IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2025

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Instruction Interest Group meeting! Especially now, connecting with friends and colleagues feels so important! We had 15 people attend the Instruction Interest Group session held Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Drake University's Cowles Library in Des Moines. 

We started with a little orientation to the session and our activities, and outlined our expectations for everyone to get the most from our time together. We then went around the room and introduced ourselves. Because conferences are about connection, we wanted a way for people to be able to identify others who would be open to folks reaching out after the conference—What better way to indicate this than by having everyone self-select by wearing stickers? That way if something came up later in the conversation, we could be sure to get that person’s contact information for a follow up conversation.  

We spent the bulk of the time exploring Table Topics. What are Table Topics, and how do they work? 

• Participants joined a group discussing a topic they had an interest in. (There were prompts for each topic to help get the conversation started.)
• Each table appointed a note taker for their table.
• We structured the session to emphasize participation -- Conversations are made richer by everyone's expertise and experience!
• We wound up doing 3 rounds. At the sound of the buzzer, attendees had the option to pop over to another group to discuss a different topic but everyone was so engrossed in their conversations we all wound up staying put at our original tables!

We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. There were so many rich conversations happening during the entire session, and it's particularly nice to find folks who are also interested in what you're interested in to be able to share around the table. The topics were: 

• Navigating change
• Campus
• Curriculum
• Legislative/administrative pressures
• How are you staying informed? Finding balance? Advocating for your needs?
• Neurodivergent working, learning, & teaching
• What works for you? 
• What has helped you grow with your colleagues and students?
• Tech tools to make life easier *including AI
• Tools and tricks we just can’t stop telling people about
• Things that have changed how you work, teach, stay organized, communicate, and/or learn
• Professional development ideas
• How do you stay up to date with instruction approaches? How are you staying fresh?
• Articles/books you're consuming
• Info-lit-themed common read suggestions for groups of colleagues?
• What resources do you revisit time and again for inspiration?
• Whole person station
• Self-care and recharging – what works for you? Others in your orbit?
• What strategies, tools, resources (books, podcasts, mindfulness or wellness approaches) help you find balance?
• How do your hobbies help? What are your comfort hobbies? Jump-start hobbies?
• Let’s talk about boundaries!
• How can we support each other in chaotic times?

Throughout the session, participants also had access to some fidget toys, bubble wrap to pop, and coloring books to help de-stress or focus throughout our time together.

Thank you again to everyone who participated! There were so many important and supportive conversations happening throughout the session, all made possible because of your participation! We are grateful to have such caring, innovative, and dedicated colleagues throughout Iowa! 

Instruction Interest Group May 2025 Drake by cstone

 

Link to 2025 IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Table Topics Notes in Google Drive.

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2024

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! It was wonderful being able to connect with so many new faces and reconnect with friends and colleagues we’ve known for years! We had 31 people attend the IL Interest Group session held May 29, 2024 at Iowa State University's Parks Library in Ames. 

We divided time into a few segments: 

• We started with a little orientation to the session and our activities and outlined our expectations for everyone to get the most from our time together. We went around the room and introduced ourselves and then took a brief moment for mindfulness (you’ll find the videos we used embedded in our slides below). Those who participated in person also had access to Cara's stress-relief box which has some fidget toys and coloring books to help de-stress or focus throughout our time together.
• Then we transitioned into Table Topics - We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. There were so many rich conversations happening during the entire session, but it's particularly nice to find folks who are also interested in what you're interested in and share around the table. The topics were: 
• Whole Person Station: self-care & recharging.  
• AI & You: your campus, your work, your tools, your instruction
• Instruction Motivation: what fills your cup, keeps you coming back, outreach, prep process, delivery, assessment, debrief/reflect
• Tech Tools to Make Your Life Easier
• Share & Tell Instruction: ideas, favorite lesson plans, lessons learned, things you wish you could try
• We were so enjoying the Table Topics conversations that we opted to extend them into the Solution or Sympathy time. 
  

Thank you again to everyone who participated! There were so many important and supportive conversations happening throughout the session, all made possible because of your participation! We are grateful to have such energized, creative, and committed colleagues throughout Iowa! 

