Program

8:00- 9:00 Preconference Workshop Registration

10:00-16:00 Sharjah Library Conference Registration for Nov 7 and Nov 8

• The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

  The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education - with its emphasis on self-reflective and lifelong learning and on conceptual understandings about information, research, and scholarship and encouraging - has prompted many librarians to consider their teaching practices from fresh angles, as they explore their evolving instructional roles within and beyond the library classroom. Throughout this workshop participants will explore concepts and pedagogical approaches outlined in the Framework and their significance to their own instructional work. Attendees will apply their learning and reflection to creating instruction plans for their local contexts and considering possibilities for growing teaching partnerships. More specifically, participants will:

  • Recognize the overarching goals and the major components of the Framework and what theories influenced the document's creation.
  • Reflect on their personal perspectives on and experiences with the Framework and how these influence their engagement with the document.
  • Examine their unique institutional and instructional contexts and the possibilities and constraints these contexts present for their pedagogical work.
  • Apply principles of instructional design to develop instruction that is centered on the Frames and that fosters learning transfer and metacognition.
  • Explore the unique knowledge and experiences that librarians bring to teaching and learning and their implications for expanding librarians' instructional roles and partnerships.
  • Explore how the Framework can be used to foster dialogue and collaboration among educators.

  Who Should Attend

  This workshop is relevant to any librarian who supports teaching and learning, whether through direct instruction or through instructional programming or initiatives. While the workshop is most relevant to academic librarians, librarians working in other types of libraries and educators who are employed outside of a library will also benefit from engaging with the theoretical concepts and practical applications explored among participants.

  Participation is limited to 35.

  Presenter

  Brittney Johnson is Head of Library Instruction at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where she develops programmatic curriculum in information literacy and leads the library instruction team in implementing the curriculum.
   

• School Librarians Making Meaningful Change Around the World

  Best practices in school libraries are happening all over the world. Presenters will collaborate with colleagues in the region to explore how these practices can help librarians begin to think flexibly with how they use their time and spaces to impact student learning. The workshop will investigate how social media can empower individual educators to take charge of their own professional development and grow their professional learning network. Participants will engage in small group conversations on successful programs happening within all of our schools. Participants will leave with:

  • An appreciation and understanding of how school libraries are using a multitude of approaches to re-thinking their physical spaces and roles within schools.
  • An enhanced professional learning network with a multitude of tools that allow educators to take charge of their own professional development while making meaningful connections throughout the world!
  • A collection of effective and proven lessons that highlight best practices in school libraries throughout the world that can be directly applied to attendees' library programs.

  Who Should Attend

  This one-day workshop is for any school librarian.

  Participation is limited to 100.

  Presenters

  Wendy Garland, Avery Elementary School, Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. She was awarded the Goldin Foundation for Excellence in Education Award in 2016 and the Super Librarian Award by the Massachusetts School Library Association in 2017.
   
  Todd Burleson, Media Specialist, Hubbard Woods Library Winnetka, Illinois, USA. He was selected the School Librarian of the Year in 2016 by School Library Journal.
   

9:00-10:00	SIBF/ALA Conference registration, badge pickup, coffee Librarians' Lounge, Sharjah Expo Centre Lobby
10:00–11:00	Opening Welcome—Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman, Sharjah Book Authority
Keynote	Libraries = Strong Communities

ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo will bring together concepts of libraries of all types as pillars of education and at the intersection of human rights, universal access to information, serving diverse and multiethnic populations, and making your library a welcoming place to all members of the community.

Loida Garcia-Febo is an international library consultant, advocate, and researcher, and has served communities as an academic, public, school, and special librarian in Puerto Rico and in Queens, New York.

11:00-11:30	Break and Library Exhibits
11:30-12:30	Session A (concurrent sessions)

1. Leading Technical Services in the Future

What is the role of technical services in the library? It is important for leaders to understand the positive impact technical services librarians can have on attaining strategic goals. The presentation will identify current trends in the broad library and scholarly publishing environments, the impact of digital technology on researchers' information workflows and scholarly communication, and the impact of open science on research and libraries. The potential role of technical services in driving library responses, including the curation of the scholarly record, a drive towards large-scale distributed library collections, and campus research information systems will all be reviewed in detail.

Keith Webster, Dean of Libraries, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA.

 

2. Engaging and Exciting Readers

This session for school and public librarians will have participants actively engaged in experiences that ignite the curiosity and wonder with literature. These approaches encourage both reluctant and passionate readers to set goals and explore a variety of genres. These proven and easily replicable activities will have librarians adding these to their ever-expanding toolbox.

Wendy Garland, Avery Elementary School, Dedham, Massachusetts, USA.

 

3. Libraries Connecting with Users through Social Media

With users spending most of their time on their phones and using social media and networks to interact libraries need to connect with the users where they are. This program looks at the current situation of libraries use of social media, and provides examples of successful efforts to reach the public, students and others.

Suha AlAwadhi, Department of Information Studies, College of Social Sciences, Kuwait University.

 

12:45-13:45

Session B (concurrent sessions)

1. Human Resource Development Strategies for Academic and Research Libraries

Library leaders across the spectrum need to ensure that all staff are up meeting changing environments and tasks. KAUST Library’s staff development goals are part of their strategic plan “To ensure that library staff are equipped with advanced knowledge and skills through learning and development partnerships and opportunities.” In addition to internal development courses on personal and skills development, opportunities with international professional development programs (online and on-site), courses and modules offered by Universities and professional associations are also well supported.The presentation will provide insight and examples for you on the ways KAUST achieves staff development through, internal courses, online opportunities, staff exchanges, shared learning, focus groups and more.

