Planning and implementing online professional development opportunities is challenging but attainable. This paper explains how a group of librarians from different institutions worked to plan, market, implement, and evaluate monthly webinars as well as an inaugural online conference, despite never meeting in person. The web conferences began in-state and grew to include presenters and attendees from across the nation. A review of available web-conferencing technologies will be provided, including free and open-source options. This paper includes details about the planning process, including subcommittee collaborations, social media marketing, and day-of logistics. Failures during event planning and execution-and tips to avoid them-will be discussed, as well as next steps looking forward.
Creating and maintaining a successful library distance education program, even given ideal variables, can be a huge challenge. This article will discuss how the library distance program was planned, implemented, and evaluated in a three-year span. A staff of three-five librarians utilized organizational partnerships, grass-roots marketing and easy-to-use software to plan and implement the program. Key features of the plan will be discussed, including a books-bymail system, interlibrary loan, online workshop creation, online streaming events, general distance learner engagement, and faculty inclusion. This case study is unique due to the accelerated development of the program, with success in less than three years, and the size of the online population served, approximately 15,000. Examples of unique collaborations with other university functions will also be shared, including career development, graduation, orientation, and touring.
Appalachian State University's First Year Seminar Online Library Component is a set of information literacy modules designed to introduce students to university-level research. Originally deployed in 2015, this is a requirement for the University's First Year Seminar Program. It is composed of original and OER content, delivered through AppState's learning management system, and made the Libraries' programming more sustainable by replacing in-person instruction. This paper focuses on a redesign project that prioritized Universal Design for Learning, more authentic assessment, and creating awareness in a world of biased algorithms and fake news, engaging and preparing learners as they become global citizens.
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