Beyond Hope Library Conference 2019

Join Director, Mari Martin and team from the Libraries Branch for an update on current programs and provincial strategic priorities for public libraries and community literacy. We will use the time to share trends in library services around BC and leave time for a Q and A at the end.

Privacy is foundational to the work and mission of libraries. Individuals need to be able to freely access resources and explore their interests without fear or concern that their activities will be subject to scrutiny or surveillance.

Commitments to privacy have long been featured in librarians’ codes of ethics and policies. The Canadian Federation of Library Associations’ code of ethics states that its members have the responsibility to protect the privacy and dignity of library users and staff. In British Columbia, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act works in concert with this responsibility by preventing the unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of personal information by public bodies.

This session will provide an overview of FIPPA, with a focus on how it applies in the library context. Attendees should leave this session with a better understanding of their privacy obligations, as well as the resources and tools that are available to them. They should also gain insight into how FIPPA operates in some of the common scenarios that they encounter in their day to day work. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions.

This hands-on session will explore basic preservation techniques that are easy to implement, low-cost, and useful in all types of libraries. Session participants will rotate between four stations to learn about care for photographs, care for paper-based material, book repair, and custom box-making. Each station will include a small hands-on activity.

It has been said that change is the only constant. Every year, the rate of change increases.  Like all other organizations, libraries are regularly changing to meet new needs, offering new services and collections in response to new customer demands, legislative evolution, and a myriad of other change drivers.  The statistics are bleak - studies have shown that an estimated 70% of change programs fail to achieve some or all of their goals.  Fear not! Help is available – successful change management models can help libraries to manage change successfully, and reap the rewards that result!

The Community Scholars Program seeks to connect non-profit and charitable organizations in BC with published research and supporting scholar services for free! Come and hear how this program can assist members of your community to access resources to strengthen or develop programs, to support funding applications, for advocacy or policy-making, for organizational management, and their personal and professional development. This program is jointly run by the libraries at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Island University, and the University of Northern British Columbia with the generous support of the United Way, the Mindset Foundation, and the McConnell Foundation.

Is the shifting digital content landscape starting to feel like an alternate dimension? This session will help you keep the ever-changing world of eBooks and digital collections right side up through lively discussion, collaboration, and information sharing. Building on the momentum of 2017’s eBook Summit of the North, we’ll look at recent developments in digital content licensing including: eBook and e-product trends, an update on BC's shared OverDrive and RBDigital collections product lightning talks on licensed resources given by member libraries. Attendee round table sessions on crowd-sourced topics such as DIY technology, staff technology training and more.  Bring your ideas and questions!

Guerrilla Story Time is the brainchild of Cory Eckert, a librarian in Houston, Texas, who is also the founder of the Story Underground website. Cory's idea is that as public library programmers, we are a Guerrilla Army, using irregular tactics to provide free, safe, welcoming spaces for caregivers and their children. Her battle cry is "Literacy is not a luxury".  
At the ALA Annual Conference in 2013, Cory led the first Guerrilla Story Time. Her goal was to give programmers a chance to learn from each other, and to promote the vital work of story time to other library professionals, by inviting them to witness the energy and engagement of children's programmers in action.
Everyone is welcome to attend this session!

Presented with support from the Friends of the Prince George Public Library. 

This introductory session for librarians with no prior-knowledge of the topic will cover the following basics: What is linked data and RDF? What does linked data look like? What are some of the challenges and opportunities for libraries in a linked data environment?

The continued popularity of digital content is creating ongoing challenges for libraries of all sizes as they seek to balance soaring patron demand for new content with the need to maintain robust physical collections. This participative session will explore the difficulties created by the current licensing landscape for econtent, including the high prices and restrictive digital rights management being imposed by the big five multinational publishers, loss of library rights to popular eaudio content in Canada, and pay-per-use models for streaming video content. The session will explore how libraries can balance investment in physical and digital content, and how all libraries can be strong advocates for better access to econtent.

A relaxed performance is a specially adapted event modified for people with extra needs. Theatre NorthWest has been offering Relaxed Performances for two seasons; one show during each production run is reserved as a Relaxed Performance, when everyone in the room commits to being understanding and accommodating of others' sensory needs. Join Marnie to learn how to implement these practices into your library programs and events. 

Based upon research conducted as part of his MLIS degree at Western University, Chris Knapp will focus on how school and public libraries can better serve LGBTQ+ youth by making innovative changes in their physical spacing and composure during reference interviews which can help foster a stronger sense of community and inclusion for youth who often feel excluded. This involves establishing extensive and representative LGBTQ+ collections, providing more thoughtful LGBTQ+ services & programming, and creating safer & more inclusive spacing within the library. The conference session will highlight how spacing, collection development, language (body & verbal), and community partnerships can help expand the knowledge & service capabilities of library staff.

A boisterous event that is as informative as it is entertaining. The audience is encouraged to participate in 'slamming' presenters who showcase their latest reading treasures.

Over the last three years, Fraser Valley Regional Library has been implementing STEAM services and collections, including robots, virtual reality, green screens and ukuleles, with others still to come!  The road to success is paved with technology trend analysis, careful service planning, organizational culture awareness, staff skill development, customer experience analysis, and successful marketing, to name just a few critical elements!  But the results speak for themselves – increased support from your local government, customer delight, and stronger communities.  Learn what FVRL learned the easy way!

Do you have a newspaper digitization project that needs a home? Have you heard about Arca, BC's collaborative digital repository? Want to know the latest about OutLook OnLine, our provincial interlibrary loan management service? Do you know about Points to the Past, primary sources available to all citizens of BC? Come to this session to hear the latest about these provincial collaborative services and how they are making a difference for BC libraries. Sunni Nishimura, project manager for the BC Electronic Library Network and the Electronic Health Library of BC, will tell you what's new and what's on the horizon for BC ELN and eHLbc services including Arca, OutLook OnLine, AskAway, WriteAway, consortial licensing, and Points to the Past.