ULA Annual Conference 2026

There have been many changes to higher education in Utah recently, and many directly impact our libraries. At Weber State, it has been particularly consequential for our information literacy (IL) education program: our long-standing IL General Education requirement is ending, and a new program to sustainably deliver high-quality IL education is needed. To that end, a team of librarians spent Summer 2025 working with the English department to build a pilot program, strategically mapping the curriculum and using backward design to embed IL skills and concepts into the English 2010 curriculum. During Fall 2025, the pilot team embedded in six classes, providing course content (including mini-lecture videos, learning activities, discussions, and practice assignments) and making three structured classroom visits. In Spring 2026, the pilot expanded to ten librarians embedded in 31 in-person and online classes. Assessment for both semesters will be conducted at the end of the spring semester, including data from embedded classes as well as ENGL 2010 classes with no embedded librarian or library content to allow for comparison. We will also collect feedback from students, librarians, and faculty involved in the pilot. This session will describe the curriculum mapping/design process, share lessons, course materials, and assessment mechanisms, review assessment results, and share success and lessons learned. Part of our time will be dedicated to a workshop where participants will have an opportunity to plan their own embedded programs, including curriculum mapping, IL learning activities, and assessment. Participants are invited to bring a syllabus or course outline from a class where an embedded librarian might benefit the students to use for the workshop. We will wrap up with an open discussion where participants can ask questions and share experiences with embedded programs, collaborations, partnerships, outreach, faculty and administration, roadblocks, and successes.

The Librarian is in! Librarians don't typically provide psychiatric advice, such as Lucy van Pelt from the Peanuts comic strip. However, we do consider the psychological concept of dispositions in our instruction and interactions with patrons. Dispositions are “any of a number of enduring characteristics that describe or determine an individual’s behavior across a variety of situations and that are peculiar to and uniquely expressed by that individual”. The most obvious interaction of dispositions and librarianship can be found in The Framework for Information Literacy. The Framework is the ACRL model for information literacy instruction and contains lists of desirable dispositions to help librarians understand the feelings, attitudes, and behaviors at play during information processes. In this presentation, we explore the role of dispositions in teaching and learning information literacy, illustrated with examples from our recent study on the dispositions practicing nurses displayed while evaluating information. The presentation also examines ways in which librarians may be able to foster productive dispositions to information, its creation, value, and use. The session will end with a brief facilitated discussion on dispositions towards information.

As a group of seven faculty librarians hired in the same year at a large academic library, we formed a cohort to help support one another in our new roles and navigate the oft-confusing organizational forays and multi-layered processes of our positions. As catalogers and subject specialists from across the humanities and social sciences, we have found that our group—which we have affectionately dubbed Septenarius—serves multiple functions. In this panel, we will discuss some of those purposes, which include but are not limited to, 1) building a community of support and collaboration; 2) supplementing institution-provided trainings and orientations with more local, context-specific discussions; 3) making interdisciplinary connections; and 4) sharing information and resources (e.g., information on available funding for travel, conference opportunities, clarifications on policy and procedures, technical tools and workflows, hiring and supervising student employees, etc.).

We offer our experience as an informal case study of one model of a professional development group developed and run by and for peers. We posit that teams of this kind, organized to provide a space for collaboration and support, are a powerful vehicle for inclusion, where all are strengthened by and have access to a community of professional peers, thus providing social validation, connection, and confidence. While we in Septenarius all work in different areas of the library with unique responsibilities, we have discovered a fondness and friendship in regularly convening—usually once a month—to discuss various projects, hold each other accountable for upcoming deadlines, and share casual moments of connection from our personal lives. As valuable as the support has been in our professional context of preparing for tenure and promotion, we have often commented on how meaningful it is to have a time to connect socially, to commiserate over shared struggles and celebrate individual successes. Recognizing that some of what we do in our group is specific to our own library and university situation, we believe that the principles of nurturing a collegial and collaborative work environment have far-reaching impact and application in librarianship generally and thus will be relevant to conference attendees regardless of job title or status.

