Webinars in 2020: choose the topics!

Hi everyone,

we would like to present you the final selection of webinar topics which we got from the last survey. It was not an easy task because we have a lot of answers. Many thanks for your help!

So now it is time for the next step.

We have summarized your suggestions to 10 topics that you can choose on the Mentimeter page. The voting code is: 88 19 72

The voting system is very simple: you have hundred points to distribute in the way you want between the different topics (you can assign 5, 10, 20, 40… as you wish, but must spend all hundred).  

Tell us which webinars you want to have!

Deadline: November 30th, 2019

We will report the results shortly. Thanks for participating!

Interview: Evgenia Vasilakaki, in charge of volunteers coordination for the IFLA conference in Athens

Evgenia Vasilakaki is a Greek librarian. As a member of the Greek national committee for IFLA WLIC 2019, she was coordinating the Volunteers commitee for the incredible Athens conference and has accepted to answer our questions!

Can you tell us a little about you? For instance, where do you work?

I currently work at the National Library of Greece as a project manager. I hold a PhD from the Department of Information & Communications, Manchester Metropolitan University, on Human Computer Interaction and Users’ Information Seeking Behavior. I was a lecturer on contract basis for the last 8 years at the Department Archives and Library Science and Information Systems of University of West Attica.

Evgenia Vasilakaki

You were a member of the Greek National Committee for the organization of the WLIC 2019 in Athens. How did you get involved in that organization?

My involvement in the organization of IFLA WLIC2019 started three years ago when the Association of Greek Librarians and Information Scientists along with the National Library of Greek bid for the congress. I was then a member of the Greek Host Society responsible for putting together the bid and making all the arrangements for it. In December 2017, when it was announced that Athens will host the WLIC2019, I was assigned the coordination of volunteers committee and thus I was trained in Kuala Lumpur in August 2018 for the management of volunteers. From September 2018 to August 2019, I coordinated the volunteers’ committee responsible for the volunteers management whereas during the congress I coordinated the group leaders and volunteers.

IFLA WLIC 2019 Voluteers group leaders

We had met you in Kuala Lumpur in 2018. Was it your first IFLA conference? What is your strongest memory of that conference?

I attended the WLIC2018 in Kuala Lumpur to be trained for the management of volunteers and it was my first IFLA WLIC participation. Unfortunately, I did not have time to attend the various sessions, but I do remember the enthusiasm during the opening session and the newcomers session that had almost 1000 participants.

The announcement about the WLIC 2019 being held in Athens was made in December 2017, later than usual. What was the hardest part of the organization from your point of view?

Time! We had less time than the rest of the organising countries to prepare the different details of the congress. However, we had the valuable assistance of IFLA and the KIT company. Also, internally, the three co-chairs and the members of the subcommittees worked closely together, and I think teamwork was what ensured the final success of the congress.

IFLA conference in Greece was a very successful one, but we know that the organization of a librarians conference can be quite stressful. What was your greatest fear this year?

We were very optimistic about the outcome of the congress and I think we kept this positive feeling and point of view throughout the preparations. I am not saying that there were no stressful moments, we had quite a few 😊, after all the congress hosts 3.500 delegates every year, with gold sponsors, numerous exhibitors and you cannot even start to imagine how many things could go wrong; but I believe we all focused on how to deal with every challenge, finding the best possible solution with the support of IFLA and KIT.

You were in charge of the volunteers for the 2019 conference. Can you tell us how the recruitment of volunteers works?

The management of volunteers is a project on its own, with several tasks and subtasks. The recruitment is just a task that entails several other steps like creating and posting the call; deciding on the number of volunteers needed; on the type of volunteers (i.e. students, professionals, retirees, internationals); working at the same time on finding funding, accommodation and going through the selection process and announcement of the results. Assigning volunteers to specific posts and finalising the shifts was a real challenge. In the end, we had almost 200 volunteers from 30 countries, 11 group leaders of 35 different posts and each contributed on average 25 hours. We are really thankful to our volunteers, they did so much, most of the time without even being specifically asked for.

