In-Person Program

Thursday, November 14

Concurrent Workshops
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Pitch Perfect Toolbox: Crafting Compelling Proposals for Academic Library Innovation
Presenter: Lauren Haberstock, Pepperdine University
The Atrium

This hands-on workshop equips participants with practical tools and strategies to create persuasive proposals, from technology acquisitions to new program launches. This workshop offers real-world insights into crafting successful pitches, reflecting the facilitator’s own experiences securing funding for new technology for two of their creative technology spaces. Attendees will apply lessons learned to their own innovative ideas, receiving feedback and guidance from both the facilitator and peers. Whether you’re seeking funding for new technology, proposing a creative event series, or launching a groundbreaking program, you’ll leave this workshop with a toolkit of strategies to transform your ideas into fundable proposals.

Capture, Create, Print: A Hands-On 3D Scanning Workshop
Presenters: Justin Haynes and Colin Keenan, North Carolina State University
Room 315A

This interactive 75-minute workshop explores the utility and creativity of 3D scanning and 3D printing. These tools are essential for low-fidelity spatial prototyping, enabling participants to quickly interact with physical objects within virtual environments and leverage 3D printing. Attendees will engage in the entire process, from capturing 3D scans of themselves and objects around them to editing these scans and preparing the models for 3D printing. The session provides a comprehensive hands-on experience, equipping participants with
practical skills in 3D technology.

The Future of Storytelling: Explore the Potential of Virtual Production
Presenter: Callum Knitowski, University of Texas at Arlington
Virtual Production Studio (1st Floor, The Studios)
*Space limited; sign up at the registration table

We will explore the growing world of Virtual Production, including a hands-on demo, utilizing UTA Libraries brand new Virtual Production Studio. Attendees will get the chance to explore use cases for this technology, as well as learn what it takes to implement virtual production themselves.

Lunch + Lightning Talks
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Atrium

0 to 60 in 10 minutes: dreaming, pitching, implementing, partnering, building
Presenter: Lisa Hooper, Tulane University

This session outlines Tulane library’s path to transforming a purely format-focused Media Services into a contemporary Media Services that supports continued access to traditional media formats as well as access to tools and learning opportunities for creative media production. This story begins with a wish waiting for an opportunity and will take audiences through our present day iteration with a glance toward our future. We will talk about visioning, decision making, pitching, partnering, and program development. This session might be of greatest interest to librarians and technologists in program ideation and development.

Creating a Student Art Contest Across Library Services
Presenter: Hannah Pope, Appalachian State University

In an attempt to make the Libraries a more welcoming place, a Student Art Contest was held for the 2023-2024 academic year. Seeing a lack of student art in our Library, staff members created a university-wide Student Art Contest to represent current students. Using the resources of our Digital Media Lab, Makerspace, and campus partners, we were able to pull together a successful contest that resulted in the Library acquiring 10 new student pieces. This presentation will talk about the process of putting together the competition/event and the resulting permanent exhibit on our most used floor of the Library.

Leveraging AI for Innovative Library Solutions
Presenter: Andy Ticknell, Fort Hays State University

As our library colleagues continue to debate artificial intelligence and its effect on writing curricula, we in creative technologies should investigate the pros and cons of AI in our field. This lighting talk will profile an experiment by a technologist with minimal coding experience to discover if it is possible to use ChatGPT to code an entire website. This session will highlight the process, challenges, and outcomes, highlighting AI’s potential to enhance our resources and consider its efficacy and ethics. Attendees will be offered ideas to modify this experiment and its product for their own projects.

Numbers That Narrate: Crafting Your Department’s Story with Statistics
Presenter: Eric Johnson, Virginia Commonwealth University
The Atrium

Departmental stats are everywhere: circulation, reservations, attendance, patron interactions, more. We are buried in numbers! Your presenter HATES gathering (most) stats. But also, he is absolutely smitten with their power to tell dramatic stories about his department and its change over time. In this presentation, you’ll learn how to dive deep and tease out really interesting threads by using unexpected numbers: percentage of time each space or item is booked; hidden patterns revealed by date, day of week, and month; item-by-item and categorical usage over time; and more. (And these deep numbers can also inform decisions about weeding, feeding, and service models, too.)