Dr. J. K. Vijayakumar, Library Director, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

 

2. School Librarians of the Year: Sharing Stories, Lessons, and Keys to Successes

Come and learn from this year's School Librarians of the Year Awards sponsored by the Emirates Literature Foundation, on how they've create successful school library programs.

Sameh Farouk Farag, School Librarian, Beda Al-Mutaw'a School, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Veronika Lambova, Primary Librarian at The Winchester School – Jebel Ali.

 

3. Improving Your Public Libraries User Experience (UX design)

User experience design is the philosophy of considering spaces, services, and processes from the end-user's point of view. Learn from the award-winning Columbus Metropolitan Library, Ohio about the strategies and steps they have taken to create a more positive experience for their users.

Alison Circle, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Columbus Metropolitan Library

13:45-14:45	Lunch and Library Exhibits
14:45-15:45	Session C (concurrent sessions)

1. Developing Empathy through Literacy

This session will explore how K-12 students can work together, respect each other's differences and cultivate a culture of empathy through literacy-based activities. Examples from two different schools will include projects and initiatives that feature student voice and choice and foster awareness of ourselves through learning about and serving one another. Participants will have an opportunity to develop an idea to take back to their library program.

Todd Burleson, Media Specialist, Hubbard Woods Library Winnetka, Illinois, USA.

2. Aligning Library Collections to Institutional Mission: Assessment and Strategy

More than ever, with institutions trying to save money it is critical that your collection choices meet the needs of what your institution is trying to do. How can I tell whether my library's existing collections are in line with those goals? How can I ensure that collecting strategies are moving my institution forward? What should "collecting" mean in a constantly-changing information environment? Rick Anderson provides context and pathways for ensuring meaningful collections today through assessment and strategies.

Rick Anderson Associate Dean for Collections & Scholarly Communication, Marriott Library, University of Utah, USA.

3. Exploring Strategies for Assessment: Student Understanding and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy

This session will explore strategies for assessing student learning of the concepts articulated in the Association of College & Research Libraries's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. We will examine approaches that instruction programs can take to work within common constraints (e.g. one-shot sessions; little access to student work in the course) to develop meaningful formative and summative assessments, as well as techniques for developing both short-term (informal, in-class) and long-term assessments. We will also apply these approaches and techniques to thinking about ways to assess student understanding of the conceptual Frames described in the Framework.

Brittney Johnson is Head of Library Instruction at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, USA.

 

16:00-17:00

Poster Sessions and Library Exhibit Visits

9:00-9:30	Registration
9:30-10:15	Plenary Session - Next Generation Library Services

Bannon, award winning director of the Chicago Public Library, drawing on inspiration from the global research, innovation, and tech trends will outline strategic shifts needed to provide the next generation of library services. These shifts are needed in all types of libraries in our effort to support learning, economic advancement, and success in your community.

Brian Bannon, Commissioner & CEO of Chicago Public Library, USA.

 

10:30 – 11:30

Session D (concurrent sessions)

1. Breaking Out of Traditional Literacies Through Shared Literary Experiences

In this session, participants will have the opportunity to participate in multiple shared literary experiences. We will be doing a BreakoutEDU, which is an activity that uses teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of challenging puzzles in order to open a locked box. Other activities will center on community, problem-solving, and creativity. Attendees will take with them the resources they need to replicate these experiences into their own libraries.

Wendy Garland, Avery Elementary School, Dedham, Massachusetts, USA.

2. How to Create a Research Data Management Initiative in Your Library

Libraries around the world are adding Research Data Management (RDM) to their portfolio of services in the age of interdisciplinarity and big data, as researchers face challenges in acquiring and managing research data. Learn the steps to creating your own RDM through the example of the American University of Beirut Library's successful effort to create a service that addresses researchers data management needs and connects resources on campus while encouraging interdisciplinary research and interactions among its research community.

Dalal Rahme, Data Services Librarian, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

3. RDA: New and Improved, and Arabic is Coming Soon!

See a demonstration of the new version of the RDA Toolkit which feature the updated "data dictionary" structure of the element instructions, with orientation and navigation tips. New features, elements and styles will be shown. And hear about the Biblioteca Alexandrina's progress on the Arabic translation, and how dialects can be added to records.

Rania Osman, Head of Libraries of the Future Section, Biblioteca Alexandrina, Egypt.

 

11:30-12:00	Break
12:30 -13:30	Session E (concurrent sessions)

1. The impact of globalization and digitization on representing information resources in bibliographic records

The presentation will explain the principles of cataloging and automated cataloging and talk about the current disruption of bibliographic control, issues with efficient metadata workflows resulting from globalization and digitization. In this day and age, libraries need to increase their online visibility by working with syndication partners like Google, because libraries' web presence drives the development of new forms of bibliographic control and new data modeling. In this session you will learn to tap into the power of a balanced global metadata network and infrastructure that support libraries worldwide.

Daniel van Spanje, Senior Product Manager, OCLC, Leiden, Holland.

 

2. Public Libraries, Manufacturing, Making &Technology – A Recipe for Success

The Chicago Public Library (CPL) has revitalized and deepened its impact and reach across the city through the creation library programs and library spaces for hands-on, collaborative learning environments in which people come together to share knowledge and resources to design, create and build. This includes opening the award-winning Maker Lab, digital media and learning labs for teenagers called "YOUmedia;" early childhood centers that focus on play and making, and transforming the traditional summer reading program into an intensive and fun summer STEAM based summer learning challenge. Key lessons and insights CPL has learned implementing these new programs.

Brian Bannon, Commissioner & CEO of Chicago Public Library, USA.

 

13:30-14:30	Lunch and Library Exhibitor Visits
14:30- 15:30	Session F (concurrent sessions)
	To be announced
16:30	Closing and Certificates