   

 

Link to 2024 IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Table Topics Notes in Google Drive.

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2023

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! We so appreciated being able to connect with so many new faces, and touch base with friends we’ve known for years! We had 21 people attend the IL Interest Group session held May 24, 2023 in Dubuque, IA at Loras College. 

We broke our time into a few segments: 

• We started with a little orientation to the session and our activities and outlined our expectations for everyone to get the most from our time together. We also took a brief moment to breathe deeply together (shout out to so many of the free videos from Headspace that are available on YouTube – you’ll find the one we used embedded in our slides below). Those who participated in person also had access to some fidget toys, coloring books, and candy to help de-stress or focus throughout the session.
• Then we transitioned into Table Topics - We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. The topics were: 
• Self-care and recharging
• Building community in trying times
• Tech tools to make your life easier
• Chat GPT & AI
• Instruction ideas
• As facilitators, it is always hard to stop when we’re hearing all of the fantastic conversations happening in the Table Topics time—But we did, switching gears to allow time for the Solution or Sympathy activity where participants wrote down instruction/library-related questions or concerns; shared the questions anonymously to see if the group has experienced something similar; and offered up possible solutions, or sympathized to let the person who submitted the question know that at least they're not alone.
• We wrapped up our time together by celebrating the big and little things in the Wins: Now and Later segment. We asked for your successes, to share something you're proud of--whether it was a major project or a singular moment. We enjoyed celebrating our colleagues’ accomplishments!

Thank you again to everyone who participated! These sessions are truly so valuable because of what you bring to the conversations! We are grateful to have such intelligent, creative, and invested colleagues throughout Iowa! 

Link to Table Topics notes in Google Drive.

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2022

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! It was wonderful to see familiar faces, and get to know folks who are new to Iowa's academic libraries! We had 17 people attend the IL Interest Group session held May 20, 2022. 

We broke our time into 3 segments: 

• We began with our familiar Solution or Sympathy activity where participants wrote down instruction/library-related questions or concerns; shared the questions anonymously to see if the group has experienced something similar; and offered up possible solutions, or sympathized to let the person who submitted the question know that at least they're not alone.
• We celebrated the big and little things in the Wins This Year segment. We asked for your successes, to share something you're proud of--whether it was a major project or a singular moment. We enjoyed celebrating each others' accomplishments.
• Then we transitioned into Discussion Groups (AKA Table Topics) - We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. 

Thank you again to everyone who participated! These interest group sessions are so rich and meaningful because of what you bring to the conversations! 

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2021

Thanks to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! Especially now, it felt great to connect with wonderful colleagues from around the state! This was a new conference format being fully online, but the conference planners did bring back some familiar elements by continuing to combine the Iowa Library Association ACRL conference with the IPAL conference. We had 28 people attend the IL Discussion Group breakout room on May 21, 2021. We began our time together with our familiar Solution or Sympathy activity where participants reflected using Padlet. Then we transitioned into New, Old, & On-Trend - an activity where participants reflected on new things they tried this year and wanted to keep, things they used to do but now realize energy is better spent elsewhere, and those things that we used to do/are still doing that aren't going away anytime soon. This year instead of more breakout rooms, we transitioned Table Topics into an asynchronous format for folks to share and reflect. All are linked in the embedded Google Doc below. 

 

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2020

 

This spring has turned our worlds upside-down. (Perhaps a better description is that we're stuck in a constant cycle between heavy-duty spin and tumble dry?) Either way, with the shift of both IPAL and ILA/ACRL to a shortened, online meeting rather than an in-person schedule, we decided to take a moment this spring and give each other some grace. 

We so value being able to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and connect in this way and we're excited to catch back up (Coronavirus permitting) at the next spring IPAL and ILA/ACRL gathering! 

Already looking forward to spring 2021!

