Dive deep into diversifying your collection with TeachingBooks resources. Join us to learn how to use our Diverse Books Toolkit to analyze the cultural representation in your existing collections, how to identify great books to fill gaps, and how to use TeachingBooks resources to promote those books and facilitate conversation with your library staff and patrons.
Date Recorded: 8/7/2025
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Crystal Ballard, TeachingBooks
Explore how AI enhances library services, including automated cataloging, AI-driven search tools, and personalized recommendations. Discuss ethical considerations and best practices for implementation.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Treg Hopkins is the Co-Founder of Connectable, an Indiana-based nonprofit committed to enhancing adult education programs across more than 20 states through advanced data systems and artificial intelligence. As a Certified Quantitative Methodologist, his research focuses on neurodiversity, aging, and the role of technology in these areas. Hopkins has extensive leadership experience, serving on multiple boards and advising nonprofits and government entities on strategic planning. His expertise in library innovation includes serving on a long-term library planning board and previously delivering a keynote address at the Indiana Library Federation’s FOIL conference.
Date Recorded: 7/30/2025
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Dr. Treg Hopkins / Co-Founder of Connectable
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The Indiana Collection at the Indiana State Library offers a wealth of published material about our great state. Among the most widely used are local daily newspapers, maps, local histories, and state agency documents, including historical laws. Our collection includes historical runs of many titles, essential for researching the past and preparing for the future. In this webinar, you’ll be introduced to fascinating items within the collection, receive tips for exploring the resources, discover where to find online materials, and learn how you can help us grow this unique collection.
Date Recorded: 04/09/2025
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Monique Howell, Indiana Division Supervisor, Indiana State Library
As the pressure to remove and censor books from our libraries increases, librarians have to be prepared to defend everyone’s right to read. Learn how one school corporation has dealt with several recent challenges to their school library collections and has been able to educate their staff and community on the tenants of intellectual freedom. While challenges can be stressful situations, the presentation will offer you several tools, resources and guidance to help you find some unintended positive outcomes when these contentious situations find their way to your library.
Date Recorded: 1/24/2024
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Tara White, Director of College and Career Readiness / New Prairie United School Corporation
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The hour session will be an overview of what the State Library has been doing over the past 5 years with their digital collections. We will also talk about the materials being added to the Internet Archive.
Date Recorded: 09/27/2023
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Chris Marshall, Digital Collections Coordinator, Indiana State Library
NetGalley is a free website for librarians to request and download digital review copies and audiobooks, while connecting with publishers and staying up to date with upcoming releases. The service is quick, efficient, secure, and always free for library staff. Learn how to get started (registration, filling in your Profile, and requesting your first book or audiobook), helpful features and tools, and ways NetGalley can specifically help librarians with collection development and readers’ advisory.
Date Recorded: 6/29/22
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Tarah Theoret – Senior Director of Community Experience and Hallie Fields – Social Media Assistant Manager / NetGalley
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In this panel, four librarians will share their experience with a variety of challenges. Book, display, and program challenges, as well as experience with book banning groups will be discussed. Cheri Harris, from the Indiana State Library, will also go over a summary of key legal points to remember when dealing with challenges.
Date Recorded: 3/31/22
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Cheri Harris / Indiana State Library; Vanessa Martin / Greensburg-Decatur County Contractual Public Library; Heather McNabb / Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library; Brad Sowinski / Alexandria Monroe Public Library; Juli Wald / Middlebury Public Library
Almost all libraries have materials for users with print disabilities, such as large print books and audiobooks, but are those collections being given the attention they deserve and are they serving as many users as possible? According to two recent studies, large print collections are a still vital part of library services, and their usage has not diminished in the age of electronic resources. Learn what users with print disabilities need and want, and how best to create and maintain vibrant print disabled-friendly collections, no matter how small or large.
Date Recorded: 3/17/22
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Holly Hebert, Assistant Professor / Master of Library Science Program at Middle Tennessee State University
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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committees are a great first step towards strategically ensuring that those facing barriers to library services in our communities are given access and opportunities. During this webinar, three different libraries will share their experiences with starting, maintaining, and moving forward with EDI committees. They’ll share what inspired them to begin, how they formed the committee, where they are now, and how they hope to keep growing in the future.
Date Recorded: 3/15/22
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Shelby Couch and Robyn Bowers, Hussey-Mayfield Public Library / Angie Garrett, Amy Russell, and Ashley Meyers, Kokomo-Howard County Public Library / Whitney Woody and Keeley Waters, Johnson County Public Library
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Kymberlee Powe, Children and YA Consultant for the Connecticut State Library Division of Library Development, dives into the makeup of the publishing industry. You will learn how to identify the difference between a diverse collection and an inclusive one, and walk through the logistics of performing a diversity audit of your collection. The examples and resources provided in this session will focus on youth collections; however, the methodology of performing a diversity audit, and the reasons to do so, are universal to all collections.
This presentation is brought to you by the Connecticut State Library, in collaboration with the Indiana State Library, the Library of Michigan, and the State Library of Ohio.
Date Recorded: 12/15/21
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Kymberlee Powe, Children and YA Consultant / Connecticut State Library Division of Library Development
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