MD Tech Connect 2017

Keynote Address

It’s All About the Story

From programming to purchasing, from the website to the reference desk, every library, in every action, is telling a story to its community. What story is your library telling? Join library advocate, marketer, author, and entrepreneur, Ben Bizzle as he discusses the stories libraries tell, how we tell those stories, and ways to enhance the stories we are telling to our communities.

Ben Bizzle is founder and CEO of the marketing and web development firm, Library Market. He’s a 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker and John Cotton Dana Award winner, author of the book, Start a Revolution: Stop Acting Like a Library, and for over 7 years, served as the director of technology and head of the creative team at Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Panelists

Dr. Gary W. White, Open Source Textbooks: The Role of the University Libraries

This presentation will focus on the University of Maryland Libraries’ activities to support the adoption of open source textbooks and its efforts to address textbook affordability. It will cover the creation of our popular textbook reserves program; working with student government and campus leaders to promote open source materials, and the Libraries’ joining the Open Textbook Network. The presentation will cover implications of joining the network and future directions for the Libraries.

Gary W. White is Associate Dean for Public Services at the University of Maryland Libraries. In his position, he oversees all research, teaching, and access services and is responsible for all public spaces and subject branch libraries. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the University of Akron, and a Master of Library Science from Kent State University. Prior to coming to the University of Maryland, he held a number of increasingly responsible positions in the Libraries at Pennsylvania State University. Gary served as President of the Reference and User Services Section of the American Library Association and is the author of numerous refereed articles, books and book chapters, and conference presentations and proceedings. He currently serves as editor of Library Leadership and Management, the refereed journal of the Library Leadership and Management Association within ALA.

Dr. Jen Golbeck, Algorithmic Spies

The information we share, whether on social media, purchase histories, or the digital traces we leave around us, says much more than we think. When taken in context with millions of other people, tiny little actions take on meaning. In this talk, we will look at ways artificial intelligence is probing us, discovering our habits, our psychological traits, and predicting what we will do next. The technology holds great promise for improving lives, but also has the power to destroy them. We will discuss how to hide from the algorithms – if you can – and what might come next in the realm of privacy as a result.

Jennifer Golbeck is Director of the Social Intelligence Lab and an Associate Professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on analyzing and computing with social media, focused on predicting user attributes, and using the results to design and build systems that improve the way people interact with information online.

Dr. Hernisa Kacorri, Accessibility at the Intersection of Users and Data

Advancements in artificial intelligence enable us to address key social issues. However, to see the benefit of this technology in many real-world applications, an integrative approach is necessary; effective solutions involve both humans and machines. In this talk, I will provide an overview of my research program on technological innovations for people with visual impairments and for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

​Hernisa Kacorri is an assistant professor in the iSchool (College of Information Studies) at University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Ph.D. in computer science in 2016 from The Graduate Center at City University of New York, and has conducted research at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, IBM Research-Tokyo, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on data-driven technologies that address human challenges, faced due to health or disability, with an emphasis on rigorous, user-based experimental methodologies to assess impact. Hernisa is a recipient of a Mina Rees Dissertation Fellowship in the Sciences, an ACM ASSETS best paper finalist, and an CHI honorable mention award. She has been recognized by the Rising Stars in EECS program of CMU/MIT.

Affinity Groups

Virtual & Augmented Reality – Jen Bishop, Carroll County Public Library, Room 3052
Virtual and augmented reality are hot technology topics, but how will these emerging technologies impact education and other industries? What applications and uses are best suited for these new ways of visualizing information? What platforms are currently available and how can they be implemented successfully? This session will provide ideas and information to help you introduce and support virtual and augmented reality within your community.​

Jen Bishop is the Online Services and Emerging Technologies Supervisor for Carroll County Public Library, where she pilots and shares emerging technologies with the community. She has helped launch new technology initiatives including Carroll County Public Library’s 3D printing service, Exploration Point! makerspace, and virtual and augmented reality.​

Passport to Technology: Staff Tech Competencies at AACPL – Stephanie Petruso, Virtual Services Manager, and Bethany Tyler, Staff Development Coordinator, Anne Arundel County Public Library, Room 3032
In 2015, AACPL identified a significant disparity in staff skill levels with basic technology skills. In response, we created and implemented the Passport to Technology program to; outline technology standards and expectations for staff at different levels, assess staff skill level with basic technology competencies, respond with appropriate training to address system-wide and individual needs, create staff incentives to make learning about technology fun, put ongoing technology training expectations into place for all staff to ensure no one lags behind as technology quickly moves forward and plan for follow up assessments to ensure all staff receive the technology training and support they need to do their jobs efficiently and to serve the public. Join us at this session to learn what worked and what didn’t, to get tips and tricks for making the process as painless as possible, and some ideas for making learning about tech fun — not frightening.

