Library paraprofessionals working in academic library settings may experience challenges when working with members of the public, faculty, staff, and students’ related to mental health. Libraries serve as safe places for patrons on academic campuses and within the greater area communities they are housed across the world. Thus, academic libraries should be engaged with local community and campus resources to train and assist library paraprofessionals with mental health crises and emergency preparedness. During times of need, library paraprofessionals should be knowledgeable about the services that are available to assist patrons within the library setting when experiencing a mental health crisis or other emergency. This session will inform participants about available trainings and the importance of these trainings to promote safety for library paraprofessionals and patrons.

This session will provide attendees with ideas/suggestions for increasing book circulation.

The Roundtable on Ethnic and Minority Concerns (REMCo) is a section of the North Carolina Library Association that serves as a voice for ethnic and minority members. REMCo strives to improve service to and, in some cases, even initiate service for, the ethnic communities that we all serve. This session will focus on fostering connections between library workers and students to improve community engagement and assessment strategies. We seek to address the critical need for collaboration efforts in understanding and measuring the impact of library services on diverse communities. Bringing together library professionals and aspiring students from across North Carolina, this session aims to explore innovative approaches to assessing community engagement, setting clear goals, and enhancing overall effectiveness in meeting the needs of diverse populations.

How do you get students who have "checked out" to re-engage with the library? Our students have moved online more than ever because of the past few years of upheaval in the education world. Using some basic trauma-responsive programming ideas may help get them in the doors and "checked in" to library services and resources.

Death and the end-of-life can be a scary topic to navigate not only for yourself, but also with friends and loved ones. Using her insight and training as a medical librarian, death doula, and hospice volunteer, Carrie will share effective ways to teach people how to confidently communicate their end-of-life care preferences in this conference session. Carrie will provide practical tips and guidance about how you can help your loved ones by having specific documents and information in place ahead of time. Additionally, learn how using a free document called "The Five Wishes" can serve as a valuable tool in initiating meaningful conversations with family and friends about their own personal preferences for the end-of-life.

East Carolina University’s Office of Economic and Community Engagement (ECE) serves as a front door for connecting industry, military, and community partners from Eastern North Carolina and beyond with Pirate scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs for the purpose of mutually beneficial partnerships. Our work is grounded in ECU’s mission to be a national model for regional transformation, public service, and student success. This presentation will highlight the various offices and programs within ECE that work to connect ECU’s faculty, staff, and students with the opportunities to expand possibilities for innovation and economic development, training for the current and future workforce, and community engaged programs that sustain genuine connectivity with our region.

Interested in starting a mentoring program in your library? Want to improve on one already in place? This session will provide attendees with a scheme for developing a mentoring program in their workplace using the newly formed program at East Carolina University’s Academic Library Services as a model. The presenters will share their experiences from an administrative perspective laying the groundwork for the program, facilitating mentor/mentee partnerships, and assessing the program's effectiveness, and from the mentor/mentee perspective sharing stories from first-hand participation in the program. Time following the presentation will be devoted to helping participants brainstorm how they can bring back lessons learned to their workplaces.

This presentation will explore the essential aspect of library engagement, specifically emphasizing the crucial role of dedicated library staff in maintaining the relevance of libraries. It will highlight the significance of interactive programs, integrating technology, and fostering partnerships within the community and campus. With a focus on how Laupus Library uses their User Engagement coordinator as a key contributor, leveraging their expertise to build connections, advocate for library services, and facilitate transformative experiences. Real-world examples will demonstrate the tangible impact of their commitment, highlighting the importance of their active involvement in adapting libraries to meet the evolving needs of our students and campus.

Have you ever wondered exactly how students interact with your library website to find materials without you assisting them? We did! Technical services librarians from East Carolina University’s Academic Library Services set up an experiment to explore how students use library tools to find electronic resources. These tools include a catalog powered by Blacklight, a discovery layer powered by Summon, an e-journal and e-book portal powered by Ex-Libris 360 Core, and others. In this presentation, we will share our methods and our surprising findings, and how we used these to drive improvements to the library’s online presence.

The Leigh and John McNairy Library at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, NC, recently launched a new website and new library services. These updates took place based on Project Outcome survey data from the previous three semesters. Speaker Nicole Vandiford will demonstrate the process the library took to analyze the Project Outcome survey results and design and create the new library website and services. We will discuss how to use Project Outcome’s survey feature and how to look at and design library websites for best student and faculty understanding and engagement.

Lincoln County Public Library (LCPL) participated in the Embedding Evaluation cohort for the Carolinas this past year. “Embedding Evaluation in Libraries: Developing Internal Evaluators is a team-based training and coaching program for public library staff. Over 9 months, participants build their evaluation knowledge and skills, embed evaluation in their libraries, and develop a network of like-minded peers.” Through this program, the LCPL developed various methods of evaluation to collect and analyze data for the Backpack Historian Project. The Backpack Historian Project is part oral history, part ephemera scanning to help families take charge of their history and documentation for their archives. Discover the success and problems LCPL faced during this process as well as learn tips and tricks to incorporating evaluation into your own programming.

