2020 (Virtual)
Social Justice in Charlotte: Health Inequality
Co-sponsored w/ DICE (Diversity, Inclusion, Community, and Equity) Community & Biomedical & Life Sciences Community
North Carolina ranks 37th in the nation in overall health status with a high prevalence of food insecurity and frequent mental distress. In multiple areas, 35% to 94% of the population is on Medicaid, and yet it is one of only 14 states that has not expanded the program to include additional struggling families and individuals. In addition, there are stark health disparities along racial and economic lines in Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is located. What efforts are being made to improve the health of the North Carolina population? How are information professionals involved in these efforts? Hear from Benjamin Money, Deputy Secretary for Health Services at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as well as Joan Colburn, Director of Library Science at Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). The nine centers that make up the North Carolina AHEC Program provide educational activities and services for healthcare workers with a focus on helping those in communities that have difficulty accessing resources.
Data.census.gov: The New Source for Vital Data on Your Community
This past year, the U.S. Census Bureau retired the long-standing American FactFinder site and formally launched data.census.gov, the new portal to access Census data. This new site is the go-to resource for data from the 2018 American Community Survey, 2017 Economic Census, and the 2020 Census. In this session, participants will learn how to access tables, maps, and profiles using multiple search methods. We will also share tips and tricks and demonstrate how to download data, customize your table view, and share your results.
Surviving the Challenge: Project Management Tools and Techniques to Select Your Next Big System
Evaluating library technologies can feel overwhelming. Open source or proprietary? Cloud-hosted or local installation? Which vendor to choose, when they all say they're the best? This session will help reduce that anxiety by showing you project management techniques for evaluating and selecting library technologies and the vendors who support them. You'll learn how to break large projects into smaller chunks, focus on documentation to reduce miscommunication and missteps, and hold both vendors and team members accountable for deliverables. In the end, whether you're selecting a tool for your repository, catalog, finding aids, digital preservation, or exhibits, you'll make sure that your needs, and those of your users, are being met.
Data for Civic Good: How Libraries and Local Governments Are Working Together to Make Community Data More Accessible
Civic Switchboard is an IMLS-funded initiative that aims to develop the capacity of academic and public libraries to help individuals discover and analyze data about their local communities. The program was founded on the belief that libraries are key actors in civic open data ecosystems. Libraries serve as repositories of data, offer workshops and resources to help users manipulate data, and host community programs where individuals often discuss issues that affect their local neighborhoods. This session will explore two data initiatives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Houston, Texas, that were funded through the Civic Switchboard Field Project Awards in 2019. In Charlotte, a cross-sector collaborative has built an open data platform to better understand systemic barriers to equity and opportunity in the region and develop solutions toward improved outcomes for area residents. In Houston, a partnership between the Fondren Library and Kinder Institute at Rice University is conducting data literacy training for nonprofit organizations to help them better serve their communities.
Live Sessions (sponsoring and co-sponsoring):
Fundraising 101: Where's the Money? Raising Funds for Special Projects and Initiatives
Thursday 15 Oct 11:00 AM PST/ 2:00 PM EST
Co-sponsored w/ Business & Finance Community
As libraries and archives are partnering more and more with community institutions on innovative programs and services, how do you find the resources to fund new initiatives? Learn from fundraising experts on how to identify sources of private funding, build lasting partnerships with foundations, corporations, and individual donors, and make your case for support. This session provides an overview of sources of private funding for libraries and information centers and offers tips and techniques for approaching potential funders.
Not Just for BizRef Experts! Business Research Tips and Tricks for All
Thursday 15 Oct 11:15 AM PST/ 2:15 PM EST
Co-sponsored w/ Business & Finance Community and Competitive Intelligence Community
Regardless of the type of library setting you work in, business research questions are bound to pop up. This session will present strategies for facing tough business research questions head-on, whether you consider yourself a seasoned BizRef pro or only an occasional or even accidental business researcher. You'll be reminded of some of the reference skills you already have and how you can leverage them to tackle topics like finding private company information, researching small, niche industries and uncovering elusive consumer data. Whether you deal with business-related questions infrequently or on a regular basis, there's always something new to discover when it comes to business research so join us and come away from this session with some new (and some free!) resources to add to your collection as well as new strategies for improving your business reference skill set.
