January 14, 2016. Boston, MA. ALISE 2016 and ALA Midwinter 2016 were held back to back in Boston, Massachusetts this January. Allison Barker and I, graduate assistants for Media Smart Libraries, and GSLIS students were given the opportunity to attend. These two conferences, while vastly different in their scopes, offered unique insights into Media Smart Libraries’ media and digital literacy topics. We are thrilled to share our experience and apply our new knowledge to the Media Smart Libraries program.
On May 14, 2016 Media Smart Libraries will be hosting a Makerspace workshop at the School Librarians of Rhode Island annual conference, so it was timely that Barker and I were able to attend an ALISE 2016 panel titled Radical Change in Learning Spaces: Research on Makerspaces. The key take-away from this panel was the incredible variety in makerspaces across the country, from small mobile stations that travel from classroom to classroom to dedicated public library spaces that host public events. While some participants questioned the longevity of the maker movement, panelists cited America’s long history of “making,” from early DIY to crafting communities, as a reason why making in libraries is here to stay.
Barker and I then attended ALA Midwinter 2016 where we not only spent a lot of time walking the exhibition floor (so many free books!) but we also attended sessions and workshops on a variety of youth services topics. We attended a lightening fast Ignite session where one of the presenters spoke for five minutes on his after school gaming and Minecraft club that has drastically increased teen traffic in the public library. Our key take-away from his presentation was that video game programming is most successful when it harnesses the power of cooperative games to foster a sense of community for teens.
Finally, while I attended Book Buzz Theater to hear about upcoming titles from Penguin Young Readers (spoiler: lots of diversity and interesting genre mash-ups), Barker attended Data Visualization for the Rest of Us: A Beginners Guide where she learned about how to effectively display statistics and create infographics. Of this workshop, Allison said:
“This fantastic presentation by Linda Hofschire enabled participants to engage and interact with multiple data charts to better understand what makes an aesthetically appealing and practical informational graphic. Along with multiple breakout discussions, she ended by articulating five steps for success: 1) Start with numbers; 2) Understand your goals and audience; 3) Find your story; 4) Design, refine, and repurpose; and 5) Share. By following these steps, librarians can harness the power of data by captivating stakeholders and rallying support in the community.”
Both ALISE 2016 and ALA Midwinter 2016 were invaluable learning opportunities for us, not only as students, but as a part of the Media Smart Libraries team.