Connecting a Campus Community through a Collaborative K-12 STEAM Camp
Presenters: Morgan Brickey-Jones, Robin Jocius, and Yuliana Aceves Nguyen, University of Texas at Arlington
Room 315A

This presentation will describe the genesis and evaluation of the Library STEAM Camp, a collaborative project in which pre-service teachers designed hands-on STEAM workshops for campers ages 8-13. Over the course of a semester, undergraduate students enrolled in a pre-service teacher education program learned about the university library’s spaces and resources, including staff, the Makerspace, studios, and archives, and to utilize these resources in designing experiential learning experiences for children. We will detail how informal educational activities can build synergistic collaborations across multiple university units. We will also describe how the Library STEAM Project had lasting and important impacts on university unit collaborations, pre-service teacher candidate participants, university staff members, and middle grades students. Finally, we will describe practical considerations for implementing similar projects.

From Research to Reel: A Roadmap to One-Shot Media Instruction
Presenter: Paris Whalon, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Room 109

This presentation highlights a 50-minute media instruction session designed for Public Writing English courses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). It provides a step-by-step guide to helping student groups create Public Service Announcement (PSA) videos for local nonprofits. The session covers group management, planning, and using media services and equipment. Attendees will learn strategies for transforming research into impactful narratives, equipping students to craft meaningful PSAs. The presentation offers practical tips and a detailed teaching roadmap to integrate media literacy into courses and inspire students’ responsible storytelling.

Roundtables and Posters
2:10 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The Atrium

Roundtables

The Academic Journey: Tenure, Continuing Appointment, and Other Faculty Things that You Are Expected to Understand
Facilitator: Emily Thompson, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

This roundtable will provide an opportunity for senior faculty to help newer folks to demystify the promotion and/or tenure process. We will also work together to build a multi-year calendar so participants will have an visual idea of what goals they need to hit and when.

AI Applications in Multimedia and MakerSpaces: Opportunities and Ethics
Facilitator: Andy Ticknell, Fort Hays State University

There is significant discussion in higher education regarding the impact of text-based generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, on the creation of written works. However, AI’s influence extends far beyond text. AI is transforming how we interact with images, audio, websites, and more. In this roundtable discussion, we will explore popular AI applications for multimedia and MakerSpaces, examine their impact, and address the ethical considerations associated with their use. We will also discuss guardrails to ensure ethical behavior. Let’s share our experiences and insights on leveraging AI to innovate and create beyond traditional text-based mediums in our creative spaces.

Integrating maker technologies into class learning
Facilitators: Jeffrey McCulley, Lauren Stutler, and Joshua Richey, University of Texas at Arlington

Panel members will share their experiences with and answer questions about how we have worked with various classes to integrate maker and creative technologies into their class learning process and assignments.

Leading Successful Community Outreach
Facilitator: Emerson Ironstone, University of Minnesota

What is a University makerspace’s role in community outreach? Where can we provide our expertise and impact? Which outreach strategies have worked for us, and which leave something to be desired? How do you make new community contacts? How do you engage youth in the makerspace? In this round table, we’ll discuss these questions and more as we develop outreach strategies that work for our spaces and needs while serving the communities we live in. We invite attendees to share their successes and missed opportunities and join in a discussion about how we can improve our outreach strategies and activities.

Practical Approaches to Supporting Faculty and Students with Media-Based Assignments
Facilitators: Amanda McCollom, University of Delaware and Paris Whalon, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The roundtable will spark an engaging discussion on how we support media-based projects across various platforms. Participants will share strategies for offering assignment design support, facilitating faculty development, conducting outreach, creating resources for students, and teaching essential skills. Together, we’ll explore the best ways to empower both students and faculty to integrate multimedia elements into their work, making the learning process more interactive and effective.

