Library Assessment Conference

Terry Brandsma, Sam Harlow, Armondo Collins & I attended the recent Library Assessment Conference in Houston TX.  There were many good posters and presentations and the slides are all on the conference website.

The opening keynote from Paul Jarvis Heath was very good and a recording isn't on the website but his slides are on his speakerdeck page. (see Dec 5).  He talked about design thinking and how it can be applied to libraries.  A few key points:

• People don't always say what they need
• Designers use ethnography
• Suggests "co-design" workshops to get patrons' values and desires
• Take your time designing space and move purposely
• Consider everything as an experiment rather than permanent
• Don't ask if they like x or y but what do they need in useful spaces

Attending ALA Midwinter? Register for OCLC Events

Here are the details for OCLC's events at ALA Midwinter, if you care to register and attend:

From OCLC:
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There's still time to join our OCLC programs and events at ALA Midwinter as we connect conversations across our community. Our key events at ALA Midwinter—all taking place in the Colorado Convention Center—include:

 

• A Linked Data Roundtable (Saturday, 10:30 – 11:30am) will feature MJ Han from the University of Illinois who will discuss how linked data sources improve Emblematica Online user experiences and digitized special collections.  Plus, Jody Williamson from the Library of Congress will provide an update on BIBFRAME and Sara Newell from OCLC will discuss our latest work with three library partners to prototype a new suite of linked data services that will improve library data and visibility. 
• An OCLC Products and Services: Key Initiatives and Insights session (Sunday, 1:30 – 2:30pm) will be led by Mary Sauer-Games, OCLC VP of Global Product Management, and members of her product management team.  This session will provide insights into what’s new and upcoming with OCLC products and services and will include light refreshments. 
• The very popular OCLC Research Update (Monday, 10:30 – 11:30am) will feature discussions about recent and upcoming collaborative projects, pilots, and published reports from OCLC Research, including the Research Library Partnership and WebJunction programs.
• OCLC product conversations (5 times each day on Saturday and Sunday) in the OCLC booth will be led by OCLC subject matter experts on discovery, web visibility, open-access content, Tipasa for resource sharing, and shared print.

 Register for these events online at oc.lc/alamw18. Please also visit us at OCLC booth 1216 for product demonstrations and answers to your questions.