LSU librarians Emily Frank, Hayley Johnson, Marty Miller, Brittany O'Neill and Sarah Simms presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference, which took place June 21-26 in New Orleans.

Frank, Coordinator of Scholarship & Open Access, presented "Textbook Affordability: Practical Applications and Visions," sponsored by the Collection Management and Electronic Resources Interest Group (ALCTS CMS). With two others, she discussed the importance of affordability and future pathways to making textbooks more affordable. Frank also presented "LSU’s Affordability Program: Designing and Implementing the Approach."

Simms and Johnson discussed their research on Japanese internment in Louisiana during WWII at "The Accidental Researcher: a Case Study in Librarian-led Historical Research and Social Justice." They spoke on the May 2016 newspaper article on letters from interned WWII-era Japanese American children, the spark that initiated the project, as well as utilizing primary and secondary documents throughout the progression of their research. In addition to their presentation, they were presented with the NewsBank/Readex/GODORT/ALA Catharine J. Reynold Award at the Reception and Awards Ceremony.  Their presentation is covered in American Libraries.

Art and Design Librarian Marty Miller presented "Picturing Education – Historical Images in the Classroom, in the Field and around Campus in the LSU University Archives Photographs Collection." The presentation focused on examples of posed and candid historical photographs of LSU students engaging in academic and extra-curricular activities in a variety of disciplines. The images provide discussion of historical perspective, evolution of photographic techniques and the issues of art versus documentation. Miller also discussed the challenges of using digital photographs versus the actual photos.

Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian Brittany O'Neill presented "Reverse Engineering the Research Process" during her poster session covering a research activity that teaches students how to work backwards when they conduct research by envisioning an article that supports their argument, identifying its core concepts and brainstorming keywords that would help give them a search strategy. This activity also suggests search terms for when students are not finding results and may presume there is not research on their topic. O'Neill's poster detailed the progression of the activity with each iteration, showed in-class data she gathered across disciplines and course levels and suggested ways others can adapt the activity to their personal needs.

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all.