ALAO 2026 Innovative Instruction Showcase

The Instruction and STEM interest groups of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) are excited to announce an online instruction showcase this spring. This will consist of a variety of short lighting talks of 7-10 minutes each.

The event will be held on Wednesday, May 13th, from 2pm – 4pm (EST). Stay tuned for the Zoom link.

Our theme is instruction in a very broad sense. We welcome proposals that encompass innovative ideas on a variety of tools and/or topics, including but not limited to:

• different subject areas
• teaching and/or learning styles
• lesson plans or planning
• self care for instructors
• distance learning
• asynchronous learning materials

Proposals that address STEM instruction, distance learning, and/or current issues are particularly encouraged. 

This is a community-driven event, so we want to hear from you. What do you have to share about instruction? We’d love to hear from schools of all sizes, any subject area, those who teach in-person or through distance learning. We welcome ideas great or small in this relaxed atmosphere for library instructors to connect and share ideas.

Presenters do not need to be members of ALAO or work in the state of Ohio. 

Proposals will be accepted through March 31st. Review will take place through April 10th, and notices sent soon after. Proposals can be submitted through this form (https://bit.ly/ALAOShowcase26).

For questions please contact the Instruction or STEM Interest Group Co-chairs at stemig-chairs@alaoweb.org and iig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

–Kristen Adams, STEM IG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Nathanael Davis, STEM IG Co-Chair, Cedarville University
–Tamia Jackson, Instruction IG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Liz Grauel, Instruction IG Co-Chair, University of Dayton

Programming, Outreach and Marketing Interest Group (PROMIG) News

Here is the latest news on activities from the promotion/marketing/outreach interest group:

Check out the latest Resource Roundup for a selection of relevant articles, webinars, CFPs, meetings, and more related to programming, outreach, and marketing. We welcome your contributions to the Roundup–just send an email to promig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

PROMIG’s first Community Chat “Wisdom for Social Media Managers in Academic Libraries: Lessons in Strategy, Engagement, Content Creation and More” was held on January 8, and featured Tanner Lewey, social media manager for libraries and higher education institutions. Tanner emphasized making human connections and finding and using elements unique to your library. If you missed the event or would like a recap, here is a link to a recording (pass code: Aqbb!2?6)

PROMIG’s second Community Chat for 2026 featured Katie Rose, Events Coordinator for the University of Toledo Libraries, who shared her processes for creating and publicizing library events. Katie talked about the tools she uses for scheduling and communications, how she manages event spaces, and discussed opportunities for collaboration. Notes from the event can be accessed here.

As always, thank you to all who attend PROMIG events. If you are interested in joining PROMIG, have ideas for programming, or would like to know more about our activities, contact us at promig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

We hope to see you at the next PROMIG event!

–Laura Birkenhauer, PROMIG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Jerry Natal, PROMIG Co-Chair, University of Toledo

SCAig and TEDSIG to Co-host Virtual Spring Event

Friday, April 24, 2026, 2:30pm – 4:00pm EST

How are ALAO members enabling users and reference/research staff to discover special collections, rare books, and archives materials following OhioLINK’s LSP migration? Join ALAO Interest Groups SCAig (Special Collections and Archives Interest Group) and TEDSIG (Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services Interest Group) for an informal “coffee chat” panel discussion. Three panelists will speak to different aspects of the prompt, and there will be ample time for Q&A and group discussion.

Crissandra George
Digital Collections Librarian, Case Western Reserve University
Migrating digitized collections to Alma’s Specto

Eve Kausch
Outreach Librarian for Special Collections & Archives, Kenyon College
Discovery tutorials for users

Tim Keller
Head,Discovery and Metadata Services, Oberlin College
Troubleshooting bound-with records and EAD-MARC conversions

Don’t miss this opportunity to gather with colleagues from special collections, archives and technical services to learn from changing and continuing practices. We hope this event will build supportive networks for the diverse professionals stewarding and fostering engagement with special collections and archives of academic libraries. We hope to see you there!

This event is free, but registration is required at: https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/WAQaYaYsTTqoxy-TsOcrpQ

Sustainability Interest Group (SusIG)

SUSIG is very pleased to announce that ALAO has officially established a partnership with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. Among the benefits of this partnership for ALAO members is free individual membership to the SLI, a 20% discount on SLI Certification, and a 25% discount if 5 or more libraries work through SLI certification as a cohort. In return, ALAO will share information about SLI with our members and work with SLI to provide training opportunities about sustainability in libraries. More details about this opportunity will be forthcoming!

–Mandi Goodsett, SUSIG Co-Chair, Cleveland State University
–Megan Jaskowiak, SUSIG Co-Chair, Miami University

Technical, Electronic & Digital Services (TEDSIG) Interest Group News

TEDSIG is jointly hosting a Virtual Coffee Chat on Friday, April 24, 2026 with SCAig. Please see the SACig update for details. We always welcome ideas from TEDSIG members about the group and possible activities (tedsig-chairs@alaoweb.org).

–Mike Monaco, TEDSIG Co-Chair, The University of Akron
–Rebecca Belford, TEDSIG Co-Chair, Oberlin College