Back from last year, we are excited to announce improved pre-conference workshops where attendees can take deeper dives into subject matter! Workshops will run concurrently, so please select only ONE workshop when registering.
Workshops will run on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
WORKSHOP 1 – Exploring AI in Libraries
Total Duration: 3 hours
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Description:
This pre-conference workshop aims to provide insights into how EBSCO is using AI to enhance library services, from traditional search functionalities and to reimagining user engagement. Participants will engage in collaborative discussions to identify and refine real-word AI use cases, refine best practices and learn how AI can help in evaluating content for relevance and quality. The workshop will also explore the role of conversational AI and AI-enhanced literature reviews in deepening user engagement with content.
EBSCO Presenters:
- Mike Napoleone, Vice President Product Management
- David Brickner, Principal Research Strategist
- Amy Thurlow, Director of SaaS Innovation
Learning Objectives:
- Gain insights into how EBSCO is responsibly using AI to reshape library services, from traditional search functionalities to advanced knowledge exploration, empowering libraries to meet evolving user expectations for faster, more intuitive access to trusted information.
- Collaboratively identify and refine AI use cases and best practices from peers and experts that can enhance both front-end user experiences and back-end operational efficiency in your library, positioning your institution at the forefront of innovation.
- Learn how AI can assist users in quickly evaluating content for relevance and quality by going beyond traditional metadata and abstracts, fostering stronger information literacy skills in an AI-driven environment.
- Discover how conversational AI, chat interfaces, and AI-enhanced literature reviews can deepen user engagement with content, helping users make cross-content connections and enabling your library to play a central role in personalized research journeys.
- Discover how using AI can enhance catalog records, identify collection needs and assist with uncovering insights using analytics.
Agenda:
- Introduction and Overview of EBSCO AI
- Breakout Session 1: Best Practices and Use Cases for AI in Libraries
- Breakout Session 2: Non-User AI Use Cases and Emerging Trends
- Collaborative Planning: AI Integration in Libraries
- Conclusion and Next Steps
WORKSHOP 2 – Optimizing your EBSCOhost Experience
Total Duration: 3 hours
Time: 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Description:
This session will provide insight into a variety of areas around EBSCO’s New User Interface. It will include background on how EBSCO’s User Research and Design Team incorporates qualitative and quantitative user feedback into product choices. The session will provide a hands-on element to ensure New UI is best optimized for your institution. This includes configuring authentication options to ensure successful access; doing a small health check on content and settings; and discussion around future enhancements. Finally, the session will share best practices for pulling and interpreting usage reports – both EBSCO and COUNTER generated – and how to measure usage from a numerical and value-driven standpoint.
EBSCO Presenters:
- Bonnie Leavitt, VP Product Management
- Amanda Ferrante, Principal Product Manager
- Ryan Walter, Principal User Researcher
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding of what settings and customizations can be applied to the New UI to have the most optimized user experience
- Review standardized usage reports and learn how to understand quantitative usage (sessions, retrievals, etc.) and how those apply to New UI.
- Examine your institution’s authentication and access settings to ensure end users can reliably successfully access EBSCO interfaces from your library’s portal as well as from the open web.
- Gain insight into how EBSCO strives to build a platform that can cater to researchers of all backgrounds and skills.
Agenda:
- Introductions
- How EBSCO built New UI – discussion with EBSCO User Research about how the research and design best practices were leverages when building the New UI.
- Getting users in – hands on review of best practices around configuring authentication. Review of how to optimize Find My Organization settings along with other options for getting users to EBSCO content from the open web.
- Setting up New UI – review of EBSCOadmin and EBSCO Configuration portals and how they are used to customize New UI.
- Usage – tips and tricks for pulling and interpreting usage reports, how to measure meaningful usage, Counter 5.1 updates.
WORKSHOP 3 – EDS/FTF Health Check
Total Duration: 7 hours (1 hour lunch break included)
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Description:
EBSCO Discovery Service and Full Text Finder play an integral role in providing discovery and access for your library resources. Join EBSCO trainers, Jaime Barrilleaux and Lisa Jones, and SaaS Manager Don Brown, as they guide you through a health check of these systems, emphasizing key areas that you need to maintain as an administrator.
