NSLA Conference 2024 Sessions

Presenters: Kristyn Anderson, SchoolsPlus Regional Coordinator, AVRCE; Tara Moore, Schools Plus Coordinator, Department of Education & Early Childhood Development; Ursula Mogensen (they/them), Data & Planning Librarian, Nova Scotia Provincial Library; Kelli WooShue (she/her), Manager – Client Services, Nova Scotia Provincial Library

Location: Salon A

Motor skills – the movement and coordination of one’s muscles and body – are broken down into two parts:

• Gross motor skills require coordination of an individual’s arms, legs, and other large body parts and allow for running, jumping, and throwing.
• Fine motor skills require the coordination of smaller movements between the fingers, hands, and feet and support the picking up and grasping of small objects.

The results of the 2022-2023 Early Development Instrument, a test that measures children’s ability to meet age-appropriate developmental benchmarks, indicated a decline in fine and gross motor skills in Primary-aged children in Nova Scotia.

In response to those results, the South Shore Regional Centre for Education (SSRCE) team considered the impact of reduced gross and fine motor skills for incoming elementary students and its possible correlation with the rise in pre-school access to phone, iPads, and stationary technology. The team has also considered possibilities for collaborative and coordinated (also known as ‘integrated’) approaches with partner organizations to support families with information and other resources to target those skills – and it includes a role for the public libraries!

Join us for an engaging and interactive discussion and explore how integrated responses to the decline in kids’ motor skills can lead to healthier and happier communities. Learn tips for practical approaches to help reverse the downward trend.

Presenters: Lynn Somers, Director, Nova Scotia Provincial Library; Lori Stockley, Manager Climate Adaptation, Dept. of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage.

Location: Salon C

In Nova Scotia recent climate-related events (hurricanes, floods and wildfires) have highlighted the importance of emergency preparedness and disaster response and the value of identifying and understanding location specific risks and planning for these in advance. Libraries play an important role in educating the public on climate change and acting as a safe haven in the aftermath of a weather event or other community emergency. Library branches should also plan for how they will protect their staff, their building and their collections.

The Nova Scotia Provincial Library surveyed library branches across the province to understand the impacts of climate change on libraries and gauge where library regions are in terms of education, adaptation, and mitigation. Hear about the results of this survey and what its findings show in terms of the sector’s readiness in the face of climate change.

Then learn about the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Guide template developed for museums and how the principles of this guide can be applied to libraries in Nova Scotia. Through an interactive session participants will walk through the steps of creating an effective emergency plan that can be customized based on their individual library region or branch.

Time: 4:00pm-5:30pm
Location: Cumberland Room

Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: Four Fathers Memorial Library (21 Acadia Street)

Presenter: Stephanie Hillson, Nova Scotia Legal Aid

Location: Salon A

Duty to report: what it means, how it works, and what may happen next.

Presenters: Trecia Schell, Community Services Librarian, Pictou Antigonish Regional Library; Kristel Fleuren-Hunter, Managing Branch Librarian for the Antigonsh Town & County Library, Pictou Antigonish Regional Library

Location: Cumberland Room

The ability to read is a skill, a gift, and a life-long treasure for many people – and the loss of savoring independent reading can be a tremendous loss to older adults. Today, we would like to share with you, an update on our collection and services for Memory-Impaired adults, their families and care-givers. And include a mention about our Community Lending program of DAISY reading devices (VictorStream, VictorStratus, and Envoy Connect devices). In addition, we’ve been able to add some supportive programming, with weekly Memory Monday Cafes at the Antigonish Library. And CaregiversNS hold monthly meetings at the Westville library.

As we know, Nova Scotia has an aging population, and with that trend, we also have an increase in adults with experiencing memory-impairment (due to brain injuries, medications, Dementia, Alzheimer’s and other aging-related health issues). Memorable books, is a specially designed collection of Dementia Friendly books and materials (Cognitive Care kits and Memory Kits) for adults with memory-impairment that we hope will support persons, families and care-givers to experience the joy of reading, reading together, and sharing precious memories.

• This special collection was first developed in 2018, and continues to be a resource both locally and regionally.

The goal of this special collection is to provide enjoyable, appropriate library experiences by offering materials (books and games) and supportive programming for memory-impaired adults, with the following outcomes –

• Having positive social opportunities for adults with memory-impairment.
• Meeting the communities’ need for library books and games for adults, with memory-impairment.
• Gauging the communities’ response to the special collection, and seeking additional support to maintain and grow the special collection items.

We are thankful for the financial support of the Community Health Boards of Antigonish Town & County, Pictou West, and Pictou Central & East, and CommunityLinks. The collection is curated with the guidance of our local community support groups, such as the NS Alzheimer’s Society, Pictou County Seniors Outreach, CommunityLinks (coalition that includes many local service providers for Older Adults, such as the VON, VON Adult Daycare, and others).

The Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library actively participates in our CommunityLinks networks for Age-Friendly communities in both counties, and providing support for persons for memory-impairment in our communities is one of our ongoing goals, in reducing social isolation of older persons, and increasing positive environments and opportunities for healthy communities through supporting helpful aging-in-place initiatives.

Presenter: Chantelle Taylor, Deputy Library Director, Cumberland Public Libraries

Location: Salon C

Romance is a sadly maligned genre. Often dismissed as trashy, poorly written and unworthy of a second glance by a serious reader, many people are ashamed to admit they read romance or are unwilling to give it a try. Yet, despite this negative view, romance novels garner hundreds of millions of readers and represent billions of dollars to the publishing industry.

During this presentation, we will define the romance genre (and its many subgenres), look at the history of the romance novel – how it has evolved and what changes still need to be made. We will talk about some of the key authors and some spicy books!

Attendees will come away with a new respect for this genre, and a willingness to explore some romance titles (or openly admit they already read romance!).

