ArLA 2026 Annual Conference

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9:00am CDT

Let's Not Get Analytic Retentive: Using Worldshare Management Services (WMS) Analytics for Collection Development and Assessment

Saturday October 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

TBA

Assessment may seem like rocky terrain, but it is an important path of library work, whether you do on-going assessment throughout the year or at the end of the year for your annual report. If you use OCLC’s Worldshare Management Services (WMS) as your ILS, you already have a ready-made compass for navigating your library’s collection data–Analytics. In this presentation, sponsored by the WMS Community of Interest, two technical services librarians will discuss how to use WMS Analytics reports to perform collection development, assess circulation usage, and maybe ditch the manual spreadsheets for end-of-year reporting. This session will demonstrate how to run at least three of the classic reports in Analytics, as well as how to create some useful, custom reports with Report Designer. This presentation is primarily aimed at WMS users of any experience level who want to learn some of the basics of running and creating reports in Analytics. However, anyone is welcome who may want new ideas for using their ILS collection reports to assess, expand, or even weed their collection. Attendees will come away with the practical knowledge of how to get more results out of WMS Analytics, how to avoid data pitfalls from some reporting features, and how to use the data from collection reports to make the assessment journey less…tense.

Speakers

Angela Black

Technical Services Librarian, Arkansas Tech University

Angela Black is the Technical Services Librarian at the Ross Pendergraft Library at Arkansas Tech University.

Melissa Freiley

Associate Librarian for Technical Services, Hendrix College

Melissa Freiley is the associate librarian for Technical Services at the Bailey Library at Hendrix College.

Saturday October 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
TBA

Break Out Session

Track Mount Nebo Rim Trail
Audience Academic/University
global Y

9:00am CDT

Trailblazing Student Success: Mapping the Library’s Journey from Support Service to Campus Destination

Saturday October 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

TBA

Just like a successful hike requires planning, navigation, and adaptability, transforming a library into a central force for student success takes intentional strategy and reflection. In this session, participants will follow our "trail map" as we share a case study of how Boreham Library recharted its course to align with institutional priorities centered on student success.

We will guide attendees through key "trail markers," including evaluating library spaces, redesigning services, and strengthening campus partnerships to ensure a student-centered approach. Along the way, we will highlight practical strategies, lessons learned, and outcomes that demonstrate how libraries can move from being a passive support service to an active contributor to institutional goals.

Participants will engage in a short reflective activity to map their own "trailhead," identifying opportunities within their institutions to better align with campus missions and enhance their impact on student success.

Learning Outcomes:

- Identify strategies for aligning library services and initiatives with institutional student success priorities
- Articulate the value of the library as an active partner in advancing institutional goals
- Analyze their own library’s current role within the broader campus mission
- Develop a preliminary action "trail map" to enhance their library’s contribution to student success

This session aligns with the conference’s hiking theme by framing organizational growth and transformation as a journey. Just as hikers navigate trails with intention and adaptability, libraries must chart purposeful paths to remain relevant and impactful. By sharing our "trailblazing" approach, this session encourages attendees to explore new routes, overcome obstacles, and reach higher elevations in their support of student success.

Speakers

Andrea Parton

Discovery and Access Librarian, University of Arkansas Fort Smith

Andrea Parton holds her MLIS from Texas Woman's University and has been Discovery and Access Librarian for the University of Arkansas Fort Smith’s Boreham Library for 4 years. She strives to ensure easy, equitable access to resources for all patrons and helps student support efforts... Read More →

Deidre Grzymala

Jordan Ruud

Roxy Wylie

Saturday October 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
TBA

Break Out Session

Track Whitaker Point Trail
Audience Academic/University

2:30pm CDT

A Series of Unfortunate Call Numbers: Improving Fiction Series Browsability in LC Classification

Saturday October 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT

TBA

The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system does not inherently arrange fiction series in the chronological order intended by the author. As an academic library using LCC, we frequently found fiction series shelved alphabetically by title rather than by story sequence. As a result, later books often appeared before earlier volumes, creating confusion for both students and library staff.

This session presents a practical solution developed and implemented in our library: creating a second cutter number that incorporates the series title and the book's chronological position within the series. Attendees will learn how we use the Cataloging Calculator by Kyle Banerjee and online resources to identify series titles, determine reading order, and create consistent cutter numbers that improve patron browsing while maintaining compatibility with the LC classification system.

The presentation will include examples of shelving challenges, a step-by-step demonstration of the cataloging process, before-and-after comparisons, and a hands-on activity in which participants practice creating a second cutter number for a fiction series.

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

Explain how traditional LCC practices can result in fiction series being shelved out of story order.
Identify challenges that out-of-sequence shelving creates for patrons and staff.
Create a second cutter number that reflects series title and chronological order.
Apply tools and resources to determine a series' correct reading sequence.

This session supports New Trails in Library Service by blazing a new path in technical services and practicing stewardship through a sustainable workflow that improves discoverability, enhances the user experience, and reduces staff time spent correcting shelving inconsistencies.

Speakers