Adult Services and Reference Virtual Conference
March 10, 2022
8:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Virtual Conference via Zoom

 

Conference Schedule

8:45 a.m. | Join the Zoom Conference

All registrants will receive a link to join the conference prior to the program. We will test audio and video connections to ensure all attendees can see and hear the presenters.

9 a.m. | General Session — Wellness In The Library Workplace 

As library workers, we love our jobs — but working in a library can also be stressful. Library staff spend much of their day taking care of patron’s physical and mental health needs by providing access to reliable health information, health-related programs, and outreach focused on improving the health of the community. But what are you doing to manage your own well-being? How can we ensure that libraries are an area of wellness for their employees? During this session, you’ll discover ways to improve your own personal well-being and create a healthy workplace at your library.

10 a.m. | Break

10:15 a.m. | Breakout Sessions – Choose one when registering

1A	1B	1C
Discovering Your Past: Genealogy Research	Connecting Our Seniors with Technology — Beyond the Basic Computer Class	Community Engagement & Sustainability
Core Competency: Reference	Core Competency: Programming	Core Competency: Community Engagement

Learn more about Core Competencies

11:15 a.m. | Break

11:30 a.m. | Breakout Sessions – Choose one when registering

2A	2B	2C
Being a Friend to Patrons Living with Dementia	Collecting and Maintaining Media Collections	How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Statistics
Core Competency: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion	Core Competency: Collection Management	Core Competency: Collection Management

12:30 p.m. | Lunch and Networking

1:15 p.m. | Breakout Sessions – Choose one when registering

3A	3B	3C
A Brief History of Adult Services	Health Services for Healthy Outcomes: Health Literacy and Wellness in Your Community	You Can’t Do That Here: Library Policies and Teens
Core Competency: Reference	Core Competency: Advocacy	Core Competency: Policies and Procedures

2: 15 p.m. | Closing Remarks

2:30 p.m. | Adjourn

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Session Descriptions

This virtual conference allows you to select breakout sessions that meet your needs and interests. When registering, you will be asked to choose one breakout session per time period.

10:15-11: 15 a.m. 

1A. Discovering Your Past: How to Promote Comprehensive and Engaging Genealogy Research at the Library

Presenter: Laura Ploenzke, Avon Lake Public Library

“My grandmother’s family came to Canada in 1885. Can you tell me what the major ports of entry in Canada were at that time, and how I could find the names of my family at one of them?”
If this question (or ones like it) stumps you, this session is for you. Genealogy has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as people have spent more time at home due to the pandemic. This means that, whether they are just beginning to delve into their family history or have been researching for years, more people are relying on the library for personal guidance and reference resources. To help you better serve your patrons at all levels of experience in this area, Avon Lake Public Library Adult Services librarian and local history and genealogy specialist Laura Ploenzke, who also served as an OPLIN subject matter expert for genealogy, will share with you her genealogy toolkit that includes a list of essential print and online genealogy resources such as the OPLIN databases offered to all Ohio library users. She also teaches you how to replicate and market her popular virtual genealogy speaker series to keep your patrons educated and engaged.

 

1B. Connecting Our Seniors with Technology — Beyond the Basic Computer Class

Presenter: Sarah Few and James Gilmer, Perry County District Library

Learn how to connect seniors in your community with technology beyond a one-time, general computer basics class. This session will cover how working with community partners can amplify your efforts. During the session, you will take a closer look at the Senior Connections and Engagement Program in Perry County, Ohio. This program is an ongoing joint effort with Perry County Job and Family Services (PCJFS) and the Perry County District Library (PCDL) where they work to get technology into the hands of seniors in the community and help them get comfortable utilizing it. Eligible seniors complete a six-session training course taught by PCDL staff and are then able to keep the Microsoft Surface Pro and accessories provided to them by PCJFS. This session will cover the program benefits, details, and its implementation; the building of the curriculum; what the program looks like today; and how it can be replicated or adapted to fit the needs of your library.

