Amy Schneider is an American software engineer and recent Jeopardy! champion. Following an impressive 40-game winning streak, she became the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy! She is second all-time in the show’s history, trailing only Ken Jennings, and the 11th highest-earning contestant of all time across all American game shows. Schneider is also the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.
Having been raised in a Catholic family, Schneider suppressed her gender identity well into adulthood. She has since stressed the importance of trans representation and shifting the focus from their suffering to their accomplishments. Since her transition in 2017, she has made a point to say yes to new experiences—from trying stand-up comedy to piercing her nose.
The California native has earned a spot in the show’s Hall of Fame and will next be seen in the Tournament of Champions competing against some of her all-time favorite contestants.
9:30-9:50 AM
HOW TO Kick-Start Health Programming at Your Library
Presenters: Michael Balkenhol, Engagement Coordinator - NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Center; George Strawley, Library Engagement Specialist - NNLM Region 4; and Darlene Kaskie, Engagement Coordinator - NNLM Region 6
Discover fun, creative, and interactive ways to share health information in your community! Join staff from the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) as we discuss ready-to-use ideas for library health programming. Attendees will walk away with information about free programming kits, health information resources, and funding opportunities. PLA thanks Network of the National Library of Medicine for its exclusive support of the How-To Stage.
10:00-10:20 AM
HOW TO Create an Easy & Free Web Map
Presenters: Lauren McKinney-Wise, Portland State University M.S. Candidate, Graduate School of Geography; and Nancee Hunter, Director, Portland State University - Center for Geography Education in Oregon (C-GEO)
Maps are prevalent in our everyday lives and are powerful information objects. In recent years, web maps have become useful tools for sharing information and telling stories. In this short session, we will briefly teach you about the systems behind map creation (also called Geographic Information Systems) and how to create your very own web map! You can use this skill to share information with patrons, improve your internal workflows, or just for fun!
10:30-10:50 AM
HOW TO Flip Your Library's Collections - Visiting Project Chaos
Presenters: Robin Walden, Technical Services Supervisor, John P. Holt Brentwood Library; and Pamela Johnson, Circulation Supervisor, John P. Holt Brentwood Library Welcome to Project CHAOS: Creating Havoc Advancing Our Spaces!
Ever consider flipping your library's collection? Our librarians will show you how we made the most of our library's current footprint to showcase collections and spaces. Flipping our collections during our beginning stages of space planning allowed us to enhance our library patron's experience. Learn all the details of using current collection numbers and shelving to re-locate over 70,000 items. You will also hear how library staff and board members bought into the CHAOS!
11:00-11:20 AM
HOW TO Get to Inbox Zero
Presenter: Doug Crane, Director, Palm Beach County (FL) Library System
Huge volumes of email are a fact of office life that threatens to overwhelm our work. Is there a way to get email under control short of mass deleting your entire inbox? Yes, there is! In this fun and engaging class, participants will learn a real world tested approach that is quick to apply and scales to any size inbox. Learn how to clear out inbox backlog no matter how large, quickly identify actionable items, and create an efficient organizational structure to ramp up email efficiency. Most importantly participants will learn the joys and peace of mind that comes from an empty inbox!
11:30-11:50 AM
HOW TO Host a National Voter Registration Day Statewide Initiative
Presenters: Lynda Reynolds, Public Library Management Consultant, State Library of North Carolina; and Lauren Clossey, Continuing Education Consultant, State Library of North Carolina
Want to learn how more libraries in your state can participate in National Voter Registration Day? NVRD is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating democracy, planned for Tuesday, September 20, 2022. In this presentation, the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) will share our experience hosting a statewide initiative inviting all North Carolina libraries to participate in NVRD. SLNC understands the important role that libraries play in community and civic engagement and decided to use our statewide reach to encourage and support North Carolina libraries to become NVRD partners. In our first year we saw 68 libraries participating in NVRD which we considered a great success. One library reported a 65-year-old woman registering to vote for the first time and several reported registering first-time eligible teen voters. To support our libraries, SNLC created a webpage with state and national voting resources and hosted webinars for libraries to learn how to register through ALA to become a NVRD partner and share their experiences. Our efforts paid off when North Carolina was listed in the 2020 NVRD Final Report as one of the top five states with the most partners.
12:00-12:20PM
HOW TO Use Patron Mapping to Expand and Strengthen Outreach
Presenter: Sara Roberts, Director of Library Operations, LibraryIQ
Knowing where engaged patrons-or arguably more important, non-engaged patrons-are located is critical to planning and providing successful programs. Is the library reaching as many community members as possible? Are there transportation limitations that prevent accessing library or outreach services? Are there language barriers that inhibit use? Is outreach serving communities with the most need? Relying on data, not instinct, to inform the library's most critical decisions ensures that resources are used wisely, and community needs are met within and beyond library walls. Join this session to learn how the powerful combination of patron engagement and demographic data can drive real community impact.
12:30-12:50 PM
HOW TO Respond to Challenges and Concerns About Library Resources
Presenter: Kristin Pekoll, Assistant Director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)
The American Library Association has noted a serious uptick in book challenges in recent months. As of the end of November 2022, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) recorded 155 reports of attempts to remove books in school libraries and public libraries across the country. What is causing this drastic increase in challenges? Are your library staff members prepared for such an occurrence at your library? Kristin Pekoll, Assistant Director of the ALA OIF, will share the latest information on book challenges; how your library can be ready to meet any challenges; and steps to take if and when it does happen.
