Engage 2024

Did you know that an estimated 10% of Canadians have a print disability? This may mean that you read in non-traditional ways, and may also mean that it is difficult to access reading and information. Hear from Kel and Camelia as they share their lived experiences with print disabilities.

Kel Banks (they/them) is the Accessible Document Quality Assessor for the Government of Alberta’s Public Library Services Branch. Their role entails ensuring public-facing and internal documents are accessible, providing accessibility assessments of existing documents, and assisting with training government employees and stakeholders on creating accessible documents. In their free time, they enjoy knitting, reading, playing accessible video games, and drinking tea.

Camelia Campbell (she/her) is the Digital information and Accessibility Advisor at the Government of Alberta’s Public Library Services Branch. Her role entails coordinating accessible document training and supporting government staff in creating born accessible content. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, boxing and attending  music concerts. She also tends to get a good laugh out of people’s reactions after trying to scare them. She prides herself on her uniqueness, her middle name is the name of a continent, and most importantly, she loves to make hearts smile.

Dive in to the art of social media for libraries in a presentation by Hailey Halberg, Marketing Specialist, and Jessica Dinan, Consultant Librarian, from Parkland Regional Library System.

Unveil the essentials of various platforms, learn the significance of crafting a tailored social media strategy, and uncover best practices for captivating content creation. This session promises actionable insights to enhance your library's online presence, inspire engaging posts, and establish a meaningful connection with your community.

Whether you're a social media novice or seeking to refine your approach, this session will guide you toward building a compelling and impactful digital presence for your library.

Hailey is the Marketing Specialist at Parkland Regional Library System, where she has worked for two years. She has a bachelor of commerce from MacEwan University and has spent time working in the property management industry as a corporate trainer. Hailey lives in Lacombe with her husband and their dog.

Jessica grew up in the greater Toronto-area but has been living in Alberta for the past 10 years. She's not sure why she didn't think of a career in libraries in her first foray into post-secondary education, but once she started working part-time at her local public library she was hooked! Since then, she has worked in public, academic, special, and school libraries. She loves the variety and new learning opportunities that Library Land brings.

Many Canadians with print disabilities use assistive technology (screen readers or magnification software, for example) to access digital information. However, many digital resources, including digital publications and websites, are not accessible to those who use assistive technology for reading.

The good news is that there are very easy steps we can all take right now to make documents, publications, and online interactions more accessible. In this session, we will cover what a print disability is, different ways that people read, and what you can do to make your documents, communications, and social media more accessible. We will demonstrate common barriers and ways to fix them.

Diana Davidson (she/her) is the Director of the Public Library Services Branch with Municipal Affairs for the Government of Alberta. Diana has long served as the Chair of the NNELS Funders Group and is committed to accessible library service and to the production of accessible format materials. Diana is also passionate about improving library services for and with Indigenous communities.

Kim Johnson (she/her) works for the Government of Alberta as a Library Network Advisor, with a focus on accessibility in public libraries. Kim leads the Accessibility Team (affectionately known as the “A-Team”). This small but mighty team works to make the public service as accessible as possible.

Kel Banks (they/them) is the Accessible Document Quality Assessor for the Government of Alberta’s Public Library Services Branch. Their role entails ensuring public-facing and internal documents are accessible, providing accessibility assessments of existing documents, and assisting with training government employees and stakeholders on creating accessible documents. In their free time, they enjoy knitting, reading, playing accessible video games, and drinking tea.

Camelia Campbell (she/her) is the Digital information and Accessibility Advisor at the Government of Alberta’s Public Library Services Branch. Her role entails coordinating accessible document training and supporting government staff in creating born accessible content. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, boxing and attending  music concerts. She also tends to get a good laugh out of people’s reactions after trying to scare them. She prides herself on her uniqueness, her middle name is the name of a continent, and most importantly, she loves to make hearts smile.

“Do you have book 2 in this series?” “Which book do I read next?” “I can’t find this title…” are some commonly heard questions at the library desk. The traditional CALL # labeling system is quite limited and often difficult to navigate for library patrons. We can not only increase collection accessibility but also increase circulation numbers by changing how we catalog and label books in our collection; especially for books in series and graphic novels/manga collections.

Stephanie Kuhn, MLIS, graduated from Western University in 2018. Born and raised in Medicine Hat, AB it was Stephanie’s dream to move back to Alberta to pursue her library career, and she was delighted to get hired at her childhood library. As the Youth & Community Librarian at MHPL, Stephanie has been working with teens for the past 5 years, and recently opened MHPL's newest dedicated teen space, The Honeycomb House, in 2023. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys all things Studio Ghibli and Animal Crossing-related, reading epic fantasies and cozy graphic novels, and coffee shop hopping on the weekend with her family of three.

Blaine H. is a Library Technician at Shortgrass Library System. She graduated from SAIT in 2009 and has been working in the field for 15 years. In her free time, she enjoys learning while listening to music- mainly Korean and Japanese music, but also Folk Metal. Blaine spent most of her childhood in Redcliff, Alberta, and after completing her education in Calgary, was happy to return to Redcliff and start working at Shortgrass. She is currently passionate about learning about cybersecurity and hopes to continue pursuing it as a side interest in the future.

Libraries are getting hit with cyberattacks more and more often - who's next? Learn best practices for staying safe in this practical session.

James Parsons founded Partek with a vision to deliver exceptional service and build long-term relationships, through the delivery of expert I.T. solutions. He is driven to inspire, improve, and create peace of mind for his clients while building a work environment that fosters the best in everyone.

Why do people enjoy the books that they do, and how can we help them decide what they want to read next? Join Kait to explore appeal factors and reading doorways, and learn how to help your patron find the perfect-for-them book.

Kait McClary completed her MLIS in 2018 but has been working in libraries for more than a decade, supporting communities ranging from a few hundred people to a few hundred-thousand, all across Canada and even abroad. Kait is currently the Client Services Librarian for the Shortgrass Library System, providing training and consulting support for member libraries. Her coworkers would describe her as "obsessed with Taylor Swift".

Every library has action plans on how to deal with high stress situations, but no matter how well-versed you are in these plans, actually living through these incidents is an entirely different experience. The Medicine Hat Public Library has seen an increase in high stress situations over the past few years, such as drug use, medical emergencies, and violence; as a result we have had to become more confident in handling these situations.

In this session, we will cover:

• Preparing and practicing for emergencies
• Living through real life situations
• Post-incident debriefing
• Follow-up conversations within the organization
• Skills to cope with high stress situations.

We hope to have a discussion in order to connect over shared experiences about what we have all dealt with and the best ways to cope. We want to encourage you to feel confident when you are faced with tough situations in your library.

Miranda is the Adult and Community Librarian at Medicine Hat Public Library, where she's passionate about creating community connections through programming and conversations. She holds an MLIS from Western University. When she's not working she can be found watching anime or writing in a local coffee shop.

Karla is a Library Assistant in the Youth Department at Medicine Hat Public Library, where she has worked for the past 16 years. She enjoys working with children of all ages, but especially toddlers. She has a Library Science and Information Technology diploma from SAIT. When she’s not working she can be found looking for inspiration for her next tattoo or reading in the sun