Speakers: Dr. Aurora Mendelsohn and Dr. Anthony Gray

Based on the exhibition Emerging Patterns: Data Visualization Throughout History at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, this session shares the stories of people much like us, across many eras and from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, who have been wrestling with the graphical representation of information for centuries. The first set of examples tells the story of the evolution of data visualization over time, through historically significant first examples, false starts, curiosities, and instructive errors. The second set explore how the persuasive nature of data visualizations has been used to claim power for those who lack it and to advocate for changes in public policy.

Speaker: Dr. Jacqueline Quinless

Decolonizing Data is a critical precursor to advocating for social justice and in addressing systemic inequalities embedded in public institutions. This talk will address the tensions and complexities around the historical impacts of data colonialism and how decolonizing data is a move towards addressing systemic forms of inequality and oppressions in the collection, cataloguing, archiving and curating of knowledge. The talk will explore social justice approaches, including critical librarianship, and what makes this work specific to decolonization in public library systems regarding the stewardship, curation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge.

Get ready to shine a spotlight on your data! Join us for “Dazzling Data: Tools and Strategies for Presenting Data” – a conference session that will give you practical tips and platform suggestions to turn your data into a dazzling masterpiece. This session features a lineup of short presentations that will help you make sense of your data and present it visually like a pro. So if you’re tired of boring charts and graphs, come let us dazzle you!

Learn the ins and outs of how to combine data visualization, interactivity, and classic storytelling. Two speakers compare the most compelling (and the most ineffective) approaches to visual narratives while also providing actionable tips and strategies on accessibility, formatting, and templates that you can start implementing right away. Witness the importance of a clear message, supportive data and analysis, and a strong narrative flow to engage viewers.

Speakers: Steve Till-Rogers, Jason Shim, Brian Masschaele, and Clare Hanman

Don’t panic, but be prepared! Learn from a roundtable of experts and specialists first hand about their experience with data breaches and how they are working to manage these stressful incidents. Even if you don’t completely control your IT, you’ll be able to mitigate risks, assess your security and build a recovery plan… just in case.

Speakers: Sarah Roberts, Shaun McDonough

This description was written with the aid of ChatGPT.

Whether we like it or not, the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has revolutionized various industries, and the library sector is no exception. Delve into the opportunities and advancements presented by AI-driven data analysis in public libraries. Then investigate the challenges related to privacy and data security, information bias and misinformation, as well as potential strategies to address these challenges.