2017 KLAS Users' Conference Session Descriptions

During the November 10 Program Committee Conference call, committee members volunteered to create titles and descriptions for our breakout sessions.

I also thought reminding you of the general descriptions of Birds-of-a-Feather, Workshops, & Seminars.might be helpful as you are writing particular session descriptions. I am also open to editing these if anyone has suggestions.

Birds of a Feather Sessions
Birds of a Feather (BoaF) sessions give participants the opportunity to exchange ideas in a group discussion setting. Topics range from making the most of KLAS features to exploring broader service-related ideas. These sessions are not formal presentations with slides or software demonstrations. Instead, the format is casual and open. Moderators launch the discussion and keep the conversation on topic but may not have workstation access. Participants are asked to come prepared to share and learn. Registration is not required, but is recommended. Space is limited by room size.

Workshop Sessions
Workshop sessions are presented by a Keystone instructor in a small group setting. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions throughout the session and may have limited opportunities to try the function or task on their own. These in-depth presentations of particular KLAS features and functions will demonstrate the cause and effect of employing different tools through the use of slides, live examples, and customer experiences. Registration is not required, but is recommended. Space is limited by the number of classroom seats.

Seminar Sessions
Seminar sessions are presented by a Keystone and/or User presenter in a small group setting. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions throughout the session but only the instructor has workstation access. These in-depth presentations of particular KLAS functions or topics make use of slides, live examples, and customer experiences to explore the defined topic. Registration is not required, but is recommended. Space is limited by the number of classroom seats.

Here are the sessions individuals volunteered to work on as pulled from our meeting notes:

Pre-conference Sessions
Queries – Chris
PCC & Admin Training Review – Chandra

Break-out Sessions by Day

Tuesday
KLAS Administrators BoaF – use previous description
Ask the KLAS Experts Workshop – use previous description
User Recommended Queries Workshop– Chris
Readers’ Advisors BoaF – Erin
New Features in KLAS Workshop – Teresa
Using KLAS with Social Media Workshop – Craig

Wednesday
Circulation BoaF – Craig
Out of the Box Programming Workshop – Chandra
AMAC / Tool for Life Tour Seminar– Teneka
Beyond the Patron Module Seminar – Katy
Using the WebOPAC with Assistive Technology Seminar – Erin
Cataloging BoaF – Elke
Reports Workshop – Teresa

Thursday
Equipment BoaF – Teneka

Please post your descriptions here for review and commentary, and let Erin or I know if you have any questions.

Chris here re: the Queries section I'm working on:

Queries: Or how many gears does this truck have?
When the report function doesn’t give you exactly the information you need, a Query may be perfect…and when you have arrived at the data it exports to Excel beautifully.
Auditors love both Query “reports” or straight reports from KLAS because the data trail is verifiable and traceable. You can see who has changed what in the system. Here are some questions you can answer with just the right Query:
• How many clients died this past year?
• How many active Braille patrons do we have?
• How many clients between the ages of 6 and 13 do we have?
Imagine you have a new boss and he wants data with which to “sell” your services, so he is constantly coming up with new questions for specifics about what you do and how much of it you do. Queries are a way of “asking Siri”, except there is no annoying voice!

User Recommended Queries Workshop
Show & Tell or How do YOU work the magic?
Chris once again...on the User Recommended Queries Workshop...

You have seen how Queries in KLAS work. You know to navigate them and fill in the correct terms to get the data you want from returned. Now we want to hear from people who use Queries about how they utilize the function. Let’s turn the tables around and get some demonstrations of queries that work for your libraries.
Volunteers? We need several different sources.
• Do queries help you with audit tracking?
• Do queries help you track client needs?
• Do you use queries or reports more frequently?
• How do you use employ queries and what are your favorites?
Step right up. Your query might spark someone else to use a new one in their own library. This is a user driven session.

A New Window on the World: KLAS beyond the Patron Module

The patron module brings together everything we need to serve our patrons, right?
Not so fast!
While reader advisors use the Patron Module day in and day out for all kinds of things, there is plenty of good stuff hiding in those other modules, too! Did you know that you can query for a book? And how do you figure out who that nursing home's stray machine is checked out to? From the Catalogue Module to Equipment and beyond, there are helpful functions, tables, and reports all over the place. With a focus on reader advisory and answering patron questions, we will take a look at some of the things KLAS can do that you won’t find in the patron module.

New Features in KLAS workshop
Want to learn more about one of the features Nancy quickly highlighted in the general session earlier? Come to this workshop to learn more details, see demonstrations and ask questions about the new features in KLAS.

Creating Comprehensive Reports
Your boss needs that information yesterday! Is it already available in a KLAS report? This workshop will discuss helpful reports that can quickly supply the data you need.

Quick question, Chris. Are there two sessions on Query at the conference? I see kind of an introduction here, but in message #252 it looks like a panel discussion or demonstration. Thanks! Elke

BoaF Cataloging:

Join an open discussion on cataloging in KLAS with autoselect in mind. With PCC and download on demand, it more important than ever to make sure that titles are marked correctly in the catalog. From subject heading design, to tagging to managing series entries, "keeping found things found" has become paramount to a successful patron experience. The structure of this BoaF will include a list of scenarios for the purpose of sparking discussion but this moderated session will be driven by the expertise level and needs of the attendees.