Presenters: Dyan Bader (she/her), Manager, Systems & Collections Access, Nova Scotia Provincial Library; Ursula Mogensen (they/them), Data & Planning Librarian, Nova Scotia Provincial Library; Kelli WooShue (she/her), Manager – Client Services, Nova Scotia Provincial Library.

Location: Cumberland Room

2024/2025 marks the fifth year of the Library Development Fund (LDF)! Join the LDF team from Nova Scotia Provincial Library to:

• Learn about the grant,
• Hear about some of our favourite projects through the years,
• “Borrow” ideas for your library and
• Get advice on your project ideas.

Presenter: Katrina Nicholson, Cape Breton County Branches Assistant, Cape Breton Regional Library

Location: Salon A

Webcomics and webnovels are comics and stories that were originally published as serials online. This non-traditional medium has existed in some form since the dawn of the internet, and has helped creators whose stories are for or about marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQIA+ community, share their work with a wider audience when traditional publishers weren’t willing to take the chance. The medium has been gaining in popularity since the early 2000s, to the point where today’s web stories tend to be paid subscriber content on big business platforms. While many Western artists make a living by posting content on their own websites, in Asia creators often work through major online publishers such as South Korea’s Webtoon (founded in 2004) and China’s Qidian (established in 2002). Original web content has now become ubiquitous across the globe and is being adapted into many languages and other formats, such as print, television, and games. You may even have encountered some popular titles without realizing: does Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation sound familiar? How about Solo Leveling, Hark a Vagrant, or The Oatmeal? With companies such as Webtoon Unscrolled, Dark Horse, Yen On, and Seven Seas branching into publishing web content in print, series that are immensely popular with online readers are now becoming available to buy for your library shelves. This session will cover the basics: what are webcomics and webnovels? Where do they come from? What are they about? Who is reading them? And of course… which ones should I buy for my library?

Presenters: Janice Stockall, Head of Access Services and Interlibrary Loans, Mount Allison University; Caroline Kaszar, Administrative Assistant – Libraries & Archives, Mount Allison University

Location: Salon C

Dig into the story of the Mount Allison University and Archives 2023 Plant Summer Camp, a creative and innovative out of the box service turned into a compelling social media campaign. Discover how we tackled the challenge of caring for the houseplants of faculty, staff and students while they were away from campus during the summer months. The Plant Summer Camp initiative allowed us to highlight our services and spaces and showcase other campus personalities, services, and local businesses, fostering community engagement in the process. Plant Summer Camp not only addressed practical needs for our users but also significantly altered the atmosphere of the library, rendering it more inviting and providing students with a deeper insight into their university community. We more than doubled our social media followers and likes, and got parents and students interested in our social media profiles – a very important piece as we get closer to a renovation. Learn about the strategies we employed, key takeaways, and the potential for similar initiatives in your library. Join us to explore creativity, connection, and community through Plant Summer Camp.

Presenter: Adam Davies, Library Assistant, Cumberland Public Libraries

Location: Salon A

During this short presentation, and subsequent round-table discussion, attendees will discuss what those who work in public library cataloguing are doing to make the statement ‘Without a good catalog, there is no library’ true.

The session will begin with answers to introductory questions: what defines a ‘good’ catalogue? What is the proper balance between time-honoured library cataloguing rules and the need for items to be easily found by library users? How do libraries maintain consistency within an online catalogue that is shaped by local libraries but shared by public libraries across the province?

The larger part of this presentation however will focus on other questions, including how do libraries build and maintain a ‘good’ catalogue, now and in the future? I want to lead a discussion on the challenges cataloguers are dealing with as libraries build new and varied collections, including those from First Nations and immigrant communities, inside a catalogue system that is largely based on western ideas, English-language usage, and colonial attitudes and practices. For example, what assumptions are cataloguers making when they truncate authors’ names or cite them in a format that removes proper spelling and accented characters? Similarly, as colonial attitudes are removed, what is to be done with rediscovered names, titles, and subject entries that do not easily fit into the current model? Finally, how do libraries build a catalogue that is easily accessible for newcomer and immigrant communities to find library materials in their own languages?

Libraries are indeed more important than ever before, and they have become a true community hub. To maintain its position, libraries need to find ways to make their collections more accessible, and that means building a ‘good’ catalogue. To do that, we need to talk about the critical aspects of library cataloguing.

Are you ready?

Presenter: Corey Hunter, Executive Director, Sexual Health Centre for Cumberland County 

Location: Salon C

Participants are invited to join the SHCCC’s Executive Director in an interactive presentation to learn about the Centre’s services and local resources. Individuals will also have an opportunity to explore sexual and reproductive health through an intersectional lens to help reduce stigma and create awareness for priority at-risk populations in our community. The session will also provide participants a chance to ask questions to the Executive Director about the Centre, it’s services, and reproductive/sexual health as a broad topic. Brochures, pamphlets, and free supplies will be available for participants at the end of the presentation.

Presenter: Christina Pottie, Communication & Engagement Lead, South Shore Public Libraries 

Location: Cumberland Room

You don’t always know how you’ll respond to disruptive behaviors, but did you know that your reaction will most likely influence the outcome? This session will help you see and understand others and yourself in a crisis moment. Your response is critical to how that conflict is resolved. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of why their approach to difficult behaviour is so important and will feel more empowered to manage the conflict.

This presentation is based on the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training curriculum from the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI).

Time: 6:30pm-7:00pm
Location: Cumberland Room

Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Cumberland Room

Time: 9:00pm-11:00pm
Location: Cumberland Room

Location: Cumberland Room

Jeff Mercer will moderate a discussion on dealing with censorship challenges as a frontline staff person. A panel of speakers will talk about their experiences but audience participation is encouraged.