro will share their experiences with self service building access solutions. By the end of this session, attendees will understand how these technologies can be implemented in different ways for various service models and communities. They will also discuss the broader impact on both frontline staff and library users in their diverse mix of urban, suburban, and rural communities.

How do you connect to your community when you have limited time and limited resources? (And don't we all!) If you're in greater Minnesota in a smaller community, it can be even more challenging to find those powerful partners. Our panel of library directors from the SELCO (Southeastern Minnesota) region are here to provide their insights into how they have partnered with community organizations, government entities, and local businesses to create connections that benefit their libraries financially and programmatically. What challenges have they faced, what successes are they the most proud of? The goal of this session is to help library staff find new ways to establish, refresh and sustain the community partners who can be powerful library advocates and partners. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session.