ASiL Proceedings
Conference Archive
31 sessions
Stacks Maintenance Strikes Back
Kristin Jeter
A facilities issue forced closure of one library, triggering a multi-building stacks management project involving materials movement, shifting, and a full inventory. This…
Pulling Together: A Case Study in Access Services Restructuring
Chuck Austin, Whitney Hilley
In 2023, a large land-grant university library merged Stack Management and high-density storage teams, streamlining material pulling, ingestion, and retrieval. This sessi…
Library of Things in an Academic Library
Sara Trott, Stefanie Hood
Our library's Loanable Equipment collection was reimagined as a Library of Things, focused on the needs of academic and public patrons. The session covers partnerships, f…
Golden Years, Open Stacks: Unlocking Library Access for Retired Scholars
Christy Shorey
A unique partnership gives retired community residents library access equal to faculty, including borrowing, ILL, and e-resources. This case study covers adapting access…
Crafting Recess at the Library: Expanding Wellness Through Creative Expression
Kristin Snawder, Katrina Pareja
To support student well-being, a crafting wellness series was launched at the second main library, offering stress relief, creative expression, and social connection. The…
Beyond the Checkout: the Impact of Equipment Lending on Student Success
Michelle Lewis, Rose Graf, Jennifer Hughes
Our equipment lending program grew from a small in-house service to a major operation with over 400 laptops and 500 calculators. Multi-year analysis shows a positive impa…
The Rules are in the AI: Georgia Tech's Journey with CoPilot Studio
Shandra Jones
This presentation explores how AI-powered Copilot Agents help library staff quickly access procedural information, reducing the learning curve for new employees and ensur…
Students Hiring Students: Challenging Hierarchies and Showcasing Student Expertise
Jackson Brenner-Smith, Lucinda Amerman
At our institution, student employees are involved in recruitment and hiring, helping to shape inclusive, equitable processes. This approach reduces hierarchy, builds stu…
Stacks on Track: Turning Routine Tasks into Rewarding Wins
Susie O'Connor, Julia Markert
Maintaining organized stacks is challenging. Our department used gamification, peer mentoring, and data tracking to motivate student employees for shelf-reading and other…
Re-envisioning the Access Services Unit: A Tale of Two Libraries
Viki Timian, Rosemary Humphrey
Two large public research libraries underwent Access Services reorganizations in 2024, resulting in new models and names for their units. This presentation covers models…
Leadership & Collaboration: The Benefits of a Student Supervisors Working Group
Chelsea Graham
At our institution, over seventy student workers span four campus libraries. A collaborative group of student supervisors streamlines training, expectations, communicatio…
At the Front Desk of Well-Being: How Access Services Supports Student Mental Health
Tisha Zelner, Hali Black
Libraries are reimagining their roles to support student well-being. This presentation offers practical strategies embedded in Access Services, including wellness collect…
Affordable Access: Leveraging Library Resources to Reduce Course Material Costs
Rachel Pisciotta
A collaborative initiative between the library, Provost's Office, and bookstore aims to reduce students' course material costs. By matching bookstore lists to library hol…
You Tell Me - Rethinking Student Employee Evaluation
Jesse Bethany
Writing student employee evaluations is valuable but time-consuming. This presentation explores shifting the bulk of evaluations to student self-reflection during guided…
You Don't Have to Move Out to Move Up: How Libraries Can Cultivate Talent from Within
Danielle Evans, Karen Manning, Michael Justin Ellis
Traditionally, staff seeking advancement had to leave their institution, but new leadership is prioritizing internal growth. This session spotlights four faculty members…
When Rightsizing Feels Wrong: Navigating Access Services Through Institutional Change
Joni Addis
This session reflects on one library's experience with university-wide rightsizing, examining the impact on Access Services and staff. Topics include documentation, cross…
Transforming Course Reserves: Telling the Story of Staff Innovation Through Data and Error Tracking
Danielle Noble
This presentation highlights how Stanford University's Green Library improved its course reserves through innovative tracking, standardized workflows, and effective facul…
Tightening "Loose Fit": Lessons Learned from a 21st Century Library Redesign
Kevin Quick, Randall James
Academic libraries have undergone extensive redesign. This session highlights lessons learned as contemporary designs meet real-world patron use. Attendees will gain insi…
Then and Now: Tracking Two Decades of MLIS Student Motivations and the Future of Access Services
Sydney Richardson, Rebekah Grisham, Patricia West
This presentation compares findings from a 2006 survey of MLIS students to a new 2025 follow-up. It explores how motivations, career outlooks, and professional values hav…
Overcoming Obstacles: How Supervisors can Reduce Student Worker Frustrations Caused by a Demanding Workload
Kathy Nguyen
Student workers often get conflicting instructions and an overwhelming number of tasks. This session outlines how one library improved communication and streamlined task…
Next-Level Library: Revitalizing Our Access Services Student Assistant Program
Catherine Paolillo
A change in leadership and a large graduating class provided an opportunity to enhance our Student Assistant program. This lightning talk covers evaluation, design, imple…
Learning a New Way to Train - Engaging Neurodiverse Student Employees
Alisha Petersen
Traditional training methods do not suit all student workers. This presentation shares a creative, game-based library training toolkit developed to support neurodivergent…
First Day Access: Maximizing Resources, Minimizing Costs, Supporting 1st Day Access
Micki Behounek
This session highlights a library-bookstore initiative ensuring students have required course materials on the first day. Leveraging eReserves, eBooks, OER, and automated…
Everything Has Changed: A Holistic Approach to Evaluating Future Resource Sharing Platforms
Loftan Hooker
A work group investigating Alma for document delivery led to a wider exploration of resource sharing platforms. This session shares the holistic evaluation process, chang…
Elevating the Experience: Blending Traditional and Modern Customer Service Strategies for Library Employees
Adrianna Bennett
Customer service in libraries is evolving. As front-line staff navigate complex patron needs, emotional labor, and shifting expectations, old rules alone aren't enough. T…
Checking In on Self-Checkout: Replacing Patron Facing Tech from Start to Finish
John Cropp
This lightning talk details the process of replacing self-checkout stations, from committee formation to rollout. It covers challenges, solutions, and lessons learned, of…
Can Anyone Cover My Shift? Lessons from Implementing a Location Agnostic Public Services Staffing Model
Maeve Nagel-Frazel, Rocco Labriola
When our institution resumed in-person services post-pandemic, staff shortages required reimagining our public services staffing model. After experimenting, we implemente…
Both/And: Combining New and Old Ways for Publicity, Outreach, and Relatability
C. William Gee
Reaching patrons requires a mix of traditional and modern outreach strategies. This session discusses using print, social media, video, data, and AI to promote library se…
Beyond the Desk: Incorporating Experiential Learning into Student Worker Management
Tucker Constable, Danielle Chouinard
Student workers are vital to access services, but their potential often goes untapped. Our program guides students through individual projects related to their interests,…
Access Services in Focus: Bridging Perspectives to Tackle Shared Challenges
Nava Cohen, Kristine Shrauger
Access Services departments are the backbone of academic libraries, facing challenges like budget cuts, staff shortages, and tech demands. This session compares experienc…
Access Services and Student Success
Michelle Lewis, Rose Graf, Jennifer Hughes
With experience from front-line Access Services to administration, this session examines the long-term impact of library services on student success. Research includes lo…