Pre-conference Sessions
PCC & Admin Training Review
In the hectic everyday world, it is very possible to forget what you learned in the 2-day KLAS Administrators Training class. This session will remind administrators of useful options and controls in KLAS that govern how the system behaves, and reexamine the Patron Centric Cartridge concepts. Attendees will be asked to submit questions or topics they’d like to review prior to the start of the conference.

BoaF Equipment

Join us for a discussion about what is new with Equipment. What are the changes with PIMMS, the new NLS modified player for the hearing impaired, battery update, and any and everything that has to do with talking books equipment.

AMAC/ Tools For Life

Let's take a tour of this wonderful facility and learn all about how they fulfill the mission of dedication too increasing access to and acquisition of assistive technology (AT) devices and services for Georgians of all ages and disabilities so they can live, learn, work and play independently and with greater freedom in communities of their choice.

EBruton wrote: Quick question, Chris. Are there two sessions on Query at the conference? I see kind of an introduction here, but in message #252 it looks like a panel discussion or demonstration. Thanks! Elke

The first is a hands-on pre-conference session on Queries taught by Keystone staff. The "User Recommended Queries" session is a user-led and user-driven breakout session.

cmoore wrote: Chris here re: the Queries section I'm working on:

Queries: Or how many gears does this truck have?
When the report function doesn’t give you exactly the information you need, a Query may be perfect…and when you have arrived at the data it exports to Excel beautifully.
Auditors love both Query “reports” or straight reports from KLAS because the data trail is verifiable and traceable. You can see who has changed what in the system. Here are some questions you can answer with just the right Query:
• How many clients died this past year?
• How many active Braille patrons do we have?
• How many clients between the ages of 6 and 13 do we have?
Imagine you have a new boss and he wants data with which to “sell” your services, so he is constantly coming up with new questions for specifics about what you do and how much of it you do. Queries are a way of “asking Siri”, except there is no annoying voice!

Hi Chris,

Is this the description for the hands on pre-conference workshop? I have some feedback but I'm having a hard time telling if this is your description, or just general notes. Thanks!

As I understood it there were two sessions, wasn't I clear on that? That was what I tried to delineate with the two descriptions...the one is all the things queries do explained (how many gears) and the other is how do YOU (i.e. the users) use queries. That was what I was bouncing off Andrea.

cmoore wrote: User Recommended Queries Workshop
Show & Tell or How do YOU work the magic?
Chris once again...on the User Recommended Queries Workshop...

You have seen how Queries in KLAS work. You know to navigate them and fill in the correct terms to get the data you want from returned. Now we want to hear from people who use Queries about how they utilize the function. Let’s turn the tables around and get some demonstrations of queries that work for your libraries.
Volunteers? We need several different sources.
• Do queries help you with audit tracking?
• Do queries help you track client needs?
• Do you use queries or reports more frequently?
• How do you use employ queries and what are your favorites?
Step right up. Your query might spark someone else to use a new one in their own library. This is a user driven session.

It sounds like this is the Break Out Session Workshop on Queries. Okay, let's steer more toward the advanced query user. I think we should find an expert user from each of the major modules (Cat, Patron, Equip, Serials) and then give them a questionnaire to fill out in preparation for the panel. The bullet points above would serve as the jumping off point for the questionnaire. We have many great users, but without very specific guidelines, you may get a panel that just wanders all over the place. That's a frustrating session for attendees.

cmoore wrote: As I understood it there were two sessions, wasn't I clear on that? That was what I tried to delineate with the two descriptions...the one is all the things queries do explained (how many gears) and the other is how do YOU (i.e. the users) use queries. That was what I was bouncing off Andrea.

Sorry Chris for the confusion. Because so many different types of sessions are presented, and oftentimes, two sessions will be on the same basic subject, it's important to delineate in your description. So start out with:

Break Out Workshop, Queries
BoaF Administrators Meeting
Seminar Using Assistive Technology...

That way, when we're looking over each other's work we know right off what aspects in the description need tweaking or adding to.

Thank you!

Your bullet points seem to clarify it nicely and I think the points are well taken. I agree. I'm new to this which was why I flew it by Andrea...btw, as I told her I can't make the next conference call--I've gt a "command performance" with our new boss at a publisher in South Jersey.

Out of the Box Programming

The KLAS staff takes your ordinary day to day programming ideas and add a couple of tips and tricks and makes them EXTRAORDINARY!!

Birds of a Feather: Circulation

Come share your experiences with others who use the Circulation module. Whether you're the person who sends and receives materials or the person that uses the many other reports and features in the module, this session is an opportunity to interact with other staff that use the Circulation module. Bring your questions and your best practices for everything from turnaround to mailing cards to DB recall.

Reader's Advisors BoaF

This casual session gives participants an chance to share practical tips and learn from colleagues. But check your grievences at the door. This space is a complaint-free zone.

Using WebOPAC with Assistive Technology
There are many advantages to using the WebOPAC: freedom, privacy, and it's open 24/7. However for some AT users the intricacies of the WebOPAC can be overwhelming. This session gives you the tools to guide anyone through the search process.