Employing Students - Challenges and Solutions (Roundtable Discussion)

This roundtable discussion will focus on four key areas of employing students including recruitment, hiring, training, and supervising. Student supervisors are the target audience. This will be a guided discussion of the challenges and rewards of supervising student employees. Attendees are invited to share their experiences.

Presenters:  Megan York ( Administrative Manager for Patron Services, University of Maine School of Law), Cynthia Young (Director of Library Services, UMA Bangor/Augusta), Jerry Lund (Circulation Manager, University of Maine Orono)

Location: Jewett 293

Developing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Skills in Academic Libraries through Social Empathy Training (Presentation)

Audience: Library workers: Administration, Librarians, and Library Staff
In this session, the presenters will share information about a professional development training course for library workers that aims to help participants explore and apply empathetic practices in library settings.
A team of library and academic technology workers at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) developed a self-guided, open, and interactive online training course. The course uses video and text-based case studies to highlight marginalized voices, provides tools to identify and address compassion fatigue, and presents strategies for applying empathy in library service settings.
After the development and implementation of the course at UNH, a modified version was recently facilitated at the University of Southern Maine (USM) Libraries.
Through the funding of an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, the training will soon be available throughout the country to provide participants with the language and tools to respond equitably and inclusively to library users, especially those from marginalized communities. All planning materials will be openly available for others to use to replicate and adapt, through a tool called Canvas: Free For Teacher.
This presentation will provide a detailed description of the course, including how it was developed and implemented, findings from our participants in the UNH and USM cohorts, and how Maine academic libraries will be able to modify and use the new version of the course at their own institutions.

Attendee Outcomes: Jewett 189
After this presentation participants will...
Understand how social empathy training can benefit library users from marginalized communities
Know how to access and modify the open course for use at their institutions once it becomes available

Presenter: Ben Peck (Information Literacy Librarian, University of Southern Maine), Liz Fowler (Research & Instruction Services Manager, University of New Hampshire)

Location:

Bendable and Academic Libraries

Session description: Join us to learn the latest updates on Maine State Libraries Bendable project and how academic librarians around the state can get involved!

Presenters: Janet McKenney, Director, Library Development at Maine State Library

Location: Jewett 291