Our intrepid events team organizes webinars to grow your skills, online panel discussions to keep your mind sharp, and networking calls to keep you connected.
Programming is curated by METRO staff and our interest groups. Registration is required for participation in our workshops, meetups, and symposia.
Please review our Code of Conduct. Also, see our Statement on Viewpoints and details on Interpreter Services.
Current and Upcoming Events
Displaying results 1 - 9 of 9
Tackling Misinformation: What Information Professionals Need To Know About The Manosphere
Online/Virtual Event
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.
Tour and Social Hour: Democracy Now! Studio & Archive
Presentation
Join us for a behind-the-scenes studio and archive tour of Democracy Now!, one of the leading U.S.-based independent daily news broadcasts in the world. Founded in 1996, Democracy Now! provides reporting including breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues.
Following the tour, join us for a social hour at a nearby location to connect with fellow local library and archives workers.
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. Registration will be closed by Tuesday, November 6th.
Where?
This event is in person at Democracy Now! headquarters located in Manhattan, New York City. Due to privacy reasons, we will send the location to registrants directly by Friday, November 8th.
Foundations Of Data Visualization: Theory And Techniques
Online/Virtual Event
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.
Leaving The Door Open: A People-Centered Approach To Management
Online/Virtual Event
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.
Tour & Social Hour: The Institute For Studies On Latin American Art
Presentation
Join us for a tour of our fall exhibitions at the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), Luis Fernando Benedit: Invisible Labyrinths and Dueñas de la Noche: Trans Lives and Dreams in 1980s Caracas. Visitors will also be able to visit the Research Center, which houses the ISLAA Library and Archives.
Luis Fernando Benedit: Invisible Labyrinths explores a pivotal period of work by the Argentine artist Luis Fernando Benedit (1937–2011), highlighting his undeniable contributions to the international development of Conceptualism and Systems art. Organized in three sections, it presents his paintings, Plexiglas environments for plants and animals, and experimental installations from the 1960s and ’70s, alongside original notebooks, photographs, and videos from the Luis Benedit collection and the Centro de Arte y Comunicación (CAYC) collection in the ISLAA Library and Archives. Many of the materials from the Centro de Arte y Comunicación collection that are on view have been digitized and made available through a partnership with the International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA) at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH).
Dueñas de la Noche: Trans Lives and Dreams in 1980s Caracas features Trans, a 1982 documentary by filmmakers Manuel Herreros de Lemos and Mateo Manaure Arilla that follows a group of Venezuelan trans women in early 1980s Caracas as they share their dreams and demonstrate their resilience against the backdrop of the city. Expanding on an exhibition produced through the 2023 ISLAA Artist Seminar Initiative at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard), it marks the first time Trans is shown in New York City, providing an intimate look at these women’s experiences as sex workers, their aspirations, and their community. The exhibition includes portraits of the women in the film, which were taken in exchange for their participation, alongside ephemera related to its production and reception from the Manuel Herreros de Lemos and Mateo Manaure Arilla archive in the ISLAA Library and Archives.
About ISLAA:
The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) supports the study and visibility of Latin American art. ISLAA recognizes Latin American artists and cultural movements as integral to the trajectory of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art. We seek to expand these narratives by creating opportunities for researchers, curators, and the public through grants, exhibitions, publications, and our art and archival collections.
Following the tour, join us for a social hour at a nearby location to connect with fellow local library and archives workers.
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.
Applying Techniques: Designing Your Own Library Data Visualizations
Online/Virtual Event
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.
Support For Early Career Librarians: Library School & The First Five Years
Workshop
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.
Abolitionist Futures: A PLSN Discussion Group / Featuring Dean Spade
Interest Group Meeting
Join the Prison Library Support Network for the last Abolitionist Futures meeting of 2024. We are beyond thrilled to be hosting the incredible Dean Spade as our guest. As part of this conversation, we’ll discuss Dean Spade’s Mutual Aid (a resource PLSN has used directly in its organizing work), and ways that groups like our own can work through difficult conversations, major organizing decisions, and structural change -- all while remaining accountable to our stakeholders (specifically -- the folks inside who rely on PLSN’s work!).
More recommended discussion materials will be shared with our listservs very soon.
This virtual event will be free to attend, but we’ll briefly discuss our 2024 PLSN fundraiser and share info on how to donate.
Case Studies In Critical Pedagogy
Online/Virtual Event
Join METRO’s Reference and Instruction Interest Group for a conversation about decolonial perspectives - practices and frameworks - in librarianship. For the upcoming 2025 Critical Pedagogy Symposium on Decentering the West, the Case Studies in Critical Pedagogy will feature case studies and a primer for learning about and thinking about anti-colonial theory and pedagogy together.
A call for proposals for this event is open through November 15th. Find more information here, and submit your proposals here.