This workshop is targeted toward existing EBSCO Discovery Service and Full Text Finder subscribers and focuses on system administration and maintenance.
Full Text Finder plays a vital role in the discovery and access of your full-text resources. We will review how to manage your collection in Holdings Management, how to test and review your access through the links powered by Holdings Management, and how to optimize the search experience through Publication Finder.
For Full Text Finder, we will review how to create, maintain, and evaluate your holdings in Holdings Management. We will review options for configuring Publication Finder. We will also review how to maintain your Full Text Finder links, including where to check link behavior and settings.
The health of your EBSCO Discovery Service, and the services it integrates with, is vital to the discovery of your resources. We will review key areas of control and maintenance in EBSCOadmin and EBSCO Experience Manager to ensure your software is optimized.
For EBSCO Discovery Service, we will review search options, metadata, and linking choices. We will also explore the EBSCO configuration module within EBSCO Experience Manager to learn about interface customizations and integration options.
EBSCO Presenters:
- Lisa Jones, Senior Customer Training Specialist
- Jaime Barrilleaux, Senior Customer Training Specialist
- Don Brown, SaaS Manager
Learning Objectives:
- Configure authentication options.
- Manage and update collections in Holdings Management.
- Optimize search experience for Publication Finder and EDS.
- Configure settings for FTF link resolver.
- Review and configure EDS search options and results page linking options.
- Optimize EDS for branding, navigation, and integrations.
- Manage searchable metadata including catalog/institutional repository, EBSCO databases, and partner metadata.
Resources needed: Laptop
WORKSHOP 4 – Maximize EBSCO Tools for Effective Book Collection Development and Management: A Hands-On Workshop
Total Duration: 3 hours
Time: 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Description:
Participants will explore essential EBSCO tools and resources to develop, enhance, manage, and promote their library’s book collections. The session covers recent features and functionality supporting collection development through GOBI and Mosaic, and eBook Management through ECM (EBSCOhost Collection Manager). Attendees will gain hands-on experience with Mosaic, a new book acquisition solution, and learn about its current and upcoming features.
EBSCO Presenters:
- Caroline Zappasodi, Vice President of Product Management
- Bethany Pelletier, Director of Product Management
- Emma Waecker, Director of Product Management
- Julie Twomey, Senior Marketing Manager
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the functionalities of GOBI, ECM, and Mosaic for building and managing library print book and e-book collections.
- Gain proficiency in using eBook Manager for managing EBSCO eBooks collections.
- Explore available EBSCO resources to improve user experience and boost usage.
Agenda:
- Introduction
- Welcome, introductions, session overview, and learning objectives.
- Building and Enhancing a Collection
- Introduction to GOBI, finding eCollections and EBA options, benefits of Spotlight Lists, standard search, approval plans, awards, and faculty authors. Hands-on practice with GOBI exercises (optional).
- EBSCOhost Collection Manager (ECM)
- Introduction to ECM, DDA management, automatic upgrades, browsing EBSCO eBook collections for purchase, and integration with eBook manager.
- Break (15 minutes)
- Mosaic
- Introduction to Mosaic, utilizing it for efficient collection development, current and forthcoming functionality. Hands-on practice with Mosaic (optional).
- Managing EBSCO eBooks Collections with EBSCO eBook Manager
- Introduction to eBook Manager, review of functionality, training resources, and how to stay updated.
- Break (15 minutes)
- Open Forum/Help Desk:
- Open time for questions about GOBI/ECM/Mosaic/eBook Manager.
- Driving Usage with EBSCO Marketing Resources
- Finding EBSCO marketing tools and resources, strategies to promote collections and drive usage.
- Improving Skills with EBSCO Connect
- Introduction to EBSCO Connect, available resources, video tutorials, user guides, and notification groups.
- Wrap-up
- Q&A session, key takeaways, and next steps.
Resources needed: Laptop