NSLA Conference 2022 > Program

2022 NSLA Conference Program

Libraries. Communities. Connections.
October 14-16, 2022
Sydney, NS

Welcome
General Information
Schedule

Welcome

We are excited to welcome you to the 2022 Nova Scotia Libraries Association Conference hosted in beautiful Cape Breton-Unama’ki. This is the first in-person conference since 2019 and we are thrilled to safely meet with old friends and make new acquaintances.

The theme of this year’s conference is Libraries. Communities. Connections. Libraries inform, inspire, and connect people through in-person and online services, leading to many impactful experiences for individuals, families, organizations, and businesses in our communities. They provide welcoming spaces where all people can learn, relax, discover, and connect with others. Valuable community partnerships are also fostered and developed through libraries.

The conference keynote speaker on Saturday morning is Mary Beth Doucette. Ms. Doucette is Assistant Professor and Purdy Crawford Chair in CBU’s Shannon School of Business. With her wealth of knowledge and experience in community economic development and her work with reconciliation, she understands the impact of valuable human connections to build strong communities.

The conference will also offer several networking opportunities and time to develop meaningful social connections:

Kick off your socializing at our Friday evening Meet & Greet.
Meet with exhibitors and colleagues during the Saturday luncheon.
Saturday evening’s awards banquet will feature Cape Breton’s comedic duo Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison.

We hope you find this year’s complement of sessions informative and provide you with opportunities to further develop connections with your library communities.

We must thank all of the conference volunteers and the NSLA Board. The conference committees have worked diligently for the past year and we are grateful for your hard work and dedication.

The past two years were filled with professional and personal challenges. This year, more than ever, we need to gather, celebrate and enjoy our time together.

We wish you a fulfilling and fun conference experience – céad míle fáilte!

Sincerely,

TRACY WILSON & LISA MULAK

Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs

General Information

The Venue

The 2022 NSLA Conference is being held at:

Holiday Inn – Sydney Waterfront

300 Esplanade

(902) 562-7500

For more information about the hotel, please visit their website. Delegates are responsible for arranging their own accommodation.

The conference room rate is $149.00/night & tax, single or double occupancy
Specify that you are attending the Nova Scotia Library Association or Group Code LAR
Guest rooms will be available at the conference rate until September 14. After that time rooms will be available on a first come, first serve basis, and conference rate will not be guaranteed.
Check in time is 3 pm.
Check out time is 11 am.
Parking is complementary.

Conference Fees

Early Bird Rate (until September 14) NSLA Members $175/Non-Members $200

After September 14 – NSLA Members $185/Non-Members $210

Saturday Workshop Only Early Bird – NSLA Members $100/Non-Members $110

After September 14 – Saturday Workshop Only – NSLA Members $110/Non-Members $120

(Conference fees include breakfast, lunch, nutrition break and 1 banquet ticket)

Additional Banquet Ticket $45

Conference Registration Form (.docx)

Exhibit Information

Exhibit Hall: Saturday, October 15 9:30am to 4:30pm

Exhibitors play a vital role in our annual conference. They not only introduce their latest services and products to our community, but also provide important sponsorship and support for our conference. Please take the time to visit our exhibitors, show your appreciation, and enter to win some fabulous prizes! On behalf of the 2022 Conference Planning Committee and all of the conference delegates, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of the exhibitors participating in the 2022 NSLA Conference.

Registration Desk Hours

Friday, October 14 12:00pm to 7:00pm

Saturday, October 15 8:00am to 2:00pm

Schedule

Friday October 14

Preconference Sessions

Preconference Session 1
1:00-3:30 pm
It Takes a Community to Create a Guideline

Presenters: Beth Ross, Library Consultant and former County Librarian and Director of Cultural Services for the County of Huron and John Thompson, MLIS, Library Consultant

In the 30 years since they were first formulated, the ARUPLO Guidelines for public library service are now cited in library strategic plans across North America. How did this happen? How did a set of guidelines originally intended for use by rural librarians in Ontario become, to some extent, “the only game in town” when it comes to documenting library service standards? Beth Ross, former County Librarian for Huron County, sat on the original committee, and has supervised three revisions of the guidelines. In this session, she will talk about the development of the ARUPLO Guidelines, and about the role they play today in helping guide managers, consultants, and politicians in their assessment and development of library services. She will discuss the process by which the community of Ontario public librarians initiated, tested, revised, and tested again the guidelines so as to keep them both current and practical.
Those attending will have a chance to work together in a benchmarking exercise for their own libraries, and map out the next steps to further develop and adopt those guidelines here in Nova Scotia.