Student Staffing Models in Creative Spaces
Facilitators: Yitzhak Paul, Boise State University; Michelle Brannen, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Cath Bruhnke, Clemson University; Colin Nickels, North Carolina State University Libraries, and Jules Vetter, Boise State University

In this roundtable we will discuss student staffing models: what works, what doesn’t work, how much autonomy or leadership do students have in staffing your space, and much more. Included in the roundtable will be a student perspective on the matter.

Posters

Beyond Engineering: Unleashing the Universal Benefits of Makerspaces for All Disciplines
Presenter: Cath Bruhnke, Clemson University

The Adobe Studio & Makerspace at Clemson serves students from over fifty-six programs in addition to our engineering program. We collected data from the logs students fill out when logging their equipment use and found that during the ’23-’24 academic year, over half of the visitors were from non-engineering programs. We have learned from our discussions with students that word of mouth is a significant factor in bringing new students to our space. With consistent outreach to faculty and staff, we hope to get more non-engineering classes for Adobe Studio & Makerspace tours.

Empowering Minds: Student-Led Innovations in Games Research, Design, and Development
Presenters: Jess Williams and Britt LaRiviere, University of Texas at Arlington

“Empowering Minds: Student-Led Innovations in Games Research, Design, and Development” highlights how students at The Basement took initiative to self-teach essential skills in game development, design, and research. Through independent study and collaboration, they developed materials, workshops, and presentations to share their knowledge with peers. This session showcases their creative process, exploring how student-led learning fosters innovation, critical thinking, and community engagement in games education. Attendees will gain insights into empowering students to take ownership of their learning and contribute meaningfully to the broader games industry and academic research.

Implementing an XR Fellowship with a Humanities Focus
Presenter: Claire Preston, Dartmouth College

This poster will provide an overview of the XR for the Humanities fellowship at the Data Experiences and Visualizations Studio at Dartmouth College. This program provides undergraduate students from diverse departments with an opportunity to learn and work on extended reality (XR) projects through a humanities lens, focusing on research applications and critical approaches to the medium. Viewers will leave with an understanding of the implementation of this program and ideas for promoting student engagement with interdisciplinary approaches to emerging technologies.

Make Philosophy: Digitally Fabricated Thought Experiments
Presenters: Morgan Chivers and Dr. Eli Shupe, University of Texas at Arlington

Academic philosophy often presents complex concepts and abstract ideas quite challenging for students to grasp. Traditional teaching methods (lectures/readings) are often insufficient to meaningfully engage all learners, especially those with diverse learning styles. The Make Philosophy project aims to help address this challenge by designing and distributing digitally fabricated teaching aids, fostering a more inclusive and engaging learning experience for students of all ages. We developed a series of interactive physical models of foundational thought experiments for use in philosophy classrooms, inviting student engagement with the content of the thought experiments more deeply than they would through reflection alone.

Making the Most of Small STEAM Spaces
Presenters: Natalie Boulanger, Summer Natali, and Erica Lovelette, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Maker and creative technology spaces in libraries foster creativity, exploration, and innovation. Using these spaces to their fullest potential is critical for our entire campus community but what happens when these physical spaces are limited by size and capacity? The USF St. Petersburg Library features a STEAM and creative space including an art gallery that opposes our 75 foot square makerspace. This session will explore current projects and ideas that mobilize and enhance small STEAM and creative spaces within the academic library. We invite attendees that work in creative library spaces regardless of their shapes and sizes to engage in meaningful conversation about making the most of our spaces.

