The Experimental Library: A Guide to Taking Risks

Description: Using techniques garnered from startups and quickly evolving technology companies, this webinar educates information professionals on using experimentation to make evidence-based decisions to advance innovative initiatives. The last five years have demonstrated that sticking with the status quo is not an option; instead, as the experiences of many libraries has shown, those that experiment are better positioned to adapt to rapidly changing environments and evolving user needs and behaviors. This webinar shows how to draw from new approaches and technologies to harness experimentation as a tool for testing ideas and responding to change. It borrows ideas and inspiration from the startup sector to teach you how to take a human-centered and design thinking-based perspective on problem solving. During the webinar, you will discover: • why experimentation is possible on any budget and can be undertaken by anyone at an organization; • ways to foster a culture of experimentation, which recognizes the importance of incorporating curiosity into work and daily life; • the distinctive characteristics of technology companies and startups that make them experimentative, and what libraries can learn from these sectors’ techniques; • examples of experimentation from academic, public, and school libraries as well as non-library governmental settings; • the basics of design thinking, which plays a leading role in brainstorming; • guidance on employing IDEEA (Ideate, Design, Experiment, Engage, Assess) as a five-part process for trying out ideas by formulating prototypes; • how to engage users in testing to identify the pros and cons of a prototype; and • a concrete roadmap for bringing the culture and method of experimenting to your library, from understanding how to embrace failures in order to learn from them to acquiring the skills necessary to experiment, creating teams that thrive with experimentation, and communicating successfully around experiments.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon completion of the webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Design experiments that prototype initiatives to inform decision making. 
• Apply the IDEEA process to implement experiments and data gathering effortlessly. -
• Learn to be equipped to Introduce experiments in their library successfully. 
• Describe cultures of experimentation and demonstrate them in their library.

Who Should Attend: Directors of academic and public libraries and emerging technology librarians. It will be delivered with libraries in mind but broad enough to appeal to audiences in organizations that intersects with libraries (library schools, vendors, private sector).

Presenter: 

Cathryn M. Copper works at the intersection of libraries, architecture, and technology. As the Head of the Eberhard Zeidler Library at the University of Toronto, her current research explores technology and experimentation in libraries. She has spoken on the topic of experimentation at several national and international conferences including the Association of College & Research Libraries and SXSW EDU. Her talk on the use of artificial intelligence and augmented reality in libraries at SXSW EDU was featured as one of the "biggest and most pressing ideas."

Tech Requirements

Core Webinars are held in Zoom. Speakers or a headset for listening to the presentation are required. You may interact with the presenter and ask questions through text-based chat. Closed captioning is available in the Zoom platform. The webcast will be recorded and the link to the recording shared with registrants shortly after the live event.