WebJunction at ALA Midwinter in Seattle

WebJunction /



Update: Recordings and resources from sessions are now available!

ALA Midwinter 2019 was held in Seattle in January, and WebJunction staff was there, hosting sessions to share what we've been working on. Staff also presented two sessions at the Symposium on the Future of Libraries. We've compiled the video recordings, notes and slides from these presentations for anyone who wasn't able to attend, or wants to learn more.

OCLC Power Hour: Supercharge Your Library's Storytimes

Saturday, January 26 | OCLC Booth 2125 | 11:30 am–12:30 pm

WebJunction has exciting news about Supercharged Storytimes, a research-based program that helps storytime providers enhance children’s (0-5) early literacy development. WebJunction will share free tools and materials as well as transformation stories from the field.  

Presented by WebJunction's Kathleen Gesinger and Brooke Doyle. Slides are now available on WebJunction.

Return to the Real: The Library as Social Connector (part of ALA's Symposium on the Future of Libraries)

Saturday, January 26 | Washington State Convention Center, Room 607 | 3:00-4:00 pm

Studies show an increase in loneliness and depression because of too much time spent online. Communities experience steady erosion of the bonds formed when people share real-time activities together, which affects our health and well-being. As a magnet for social connection, libraries offer that sense of community and shared place that humans as social animals crave. Active learning programs that offer participatory activities to enhance individual learning can go further to cement social connection when people are learning and doing together. This session will explore library programs through the lens of social possibilities, with the goal of strengthening community bonds. Slides and related resources available here. Thank you to American Libraries for their writeup on the session, Getting Real Again.

Presented by: Betha Gutsche, WebJunction Programs Manager, OCLC; Jennifer Peterson, WebJunction Community Manager, OCLC

OCLC Power Hour: Learning on the Go-Go-Go

Sunday, January 27 | OCLC Booth 2125 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm

When an active library keeps staff busy all day, who has time to stop and learn? Yet the ever-changing and emerging needs that keep us busy also make learning imperative. Join this interactive session with OCLC’s WebJunction to explore resources and strategies for integrating learning into your workday, and motivating others to do the same. Taking a flexible approach to lifelong learning is a great way to have fun and to apply new skills that benefit and impact you, the library and your community.

Presented by WebJunction's Jennifer Peterson. Slides and Learner Guide are available on WebJunction.

Community, Equity, and Storytimes (part of ALA's Symposium on the Future of Libraries)

Sunday, January 27 | Washington State Convention Center, Room 609 | 1:00-2:00 pm

Leading for equity means examining our library practices and policies with an equity lens. This shift in practice moves away from viewing our services as merely transactional and instead builds them in partnership with community. This interactive session will highlight The Seattle Public Library’s work to prioritize community voices and equitable partnerships to create relevant, responsive youth services programming. We'll also explore how Supercharged Storytimes is applying an equity lens to a training program that builds the skills and knowledge of storytime providers across the country as they nurture early literacy skills in the readers of the future. View slides and handout from the session and visit the Supercharged Storytimes project area on WebJunction to access the new course and other resources.

Presented by: CiKeithia Pugh, Early Learning Program Manager, The Seattle Public Library; Betha Gutsche, WebJunction Programs Manager, OCLC

OCLC Research Update

Monday, January 28 | Washington State Convention Center, Room 615-617 | 10:30–11:30 am

OCLC Research provides overviews of several active projects as well as explores new (or new again) areas for libraries including discovery and access, open access/open content, linked data, and research information management. We’ll also take your questions on these and other areas that OCLC Research is working on.