Promoting Efficiency and Textile Engagement Through Strategic Organization
Presenter: Lenore Dougherty, Virginia Commonwealth University

By implementing a comprehensive organizational system and prioritizing cleanliness, we created a more accessible and user-friendly environment for patrons, leading to a notable increase in workshop usage. The poster will highlight the impact of enhanced organization and cleanliness, revised machine hierarchy, promotional strategies, and increased patron usage. Overall, this initiative effectively demonstrated how strategic organization, and proactive communication can significantly boost workshop efficiency and foster greater engagement with textile equipment.

So You Wanna Make a T-Shirt: Fielding Custom Shirt Requests in Marston Makerspace
Presenter: Sarah Prentice, University of Florida

Sarah Prentice presents her process for navigating custom T-shirt requests as manager at Marston Makerspace at the University of Florida Libraries. T-shirt consultations often present as walk-ins during Open Lab hours and account for many of the Makerspace’s lengthiest hands-on consults. Determining the most suitable option for each concept entails a unique variation of the reference interview: What is the design? How many colors, and how much detail? What kind of material is the shirt? What is your budget and deadline? She will discuss the pros and cons, as well as tips and tricks, for the various options: heat transfer vinyl, sublimation, inkjet printable transfers, direct-to-film transfers, embroidery, and screen printing.

The Digital Media Lab as a Space for Digital Literacy: Studio Coe and the Wyoming Innovation Project
Presenter: Kathryn Senn, University of Wyoming
In 2023, the University of Wyoming Libraries’ digital media lab applied for and received funding from the Wyoming Innovation Partnership. This poster will tell the story of how we went from a media lab, focused on audio and video editing and graphic design, into a more encompassing digital media and literacy lab. Topics covered on this poster will include hardware and software considerations, adapting offerings for post-pandemic student needs, and making resources available to the public.

Concurrent Sessions
3:10 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Maker Literacies Integrations
Presenters: Morgan Chivers, University of Texas at Arlington, and Jennifer Nichols, University of Arizona
The Atrium

The Maker Literacies Initiative exists to help establish and promote best practices that incorporate cross-disciplinary, transferable, transdisciplinary, technology-agnostic, maker-based competencies into university-level curriculum. Pioneered and continually developed by UTA Libraries since 2016, the Maker Literacies have established roots in earnest at other institutions beyond those who contributed to their creation. At ACTAL 2024 we will further the conversation regarding different applications of the Maker Literacies Frameworks at institutions where they have been in use for several years; this presentation will feature in-depth case studies of course integrations and assessment strategies at both UTA and University of Arizona.

Who Can Resist a Video Game about Cute Dogs?: How and Why We Built a Custom Video Game in Partnership with the Counseling Center on Campus
Presenter: Jonathan Bradley, Virginia Tech University
Room 315A

This year was our deadline for updating our virtual library tour, and through a partnership with the Cook Counseling Center at Virginia Tech, we decided to film a narrative of the VT Therapy Dogs creating their own video game using all of the resources available in the studios in Newman Library. With our new Game Studio opening in the fall, we decided to turn the fake video game depicted in the footage into a real one, so that patrons could come into the space and play the game depicted in the promotional videos. I’ll be talking about our partnership, what all was made for it, discuss the game’s creation in Unity, and how it was used. And I’ll demo the game and discuss how this sort of project is good not only for promotional purposes but also for your patrons.

Leveraging Automation to Solve Creative Space Challenges: Two Case Studies
Presenters: Colin Nickels and Colin Keenan, North Carolina State University
John Pointer, University of Texas at Arlington
Room 109

Automation can support many different business processes in creative spaces from shortening workflows to managing students. In this talk we’ll cover two distinct case studies of using automation to solve business needs using Microsoft 365 and Python Discord Bots.

