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