The 60-minute sessions offer multiple speakers the opportunity to share their ideas, concepts, and best practices on a proposed topic. Hive speakers will present brief 8-minute sessions followed by Q&A for the individual panelists. The Hive is designed to feature speakers from across the Amigos membership who want to share their best tips and tricks on the selected topic. 

Panelists will present the tips and tricks they have found to harness the transformative power of generative AI. Possible topics include:  

Strategic planning helped libraries navigate the past. Strategic foresight will help them shape the future. Strategic foresight builds on the strategic planning foundation to identify what is coming next, prepare for uncertainty, and lead with purpose. The foresight journey begins by learning the tools, mindsets, and practical steps to help libraries embrace uncertainty, anticipate disruption, and equip them to lead change in their institutions and communities.

Library employees often go the extra mile for patrons and colleagues, providing professional, courteous service in every interaction. Unfortunately, staff sometimes find themselves in situations where the interaction has crossed the line and they may not recognize that it has happened or know what to do when it does. Learn how to identify when an interaction is no longer within the acceptable code of conduct, ideas of how to handle the habitual issue, and explore safety procedures and protocols that can be enacted to keep everyone safe.

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.

Interested in offering bilingual programs for adult learners but unsure of where to start? This session will share program ideas that are welcoming, enjoyable, and bring adult learners together, making the work less intimidating for staff. With a focus on learning a new language, healthy aging, citizenship , and earning a high school equivalency certificate, these programs address different interest and are applicable across a range of library types and sizes.

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.