1:00-1:20 PM
HOW TO Organize a Library Bike Ride
Presenters: Sadie McClendon, Librarian, Oakland (CA) Public Library; and Erin Sanders, Librarian, Oakland (CA) Public Library
Looking to add more outdoor events, movement-based programs, and community building to your repertoire? Planning a library-led bike ride helps you do all three. Learn the details of route planning, safety, and outreach, and brainstorm themes that are relevant to your community. Strengthen your relationships with community partners, connect to your local biking community, and have fun getting outside!
1:30-1:50 PM
HOW TO Throw a Murder Mystery Party
Presenter: Terry Lucas, Library Director, Shelter Island (NY) Public Library
Bring excitement and intrigue to your library! A murder mystery party is a way to bring together adults of different ages and backgrounds. Pick a theme and encourage all to fully embrace their roles. I'll show you how to host a murder mystery party on a small budget, by raiding the craft closet and using your creativity.
2:00-2:20 PM
HOW To Start a Seed Library
Presenter: Susan Craven, Branch Manager, Denton (NC) Public Library
Presenter will share how a seed exchange was piloted at their library and share tips for how you can start a seed exchange at your library. Presentation will cover: Physical items needed to start a seed exchange (seeds, individual containers for seeds, a storage unit for all seeds, device used to track seeds); contacts needed to create the seed exchange (local gardeners, local or online seed companies, a volunteer to help with set up); and marketing ideas to get the idea/product sold to patrons and others in and around the community.
2:30-2:50 PM
HOW TO Decolonize Your Library Programs
Presenter: Julian Gooding, Adult Services Librarian, Charleston County (SC)
The effects from hundreds of years of colonization continues to harm cultures, language, and literacy development. Using the lived experiences of Native Americans and African Americans, documentary filmmaker and adult services librarian Julian Gooding will discuss his journey to decolonize his own mind and recognize unconscious bias and microaggressions as a Black man delivering programs within BIPOC and white communities. Participants will learn to look within their own thinking and apply the strategies of restorative practice for healing and growth.
3:00-3:20 PM
HOW TO Start a Youth Laureate Program
Presenters: Sharon McKellar, Teen Services Coordinator, Oakland (CA) Public Library; and Sabah Abdulla, Teen Librarian, Oakland (CA)
The Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) program is not just a poetry program but is also a teen leadership and youth development program, as well as a community building program, that libraries are uniquely and ideally situated to coordinate. Public libraries serve their whole communities with this program by amplifying young voices and giving opportunity not just for these talented poets to share their truths, but for the entire community to learn from them and what they have to say. It is also absolutely rewarding and so much fun! One of the country's longest running Youth Poet Laureate programs, the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate Program has been coordinated and run by Oakland Public Library Teen Services staff for more than a decade. OPL staff have advised several other library systems as they started their own programs. At this session, you'll learn how to get started with a Youth Poet Laureate program and why you should consider doing it.
3:30-3:50 PM
HOW TO Start and Run an Expungement Clinic
Presenters: Elena Coelho, Adult Program Manager, Worcester County (MD) Library; and Marshall Shord, Assistant Branch Manager, Worcester County (MD) Library
Job seekers with a criminal record face an enormous barrier to employment. While legal service providers can assist with the expungement process, often at little or no cost, they are predominantly located in urban centers, making access difficult for those in rural areas. In this session, presenters will share their experience starting and running a bi-monthly expungement clinic in an area with few pro bono legal resources. The hybrid model they use, in partnership with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, allows participants to virtually connect with lawyers in other parts of the state through library-provided laptops in a semi-private meeting room. Presentation will cover all stages of the process, from identifying and initiating a partnership with a legal service provider (we will provide a list of services in all states), to structuring the clinic, to best use of the space and technology available, to dealing with the technical issues that can arise during the clinic itself. In addition, the presentation will include information about "Job Fair To-Go" kits, which contain resources for job seekers and can be given out at the end of the clinic. Participants will leave confident they can start their own legal clinic with a minimum investment of staff and resources. Expungement clinics change lives. With a little bit of work and a strong partnership, any library should be able to offer their community such an important program.
4:00-4:20 PM
HOW TO Diversify Library Book Collections
Presenter: Laura Pitts, Library Director, Scottsboro (AL) Public Library
Can your library's users see themselves on the shelves of the library? By ensuring that all people can see themselves reflected in the collection, libraries become more inclusive of all backgrounds. We'll discuss how and why to diversify your collections and leave you with strategies and ideas you can put to work immediately.
4:30-4:50 PM
HOW TO Get Started Playing Ukulele (Encore Presentation)
Presenter: Julie Jurgens, Youth Services Assistant Manager, Mount Prospect (IL) Public Library
At this session, you'll get hands-on experience learning beginning ukulele chords. You'll also learn how to read a chord chart and how to find free chords for songs you want to play. The presenter will also offer advice on shopping for and choosing ukuleles. You'll be ready to start playing just for fun, or for library programs!