Social Sciences and Humanities Community Roundtables
Friday 16 Oct 10:15 AM PST/ 1:15 PM EST
Get to know the Social Sciences & Humanities Community and its various sections by joining in our roundtable discussions. Network with your DSSH peers and catch up on what's new in the field. We'll have questions to get the conversation started, but the session will also include time for open-ended discussion. This session will be held live in Zoom.
2019 (Cleveland)
Social Sciences & Humanities Roundtables
Sunday, June 16, 9–10 am
Get to know the Social Sciences & Humanities Division and our sections by participating in roundtable discussions. Choose the Museum, Nonprofit, Labor Issues, or Geography & Map table - and you'll have the opportunity to switch tables during the session. Each table will have a leader to facilitate lively discussion.
Joint Poster Session
Monday, June 17, 10:45–11:45 am
Co-sponsored by the Academic Division and the Education Division
The Joint Poster Session provides SLA members an opportunity to present their work in a relaxed and interactive setting. Attendees can view posters on a variety of topics and talk with the presenters.
See the poster abstracts here.
Defending Democracy in the Digital Information Age
Monday, June 17, 10:45–11:45 am
Presented by the Military Libraries Division; co-sponsored by the Social Sciences & Humanities Division
The presenter, David Salvo, Deputy Director of the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy, will focus on how authoritarian regimes have been exploiting social media platforms to undermine democratic institutions and destabilize democratic societies – and not just in the context of elections. As time allows, he will also discuss some solutions for various parts of society – government, the private sector, media, etc.
Joint Division Reception
Monday, June 17, 7:15–9:15 pm
Co-sponsored by the Transportation Division, Solo Librarians Division, and Government Information Division
Join the Social Sciences & Humanities, Solo, Government Information, and Transportation Divisions for our annual reception. Enjoy food and drinks while mingling with fellow attendees, and learn more about the participating divisions.
Digital Storytelling with Omeka and Curatescape
Tuesday, June 18, 10:15–11:30 am
Co-sponsored by the Information Technology Division
Curatescape is a web and mobile app framework for publishing location-based, multi-media narrative content using the Omeka content management system. It is used by libraries, universities, preservation groups, and cultural institutions around the world, helping researchers connect with local and global audiences. Learn about the development of this open source tool and how it is being implemented in communities around the world.
Cleveland Stories: Place-Based Writing
Tuesday, June 18, 10:15–11:30 am
Cleveland Stories is a neighborhood-based writing program offered by Literary Cleveland. This session will include discussion of the program's design and implementation and a reading by a participant. Attendees will be inspired by this innovative community program and learn about our host city's neighborhoods.
Data for Social Good: Tour of Foundation Center-Cleveland and Dinner in Playhouse Square
Tuesday, June 18, Tour 5:30–6:45 pm, Dinner 7:15 pm
Nonprofit Section program
Tour the Foundation Center-Cleveland office, followed by Dutch-treat dinner at a restaurant.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives Tour
Date and time TBD
Museum Section program
Staff of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will provide attendees with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Library & Archives, the world’s most comprehensive collection of materials on rock & roll music. The mission of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is to engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock & roll. The Library & Archives furthers that mission through collecting, preserving and providing access to our resources for scholars, educators, students, journalists, and the general public to broaden the awareness and understanding of rock & roll, its roots, and its impact on society.
