Welcome to the Libraratory! 2024 VLA/VLACRL Annual Conference

This poster presents the development and implementation of a new library undergraduate experiential learning student worker program centered on accessibility related projects that arise from suggestions from our Center for Accessibility Services and Occupational Therapy partners such as marketing accessible spaces in the library or creating inclusive and accessible events.

Learn about our successes and our challenges circulating camping gear as a part of your Library of Things, including tents, sleeping bags, hiking poles, backpacks and more! CGL and MRL are working to make getting outdoors more inclusive for all.

Libraries play a crucial role in addressing community needs beyond traditional book lending services. This poster presents the Nursing Mothers' Room project at the Hopewell Library. By providing a dedicated space for breastfeeding mothers within the library premises, this project addresses a critical need in the community. Access to a comfortable and private environment not only encourages breastfeeding mothers to visit the library but also supports their overall well-being and contributes to the health of their infants. Furthermore, public libraries play a significant role in promoting community health literacy, and access to resources. By integrating the Nursing Mothers' Room into its services, the Hopewell Public Library demonstrates its commitment to meeting the diverse needs of its patrons. This forward-thinking approach not only enhances the library's relevance but also fosters a culture of inclusivity and support within the community.

Our poster will show the results of a study on current efforts used by college and university libraries in Virginia to promote library careers with students and efforts to hire and retain a more diverse library workforce.

Dive into the world of NFC tags, Robotics, and Plicker technologies to supercharge information literacy! This session unveils cutting-edge tools and creative solutions to engage learners and revolutionize library services. Join us for an exciting exploration of tech innovations reshaping our libraries.

When the campus closed in March 2020, Brightpoint Community College Library cooked up an emergency laptop program for students without computer access. What began as an experiment patched between various departments has grown into an essential, success-supporting library program.

You've got patrons -- lots of them! But where are they coming from? A Streamlit-based web application, developed in-house, visualizes patron locations across Jefferson-Madison Regional Library's service area. Heatmaps, scatter plots, and histograms show geographic usage patterns filtered by home branch, frequent branch, and funding jurisdiction. Live demo: https://bit.ly/jmrl-usage-map

What makes comic books and graphic novels special? Artwork? Stories? Characters? Moral values? All of the above? Comics and graphic novels present a more digestible reality than a realistic presentation of the horrific facts. Comics and graphic novels in your library help young readers learn through a popular medium.

Before JMU's Carrier Library closed for a 3-year renovation and expansion, the library’s Communications & Outreach team created a new map to promote alternate study spaces in over 30 buildings across campus. Learn how we forged cross-campus partnerships and leveraged dozens of channels to develop and promote this new resource.

Shake-up your reference interview practice! The V/Sieve method is not new; however, we have honed the “V” to aid librarians and users in the teaching and learning process during reference interactions. Visit our poster, and let's discuss how this method can structure your reference interactions while creating a useful visualization tool for the user.

Are you interested in helping students currently enrolled in Library School? Then consider joining the VLA’s Scholarship Committee! Each year the Scholarship Committee awards financial scholarships to deserving Virginia students. Serving on the committee has a low time-commitment, and you will make a tangible difference in our professional community.

Are you part of a department looking to increase communication and establish routines, or a supervisor inundated by delegation and juggling daily tasks and long-term projects? Come explore examples of visual task management systems—e.g. task trackers and bulletin boards—and take ready-made resources to implement them with you.