UPDATE: Unfortunately, we made the decision to cancel this event due to low registration. However, we hope to reschedule the workshop in 2025, so please stay tuned! A Beginner's Guide to Failure is a half-day cohort experience that teaches library workers how to celebrate failure–really! Instead of viewing failure as evidence of something lacking, this short course endeavors to help individuals better integrate failure as part of being fully human, taking creative risks, and growing critical skills and mindsets for learning organizations. In other words, despite the common misconception, failure is the rule, not the exception, and more failure actually leads to better ideas, creative solutions, and more productive workplaces! This workshop draws on teachings in emotional intelligence, psychology, philosophy, and culture. Our specific goals and objectives for this workshop are to: Encourage critical engagement and exploration of the concept of failure in our lives, especially, but not exclusively, our work lives; Experiment with new ways of failing productively, including design-thinking and prototyping approaches; Explore stories of failure in library-settings, normalizing the experience of failure; Experience failure as part of a work of beauty and impermanence; and Help workers orient themselves and develop unique connections to fellow workers in a shared spirit of celebrating failure. Lunch will be served. About the Instructor: A.M. Alpin is a creative librarian and educator who teaches creative workshops at NYU, the Made in NY Media Lab, and other institutions. In addition to producing countless failures, she is the past recipient of the Sundance Institute's Sheila C. Johnson Creative Producing Fellowship, the American Library Association's Advocacy & Innovation in Library History Award, and the Association of College & Research Libraries' Outstanding Professional Development Award. Her creative work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, the Independent Filmmaker Project, the Austin Film Society, the Southern Humanities Media Fund, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This session will provide and talk through practical tips for supporting the agency of autistic and neurodivergent individuals in your library. Led by Bailey Hoffner, an adult-diagnosed autistic librarian, the session will encourage attendees to ask questions such as: What are specific ways of thinking that aren't serving your entire community, and how might you work towards a neuro-affirming, universal design? What are things that you and your library are doing because you think you should and which of those things could be dropped to better support autistic and neurodivergent individuals? What parts of yourself may need tending to make the necessary paradigm shift towards more neuro-affirming practices? Participants will walk away with actionable steps they can take in nearly all areas of librarianship, from more inclusive ways to engage with patrons to better policies to support all workers. About our presenter: Bailey Hoffner is an artist, writer, mother, partner, and PDA autistic, white woman. She currently serves as the Metadata Librarian for Digital Resources and Discovery Services at Oklahoma State's Edmon Low Library. In her own research and creative work, she is interested in investigating ways in which metadata and descriptive practices have the power to uphold or dismantle the structural racism, sexism, ableism, and discrimination inherent in their creation and use, with a particular interest in the representation of autistic experience in library work and library metadata. Please review our Code of Conduct, our Statement on Viewpoints, and details on Interpreter Services.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, one of the world’s premier collections of botanical literature from throughout world history, and the largest such archive in the Western Hemisphere. The Mertz Library promotes the intelligent stewardship of the natural world by collecting and preserving works of merit in botany, horticulture, and landscape design. Following the tour, connect with colleagues and enjoy the Wonderland: Curious Nature exhibition, explore the grounds, or find a spot to sit and chat with one another for a while. If you are interested in visiting the Conservatory or using the tram, those will require a paid ticket, but you are able to fully enjoy the grounds of the garden by foot. Transportation: The Metro North is by far the easiest way to get to NYBG. The Botanical Garden stop on the Harlem line will let you off right across from the Mosholu gate, which is the closest entrance to the Library. Limited parking spaces will be available to attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis; please let us know at checkout if you will require parking. Please note: Space is limited, so if you’ve secured a spot but then find you’re unable to join, please let us know so we can open your spot to someone on the waitlist.

Understanding the "manosphere" -- a discursive online space occupied by a loose confederacy of interest groups encompassing a wide range of ideologies and beliefs centered on reinforcing patriarchy -- is important for information professionals for many reasons. First, many manosphere sites act as echo chambers which significantly contribute to the spread of misinformation and hate speech. Narratives on the manosphere tend to reinforce rigid gender binaries and hierarchies. These narratives negate the humanity of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, fueling the biased logic underlying discriminatory policies such as banning books in public libraries that contain LGBTQ+ content. Being aware of manosphere ideologies and their online presence is also crucial for academic librarians as they attempt to educate students on recognizing and critically evaluating sources of misinformation. Information professionals need to understand what the manosphere is, how it operates, how it impacts our patron’s lives, and how to effectively counteract the misogynistic, racist, and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric it perpetuates. Following this webinar, attendees will be able to: Define the origin of manosphere and the spectrum of ideologies that it encompasses (including misogynist incels, Men’s Rights Activists, Pick Up Artists, and Men Going Their Own Way/MGTOW) Recognize key manosphere sites and understand how they contribute to the spread of misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and racist, misinformation Identify key resources and tools for effectively combating manosphere rhetoric and misinformation About our presenter: Robin O’Hanlon (she/her) currently serves as the Associate Librarian for User Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She is a doctoral student in criminal justice at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Her research interests include male supremacist violence, criminalization of abortion and pregnancy, and crimes of power. Robin is also a mentee at the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism (IRMS), an intersectional feminist organization that brings together experts from inside and outside of academia to analyze and expose the dangers of misogynist ideology and mobilization. Her research on misogynistic extremism has appeared in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Please review our Code of Conduct, our Statement on Viewpoints, and details on Interpreter Services.