Stephanie Petruso is the Virtual Services Manager at Anne Arundel County Public Library. She’s presented on Programming, Virtual Reference, and Social Media at MLA, ALA, and Computers in Libraries Conferences. Bethany Tyler is the Staff Development Coordinator at Anne Arundel County Public Library. She’s presented on Programming at the ALA Conference, and developed the Management Institute for Anne Arundel County Public Library staff.

​View the Passport to Technology slides

Hackathons and Capture the Flag Events​ – Bob Kuntz, Carroll County Public Library, Room 1032
Interested in holding your own hackathon or capture the flag event? This presentation will demonstrate the differences between these white-hat hacking events based on experience with MAGIC hosted events in Westminster, MD. Best practices will be covered and there will be lots of time for questions.

Bob Kuntz is the Director of Operations and Innovation at Carroll County Public Library, where he has been working for 20 years as a librarian/technologist. He also serves as a board member for the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC), and provides technology assistance to MLA, MSL, MAPLA, CML and other MD libraries in his spare time.​

Using GitHub.com for Collaboration and Learning – Brian Zelip, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Room 3022
GitHub.com is a project management tool that is central to the software engineering world. It’s equally powerful for other types of information-based projects as well, with wide spread use throughout the social and life sciences, digital humanities, journalism, libraries, and more. GitHub’s best features include: file versioning, easy sharing and authoring of project files, rich discussion space for project tasks and ideas, web publishing, and access to the public work of thousands of others to learn from and use. In this session participants will take a guided tour of GitHub to learn about its core functionalities, identify best practices for using GitHub, and explore open educational resources hosted on GitHub.

Brian Zelip is the Emerging Technologies Librarian at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He runs the Health Sciences and Human Services Library’s Innovation Space, and gives workshops and talks about open source tools, front end web development, and 3D printing.​

FCPL Memory Lab – Michelle Biwer and Becca Reeves, Frederick County Public Libraries (FCPL), Room 1042
Frederick County Public Libraries recently launched a new Memory Lab featuring digital conversion equipment and video editing software. Staffed by trained volunteers, this mobile lab offers patrons an opportunity to digitize family memories, record family histories, and remix them into a personal narrative. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Maryland State Library. This session will provide information about the project and how it has benefitted the community, as well as inspiration and resources for libraries seeking to provide a similar service.

Michelle Biwer is a Teen Librarian with Frederick County Public Libraries.
Becca Reeves is an Adult Services Librarian with Frederick County Public Libraries.

View the Memory Lab slides
View Memory Lab Resources

Implementing a Security Aware Program – Creating Security Conscious Employees – Carla Moore and Moe Small, Prince George’s Memorial Library System (PGCMLS)​, Room 1052
PGCMLS has partnered with KnowBe4 to offer training modules to all employees to increase user security awareness. PGCMLS will discuss how KnowBe4 was implemented and how the Library has benefited from the program. The KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training Program provides customers with a comprehensive new- school approach that integrates baseline testing using mock attacks, engaging interactive web-based training, and continuous assessment through simulated phishing, vishing and smishing attacks to build a more resilient and secure organization.

Carla Moore is the Director of Information Technology for Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. She brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience in information systems, information technologies, and operations to Prince George’s County Memorial Library. As Director of Information Technology, Ms. Moore oversees the architecture and implementation of all IT operational and business support systems that the organization uses to operate and manage the business. After three years of service at PGCMLS, Carla continues to provide leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment.
Moe Small is the Systems Administrator I for Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. Moe administers the KnowBe4 program for the Information Technology Department. He is one of two Systems Administrators who oversees and supports the infrastructure.

View the Implementing a Security Aware Program slides
KnowBe4 Ransomware Whitepaper
KnowBe4 Ultimate Defense Whitepaper
Best Practices for Dealing with Phishing and Ransomware

Checking Your Website For Accessibility: How To and What We Have Learned – Leslie Bowman and Ashley Biggs, Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Room 3062
With the passing of legislation that requires websites to be accessible on January 18, 2017, it is not only important, but required, that websites meet 508 Compliance (https://www.section508.gov/content/learn/laws-and-policies). Working together, this team will share lessons learned and where resources are available to assist in changing your websites to meet the ADA, 508 and WCAG guidelines.

Leslie Bowman is the director of the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped where she leads the crew that makes Maryland accessible.
Ashley Biggs is the new Outreach Librarian for the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, where she not only curates the LBPH portion of the website, but manages the outreach activities for LBPH.

Gamification: New Paths to Learning – Professor Elka Cahn, University of Baltimore, Room 2052
Discusses Gamification as a teaching device and explores incorporating games and interactive technology as interdisciplinary educational tools. Focus is given to forming meaningful connections to real-world issues and problem solving.

Elka Cahn is a game designer and artist whose work focuses on bringing attention to real-life issues and practical applications for games.

Tech Expo – Explore & Learn