Preconference Session 2
1:00-4:00pm
Connecting Communities to Medical Information: Bridging the Medical Information Gap.

Presenters: Amanda Andrews, Laura Mounce, Vinson Li, Nova Scotia Health Authority; Darlene Chapman and Andrea Reynolds, IWK Health; and Kelli Woo Shue, Nova Scotia Provincial Library.
At all times, but especially now, it’s important to source quality information to answer health-related information questions. As a health professional, it is valuable to have credible resources to consult to support your profession. It is also important to be able to direct library patrons towards trusted consumer health information. Many sources found online are not credible, nor is the information they provide.
In this 3-part session, participants will receive an introduction – or refresher – to accessible quality health resources: MedlinePlus®, PubMed Central®, and the My COVID Recovery guide; the Cochrane Library; and the collection of health-related pamphlets produced by Nova Scotia Health.

NSLA Board of Directors Meeting – 4:30pm -6:30pm

LBANS Meeting – 4:30-6:30pm

Welcome Reception – 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Sponsored by Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia (LBANS) and Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).

Saturday October 15

Downtown Walking Tour – 7:00am-8:00am

Meet in the hotel lobby at 6:45am.

Breakfast – 7:00am – 9:00am

8:00am-2:00pm – Registration Desk Open

9:30am-4:30pm Exhibits open

Visit our Exhibitors!

Official Opening/ Keynote Address 9:30am-10:30am

Reflecting on Libraries: Places of Knowing, Doing, and Sharing Stories and Experiences.

Keynote address: Mary Beth Doucette, sponsored by Whitehots.

Ms. Doucette is Assistant Professor and Purdy Crawford Chair in CBU’s Shannon School of Business. She is also a band member with Membertou First Nation and a doctoral student in management at St. Mary’s University. She has a B.Eng in industrial engineering from Dalhousie and an MBA in Community Economic Development from CBU. With a focus on interactions between Mi’kmaw and Canadians, Ms. Doucette researches how people in organizations use policies and procedures to share knowledge in culturally informed ways.

Nutrition Break – 10:30am-11:00am

Nutrition Break, Exhibits Area. Sponsored by Library Bound.

Session 1 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Object Lending – the good, the bad, the guitar

Presented by: Denise Corey, Cumberland Public Libraries and Lesley Brann, Colchester-East Hants Public Library
Lesley and Denise will discuss what they’ve learned from lending objects as disparate as snow shoes, radon meters, and telescopes. They will also explore object lending in other library regions. This session will examine both successes and failures learned along the way.

Developing Library Staff to Foster Community and Connections

Presented by: Pam Tracz, Halifax Public Libraries
Creating diverse and welcoming spaces at our Libraries means that staff need to be aware of themselves and their patrons. Over the past two years Halifax Public Libraries have embarked on a staff learning and development program that includes education in library services as well as creating an understanding of communities served. Pam will share HPL’s in-house and low cost approach which fosters a sense of community and connectivity for all.

Nova Scotia Provincial Library Cataloguing: updates and roundtable discussion

Presented by: Elizabeth Parnell, Nova Scotia Provincial Library
This session will include an overview of past projects at the Nova Scotia Provincial Library (NSPL) and adaptations undertaken to serve the library community during the pandemic. Elizabeth will outline current projects being undertaken to create a culturally sensitive catalogue, including 2SLGBTQIA+ and indigenous subject headings.