 

1C. Community Engagement & Sustainability

Presenters:  Ada Myers, Licking County Library; Barbara White, Akron-Summit County Public Library

Community Engagement is vital to the growth and sustainability of your library. Being a part of and assuming leadership roles in community agencies will allow you to expand your network and broaden your programming audience. It can also help you to establish a direct presence in the community, grant you the opportunity to participate in dialog and facilitate action, identify stakeholders and seize the opportunity to offer new services and programs to a wider and more diverse population. If you are looking to enhance the community engagement connections that you have already established by learning how to evaluate evolving relationships, or learn practical first steps on how to reach out and build partnerships for the very first time, this session is designed for you.

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11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

2A. Being a Friend to Patrons Living with Dementia

Presenters: Barbara White, Akron-Summit County Public Library; David Kelsey, St. Charles Public Library; Marty Williman, Ohio Council for Cognitive Health

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, someone develops dementia every three seconds, with over 55 million people living with dementia worldwide in 2020. Public libraries, as a third space, are in a unique position to serve patrons living with dementia through Dementia-Friendly staff training and dementia-inclusive programming, services, and community partnerships. This session will discuss how to support and serve patrons living with dementia in your community.

 

2B. Collecting and Maintaining Media Collections

Presenters: Katy Hite, Delaware County District Library; Donna Matturi, Upper Arlington Public Library; Heather Webb, Worthington Libraries; Allison Howell, Mansfield/Richland Public Library

Many library staff members are intimately familiar with collection development, especially when it pertains to books. But what about media? How do you determine what to purchase and what to weed? This panel discussion will focus on elements of DVD, CD, audiobook, and other media collection development as well as what the future may hold for these collections.

 

2C. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Statistics

Presenter: Jacqueline Gazda, Dayton Metro Library

How do you determine what items are checked out most frequently? Which topics are flying off the shelves, and which are you overbuying? This session will follow one librarian’s journey to use Excel, Simply Reports, and statistics to gain fresh new collection development insights.

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1:15-2:15 p.m.

3A. A Brief History of Adult Services

Presenters: Chris Holt, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library; Kristine Cook, Columbus Metropolitan Library; Erin Connolly, Toledo Lucas County Public Library

Money is power – even in the socialist institution of public libraries. Wealthier library systems, then, have been in the unique position to lead innovative changes: Denver Public Library was the first to implement an open stack model; New York Public Library was the first to add Spanish books to their collection; Cleveland Public Library was the first to provide ebook lending via Overdrive (A History of US Public Libraries, Digital Public Library of America; “OverDrive Celebrates 30 Years as the Global Leader in Digital Library Content [blog],” Adam Sockel). Chris Holt (Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library), Kristine Cook (Columbus Metropolitan Library), and Erin Connolly (Toledo Lucas County Public Library) will share a brief history of the changes that have occurred within their adult services divisions at Main – new services, new departments and division of labor, new library space designs, etc. – and their plans for the future. The insights from this panel are applicable to all adult service librarians, regardless of library size.

 

3B. Health Services for Healthy Outcomes: Health Literacy and Wellness in Your Community

Presenters:  Monique Mason, Akron-Summit County Public Library; David Siders, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Healthy People, an initiative of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, has identified five social determinants of health (SDOH) that contribute to health disparities and inequalities: economic stability; education access and quality; health care access and quality; neighborhood and built environment; and social and community context. Public libraries are in a unique position to assist in efforts to eliminate disparities through health literacy and wellness programming, services, and community partnerships. Monique Mason (Akron-Summit County Public Library) and David Siders (Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library) will discuss how they have helped to promote health equity in their communities.

 

3C. You Can’t Do That Here: Library Policies and Teens

Presenter: Kristin Wilson, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library

Teens are often an enigma to librarians. Their strange behaviors, weird obsessions along with their need for independence can be frustrating. Maybe it’s not teen behavior that is the problem, but the library’s outdated expectations. This session will discuss teen brain development and examine how some library practices can negatively impact the library’s relationship with our teen patrons. With many libraries facing budget cuts, and combining roles, staff and administration must understand why teens behave the way they do. This presentation is for all library staff, not just those working directly with teens.