What an event! On February 24-25, library staff, industry experts, and BiblioCommons gathered together (virtually, of course!) for BiblioCon ’21. The event was a fabulous way for public libraries to learn from one another about best practices, how to use BiblioCommons' tools effectively, and new services that are coming down the pipeline. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions during sessions and have them answered at the end of each session or throughout the conference. Event participants networked with one another by joining online communities, attending virtual meetups, and participating in a speed networking session, as well as a casual Happy Hour event.
"I love that you provide this event to your customers every year. I learned so much and have so many new ideas to make our website even better."
On day one of the conference, attendees were welcomed by Michael R. Colford, Director of Library Services at Boston Public Library and Co-chair of BiblioCon. Michael set the stage and acknowledged all the hard work that libraries have done in this past year as the online library experience became the only library experience for many because of the pandemic.
Michael R. Colford, Director of Library Services at Boston Public Library and Co-chair of BiblioCon, welcomed all BiblioCon ’21 attendees during the opening keynote.
The opening keynote followed with a warm welcome from Sebastien Lopes, BiblioCommons GM, and continued with an in-depth presentation from Marty Tarle, Senior Vice President of Operations at BiblioCommons. Marty shared ways public libraries can learn to take advantage of and embrace the shift to digital technology and accelerate their digital transformation.
During the opening keynote, BiblioCommons announced the launch of BiblioEmail, an email marketing tool created specifically for libraries. With BiblioEmail, libraries can use existing content from BiblioWeb, BiblioEvents, and BiblioCore to send patrons emails filled with visually rich content tailored to their interests. Libraries can get in touch with us to learn more about BiblioEmail and find out if the solution is a good fit for them.
Attendees were sent off to the first session of their choosing from one of the three available tracks by Erica Reynolds, Vice President of Library Engagement. Erica closed the keynote with enthusiasm and shared the inside scoop on participating in a BiblioCon ’21 photo contest.
BiblioCon featured over 60 speakers from libraries across the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand. Sessions spanned three tracks. Attendees could stick to one track or hop around to learn the latest marketing and strategy tips, public service online ideas, and pointers on how to best use the BiblioCommons suite of products and services, as well as BiblioCommons roadmap sessions.
"I most enjoyed the seminar about upgrading your marketing during COVID. Hearing from a seasoned Library marketing professional brought up key issues working in the Library promotion market, the challenges, and how to reformulate thinking around them."
Library speakers and BiblioCommons staff shared so much inspiring content that it would be impossible to cover it all here! Some of the highlights are below.
Corina Pedraza, Library Associate, Ashley Rayner, Branch Manager, Stephen Sposato, Manager, Content Curation, and Justin Shannin, Library Associate - Teen Services from Chicago Public Library led a session titled, “Connect with Your Communities: Amplifying Staff Voices for Engaging Content.” Together, they shared how Chicago Public Library staff come together to create readers’ advisory web content that reflects the 77 community areas they serve and features a range of staff voices, interests, and experiences.
Cordelia Anderson, CEO of Cordelia Anderson Consulting gave us tips on how libraries can tell their stories, demonstrate relevance, and grow usership in the midst of shutdowns, closures, and limited services in her session, “Strengthening Your Marketing During COVID-19.”
Participants had the opportunity to dive deep into using Google Analytics data that’s integrated into the BiblioCommons products to better serve patrons in a session led by BiblioCommons experts, Natasha Hesch, Director of Product, and Francisco Canas, Staff Engineer.
Building and curating for every community is no easy task, but Jessica Pryde, Online Services Librarian, and Jen Maney, Online Services Manager, from Pima County Public Library showed us how they do this through pages directed at specific age groups and communities, staff accounts for list and comment creation for the Library’s Affinity Teams, and the creation of content around specific needs, interests, and celebrations.
In the session, “Polish Your Profiles, Promote Your People,” Polli Kenn, Readers' Service Coordinator from Lawrence Public Library, and Gregg Winsor, Reference Librarian - Readers' Advisory from Johnson County Library taught us the importance of not neglecting library staff profiles and creating individual staff and group staff accounts that are engaging and appeal to patrons.
In early fall 2020, the team at Jefferson County Library embarked on a full redesign of the Online Library section of their website, comprising 63 pages and more than 120 online databases and resources. The new, modernized and more-navigable pages highlight resources by audience, format, and topic. Hallie Kaiser, Web Content Coordinator, and Joanna Waggoner, Digital Experience Librarian, share their progress and key project findings in their engaging session titled, “Redesigning the Online Library Experience: A 2020 Case Study.”
In the session, “Listening and Lists: Using BiblioCommons for Readers’ Advisory and Audiobooks,” Kaite Stover, Director of Readers' Services, and Diana Platt, Virtual Resources Librarian, from Kansas City Public Library, shared how to build audiobook lists that highlight accents, narrators, genres, and subjects and help patrons discover their next great listen.
That’s just a few of the fantastic, inspirational sessions. Those who registered to attend the live conference will have access to all of the session recordings and networking capabilities within the BiblioCon ’21 event apps for six months! Anyone interested in viewing the session recordings can sign up here for access.
BiblioCon’ 21 attendees joined us from far and wide to learn from sessions and network with other participants. The conference’s online communities were lively with chatter, and many shared their experiences online with the #BiblioCon hashtag!
Conference participants were encouraged to engage in conversations through the event app, attend sessions, and submit photos for the chance to win a BiblioCon ’21 contest and receive BiblioCommons prize packs. A big congratulations go out to the winners for being super engaged and sharing their BiblioCon excitement with all of us. Thank you for your enthusiasm and participation:
Jay Dela Cruz, Queens Public Library
Herald Wong, Calgary Public Library
Jessica Gomes, King County Library System
Emily Weber, Frisco Public Library
Katie Bulloff, Indianapolis Public Library
Christy Harper, Whitby Public Library
Jamie Morris, Clinton-Macomb Public Library
Brian Douglas, San Antonio Public Library
Carol Ma, Edmonton Public Library
Carolyn von Hasselbach, Pickering Public Library
Attendee Jay Dela Cruz and his cute furry friend, Tux, took a BiblioCon selfie! Visit the BiblioCommons Facebook gallery to see more fun pics like this one.
BiblioCon ’21 wrapped up with an engaging closing session that walked attendees through a worksheet and a step-by-step process to come up with one main takeaway from the conference that they could bring back to their library and put into action. Stephanie Chase, Founder of Constructive Disruption and Co-Chair of BiblioCon ’21 shared parting words of encouragement with all of us before the conference came to a close.
Stephanie Chase, Founder of Constructive Disruption and Co-Chair of BiblioCon ’21 moderated many sessions and shared some final words before the end of the conference.
BiblioCommons held virtual office hours on February 26 for all library partners that currently subscribe to BiblioCommons. The office hours were structured as an open forum for customers to ask detailed questions about the BiblioCommons product suite. They were an excellent platform for learning from peer questions and hearing a sneak peek of what BiblioCommons is working on for 2021.
After the conference, an attendee shared, “The world of BiblioCommons is my Happy Place!!!” and we have to agree. Our Happy Place is when we can share, interact, and support the incredible library staff that pour their hearts out to support their communities and patrons.
Thank you to everyone who participated in BiblioCon ’21 and made it an enriching experience — this includes attendees and also all of the speakers, session Q&A moderators, volunteers, and committee members. BiblioCon ’21 would not have been the same without you!