CRIG webinars, June 2022

Webinar 1:

Beyond the chatbot… What is AI?
A webinar in collaboration between CRIG and AI4LAM

Tuesday 7 June 2022, 1.30-2.15pm

Join CRIG and AI4LAM when they welcome Gnana K Bharathy (biography below) to provide library staff with an introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Gnana will cover areas such as:

• What is AI/ML?
• The evolution of AI/ML
• Current challenges in AI/ML which may be relevant in libraries
• How can AI help library staff?
• How can library staff help the AI sector?

Gnana K Bharathy, Research Data Specialist (AI/ML), Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) at University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
LinkedIn: au.linkedin.com/in/bharathy

Gnana is a practitioner, researcher and mentor, working in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, and straddles both research and industry. Gnana not only develops AI models and products, but is also engaged in application/ practice-based research in AI, including the phenomena of AI risk, ethics, explainability, translation, adoption, as well as other lifecycle issues surrounding AI. Gnana has also been involved in successfully implementing AI and Data Science functions from ground up.

Based out of UTS, Gnana holds roles at the ARDC (and UTS), as an advisor in AI/ML for ARDC partner institutions in research and educational institutions, and as a researcher at UTS. Outside academia, Gnana has been a Data Science and Design Consultant for over 15+ years, and has also developed several modelling (human behaviour modelling) and risk management products, including for the governments, health sectors in Australia and USA and has served a range of private sector clients.

Despite being in non-academic roles most of his career, Gnana has maintained research on a part-time basis, and has published regularly. Some of his research work have been recognised with awards. Gnana was trained at the University of Pennsylvania (PhD, MS) (Systems Science & Eng), University of Canterbury (ME-Risk), and National Institute of Technology (NIT-T) (Bachelor of Technology with First Class with Distinction). Gnana also holds agile and project management certifications.

Webinar 2:

Online; f2f; both; together?! How has your teaching changed in 2022?

Thursday 9 June, 1.00 – 2.30pm

Over the last two years, many of us crafted new ways of teaching to deliver essential services to our clients/patrons. It’s time to reflect on these and explore how our teaching has changed in 2022 with the return to campus, return to face to face services, and with consideration to what is happening in university lectures and workshops.

In this online forum, we will be hearing from each CAVAL member library about how they are managing the expectations of clients - and the needs of staff - when teaching classes to a range of audiences.

Sarah Brunton, Library Advisor Specialist/Liaison Librarian, Deakin University

Sarah joined Deakin University in October 2019 as a Library Advisor (Specialist). She currently works across two roles, continuing with the Library Advisor (Specialist) role, while also working as a Liaison Librarian with the Deakin Library Health team. Sarah is passionate about supporting students with their studies by building their knowledge and capabilities, and enjoys looking for ways to continually improve library services and student experience.

Explore Your Online Library: An Online Orientation Experience

The Deakin Library Advisory Services Team is enthusiastic about providing an engaging orientation experience for incoming students. Taking orientation online for all students has given the library the ability to connect with large numbers of students and begin developing ongoing relationships with students to support their studies throughout their courses. This talk will provide an overview of the Deakin Library Orientation program and the benefits experienced by students and staff of being involved in such a lively introduction to library services.

Erin Roga and Peggy Hsu, Liaison Librarians, Federation University

Erin and Peggy met in 2019 and created a GLAM-R metal band “Dewey Decimate System”.

AC ⚡ BC: After Covid ⚡ Before Covid

Once there were three amazing hardworking bands. When adversity struck, they got together and created a super-group.

Clare O’Hanlon (@clareifications), Senior Learning Librarian, and Freya Whaite, Academic Skills and Language Advisor, La Trobe University

Clare is Senior Learning Librarian by day and community archivist by night. They are passionate about facilitating collaboration between independent community-based archives and mainstream galleries, libraries, archives, and museum (GLAM) institutions, encouraging critical, creative and collective reflection across the GLAM and higher education sectors, and making critical and diverse knowledges, theories and histories accessible with students and communities. Their practice is guided by social justice principles, compassion, courage, and creativity. 

Freya is an Academic Skills and Language Advisor, helping students develop their skills for successful university study. She has experience in English language teaching, editing, and professional communications. Freya is passionate about student-centred learning and teaching, and enjoys facilitating and promoting the work of the Peer Learning Advisors (PLAs) as part of La Trobe’s peer-assisted learning program.

Together?! At La Trobe: Towards more equitable, accessible and student-centred teaching

In this talk we will focus on lessons learned from navigating the move to hybrid online and face-to-face teaching and learning support provided by La Trobe University Library in 2022. This change has taken place whilst also settling into a new team matrix structure addressing academic, digital, information and subject-specific literacies, in-curriculum and beyond. Librarians, academic skills and language advisors, specialist subject tutors and students employed via our peer-assisted learning program collaboratively design and deliver our teaching and learning programs. We will highlight the importance of student-centred design, equity, accessibility and collaboration when planning for the future.

