In our annual brainstorm/planning meeting we checked our notes for any major commemoration dates and said, “oh yeah! The Declaration of Independence turns 250 in 2026!” Polling the group for ideas yielded mostly that we wanted to think about some more. We picked a month during the year for a book display we called “Happy Birthday America!” Additionally we wrote, “ and something else—TBD.” After lots of healthy dialogue and finding some inspiration in one of our databases, our “TBD” became a film project with 60+ readers volunteering to read the words of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Come hear the story of our very own bold experiment. Were people excited? Yes! Were people concerned? Also yes! Did we all immediately agree what this project should look like? Not a chance!
Presenters will discuss the digitization process of items in their collections that may ultimately be placed in their online digital libraries/repositories. Details may include equipment, server space for storage, file formats, back-up files, copyright considerations, editing software, content management systems, etc. The purpose is to help others get started or needing tips/advice.
Library and information services professionals work in an industry that offers a tremendous volume of conferences, webinars, and professional service opportunities. However, navigating these environments to expand your professional network can sometimes feel daunting, complicated, or time consuming for both new and experienced professionals. Join members of the MOBIUS Professional Development and Training Committee Brandy Brady (Board Representative) and Robert Powers (Chair) for an interactive introduction to networking, honing your elevator speech, and the chance to speed-network with session attendees. Get on your feet and network!
Discover how to plan events that promote mental well-being and offer participants a creative outlet for stress relief. Mental health concerns among college students are increasing. With libraries serving as one of the few welcoming third spaces on campus, offering activities that promote well-being and help relieve stress can provide meaningful support for students. Mizzou Libraries have always placed an emphasis on outreach events, but it was sporadic and not strategic. In 2024, an outreach and engagement committee was formed to help coordinate outreach efforts where outreach is everyone's responsibility. Since its inception, the outreach and engagement committee has planned several successful--and unsuccessful-events that have given committee members the opportunity to contribute to student success and belonging. The events have become increasingly popular, with many students attending regularly and bringing friends. Participants also build meaningful connections with librarians, archivists, and library staff, which can help reduce library anxiety. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Design and implement low‑barrier library programs that promote mental well‑being through creative, stress relief-focused activities. Position the library as a welcoming third space that fosters student belonging and emotional safety on campus. Apply a strategic, committee‑based approach to outreach and engagement, shifting from sporadic programming to coordinated, sustainable efforts. Assess outreach initiatives and use both successful and unsuccessful events to inform continuous improvement and future planning. Use informal engagement opportunities to reduce library anxiety and build positive, approachable relationships between students and library staff.
Game Nights, Wellness Weeks, Book Clubs, Craft Nights…It seems like every conference is filled with activity and programming ideas for getting students' attention and keeping them in the library. Everyone loves student engagement, but most of us don’t have a dedicated librarian to plan and run these programs. As a Research and Instruction Librarian who does programming “in my spare time”, I had to develop methods to build a consistent roster of activities without burning out. In this session, I will share some strategies that I have used to maximize student engagement when I have minimal time to spare.
MOBIUS is one of largest organizations using FOLIO and, as such, should have a significant voice in the product's development. In the FOLIO community, communication and collaboration are key. That means that MOBIUS as a whole needs to increase our community recognition and involvement. More voices in the community, more votes on development projects, means more of a say the the direction FOLIO moves. In this session, Vivian talks about how we go about doing that. We'll discuss special interest groups (SIGs), where most of the conversations take place about how FOLIO works, and about how we want it to work. We'll talk about development teams, so when someone refers to "Folijet" or "Volaris", you'll know what - and who - they're talking about. And we'll talk about key community figures, and how you can become one. And we might get a bit of Gen Alpha slang, just for the fun of it.
AI systems are more robust than ever and are being used daily by many, including those conducting and facilitating research. In this roundtable, the presenters will introduce the current state of AI Involvement in academic publishing, from the peer review process, to GenAI paper mills. We intend for the roundtable to generate conversations about the reality of research in the age of AI and the possible ways to navigate the inevitable while providing rich academic support.