Concurrent Sessions
4:10 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Maker Assignments: Curricular Collaborations with Faculty
Presenter: Nicole Cingolani, Pennsylvania State University
The Atrium

The makerspaces at the University Libraries at Pennsylvania State University’s University Park campus provide extensive support for project-based learning opportunities. They offer on-demand workshops, appointments, and consultations with faculty to aid in the creation of innovative assignments. Through these efforts, we have curated a diverse collection of successful project-based assignment examples from various disciplines across the University. This presentation will highlight three exemplary assignments from the Women’s Studies, Engineering Entrepreneurship, and English curricula. These assignments were developed through collaborations between faculty and Teaching and Learning with Technology staff, resulting in the integration of creative, project-based learning using introductory-level maker and digital technologies such as dye sublimation, generative AI, Cricut smart-cutting, sewing, sticker printing, and more. Students participating in these workshops acquire necessary technical skills while enhancing their digital fluency, storytelling abilities, and interdisciplinary research skills. Moreover, these workshops promote social responsibility, raise social justice awareness, and strengthen student self-efficacy.

Small but Mighty: Optimizing Micro-Makerspaces
Presenters: Karen Dafoe, SUNY Cortland and Sarah Prentice, University of Florida
Room 315A

As Genie from Disney’s Aladdin says, “Phenomenal cosmic powers…itty-bitty living space.” Sarah Prentice, from the Marston Makerspace at the University of Florida Libraries, and Karen Dafoe, from SUNY Cortland’s Memorial Library Makerspace, were each tasked with developing 850-square-foot makerspaces at their institutions. In this session, they will discuss the evolution of their makerspaces, the challenges they faced, and strategies for optimizing small spaces. Through a comparison of their experiences, attendees will gain practical insights and tips for effectively managing a micro-makerspace.

What is Old is New Again: A Case for Vintage Technologies in Makerspaces
Presenter: Yitzhak Paul, Boise State University
Room 109

In this presentation, I will make a case for having vintage technologies from the past 100+ years in academic library makerspaces and show how they can intersect with many of the technologies already in our spaces. We will explore technologies spanning hundreds of years and ask questions like what does generative coding have to do with pen plotters from the 1980’s made for fortune 500 companies? Can you 3D print letter type? Should a library have a darkroom? What other vintage technologies could be at this intersection?

ACTAL Night Out at Billy Bob’s
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Billy Bob’s – 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, TX 76164

The Thursday evening social will be held at Billy Bob’s Texas in the historic Fort Worth Stock Yards. The bus will leave UTA at 6PM and leave from Billy Bob’s to return to UTA at 8:30PM. You are welcome to take your own transportation if you wish to come and go at different times.
Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drink tickets will be provided. Cowboy hats and boots are optional, but welcome!

Friday, November 15

Concurrent Sessions
9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Story Problems: Training and Inspiring Student Workers through Creative Media Making Challenges
Presenters: Jason Evans Groth, University of Virginia, and Maurika Smutherman, North Carolina State University
The Atrium

To help students in media spaces fight imposter syndrome and urge them toward the confidence of saying “I don’t know, but we can find out together” to patrons, staff at NCSU Libraries initiated Story Problems, a weekly, low impact media making challenge for students on the clock. Story Problems attempted to foster a culture of creative practice through encouraging space ownership and investment through media making challenges. We’ll discuss the outcomes of Story Problems and use real data to discuss the process – and promise – of this kind of “maintenance training” culture with students.

Evolution of a 48-hour Film Project
Presenters: Jason Fleming and Alyssa Wharton, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Room 315A

The UNCW Library shares our story of starting and growing a 48-hour film competition. In 2022, we hosted a film competition giving participants 48 hours from prompt to product to give an audience a one-of-a-kind film viewing experience. We collaborated with Makerspace staff, the film studies librarian and faculty to judge the entries and sponsor refreshments and a prize. In 2023, we partnered with Campus Student Events and presented in a theater with high student participation. We are excited to share how 2024 goes as we seek to incorporate the new makerstudio into the process and make changes to the submission process, making it easier while preserving the contest’s spirit. Most of all we want to increase the awareness of our loanable tech and giving students advanced lessons in video editing, so they are prepared to make their best video!

