Coordinate with other STS events
Consult our STS Events calendar (default time zone is Eastern) in order to prevent competing events.Take note of the dates reserved each month for STS virtual programming and consider scheduling your event within these time blocks. Also take into consideration cultural and religious holidays when selecting a date for your event.
Programs usually run one hour on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between noon–3p Eastern/9a–noon Pacific to be considerate of various time zones.
If several STS events are coordinated back-to-back, include breaks or discussion room options between sessions.
Communicate via STS Events calendar
If you need inspiration, browse for topics of interest to our STS community, based on feedback received from recent STS programming surveys.
DEI Principles
Actively solicit multiple perspectives of an issue, and prioritize the inclusion of presenters from underrepresented backgrounds.
Universal Design
Consult the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines.
For online meetings, use live transcription when possible. If not possible, use the “live transcript” (CC) feature, automatic captioning or auto-transcription via Google Slides, Zoom, or Microsoft PowerPoint 365.
Follow guidelines for minimum font size on slides (24 pt).
Provide multiple access options for information (e.g., if there’s an image with words, include those words in the slide notes or in accompanying materials so those using a screen reader can access the text).
Platform selection - Choose an online platform that does not require attendees to have an account to join, or use the ACRL zoom account.
Zoom-specific considerations - Think ahead about Zoom security options (waiting room, password, etc.), and have a plan for what you will do if someone does get in and Zoom bombs (i.e., have at least 2 co-hosts if possible so someone not presenting can remove an identified person from the meeting immediately, or if no one can identify the person / people quickly enough, have a plan to shut down the program and send info about a new link or a rescheduling option.
Short URLs - Consider having a short (bit.ly or other) URL for attendees to view slides or materials and/or an accessible PDF copy. Have materials ready to post in chat or share ahead of time -- this can also help provide greater accessibility.
Question Prep - Moderators should prepare some questions for the presenter(s) in advance, to help stoke the Q&A.
Hold Practice Sessions - Conduct a practice session with the presenter(s) and moderators, to make sure everyone knows how to switch the screen sharing smoothly, use their microphones and cameras, and coordinate any polling or breakout rooms.
Recording - If planning to record the session, consider getting permission ahead of time from all speakers (and perhaps mention that it will be recorded when publicizing the event and/or mention it on the registration page). If recording does not start right away, make sure to announce when the recording is about to start.
Guidelines for Presenters
Please review the entire timeline and descriptive information for each step prior to initial outreach to the presenters.
6 months in advance: If funding is desired, submit your request to the STS Executive Committee. Once a program that requires funding has been approved by the STS Executive Committee, then program planners should fill out the Funding Request Form. The STS Development Committee will then carry out the fundraising. Please direct any fundraising questions to the Development Committee.
2-3 months in advance (minimum): Committee member organizers establish a general time frame in which the presentation will happen and share general information about how the online presentation will work with presenters. If it is desired to use the ACRL zoom account for the event, then schedule a practice session and online presentation with ACRL.
6 weeks in advance: Committee member organizers ask presenters to review title and description of program to ensure accuracy prior to marketing. Offer to answer any questions they have.
4 weeks in advance: Committee member organizers coordinate with the entire committee to begin advertising the presentation through professional listservs. All presenters and committee contacts for the online presentation should register at this time. Follow the template for marketing.
1-2 weeks in advance: Practice session/technical introduction. The committee member acting as host of the event should have established scripts for introduction and closing. The committee member acting as moderator should have a plan for collating questions. Remind presenters of best practices for online presentations. If desired, presenters can do a “dress rehearsal” of the first 10-15 minutes of their presentation and committee members can offer constructive feedback on style, tone, and organization of content.
Day of the event: If using ACRL’s zoom account, the committee member organizers email the ACRL Program Officer PRIOR to the online presentation and asks that she does not send out the video recording to registrants until she receives the slides, and/or list of links extracted from the chat box from the committee.
Contact Info for Accommodations - Include a statement with your event about how (and who) to contact as event organizers to request an accommodation if desired, including for those with a disability, and note how many days in advance are required to set up accommodations
Lead Time Suggestion - Promote STS events at least 3 weeks prior to the event
Promotion Locations -
Email event details to the co-chairs of the STS Professional Development Committee (login and refresh the page to see email addresses), who update the STS Events calendar.
Ideally put the info on the ALA Connect calendar in the STS Connect space, which will feed into the STS list. At a minimum, send a message to the STS list via ALA Connect.
In addition, consider cross-promotion of STS events to additional groups, e.g., to ethnic caucuses; the Rainbow Round Table; other ACRL sections; and non-ALA groups to try and increase the diversity of attendants. (See connection to this priority from our EDI initiatives - https://acrl.libguides.com/sts/edi/initiatives.)
Template - Consider using the STS Virtual Program Announcement template that can be adapted for different events
Code of Conduct - At the beginning of all STS virtual programs, include a reference to ACRL Code of Conduct.
Active Engagement - Consider active engagement options for the program
Q&A at minimum.
Possibly breakout rooms for discussion or an activity, or an ‘on your own’ activity and ‘report back’ discussion for the full group.
Polling software / services (within Zoom or other platforms).
Using icebreakers either in the chat or in brief breakout rooms.
Consider sharing a hashtag for engagement on social media.
Communicate clearly how Q&A will be handled - Select the various options that make the most sense for your event, then clearly communicate those options. For example, Q&A via chat, Q&A function, voice; at the end of each presentation or at the end of the event; text questions read aloud by the moderator.
Recording notification - If recording, make sure to notify all attendees, ideally prior to the session, but at the minimum at the start of the session.
Use automatic captions- At a minimum, when giving presentations, use the auto-captioning feature in Zoom, PowerPoint, and Google Slides. Request funding from the STS Executive Committee if hiring a person to create live captioning is desired.
Use designated roles - Have at least one person facilitating the meeting in addition to presenter/s so that someone can be on hand to respond to questions in chat and/or technical issues.
Host - Gives welcome, code of conduct, and accessibility features and concludes the event.
Moderator - Reviews Q&A and chat for questions for the presenter(s).
Tech support - Gives help to anyone with audio/visual problems.
Use a timer - Have someone in charge of timing for panels/multi-speaker events and give warnings when time is running short; this allows everyone equal time to present and ensures time for questions from attendees.
Sharing out after - Summarize the event and share afterwards via methods like an STS LibGuide, STS Signal, or the email list (depending on the event and the context).
If the program was recorded (and appropriate permissions obtained), work with the STS Publicity Officer to post the recording to the STS YouTube channel by completing the YouTube Submission Form.
1 day after the event: The committee member organizers send thank you note to the presenters.
