MLA 2024 Conference

How can academic libraries use student ideas and perspectives to improve library outreach? How can we provide students meaningful opportunities to engage in outreach? And what are the goals and benefits of engaging students in library outreach efforts–for both the library and the students? In this session, members of the Outreach & Promotion Committee at the Gustavus Adolphus College Library will explore these questions. We will share our experiences engaging students–including our inaugural cohort of a Student Advisory Board, library interns, and library academic assistants–in our outreach initiatives. We will provide examples of student-executed events, including Taylor Swift-inspired programming and a poetry open mic night, and feedback from students on topics ranging from library space to instructional outreach. We will discuss how we engaged both students and fundraising partners in these efforts, how we approached student compensation (either monetary or for college credit), and how we assessed and developed future plans for engaging students in library outreach. Attendees will have opportunities for group discussion and sharing and for participation in an activity inspired by our students. Through the presentation and discussion, attendees both new to and familiar with library outreach will gain practical recommendations and insights into engaging students in their own library outreach initiatives.

How do use games in the library to increase checkouts and engagement. This session will share ideas and resources for using and creating games in your school library such as Trivia, Magic Tickets, Winning Checkouts, Breakout Edu, games as a makerspace, and Bookface.

The practice of critical cataloging acknowledges that catalogs are not neutral and looks for solutions or ways to address harmful practices and language in the library catalog. Knowing that our catalog is not perfect, the Bridge Consortium of Carleton College and St. Olaf College created a working group to address this and related issues in the cataloging world. The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Working Group is composed of library staff who are interested in minimizing harmful language and improving access through appropriate metadata in our shared discovery platforms by striving to provide the most relevant and accurate information. This group has met monthly since January 2023, resulting in the creation of a public-facing statement meant to address the issue of harmful language in our libraries. A reporting form was created in tandem with the policy statement so that members of our community may submit concerns about harmful language found in our discovery platforms. In this session, Kate Niemisto and Jane Campbell, co-chairs of the IDEA Working Group, will walk through the process of writing this statement, how the group worked with campus partners to develop both the statement and workflow for submissions, and how they marketed this work to the Bridge Consortium community. By sharing their experiences with this project, Kate and Jane offer attendees an opportunity to reflect on the importance of critical cataloging and brainstorm how a similar project may look at their own libraries.

Are you interested in bringing more visibility to your library’s digital content? Join us to learn more about Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and Wikipedia and how these emerging platforms can improve user experiences and increase collection discoverability.

Since 2020, Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has worked with contributing partners to upload their open access digital content to Wikimedia Commons. Staff at Minitex and the Minnesota Digital Library were inspired by the success of the DPLA project and conceived of their own pilot to learn more about using the wiki-based, free-to-use media repository called Wikimedia Commons, along with its sister sites Wikidata and Wikipedia, to increase discoverability of content from digital collections.

Presenters will discuss the outcomes of our successful 2023 pilot project and the continuation of the project’s work during the summer of 2024. We will provide an overview of how we added archival images to Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, and added structured data (linked data) from Wikidata. Participants will learn about our goals, impact on access and use, and some tips on how to get started with a Wikimedia project at your own organization.

Join us to explore the exciting developments in the Minnesota Libraries Professional Learning Network (MNPLN) and the LevelUp initiative. This session will provide a bit of background on the LevelUpMN.org program and how it has been reinvigorated and reimagined by The MNPLN Coordinating Council, a group of library leaders from Minitex, State Library Services, MNPALS, MLA, public libraries, academic library education programs, school libraries, academic libraries, and the MCMTs. The Council has come together to plan and create course content that is essential for all library professionals in MN. These courses will be available to anyone interested in the workings of libraries to register and work through at no cost, and participants will be able to share transcripts and certificates of their accomplishments with employers and on social platforms. We will review these current efforts and share plans for the future as we strengthen our amazing MN library community to be more inclusive and supportive of all library workers and their professional growth.

This class is designed to assist librarians and others who work with diverse populations in locating health information. The resources presented are selected for their emphasis on providing culturally relevant information in the preferred language of the population. Background information on refugees and immigrants in the U.S. and their unique health issues will be presented.

Come learn more about MLA's Technical Services Section (TSS), whose purpose is to provide members and other Minnesota library workers with opportunities to discuss current problems and future developments in library technical services, and to educate and inform. 

In the 2018-2019 academic year, the State of Minnesota began providing additional financial aid for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the Grants for Students with Intellectual and Development Disabilities (ID Grant) program. However, the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium (MIHEC) highlighted additional barriers for these students which included lack of postsecondary education options, limited capacity in Minnesota’s three existing Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) programs, and limited funding. In the 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session, the State acted to address these barriers. In fall 2023, the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) entered into an agreement with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) to establish a technical assistance center (TA Center) to create self-sustaining education options across the state for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities who want to earn postsecondary credentials. OHE in collaboration with the TA Center will host a competitive request for application in spring of 2024 for institutions who will be launching these programs.
The State of Minnesota is specifically addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education by establishing the TA Center. The focus of the TA Center will be to expand higher education enrollment to include individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who historically have not had options to pursue higher education. The establishment of CTP programs will allow these students to access federal financial aid, Minnesota state aid, and other funding sources for students with disabilities (example: Vocational Rehabilitation and waiver funding).
During this session, attendees will learn about how libraries can support postsecondary institutions in building their capacity to support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Attendees will also learn about how libraries can help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families access postsecondary programs and student financial aid.

We will explore the New Capstone Connect and go into our eBookroom as well as our Activities, Makerspace and Lesson plan section. We will explore an activity and a maker project together. We will also explore our National/State Standards and topic search feature and show how this will help librarians save time and integrate into their ed-tech tools. We will then experience PebbleGo Create. PebbleGo Create is an intuitive digital workspace for students and all learners to demonstrate what they are learning from our research database PebbleGo. Students can choose to text, draw, use audio or video and create unique backgrounds to show what they have learned. When students are free to choose their own methods of expression and take an active and creative role in their learning they gain confidence and the learning stays with them. Come join us while we have fun exploring Capstone Connect and PebbleGo Create. This is for K-6 Librarians, Instructional Tech Coordinators, Teachers, Technology Specialists, Principals and anyone who would like to learn more about the new parts of PebbleGo.