Asking critical questions about how we spend our time and who gets to command our attention is often an effective way to engage young people in conversations about social media. Using the Center for Humane Technology’s Youth Toolkit as a starting point, this session will explore ways librarians can lead programming on this topic that isn’t just another “digital citizenship” lesson. Participants will be challenged to assess their own use of social media and other ubiquitous technologies. And in conclusion, participants will be invited to share how they have worked to empower young people to think critically about persuasive technology – and where we go from here.

I will present about marketing strategies, including different perspectives and audiences to consider. I will talk about how I came from a media/non-library background into a communications role at ECU with the library in 2021. I've learned a lot about libraries and communications in this role in nearly 3 years. Additional discussion will include ECU branding guidelines, tips, etc.

This session would explore how the library book club can be used to measure engagement and assessment. Areas covered would be the history of creating a special book club set collection, informing and involving book clubs in added selections, and consulting and collaboration. Presentation also includes a case study of qualitative and quantitative assessment.

I'll showcase the library’s use of a weekly whiteboard polling system which has generated remarkable student participation over the past year and a half. Attendees will learn practical approaches for implementing similar engaging initiatives in their own libraries, enhancing student experiences and fostering a sense of community within the library space. From quirky preferences to playful insights, discover how these interactions have enriched our understanding of student dynamics within the library. Join me to explore the playful side of passive interaction and its potential in academic library environments.

Presenters will share details on how WSSU is using NorthStar to both engage with students and assess their digital literacy skillset. Northstar is a digital literacy platform that helps individuals master digital skills needed to work, learn, and function in their daily lives. It has assessments and educational tools for basic computer skills where users can apply basic functionalities of digital tools and applications across the spectrum

We believe that engagement within our communities should not simply the delivery of a resource or service, but rather an ongoing symbiotic process. Over the last decade, Joyner Library has undertaken a variety of projects and initiatives that have done just that, building relationships, and placing knowledge and resources in the hands our community. A short presentation and the panel discussion will address the evolution of community engagement within our academic library and illustrate how past projects serve as a foundation and launching pad for more purposeful conversations, and a continued commitment to engage in meaningful discussions addressing the needs of our communities. Ultimately our overarching goal is to understand and address the need for trauma informed community engagement practices in the academic library setting more fully, in order to enact change. Panelists will discuss experiences while providing thoughts on how libraries can better prepare and serve both our employees working within our communities as well as community members participating. Together we believe we can champion powerful work with the necessary tools to process experiences in healthy, meaningful ways.

According to a 2021 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Global Health, the global prevalence of adults with ADHD is 6.76% (Song et al., 2021). While this seems like a small percentage, it indicates that we all likely have colleagues, students, and patrons who live with ADHD. People with ADHD may not disclose their diagnosis at school or work for various reasons but that does not mean library workers---diagnosed, curious, or otherwise---should not advocate for an environment where neurodivergent people feel welcome. This presentation will discuss how to advocate for work environments where people with ADHD can thrive and encourage folks with ADHD to advocate for themselves.

Dr. Kawanna Bright (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Library Science at East Carolina University® will be this year's keynote. Dr. Bright earned her PhD in Research Methods and Statistics from the University of Denver in 2018. Prior to earning her doctorate, Dr. Bright worked as an academic librarian for 12 years, with a focus on reference, instructional services, and information literacy. Dr. Bright’s current research focuses on assessment in libraries, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in libraries, the application of research methodology to the study of LIS, and the importance of the liaison librarianship role in academic libraries.

"First conceived as an event for one program at a mostly graduate campus, space and budget constraints led to a collaborative event that broadened the horizons of the initial plan. Working with University Life, the library saw the completion of two co-sponsored Night at the Library events. Then the library sought to expand the event, library faculty working with in-house staff to take Night at the Library from a single night to a launch pad for future outreach. This presentation will offer suggestions in how to build niche campus relationships, and the importance of tailoring outreach to your community."

When COVID-19 forced us all to stay home, isolated from the world, fandoms served as communities for people to still feel that sense of human connection. Now, as restrictions have been largely lifted and the public is able to safely return to third places, libraries are faced with the task of getting people back through our doors. Starting in February 2023, the Hickory Public Library’s Learning Lab and youth services department collaborated on a program series called “Random Fandom.” The idea is to play on the appeal of large pop culture fandoms to get people back into and engaged with the library.

The field of librarianship grapples with a significant shortage of African American male representation, a phenomenon shaped by historical influences and societal perceptions. This presentation delves into the root causes of this imbalance, spotlighting alarming statistics revealing that less than 1% of librarians are African American males. Through extensive research comparing diverse racial and gender demographics, the presentation emphasizes the pressing need for increased representation. Employing a multifaceted approach involving scholarly articles, compelling videos, insightful books, and impactful imagery, it uncovers the indispensable roles played by African American male librarians. By showcasing their significance and contributions to both the profession and society, this poster aims to inspire and motivate other African American males to explore and embrace careers in librarianship.