Join us for an exploration of core principles of data visualization and their application within library settings. This session will introduce fundamental concepts and techniques for visualizing both qualitative and quantitative data. We will cover visualization methods, including charts, graphs, and infographics, and discuss how these tools can enhance data storytelling, support decision-making, and create meaningful visual representations of library data. By the end of this session, attendees will be able to: Understand key principles of effective data visualization Recognize and differentiate between various visualization types and their best uses for qualitative and quantitative data Assess the effectiveness of different visualization methods in communicating complex library insights This is Part 1 of a 2-part series. Find out more about Part 2 here. About our presenter: Jordan Packer (she/her) is a data analyst and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. As the Senior Data Analyst for the Assessment Program at Columbia University Libraries, Jordan leads library assessment and analytics initiatives, supports colleagues in their own assessment projects, and collaborates with staff to effectively build data analysis tools. Additionally, Jordan serves as a part-time faculty member at the Parsons School of Design, where she teaches undergraduate courses, such as Information Visualization and Politics and Ethics of Design. Please review our Code of Conduct, our Statement on Viewpoints, and details on Interpreter Services.

Among the many styles and theories of management, using a people-centered approach can provide many benefits for your library team. According to Workramp, “People-centric leadership means taking an empathetic, compassionate approach to managing team members. People-centric leaders are invested in their employees, both in their professional success, and in their overall well-being.” This approach can create a thriving work-place where employees feel valued, which leads to greater team morale, longer retention, better collaboration and teamwork, as well as increased creativity, productivity, and meaningful communication. This webinar will introduce the concept of a people-centered approach to management, how it compares to other management styles, and how leaders and managers can successfully incorporate aspects of this style into their library. Participants will learn: The meaning of people-centered leadership and the theories behind it The benefits as well as possible challenges to a people-centered style of leadership What makes a people-centered leader Specific ways to incorporate the elements of people-centered leadership into the workplace Resources and tools for becoming a more people-centered manager or leader About our presenter: Rhonda Evans is the Director of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library at the New York Botanical Garden, one of the largest and most comprehensive botanical libraries in the world. Rhonda joined NYBG from the New York Public Library where she held various roles over eight years. For most of her tenure at NYPL she was the Assistant Chief Librarian at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rhonda has written for multiple library publications, including Libraries: Culture, History, and Society, Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, and the anthology The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening. Rhonda is very active within the museum and library professions. She was the former Co-Chair of the History Committee for the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Rhonda has served as the Chair of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Intellectual Freedom Round Table, was an ALA presidential appointee to the Intellectual Freedom Committee, she recently worked with Lincoln Center on the Legacies of San Juan Hill Project, and currently serves on the board of the Museums Council of New York City. Rhonda has also taught in the MLIS program at Pratt Institute. Prior to entering the library profession, Rhonda was a practicing attorney in New York.

This interactive workshop builds on foundational concepts covered in the first session, Foundations of Data Visualization: Theory and Techniques. Scheduled three weeks later to allow time for individual practice, this session provides an opportunity for participants to workshop their own data visualizations. Participants will engage in discussions about their data visualizations, receive and provide constructive feedback, and develop strategies to make their library data more accessible and impactful. By the end of this session, attendees will be able to: Apply visualization techniques to create compelling and effective representations of library data Critically evaluate and refine your visualizations through peer feedback and iteration Develop an approach to using visualization tools and techniques tailored to your specific data and goals This is Part 2 of a 2-part series. Find out more about Part 1 here. About our presenter: Jordan Packer (she/her) is a data analyst and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. As the Senior Data Analyst for the Assessment Program at Columbia University Libraries, Jordan leads library assessment and analytics initiatives, supports colleagues in their own assessment projects, and collaborates with staff to effectively build data analysis tools. Additionally, Jordan serves as a part-time faculty member at the Parsons School of Design, where she teaches undergraduate courses, such as Information Visualization and Politics and Ethics of Design. Please review our Code of Conduct, our Statement on Viewpoints, and details on Interpreter Services.

So you want to be an information worker? Congratulations and welcome to the noble and complex world of public service! An MLS/MLIS degree can prepare you for a lot of the technical side of things, but it may not prepare you for the everyday reality of the work. Join Brooklyn Public Library's Emma Karin Eriksson for a seminar on what to expect in the first five years of your information career. Designed for both current students and early career library workers, you'll hear about her journey, and gain practical tips about what the work is really like. Following this event, participants will be able to: Understand strategies for standing out in the job market Confidently handle networking opportunities Determine and set goals for success in their first five years Participants will not only gain valuable and honest information from an experienced professional, they will also have the opportunity to: Meet peers and make connections Pick up a goodie bag filled with professional development swag Enjoy lunch, which will be provided for all participants Bring all the questions you have about a career in libraries! Please review our Code of Conduct, our Statement on Viewpoints, and details on Interpreter Services.