Irene Guidotti, Librarian, and Jackie Waylen, Liaison Librarian, Monash University

Irene is a Librarian at Monash University in the faculties of Arts, Education and MADA and worked previously as a Coordinator in the Digitisation Centre at Monash University Library. With more than 12 years of experience in the GLAM industry in Italy and Australia, she also collaborated with the State Library of Victoria in 2016. She is an ALIA Distinguished Certified Professional and specialises in research data management, eLearning, and digital humanities.

Jackie is a Liaison Librarian, Arts, Education and Art, Design and Architecture (MADA) at Monash University, working primarily with the staff and students in the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance. Jackie has contributed to f2f library orientation (2006-2019), faculty-specific online library orientation (2020-21) and was more recently involved in facilitating a successful online library orientation (2022) in collaboration with colleagues across teams.

Get Oriented!

Quickly moving our 'Get to know your Library' Orientation sessions from f2f to online required the collaborative effort and expertise of teams from across the library. This resulted in interactive, informative sessions underpinned by student-centred approaches. Feedback gathered from participants has informed the ongoing development of Library Orientation, resulting in a creative and successful online model we continue to use today. We share the challenges, benefits and opportunities, including the learnings gained for staff and students alike.

Steven Tapping, Librarian, and Emily Russell, Learning Designer, RMIT University

Steven has worked and gained experience in numerous libraries and archives including stints at the ABC, Victorian College of the Arts, New York Public Library, and Monash University and is currently a Librarian in the Information Literacy team at RMIT University. Thrown into the deep end of online teaching at the beginning of the pandemic, exploring ways to improve the facilitation of teaching and education online has been his most recent area of focus.

Emily has worked in both public and academic libraries. Whether it is facilitating an information literacy workshop for students or helping public library customers improve their IT skills, Emily's favourite part of being a librarian is teaching. Recently she completed a Graduate Certificate in Learning Design from Queensland University of Technology to keep up with the shift to online learning in Higher Education. This has stood her in good stead, landing a new role as a Learning Designer at RMIT in recent weeks.

Can you concurrent? Accelerated changes in library education

We have recently experienced an infiltration of some new common language in our workplace: concurrent, hybrid, blended, or simultaneous teaching. These words have largely taken on a new meaning in our libraries and universities. What was once a relatively niche teaching arrangement has now emphatically arrived at your local academic library. Hear about the learnings, prospects, and challenges of this new model of teaching and how we can build our skills in this space for better library education.

Guido Tresoldi and Mary Stone, Liaison Librarians, Science, Engineering and IT, The University of Melbourne

Guido supports the Teaching, Learning and Research programs of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) and a Master of Environmental Science, Guido worked in government agencies before undertaking a Library degree and starting his library career in 2000.

Mary supports the Science, Engineering & IT faculties. She has worked in a variety of roles at the university, mostly within the Teaching & Learning library sectors, but also including web training and production. She is currently working on a project exploring OER. Mary is also a published poet, short story and singer songwriter for the band: Ill-Gotten Booty.

Blended Synchronous Teaching: Challenges to a Dual

After most subjects were taught online for 2020 and 2021, there was a big move from the Faculty of Engineering in the University of Melbourne for blended synchronous learning in 2022. This presented a few challenges for liaison librarians. This presentation will briefly outline what these challenges were, how they were handled, and how to prepare for the future.

Kirstin Scholz, Scholarly Information Services Librarian (College of Health and Biomedicine), Victoria University

Kirstin has been working as a librarian for over 7 years with experience in both the TAFE and University sectors. She currently works at Victoria University, as the Scholarly Information Services Librarian supporting the students and staff in the College of Health and Biomedicine. As a key part of her role, Kirstin provides educational information support through workshops, group/individual consultations, library research skills classes as well as building various digital learning objects for a blended learning environment. She also works alongside Learning Designers and academics supporting the university Block Model project. Kirstin has completed her Masters in Information Management and has an undergraduate degree in marketing and communications as well as a Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary).

Changes and challenges, adapting to 2022: In person, Online in real time, Online self-paced or Hybrid

With the gradual return to campus in April 2022, Victoria University (VU) has committed to greater flexibility for students and how units are delivered - in person, online in real time, online self-paced, or hybrid. Since the planning and implementation of the Block Model in 2018, Scholarly Information Services (SIS) librarians are continuing to work closely with academic staff to adapt how we deliver information literacy support in a technology-enhanced environment. This talk will highlight some of the changes to our modes of teaching, reflect on the challenges and balancing demands from in person to online library support for VU students.