Creating and Sustaining Community Memories

Presented by:
Alex Morrison, past LBANS Chair (2018-2022), author, and Councillor District 6 Annapolis County
Ron Caplan, author, and publisher of Breton Books
Alex will speak on historical pamphleteering citing its importance in distributing useful, local and educational information. He will advocate for the creation of “memory chronicles” – short pamphlet style publications recalling memories of community history. . They could be commissioned by libraries, friends of library associations, service organizations, businesses and individuals. Attention will be focused on equity, diversity and inclusion with the hopes that they will be written in various languages.

Ron will outline his past and current publishing activities and then proceed to outline his hopes for distribution of his publications such as the 100 or so editions of Cape Breton’s Magazine, the books published by Breton Books. He would like to initiate a system of distribution to universities, schools, public libraries and other appropriate locations.
They will conclude with a suggested organizational structure that could take on the implementation of their ideas.

Session II – 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Meet People Where They Are

Presented by: Ken Williment, Manager of Programming and Community Engagement, HPL, and HPL Community Navigators: Sheena Jamieson and Shawn Gregory
Library staff are known for building strong and trusting relationships with community members. They meet people where they are. As a result, at Halifax Public Libraries (HPL), when community members are going through major life changes or challenges, they often approach library staff for support. In order to meet increasing and more complex community needs, HPL created two new positions: Community Navigators and Community Specialists. These staff sit on the Library Led Social Response Team. This presentation will explore the work of the Social Response Team and roles of Community Navigators at HPL.

Escape Rooms: Opportunities for Library Awareness and Fundraising

Presented by: Katrina Nicholson, Library Assistant, Cape Breton Regional Library
The popularity of escape rooms for all ages lends itself to opportunities for library awareness and fundraising initiatives. Library escape rooms appeal to a demographic that is sometimes challenging to reach. Escape rooms have proven to be a successful fundraiser while showcasing unique collections at the same time. Katrina will run through setting up an Escape Room. Participants will have an opportunity to unlock a puzzle or two.

Gender Affirming Products – A little bit of yarn and a whole lot of community

Presented by Kara Thompson, Marconi Campus Librarian, NSCC
Many librarians like to dip their toes in the fibre arts, whether it is crocheting, knitting, spinning, or all three! Here in Sydney, NS there is a strong fibre arts community of which Kara is a part. Janet Dawson, owner and operator of the Bobbin Tree in Sydney, NS assisted an individual in need of a packer (a prosthetic used to enhance gender). This started a conversation with the fibre arts community about what packers are, and their impact on the transgender community which lead to the creation of Dongalong 2019 – a project where local knitters and crocheters created packers and breast forms for local trans people at no cost to them. The outcome of this project was incredibly positive. This session will review the evolution of the project, its impact on community members as well as ideas on how you (or your library) can assist your local transgender community with gender affirming products.

Talking Sticks and Mi’kmaq Knowledge Sharing**

Presented by Marlene Joudry, Indigenous Outreach Liaison, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Angela Reynolds, Acting CEO, Annapolis Valley Regional Library
Marlene is a Mi’kmaq artist and community organizer whose work with AVRL has helped to build library partnerships and cultural competencies for staff. Marlene and Angela will lead a hands-on session on making and using talking sticks, a powerful tool and symbol used to help solve problems and let people express themselves freely. All supplies will be provided. Space is limited.

**This session requires registration.

Lunch & Exhibit Hall Viewing 1:00-2:30pm

Lunch sponsored by Nova Scotia Provincial Library.

Session III – 2:30pm-3:30pm

Identity Crisis: Interregional Panel on Websites and Rebranding

Presented by: Tiffany Bartlett, CEO Colchester-East Hants Public Library, Erin Comeau, Regional Library Director, Western Counties Regional Library, Lisa Mulak, Regional Librarian Cape Breton Regional Library.
Moderator: Sarah Wood, Head of Community Engagement, Colchester-East Hants Public Library
Effective, accessible websites and brands are key to building connections with patrons. Join us for a lively discussion from a panel representing three regional libraries that recently embarked on new branding and website development. Learn more about our trials and triumphs – what we learned through this process, what we wish we knew starting out.

