Published: February 26, 2018

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn all about design thinking and how it is used in the information profession. On March 8, tune in online from 12 – 3 p.m. Pacific Time.

The first mini-conference of the year, “Design Thinking: How Librarians are Incorporating it into Their Practice,” is right around the corner. On March 8, tune in online from 12 – 3 p.m. Pacific Time. Attending professional conferences is a great way to extend your learning beyond the classroom, stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field, network and have fun! What’s even better about the Library 2.0 Virtual Conferences is that you can join in from wherever you are in the world and it doesn’t cost you a thing.

Why Attend this Free Conference? 
This Library 2.0 event is being organized in partnership with Steven J. Bell, Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services at Temple University, who will serve as moderator for the opening panel and as the closing keynote speaker. If you’ve heard of design thinking but you’re not quite sure what it is or you’d like to learn more, make sure you participate in this conference. You’ll gain insights into the design thinking process and hear from librarians about how design thinking is being used throughout the information field. Bell, who is also a lecturer at San José State University, describes design thinking as “a process designers use to thoughtfully identify problems and then, using a team-based approach, develop prototypes useful for implementing an elegant solution.”

Who Will Be There?
Joining Bell for the opening keynote will be Sidsel Bech-Pertersen, Head of Projects and Co-creation at Aarhus Public Libraries, Rachel Ivy Clarke, Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and Gregory Diaz, Children’s Librarian at the Chicago Public Library. The keynote will then be followed by multiple concurrent 30-minute sessions that you can choose from, including:

• “Empowering Student Leaders with Design Thinking Challenges” - Shauna Callahan and Regina Rosi Mitchell
• “Design Thinking in the Assessment Life Cycle” - Maggie Faber and Jackie Belanger
• “Using Design Thinking to Plan Library Courses” - Claire Nickerson
• “Embracing Change: Design Thinking, Technology, and the Library” - Patrick “Tod” Colegrove

How Can You Attend?
Register here to attend live or to receive links to watch the recordings afterwards. You can also register as a member of the Library 2.0 network to stay informed about conference news and updates. Join in the conversation leading up to and during the event by using #library2018 and #librarydesignthinking in your social media posts.

Where Can You View Recordings of Previous Conferences?
Catch up on the three mini-conferences from Library 2.017: Expertise, Competencies and Careers, Digital Literacy & Fake News and Makerspaces. For recordings of these events, head on over to the Library 2.0 YouTube channel.

See You There!
I hope I’ve convinced you to take part in the conference on March 8. If you’re interested in studying design thinking as part of your program, you’ll get a taste in Professor Hammond’s INFO-287 class Innovation and Participatory Practice in Libraries, or you can go all out with Professor Bell’s INFO-287 Design Thinking class.