Makerspace in a Box: Bringing Creative Tools and Technologies to International Learning Environments
Presenter: Lauren Haberstock, Pepperdine University
Room 109

The Makerspace in a Box concept brings the creativity and innovation of the Genesis Lab on Pepperdine University’s Malibu campus to the Pepperdine International Programs locations. Pepperdine has six international academic year programs with dedicated campuses; over half of all second-year students choose to study abroad at one of these locations. This presentation explains the development process, from the initial concept to practical lessons learned from prototyping. It discusses changes made to the kits, the logistical challenges of deployment, and future iterations and expansion opportunities. This initiative serves as a model for fostering innovation and hands-on learning regardless of location.

Concurrent Sessions
10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Navigating the Future of Media: Implications, Opportunities, and Best Practices for AI-Generated Media
Presenters: Cath Bruhnke, Clemson University; Nicole Cingolani, Pennsylvania State University; Callum Knitowski, University of Texas at Arlington; Ian Mellor-Crummey, Rice University; Kathryn Senn, University of Wyoming; Lauren Stutler, University of Texas at Arlington
The Atrium

In this collaborative session, participants will engage in small group discussions that explore the complex relationships between humans, technology, and information in the context of AI-generated media. Each discussion leader will share their experiences and insights, encouraging active participation and idea exchange among attendees. By exploring the implications, opportunities, and challenges of AI-generated media, this session aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to critically evaluate AI content, promote media literacy, and make informed decisions about the use of AI tools in their personal and professional lives. Topics for discussion will include:

• The ethics of using generative AI tools for teaching and research
• Strategies for verifying and detecting deepfakes and other forms of synthetic media
• Innovative approaches to teaching information literacy, digital media literacy, and critical thinking skills in educational settings
• The benefits and challenges of running AI tools locally versus relying on cloud-based services

Making + Mental Wellness: Using the Makerspace to Further Mental Health on Campus
Presenter: Hannah Pope, Appalachian State University
Room 315A

After COVID there was an uptick in stress experienced by students, staff and faculty, and the Libraries looked for a way to help alleviate these issues. The Makerspace, as a hands-on, creative environment, seemed to be an ideal place to host programming around mental wellness. Working with campus partners, we developed a series of four workshops to help students learn skills in a low risk environment while being creative. Attendees will learn about how to engage with campus partners to make events like these a success and what resources are needed to create spaces/workshops like these for their libraries.

Copyright for Creators
Presenter: Emily Thompson, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Room 109

Copyright is one of those topics that might be something covered under “creative technologies” but also might not. It is important, but it is not software or equipment, so should we take it on? This workshop has been evolving for over ten years at two institutions, ever since colleagues discovered that the presenter had an interest. This session is an example of what the session covers as well as a discussion of how the session shifts and changes for different audiences.

500 Years of Experiential Learning: Using Creative Technologies to Bring Peter Apian’s Cosmographia (1534) to the 21st Century
Evan Spencer, Alex Patron, and Travis Talkington, University of Texas at Arlington
Chemistry and Physics Building

Special Collections and Archives offer a unique, and often overlooked, opportunity for interdisciplinary creativity in academic libraries and education. UTA Libraries Special Collections’ 1534 edition of Peter Apian’s Cosmographia contains six volvelles – moveable scientific instruments made out of paper – that Apian intended as experiential learning tools for the amateur astronomer of the 16th Century. Using UTA Libraries’ FabLab makerspace, our team seeks to bring these 16th Century tools to a wide audience in 2024. Our presentation will explore the project from the perspective of the Archives, student research, and the use of creative technologies and makerspaces

Tours
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meet at The Atrium

Sign up at the Registration Desk (near elevators in The Atrium) on Tuesday or Wednesday for your choice of tours. Space on each tour is limited.

• Creative Spaces and Services
• Special Collections and Archives:
• Central Library: if you’d like a whole-building tour to introduce you to UTA Libraries

If you don’t have interest in tours, hang out in The Atrium and chat with colleagues.