Not Just Drag Queen Storytime: Anticipate, Welcome and Celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+

Presented by: Elinor Crosby and Anneka Janes.
2SLGBTQIA+ community members are a vital part of a rich community tapestry, and as revealed in the most recent census data, Nova Scotia has the highest gender diversity in Canada amongst 15 to 34-years olds. The 2SLGBTQIA+ staff team at Halifax Public Libraries has been hard at work since Spring 2021 to increase the capacity of HPL to better anticipate, welcome, and celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Using a DEI philosophy adapted from author and activist S. Bear Bergman, Elinor will share some of the unique initiatives undertaken in 2021-22 to support staff learning & development leading to strong library partnerships with the 2SLGBQIA+ community.

Books We’re in it together

Presented by: Angela Reynolds, Author and Acting CEO Annapolis Valley Regional Library and Hilary Briar, Communications Assistant, Annapolis Valley Regional Library
Nova Scotia is home to small publishers, printers, independent bookstores, and many local authors. How does the book arts community work together? You’ll hear from newly published author, Angela Reynolds, and her experiences working with a small press. Hilary will give an overview of working with small bookstores, publishers, printers, and authors to bring the whole book community together.

Self-Exploration through Paint at the Library 2:30- 4:00 pm**

Presented by: Joanna Jarvis, Library Clerk, Western Counties Regional Library
Joanna will lead this hands-on session, demonstrating the many benefits of hosting paint nights at your library. Joanna’s approach is one of self exploration rather than “copy the sample”. Joanna emphasizes that participants are there to have fun and hopefully create a lasting picture, form new friendships and a love of painting. Session participants will receive water colour instruction. All supplies will be provided. Space is limited.
**This session requires registration.

Pre-dinner Meet & Greet 6:30pm-7:00pm

Dinner and NSLA Awards Banquet 7:00pm-9:00pm

Entertainment: Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison

Banquet and Entertainment Generously Sponsored by Atlantic Book Ltd.

Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison

Cape Breton’s finest comedic duo, Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison have delighted audiences worldwide. Sit back and prepare to be entertained at the antics of their unique and lively characters. Bette and Maynard will be sure to connect the audience to Cape Breton culture welcoming you to our island community.

Following the banquet, the fun continues with live entertainment at The Crown and Moose Pub, located adjacent to the hotel lobby.

Congratulations to all NSLA 2022 award recipients!

Sunday October 16

Breakfast 7:30am-9:30am

NSLA Annual General Meeting – 8:00am – 9:30am

LBANS Annual General Meeting – 8:30am – 9:30am

Session IV – 9:30am-10:30am

Engaging & Celebrating African Nova Scotia Communities

Presented by: Crystal Mulder, Halifax Public Libraries
Learn about issues impacting African Nova Scotians, discover creative ways to engage and connect members of this community. Chanae and Crystal will share partnership opportunities that support heritage and culture initiatives. This session will help you create inclusive, equitable services and programs that invite the participation of African Nova Scotians in your Library.

Resilient Together: Building School and Public Library Partnerships

Presented by: Carmelita Cechetto-Shea, School Library Consultant, CBVRCE
This session will discuss the importance and need for partnerships between school and public libraries. Innovative literacy collaboration is essential for communities to help their children grow and develop in an ever-changing world, and all libraries remain the foundation for literacy achievement in any setting, rural or urban. With funding for school libraries often declining, in addition to staffing issues, now more than ever is the time to think of the future of literacy for children and all learners. Public libraries are treasured institutions that have long supported the literacy goals of schools in their communities. Examples of successful partnerships will be explored with a multitude of ideas for moving forward to build on current and potential collaboration projects in Nova Scotia.

How to Communicate Your Library’s Value Through Earned Media

Presented by: Kasia Morrison, Halifax Public Libraries
Attracting the attention of news media is not easy. It must be earned. Luckily for you, libraries are awesome and newsworthy. Learn the basics of using media relations to better connect with your community, and hear plenty of practical and adaptable tips and tricks for communicating your library’s value through earned media. The session is designed for busy librarians and library workers with little to no formal training or experience in media relations.

Thank you for attending the 2022 NSLA Conference. Safe travels!

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