MD Tech Connect 2018

Keynote Address​

​More than Usable: Library Services for Humans
Matthew Reidsma
Web Services Librarian at Grand Valley State University
​
When thinking about user experience, we should be interested in more than just products, services, and websites. But our toolkit looks remarkably like the toolkit product designers use: design for tasks, hope emotions will follow. But experience is big, and emotions aren’t just the outputs from using something. We’re going to need more than science to explain experience–we’ll need philosophy, literature, poetry, and more.
​
In this talk, Reidsma explores how phenomenology (the branch of philosophy that deals with experience), and metaphor can help us design better experiences for our library users by putting people and experiences first.

View Matthew Reidsma’s slides and a transcript of the keynote address .

A User Experience and Participatory Design Panel Discussion

Our three panelists will discuss their work in user experience and design and the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Lucy Holman
Lucy Holman is currently the University Librarian at UNC Wilmington, a public comprehensive university serving 16,000 students. Prior to UNCW, she worked in Maryland academic libraries for almost 20 years, most recently serving as Dean of the Library at the University of Baltimore from 2008-2018.

Lucy has a doctorate of communications design in interaction design and information architecture from the University of Baltimore and her research interests include the user experience within library websites, discovery tools and search interfaces. She has served as an Associate Professor in the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences at UB since 2011, and has taught user research methods and information architecture.

Meeghan Rosen
Meeghan Rosen is the Assistant Director at Chapel Hill Public Library, and began serving the Town of Chapel Hill in 1994. After spearheading a full scale UX project across the organization, CHPL is now known for its mission-driven, values-based approach that makes users the top priority – whenever, wherever, and whyever they choose to visit.
​
Chapel Hill Public Library UX Project Timeline (blog)

Mega Subramaniam
​Dr. Subramaniam is an Associate Professor at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on enhancing the role of libraries in fostering the mastery of emerging digital literacies that are essential to STEM learning among underserved young people. She has received grant funding from the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), the National Science Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, among others. Dr. Subramaniam is the lead PI for the IMLS-funded Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies in Youth Experience (YX), co-leads two IMLS-funded projects, ConnectedLib and Safe Data Safe Families, and serves as a Fellow for Google’s Libraries Ready to Code project – all intended to bring research and practice together to enhance the skills of in-service and pre-service librarians. To learn more about her research and teaching interests, please visit https://terpconnect.umd.edu/~mmsubram/.

Affinity Groups

​Affinity group presentations will each take place twice, once in the morning and again in the afternoon. You may select any two affinity group sessions to attend.

Makerspace Panel
Moderator: Carly Reighard – Harford County Public Library and Chair, MLA Maker Interest Group
Panelists: Matt Barinholtz – FutureMakers; John Courie – Caroline County Public Library; Lydia Crooks – Key School; Brian Zelip – University of Maryland, Baltimore

Makerspaces create a personalized learning experience using technology. This panel will talk about their experiences with Makerspaces in their libraries and how they have used them to spark curiosity, self-expression, and engagement. There will be time for questions from the audience.

View Lydia Crooks’ slides
View Brian Zelip’s slides

Web Accessibility Guidelines for the Non-Web Developer Librarian: Strategies for Understanding and Meeting WCAG Standards in Content Management Systems
Liz Johns – Johns Hopkins University

Content management systems such as LibGuides give librarians the ability to create and publish web content even if they do not have web development skills. Such content management systems enable more people, with less technical skills, to share information and publish content, connecting librarians with users in an easy, and low-barrier way. These tools integrate many features that make accessibility somewhat automatic, or easy for librarians to implement. However, there is still much work to be done on the content author’s end to ensure that web content is accessible, even within these seemingly standardized platforms. This presentation will explore how WCAG standards can be implemented in platforms where multiple people may be contributing, and they do not have the technical skills to create or retroactively make content accessible. It will explore the different types of WCAG guidance, distinguish between different guideline levels, and help librarians strategize ways for making their CMS content more accessible.

View the Web Accessibility Guidelines slides

Immersive Visualizations on the Cheap
Amy Trost – Priddy Library at Universities at Shady Grove
​
Librarians have been talking about immersive tech tools for a few years now, but how can we move beyond the hype and incorporate inexpensive immersion into educational programs? This workshop will allow you to explore about a dozen educational VR resources. Participants will test several cell phone-based VR headsets and 360 degree cameras. Please bring a smart phone to the workshop and be ready to install a few new applications!

View the Immersive Visualizations slides

ADA-Compliant Workstations and Adaptive Technology
Leslie Bowman, Ashley Biggs – Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
​
The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped will discuss the importance of using adaptive technology in libraries. They will highlight computer screen reading software, screen enlargement software, and other adaptive tools to make access to public computers easier. Additionally, the library will go over CCTVs and their importance in public libraries.

View the ADA-Compliant Workstations slides

Privacy: Tools and Resources
Kyle Breneman – University of Baltimore

Concerned about protecting the privacy of your library’s patrons? Your own privacy? Join us for a look behind the curtain at who’s tracking you! Learn about several easy-to-use tools and techniques that help to safeguard your online privacy, and meet some resources that can aid you in teaching your patrons about how to protect their own privacy.

View the Privacy Tools slides

Why Library Partners are Critical to the All of Us Research Program​
April Wright – National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region, University of Maryland, Baltimore

Why are libraries essential to building a comprehensive educational experience for participants in this program? What can your library do to support the All of Us initiative?

The NIH All of Us Research Program endeavors to build a databank of genetic information from at least 1 million participants from diverse backgrounds who will share their health data over a period of 10 years with the goal of discovering individualized treatments for and diagnoses of diseases. The All of Us Research Program has partnered with the National Library of Medicine and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) to help public libraries in supporting the health information needs of their users by providing health information training for public library staff, funding and other resources to support health programming and activities, and connections to medical libraries and other NNLM members in their area.

Join April Wright, NNLM SEA All of Us Community Engagement Coordinator, to learn about the All of Us Community Engagement Network, All of Us resources and discover how you and your library can be engaged with this national initiative and bring healthy outcomes to your community.

View the All of Us slides

EXCITE Transformation
DauVeen Walker and Alonzo Kitchens – Charles County Public Library

What is EXCITE Transformation for Libraries? The EXCITE training program gives you the tools to activate your library using space, programs, services, and resources to make it the place where community members are excited to come together and connect in a meaningful way.

View the EXCITE Transformation slides

Website Redesign: A User-Centered Approach
Anne Briggs, Grace Gu, Bobby Reeves – Montgomery College Library
​
Montgomery College Library is in the midst of a website redesign project. Members of the library’s web services committee have utilized several steps, tools, and solutions to plan an improved site structure, navigation, layout, and design. The committee relied extensively on user-research studies to direct the redesign process. This session will describe the lessons learned throughout the project and how insights gained will influence the final website.

View the Website Redesign slides

Skillshare

A Skillshare is a ten-minute presentation designed to introduce you to a topic. Skillshares will take place at 12:40 and 1 p.m., so you have the opportunity to attend two presentations.
Adobe Spark
​Leah Rufus – Priddy Library, The Universities at Shady Grove; Emily Spangler – McKeldin Library, University of Maryland, College Park
Using the Built-In Browser “DevTools” to Fix Your Website Problems
Brian Zelip – University of Maryland, Baltimore
Make-IT Place
Liz Sundermann – Baltimore County Public Library; Carrie Sanders – Maryland State Library
​View the Make-IT Place Handout

Tech Expo

The Tech Expo will be available from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Stop by and learn about new technologies and how you might implement in your library!

See additional resources about user experience and design