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2019 Recap

Info Lit Interest Group 2019 by dbqreference

Thanks to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! How fortunate are we to have such rich conversations and be able to connect with wonderful colleagues from around the state?! This was the second year for the new conference format which combines the Iowa Library Association ACRL conference with the IPAL conference. We had 31 people attend on May 23, 2019 at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids. We began our time together sharing out wins from the year. We celebrated victories, big and small, with the large group. Then we transitioned into Table Topics groups. The various topics and associated group notes are embedded below. 

 
Thank you to all who attended and shared ideas, resources, and experiences! We're looking forward to carrying the conversations and connections into the next year!

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2018 Recap

IPAL/ILA ACRL 2018 by cstone

Thanks to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! We had rich conversations and were able to connect with many colleagues from around the state. We had a new conference format which combined the Iowa Library Association ACRL conference with the IPAL conference, and we had 27 people attend on June 1, 2018 at Drake University in Des Moines. We began our time together sharing out ideas for Professional Development on a shoestring. Those ideas are embedded below.



 After that we broke into Table Topics groups. The themes were:

• Communication: how can we communicate with colleagues and college constituents? convey value of IL, libraries, and more?
• Across: how can we collaborate across institutions for research, presentations, scholarship? 
• Resource bias and "real news:" how do we acknowledge bias in sources and translate that into resource credibility/assessment understanding w/ patrons
• Techniques and strategies: successful instruction and student engagement strategies, lessons that worked, teaching/class activities, ways to engage through IL
• Social justice: diversity, equity, inclusion in the IL context

We've done our best to interpret handwriting, but let us know if we missed something! We've embedded those notes below.

Finally we wrapped up with Solution or Sympathy. We've embedded below the talking points, and we'll also include the asks we weren't able to get to in person -- feel free to continue the conversation in the comments on this post!

Thank you to all who participated in the conversation and for your helpful feedback and interest in helping in the future! We're so grateful to work in a state with such wonderful colleagues!

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2017 Recap

Eighteen attended this year's in-person IL Interest Group session. We began with brief introductions sharing IL instruction session successes and then shifted into Conversation Circles. Attendees could choose from one of the following topics for their discussions:

• IL Reflection 
• Lesson Planning
• Instruction Materials and Management
• Reluctant Instructors
• Distance Learners

As you'll read below, the conversations were rich and the idea sharing was valuable! We allowed folks to rotate after about 30 minutes of discussion, because sometimes it's hard just to choose one topic! Embedded below are the notes from those conversations, as well as notes from the Solution or Sympathy activity. One additional thing to note was the election of Sarah Slaughter, University of Dubuque, to serve as a member of the Richard Fyffe Scholarship Selection Committee. We thank her for her willingness and enthusiasm to serve!

Conversation Circle & Solution or Sympathy Notes:

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2016 Recap

Twenty-three attended the Information Literacy Interest Group session held March 19, 2016 at Grand View University in Des Moines. We began with brief introductions followed by a guided reflection on teaching characteristics and non-traditional learning objects or experiences based on Char Booth’s Reflective teaching, effective learning: Instructional literacy for library educators. Individuals articulated influential instructors from their past or peer group and the attributes they most admire or wish to emulate in their own teaching. Participants also identified three memorable non-classroom-based learning experiences that connected them with a meaningful way to learn. That prompted a lively small-group discussion.

Kristy Raine provided an instruction example that modeled connecting instruction and outcomes to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The small groups then reconvened to discuss and brainstorm how they may apply the Framework and modify their current instruction. Each small group recorded their Framework brainstorming, which is shared below.

If you are interested in being part of the planning process for future events like this, fall ILA conference meet-ups, online hangouts, or would like to contribute guest posts to the blog, please indicate your interest here: http://goo.gl/forms/cWAoMJ75zvRyqEmP2





Below are the materials used or created during the event.

Slides/Prompts:

Reflective Teaching Activity prompts/chart:


Kristy Raine's lesson example connecting instruction and outcomes to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education:

Be a Volkswagen Detective: Show Me What You Know:

Defeat Devices and Mistakes: The Emissions Scandal and the Future of Volkswagen:

ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Pocket Guide:


Framework "Solution or Sympathy" group brainstorming:
Group 1


Group 2


Group 3


Group 4


Group 5