2018 (Baltimore)
Saturday, June 9
Social Sciences & Humanities Division Dine Around
6:00 – 8:00pm
Go Dutch with DSSH for dinner at Barcocina in Baltimore. Barcocina proudly offers a creative menu of Mexican inspired cuisine featuring fresh ingredients to savor and enjoy. Executive chef Marc Dixon brings an original take on Mexican cuisine by highlighting the best flavors that traditional Mexican cuisine has to offer, while at the same time venturing into his experience with French, New American and other cooking techniques and global flavors to create a unique and exciting menu that will please the palate and offer one of a kind dishes that can only be experienced at Barcocina. Chaperon provided by Social Sciences & Humanities Division We will Taxi/Uber/Lyft over or water taxi
Monday, June 11
Conservation, Science, and You: A Look at Conservation Tech
2:15 – 3:30pm
Where are technologies headed when it comes to conserving physical materials for future generations? Come join the discussion with both conservators and conservation scientists from Johns Hopkins University’s libraries and the Heritage Science for Conservation Lab. Learn how these departments are working together to conserve fragile items, create exhibitions to meet growing interest in conservation, and experiment with new technologies in order to keep materials available.
Joint Division Reception
8:00 pm
Please join the following division at our annual Joint Division Reception: * Social Sciences and Humanities * Solo * Government Information *Transportation. We will be hosting this year’s event offsite at the Pratt Street Ale House. This annual reception is the perfect opportunity to relax, mingle, and enjoy great food and drinks with your fellow librarians. Please register for this event.
Tuesday, June 12
DAC – DSSH Poster Session
10:30 – 11:30am
We have a stellar group of over 10 posters addressing the conference theme BMore! Presenters relate to this theme in diverse ways, including: undergraduate students’ perceptions of academic librarians, faculty’s perceptions of undergraduate research skills, leadership attributes of library directors, the impact of library support/services on business school students, supporting veterinary student’s well-being, the depository collection of the US Atomic Energy Commission, and the geography of environmental justice. The posters will be up all day Tuesday in the INFO-EXPO, so please stop by, check them out and vote for your favorite!
See all the posters here.
Guided Tour of the American Visionary Art Museum
10:00am – 12:00pm Location: American Visionary Art Museum – 800 Key Hwy in the Inner Harbor
America’s official national museum and education center for self-taught, intuitive artistry (deemed so by a unanimous vote of the U.S. Congress). Three renovated historic industrial buildings house wonders created by farmers, housewives, mechanics, retired folk, the disabled, the homeless, as well as the occasional neurosurgeon. Located at 800 Key Highway, Baltimore Inner Harbor. Please register for this event.
Add Web Archiving To Your Skill Set: What You Need To Know
10:30 – 11:30am
What is web archiving and why should you be thinking about it as an information professional? This session will provide an introduction to the current web archiving landscape, describe tools for both capturing and using archived web content, and present case studies of creating a thematic web-archive collection at both Cornell University Library and New York University. Whether you help patrons use resources on the open web, manage your own organization’s web presence, or are responsible for subject-specific collection development, this session will challenge you to think about the ephemeral nature of the web and your own job responsibilities.
Wednesday, June 13
Breakfast Meet-Up
8:00am Location: 3 Bean Coffee 209 Key Highway
Meet at 3 Bean Coffee, located at 209 Key Highway
Open Access Publishing: Where Is It Headed?
9:00 – 10:00am
Libraries and librarians are in the middle of a tug-of-war between open access and academic commercial publishing. Sites like SCI-Hub, UnPayWall, Open Access Button and search engines like Google Scholar and Microsoft’s academic engine are becoming important alternative points of access. How can libraries and librarians ensure that faculty, scientists, researchers, and students have access to the scholarly publications, pre-prints, and data that are necessary for scholarship while still respecting copyright? Where is this tug-of-war headed? Attend this session and find out.
Good, Bad, & Ugly Germs: Perspectives on the Centennial Remembrance of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
10:15 – 11:30am
With the centennial of the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1918, medical libraries are working with museums to remember the loss of over 50 million lives worldwide. How are librarians helping curators create both interesting and informative exhibits that reach both general and specialized patrons? What research is currently underway at medical libraries on the influenza virus, and how does the Spanish Flu affect current research? This panel explores the link between librarians, researchers, and curators when current research and commemorative remembrance intertwine.