Evgenia Vasilakaki and the other 200 volunteers at the Closing Ceremony

What would be your advice for a librarian who applies to take part in an IFLA conference as a volunteer?

In IFLA WLIC 2019 we were honoured to have international volunteers that were also presenters in sessions and/or poster session. These volunteers got to experience the congress both as an attendee and a volunteer, and had the opportunity to make the most of the congress: network and socialize as an attendee and get a knowledge of the logistics of such a big congress and create bonds and be part of a team with other volunteers. I think it is a unique experience and we were lucky to get almost 60 international volunteers.

As an organizer, you probably couldn’t attend many sessions or events at the WLIC this year. Nevertheless, what is your best memory of the conference?

Indeed, I was intensively involved in coordination and thus I could not attend any of the sessions. However, my strongest memory is not a memory per se but more like a feeling: I would always remember and cherish the feeling of excitement and enthusiasm that volunteers were feeling – you could see it in their eyes and behaviour throughout the congress – and the determination to create memorable experiences for WLIC 2019 delegates!

Volunteers at the WLIC 2019 Closing Ceremony – CC-BY-SA IFLA HQ

New IFLA/ALA Webinar “Digital tools that can change your librarian life” recording

You missed the inspiring webinar “Digital tools that can change your librarian life”? Don’t worry!, Click HERE to see the complete recording.

And if you were one of the 80 participants (!) of this event, please fill in the evaluation form:
https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/T2M8LKB
We thank the IFLA CPDWL team, NPSIG team, ALA team and we wait for you in our next webinar!

New IFLA/ALA Webinar “Digital tools that can change your librarian life”

We are proud to present the new session of the 2019 webinar series “New Librarians Global Connection: best practices, models and recommendations”. This time we want to invite you to attend the Webinar “Digital tools that can change your librarian life”

This webinar presents digital tools which help librarians to improve their work and contact with readers. Speakers will focus on free graphic programs, video and augmented reality apps and present possibility of using them. The webinar is co-sponsored by IFLA’s Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL), IFLA’s New Professionals Special Interest Group (NPSIG) and ACRL’s International Perspectives in Academic and Research Libraries.

When?

Date/times:
October 28 (Monday) 09:00 CT (Chicago) / 10:00 EDT (New York) / 11:00 ART (Buenos Aires) / 15:00 CET (Warsaw/Paris/Belgrad) / 16:00 EET (Helsinki) / 0:00 AEST (Brisbane)

To check your local time, visit World Clock http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

How to participate?

You must register for the webinar here:
https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rZcmgd7XSWa1ueXpqkc7ZQ

Topics: 

• Agnieszka Koszowska:  Graphic design for effective communication in the library, Information Society Development Foundation, Poland
• Mirjana Nešić:  Multimedia apps for librarians, Library Belgrade Polytechnics, Serbia
• Julien Sempéré: Virtual reality to design library buildings. Université Paris-Saclay, France 

Moderator: Magdalena Gomułka, NPSIG convenor

Speakers:

Agnieszka Koszowska: Graphic design for effective communication in the library

This short presentation is dedicated to free and low-cost tools that can be used to communicate effectively the library’s projects and activities via websites and social media. A few free-of-charge tools, such as GIMP, Canva and Inscape, will be presented briefly, together with their useful features that might be a substitution for professional tools (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) You will also learn where to find free and useful resources for graphic designers: photos, icons or fonts to use in your graphic projects on websites and social media.

Agnieszka is a chief editor of the www.biblioteki.org portal and the Information Society Development Foundation’s website www.frsi.org.pl. Graduate of Library and Information Science, completed postgraduate courses in European studies and computer science. As a project coordinator and author of educational materials she is responsible (or supports) the Foundation’s projects and activities in public libraries and schools, in the following areas: digital education, e-learning, coding education, robotics, STEM education, basics of 3D modeling and 3D printing. She hosts workshops and webinars. She is also responsible for communication with projects’ beneficiaries via social media and e-mailing campaigns.

