Designing an attractive presentation is easier than ever thanks to tools like Canva and features like PowerPoint’s Designer. But with all the bells and whistles, is the message getting lost among the visuals? Focus your presentation’s message with design tips for organizing content and choosing complementary images, while keeping slides easy-to-understand and impactful. Learn to customize existing templates in Canva, PowerPoint, and Google Slides to create a deck tailored for any meeting or presentation.

Whether a long-time member, someone new to a member library, or just curious about our consortium, this one-hour session will introduce Amigos’ programs and services. From benefits for staff, like workshops, and conferences, to institutional benefits, including discounts on services and products, and events, this overview will help ensure libraries maximize the value of membership.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn how Amigos Library Services can support and elevate your library's mission.

Writing effective alternative (alt) text is a key component of creating accessible documents and websites. For beginners or those with limited experience, knowing exactly what to write can be difficult. Explore best practices for writing alt text for different types of images, both information and decorative, and learn some common mistakes to avoid. Active participation in hands-on practice examples will be strongly encouraged.

Creating any new collection in an academic library can be exciting and challenging for library staff. The challenge is amplified if the items in the collection have not typically been borrowed from libraries and the catalog records are not discoverable in a bibliographic utility. The idea of libraries circulating items that are not informational media is growing. This presentation will discuss the idea of a library of things in an academic library, from conception to its current state of circulation.

Social Services is often a hot topic in the LIS world. However, the conversation often centers around adult services which can be exclusionary or inaccessible for teens under 18. This presentation will highlight some unique challenges that teens face, provide examples of teen-specific social services that we found helpful (especially in an urban public library setting), and look into some larger theoretical questions and frameworks around social work and libraries.

Wondering how to offer bilingual programs for adult learners at your public or academic library? In this session, we will discuss how to create programs that are welcoming, enjoyable, and bring adult learners together. We will focus on programs that serve adults interested in learning a new language, healthy aging, citizenship classes, and earning a high school equivalency certificate.

This interactive presentation will provide participants with practical strategies for designing instruction on AI-powered tools that empower librarians–regardless of level of expertise–to effectively guide students and patrons through this next generation of technology. It will address key elements of instructional design and propose practical strategies for teaching about AI tools, including determining appropriate student learning outcomes, investigating student interest and familiarity with AI tools, and selecting formative means of assessing learning.