Library patrons tend to view source evaluation as determining which sources are good and which ones are bad. To invite them to a deeper understanding of information literacy, a team of student employees at the BYU Library developed a card game called Source Fight for library instruction. Participants in this session will learn about the research principles embedded in this game, explore ways to use it in their own context, and get a chance to play it for themselves!

Systematic reviews are syntheses of multiple studies on the same topic that meet pre-defined inclusion criteria, thereby increasing confidence in the research findings. Unlike traditional narrative literature reviews, systematic reviews follow an established methodology aimed at minimizing bias and increasing transparency and research reproducibility. When conducted by a team in accordance with established methodology, systematic reviews provide evidence that clinicians, patients, and health consumers can use to make decisions. Although modern systematic review methodology originated in medicine, headed by the Cochrane Collaboration (Our Story, https://www.cochrane.org/about-us/our-story), they are now utilized in many disciplines including nursing, social sciences, education, and environmental studies.

This session will provide an overview of the history, purpose, and strength of systematic reviews and outline their basic methodology. We will provide tips on how librarians and health consumers can locate, access, and evaluate systematic reviews to use in their health (or health care) research and decision-making.

In 2023 our academic library started a monthly display program to celebrate heritage months and to make books from the collection more visible and accessible to students. In two years, this program has grown into a fully developed display program with specific outcomes, assessment practices, the development of a student position, and cross-campus support and collaboration. In this presentation we will discuss how our program is designed to enhance student sense of belonging and to inspire the next generation of scholars with targeted monthly themes. This presentation will feature reflections from a librarian and student research assistant on creative student-centered design and collection development as well as the challenges and benefits of developing effective assessment practices based on outreach outcomes.

Employee development increases capacity, communication, and growth within any organization. Transferable skills are versatile competencies like communication, leadership, and time management that empower employees to succeed in current roles and future careers. Drawing on practical examples and interactive activities, the session highlights how transferable skills can be effectively taught and applied, especially in student or temporary positions. Since many student employees won’t pursue careers in libraries, training them in transferable skills equips them for success in diverse fields and prepares them for job interviews. Additionally, involving employees in skill-based training helps them recognize their strengths, build confidence, and develop leadership abilities. This approach enhances morale and fosters a culture of growth, positioning student workers as valuable contributors to library teams and beyond.

In 2013, University of Utah’s Marriott Library purchased its first 3D printer. Over the past decade, the Creativity & Innovation Services department expanded 3D offerings to include self-service 3D printers, an online 3D printing service, 3D scanning tools, and training materials for all of the above. In this session, we will present a timeline on the development and deployment of each service, provide quantitative data about user demographics and use trends over the past decade, and relate qualitative data and anecdotal stories about the meaningful impacts these 3D-related services have had on University of Utah affiliates, curricula, and research.

“Your Librarian Is In!” In this session, two subject librarians share our experiences of holding office hours out of the library, on site where our liaison departments are housed. We discuss the origins, benefits, challenges, and related statistics of the arrangement. We feel that holding office hours outside of the library has improved our services and strengthened our relationship with faculty.

Librarians from USU and BYU will share their experiences with student employees in libraries & archives. Attendees will learn how we’ve worked with hourly employees, interns, graduate students, and more. We’ll talk about the importance of experiential learning to student success and how to grow the understanding and appreciation of archives and librarianship in Utah.

The Marriott Library (University of Utah) has three media production studios as part of their ProtoSpace emerging technologies and digital scholarship hub. This presentation is part of an article under submission entitled User scheduled media production studios in academic libraries: A case study. This is a follow up article to my publication: Podcasting services in academic libraries: A case study. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2021.1897722.

The Marriott Library has two Podcast Booths and a Simple Video Studio. Students, faculty, and staff can reserve these spaces for audio and video production. This presentation will discuss use statistics, the types of projects scheduled, and charts on how often and when each studio is in use.

While the purpose of each studio is media production, the data results show a variety of non-media projects taking place supporting coursework, teaching, outreach, research, and personal projects.

In addition to the use data, this talk will discuss suggestions for physical studio creation and affordable equipment lists. The purpose is to generate podcasts and film videos in any library type maker space location/environment.