---

Mirjana Nešić: Multimedia apps for librarians

There are many ways in which librarians can use digital tools to improve existing services and introduce some new, such as making a book trailer, video tutorials or instructions. This presentation gives various examples of using free video and augmented reality apps which can greatly improve user experience and help librarians make their activities more interesting for readers of all ages. It also gives insight into some free apps the librarians can recommend to users to help them find a job, earn a scholarship, make an interesting presentation or just have fun.

Mirjana is a head of Library Belgrade Polytechnic, Serbia
She is promoting digital technologies practice in education and libraries through lectures, presentations, courses and workshops for students, librarians and university staff (Digital transformation in libraries, New Media in Libraries, Multimedia in education and librarianship).
Member of the AVMS (Audiovisual and Multimedia Section) in IFLA.     Member of the Digital Library Transformation Section, Serbian Library Association. Member of the Commission for Information and Documentation (KS A046), Institute for Standardization of Serbia. Member of Serbian Library Association and Serbian Academic Library Association. Participation in international projects and workshops: Youth in Action (Erasmus+), EIFL, IFLA, People to People International (PTPI).

---

Julien Sempéré: Virtual reality to design library buildings

Speaker will present experience in the design of the Learning Center at the Université Paris-Saclay, a place which will be open to all, bring together students, teachers, researchers, actors of the industry and citizens during exhibitions, conferences, debates and events that discuss different core subjects. Team used the Building Information Modelling model and a VR collaboration software and organised meetings for librarians and users where they work on a specific space in VR thanks to immersive headset and explore the digital model discussing by group of three and test services scenarios.

Julien is a Learning Center project manager at Université Paris-Saclay. Librarian curator, he is in charge of following the building and services development of the future Lumen Learning Center. He is involved in the IFLA Knowledge Management Section as a member.

Interview: Ana Ordás

[in Spanish]

We continue traveling our way of interviews with fascinating personalities of libraries around the world and today we have landed in Spain to meet one of the funniest professionals in the world. She is a specialist in gamification in libraries, and we will let her introduce herself:

Who is Ana Ordás?

A librarian who started working in a university library, but that most of her professional career has been developed in the private company doing consulting for the creation of networks of libraries and digital libraries. Currently I am dedicated to the continuous training of library professionals on playful thinking and innovation through play.

What is and what is not gamification in libraries

Gamification or gamification, framed in playful thinking, is a way to motivate long-term behavior, is to try to involve people in the activities proposed from the library and get them to commit to their values. Gamification is based on extracting elements from games and applying them to a practice that can be daily. Many times the term gamification is misused when designing a game, whether to get a fun experience or to encourage learning (Game Based Learning), also when using board games or video games in the library; In the latter case we are playing, not gamifying.

Gamification is a marketing strategy?

Gamification can be used as a strategy to achieve desired objectives, among which may be marketing. Of course, it does not have to be the best solution or the one that at that time fits with the people we are addressing. We must always stop to analyze what our objectives are, how are the people we are addressing and what is the best way to achieve them.

What is the basic difference between implementing gamification strategies in a Company and in a Library.

I don’t think there is any difference other than the objectives to be achieved. What is true is that there are differences in the economic resources allocated to the design of the projects. Companies usually hire specialists in the design of game-based experiences, instead libraries pull creativity in the absence of resources, which of course influences the development of projects and results. Recently I have written a post with examples of gamified projects in Spanish libraries, and none of them have been hired from a specialized company. Yes, they have had good results. What would it be like if they were designed by professionals with knowledge about the gaming processes! I collaborate with A la luz de una bombilla (In the light of a bulb).

How does gamification in libraries relate to the empowerment (Advocacy) promoted by IFLA?

I have always believed that library professionals should raise their voices in the right direction, and with a good speech, to arrive and convince the power of libraries. In this case, and without reaching gamification, the game itself can help us to develop cognitive skills such as language, communication base, or emotional and social skills such as assertiveness, negotiation skills or Teamwork in the case of cooperative games.

One more step would be the development of a game for learning certain skills. And of course, as a medium or long term plan, the development of a personalized gamified project that motivated librarians to get involved and engage in the defense and visibility of their value as professionals and libraries as engines of change.

