Panhandle Academic Libraries Conference

Join us for the fifth annual Panhandle Academic Libraries Conference on July 14, 2023, at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, FL.

Virtual Option: Only the keynote will be livestreamed and recorded. If you cannot attend the conference but want to view the keynote, register on Zoom here.

Keynote

Creating Belongingness for the Whole Person: The Library Makerspace with Elisandro Cabada: To effectively support the educational needs of our academic communities, libraries must also address the many challenges our users experience as a whole person. Our users do not utilize library services without bringing their whole lives. To find belongingness, we must help our users navigate the complex ecosystem of resources at our institutions and communities to address their many needs around mental and physical wellness, as much as for research and learning. While the library cannot provide all these services alone, as the last true community spaces in our society and last informal learning environments, we can provide a unique value by bringing these important resources into our spaces. By working with institutional and community partners, we can bring their services and resources into the daily lives of our users, which increasingly includes the library as the last “third” place in academia. In this talk, we will discuss how library makerspaces as interdisciplinary innovation hubs with access to emerging technologies and tools allow for a wider scope of service and impact by providing outreach and engagement programming through the lens of pure creation, fun, breaking barriers, and experimentation to make the learning experience more approachable and accessible for all of our users.

Elisandro Cabada is the Emerging Technologies and Immersive Scholarship Librarian at the Grainger Engineering Library where he leads the technology-rich IDEA Lab Digital Scholarship Center (idealab.illinois.edu). Elisandro is an Assistant Professor in the University Library and in the engineering-based Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include studying barriers to access, pedagogical affordances, and the application of emerging technologies in research and learning. Elisandro is a 2021 recipient of the ALA RUSA Best Emerging Technology Application (BETA) Award, was named a 2022 Library Journal Mover and Shaker for Innovation, and was elected in 2023 as the next President of ACRL.

Breakout Sessions

Fun with Student Learning Outcomes with Connie Head and Sarah Snider
What do you want students to know? How will you know when they’ve learned it? These two questions are the starting point for planning a learning experience. Come ready to craft measurable SLOs specific to the class, student, or discipline.

Chatbot 101: Artificial Intelligence and Information Literacy with David Russell, Liam O’Leary, Sarah Snider, and Connie Head
Let’s discuss how librarians can harness AI in information literacy instruction so that students acquire and build information and digital literacy skills. Leave with ideas for creating lessons and continuing the conversations on your campus.

Unconventional Embedded Librarianship: Finding Opportunities for Student Engagement in Small Liberal Arts Colleges with Malachai Darling
It’s easy to see a lack of resources as a reason to not provide quality services. In this session, there will be a presentation on what one college did to start engaging users through embedded librarianship to meet the specific needs of their users.

Building Community Connections through the NEA Big Read Grant with Jennifer Hofer, Barbara Hughey Reardon, and Kestrel Ward
This presentation will discuss how the NEA Big Read provides an opportunity for academic libraries to form meaningful relationships with their local public libraries and other community organizations while fostering cultural awareness and exchange. Slides

Undergraduate Information Literacy: Trapping them in the Ivory Tower or Equipping them with Real World Skills? with Melissa Davis and Maria Goodspeed
Are we teaching information literacy skills that will serve students for their lives outside of college? Or are these skills only applicable within the ivory tower or academia? What skills do employers and life require?

Serving the Public in an Academic Library: Discussing Best Practices and Policies for Non-Student Patrons with David Russell, Liam O’Leary, and Jules Bailey
This session will provide a forum for panelists to share current practices and policies regarding non-student patrons in their respective institutions. Panelists will engage in a moderated discussion about developing and revising policies to meet the needs of student and non-student patrons and will cover such topics as security concerns, prioritizing resources, etc. The panel will conclude with a Q&A session for attendees to engage in the discussion.

Unconference with Mike Meth
Unconferences are trying to turn the conference method on its head. Rather than attending prepared sessions that have been submitted by speakers and were selected by the conference committee, in this interactive session you get to propose the topics. This unconference session will provide an opportunity to discuss topics that are current for you and reflect what’s on your mind. No preparation for this session is required. Just bring your questions and ideas and flow with the conversation. 

Some Local Hotels

Holiday Inn Panama City
Courtyard Panama City
Hotel Indigo Panama City
Hilton Garden Inn Panama City
Hampton Inn & Suites Panama City Beach
Homewood Suites by Hilton Panama City Beach

Some Local Restaurants

History Class Brewing Company
El Weirdo
Bayou Joe’s
Uncle Ernie’s Bayfront Bar & Grill
Pepper’s Mexican Cantina
Hunt’s Oyster Bar
Los Antojitos Mexican Restaurant
Captain’s Table Fish House Restaurant
Burgunbarrell
Hunt & Gather Raw Bar & Pub
Boricuba Cafe

Pre-Conference Workshop: We have a limited number of spaces available for Privacy and Learning Analytics: Considerations in Assessment Skills, Knowledge, and Values for Prioritizing Privacy in Library Learning Analytics, which will be held on July 13, 2023 from 1 to 4 PM CT at Gulf Coast State College.

Support Our Sponsors