In this collaborative project, academic librarians across six colleges in New Jersey surveyed first-year students regarding their research preparation and their experiences in high school and in their first year of college. Data from this study was used in a subsequent article that looked at first-years' confidence in specific information literacy skills, the strategies learners brought with them from high school, and how research projects, expectations, and finding and using information were different from high school to college.

"Unicorn Space", coined by Eve Rodsky, is the active pursuit of something you love and brings joy and value to your life. This session will help library staff create a work environment that fosters their own Unicorn Space, and how to share that with the public. Side effects may include: reduced staff burnout, a joyful work environment, and new ideas, services, and programs that connect with the community we serve.

Have you ever wanted your library to leap tall buildings? Possess a green ring with cosmic powers? Or be located in a galaxy far, far away?? Well, those things aren’t possible. But you CAN host an awesome Comic Convention at your library! Join three NJ librarians with many years of experience creating “ComicCon” style events and learn of their wisdom (and their failures) in hosting these events at libraries just like yours.

Libraries accomplish great things when they work together. New Jersey’s public libraries operate under dozens of reciprocal agreements and arrangements, all geared towards expanding services to our patrons. How can we keep track of all of them? In this program, attendees will learn about these reciprocal agreements, how they operate, who they serve, tools for collecting and presenting this data, implications for digital content, and how we can leverage this information to further improve services.