If you want to know more about Ana Ordás, you can enter her blog (in spanish) or follow her on her Twitter account:
Thank you very much, Ana, for sharing this moment with us!

Entrevista a Ana Ordás

Seguimos recorriendo nuestro camino de entrevistas a fascinantes personalidades de las bibliotecas en todo el mundo y hoy hemos aterrizado en España para conocer a una de las más divertidas bibliotecarias del mundo. Es especialista en gamificación en bibliotecas, y vamos a dejar que se presente ella misma:

¿Quién es Ana Ordás?

Una bibliotecaria que empezó trabajando en una biblioteca universitaria, pero que la mayor parte de su carrera profesional se ha desarrollado en la empresa privada haciendo consultoría para la creación de redes de bibliotecas y bibliotecas digitales. Actualmente me dedico a la formación continua de profesionales de las bibliotecas sobre el pensamiento lúdico y la innovación a través del juego. 

Qué es y que no es la gamificación en bibliotecas

La gamificación o ludificación, enmarcada en el pensamiento lúdico, es una forma de motivar un comportamiento a largo plazo, es tratar de implicar a las personas en las actividades que se propongan desde la biblioteca y conseguir que se comprometan con sus valores. La gamificación se basa en extraer elementos de los juegos y aplicarlos a una práctica que puede ser cotidiana. Muchas veces se utiliza erróneamente el término gamificación cuando se diseña un juego, sea para conseguir una experiencia divertida o para fomentar el aprendizaje (Aprendizaje Basado en Juego), también cuando se usan juegos de mesa o videojuegos en la biblioteca; en este último caso estamos jugando, no gamificando.

La Gamificación es una estrategia de márketing?

La gamificación se puede utilizar como estrategia para conseguir objetivos deseados, entre los que puede estar el márketing. Eso sí, no tiene que ser la mejor solución o la que en ese momento encaje con las personas a las que nos dirigimos. Siempre debemos pararnos a analizar cuáles son nuestros objetivos, cómo son las personas a las que nos dirigimos y cuál es la mejor forma de conseguirlos.   

Cuál es la diferencia básica entre implementar estrategias de gamificación en una Empresa y en una Biblioteca.

No creo que haya ninguna diferencia que no sean los objetivos a alcanzar. Lo que si es cierto es que existen diferencias en cuanto a los recursos económicos destinados al diseño de los proyectos. Las empresas suelen contratar a especialistas en el diseño de experiencias basadas en juego, en cambio las bibliotecas tiran de creatividad ante la falta de recursos, lo que por supuesto influye en el desarrollo de los proyectos y en los resultados. Recientemente he escrito un post con ejemplos de proyectos gamificados en bibliotecas españolas, y ninguno de ellos se ha contratado a una empresa especializada.Eso sí, han tenido buenos resultados ¡Cómo sería si lo diseñaran profesionales con conocimientos sobre los procesos de juego! Yo colaboro con A la luz de una bombilla.

Cómo se relaciona la gamificación en Bibliotecas con el empoderamiento (Advocacy) que promueve la IFLA?

Siempre he creído que los profesionales de las bibliotecas debemos alzar la voz en la dirección correcta, y con un buen discurso, para llegar y convencer del poder de las bibliotecas. En este caso, y sin llegar a la gamificación, el juego de por sí puede ayudarnos al desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas como es el caso del lenguaje, base de la comunicación, o habilidades emocionales y sociales como la asertividad, la capacidad de negociación o el trabajo en equipo en el caso de los juegos cooperativos.

Un paso más, consistiría en el desarrollo de un juego para el aprendizaje de unas determinadas competencias. Y por supuesto, como un plan a medio o largo plazo, el desarrollo de un proyecto gamificado personalizado que consiguiera motivar a los bibliotecarios a involucrarse y comprometerse en la defensa y visibilización de su valor como profesionales y de las bibliotecas como motores del cambio.

Si quieren saber más acerca de Ana Ordás, pueden entrar a su blog o seguirla en su cuenta de Twitter:
Muchísimas gracias, Ana, por compartir este momento con nosotros