Friday, April 24, 2026
Evaluate & Empower: An NC LIVE Workshop for Open Tech and Digital Tools
Location: East Asheville Library
Register Here >>
Join us in Asheville for a dynamic, hands-on workshop designed to bridge the gap between ethical technology evaluation and practical resource mastery.
Registrants will choose one track when completing the registration form. As always, registration is free and includes breakfast and lunch.
Throughout the workshop, you’ll explore practical strategies to navigate the rapidly shifting landscape of educational technology. Whether you are building a framework for ethical AI adoption or deep-diving into NC LIVE resources, this is your chance to collaborate with peers across the state, exchange ideas, and return to your institution energized and empowered to lead.
Choose Your Workshop Track
This workshop features two distinct tracks running simultaneously throughout the day. To ensure a focused and hands-on experience, participants will choose one track to attend when completing the registration form. Please note that you can only attend one track, so take a moment to consider which focus best aligns with your role, interests, and institutional goals.
Track 1: Evaluating EdTech Through an Open Lens: A Framework for AI & Beyond?
This workshop track introduces a practical framework for assessing the opportunities and challenges of emerging educational technologies using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a case study. At the core of this framework are open values, such as open pedagogy and open education, that will allow attendees to evaluate new technologies with ethical considerations, like student agency, privacy, and accessibility. Participants will hear directly from our Spring 2026 virtual cohort, composed of educators and librarians from across the state, who will share their own strategies and plans to critically engage with edtech that they crafted as part of an interdisciplinary community of practice. Attendees will leave with a starting point for establishing their own framework to assess how emerging technologies can best serve their specific institutions and communities they serve.Track 2: NC LIVE Resources in Focus
Focused on the "how-to" of using NC LIVE resources. This track provides deep-dive training on specific databases, updated interfaces, and practical ways to integrate NC LIVE resources into your campus curriculum or community programming. Led by vendor trainers and the NC LIVE Instruction Librarian, this track prioritizes hands-on practice so you can master the tools your community needs most.To ensure this track meets your immediate needs, the afternoon sessions will be determined by the specific resources and topics requested by registrants in the registration form. Whether it's advanced searching, specific database training, or AI-integrated tools, the curriculum is in your hands.
Schedule
| Time | Evaluating EdTech Through an Open Lens: A Framework for AI & Beyond Track |
|---|---|
| 9:15 - 10am | Check-In (Whole Group) Participants arrive, check-in, and enjoy coffee while networking with fellow attendees. |
| 10 - 10:45am | Introduction to NC LIVE (Whole Group) Overview of NC LIVE's goals and mission, governance and structure, services, and impact. |
| 10:50am - 12:10pm | Part I of the Track
David Tully is the Principal Librarian for Student Affordability at NC State University Libraries. His work advances student success by reducing the financial barriers to higher education. Through leadership in open education and strategic fundraising, he works to expand access to affordable and impactful learning by supporting the adoption of open educational practices, managing student scholarship programs, and collaborating with campus partners to create sustainable, student-centered solutions. Katya E. Mueller is a Libraries Fellow (2024-2027) at North Carolina State University Libraries. She supports the Libraries’ open education initiatives and organizes faculty programming, with her main area of focus being faculty recognition in open education. Additionally, she takes part in the research data management (RDM) services offered by the Libraries, providing workshops, and is conducting a multi-year research study on data management and sharing planning document (DMSP) review services at R1 institutions. |
| 12:10 - 1pm | Lunch & Raffle (Whole Group) Participants enjoy a catered lunch and continue networking with peers. |
| 1 - 2:30pm | Part II Of The Track Note: This workshop track will end earlier than the NC LIVE Resources In Focus track. |
| Time | Resource Training Track |
|---|---|
| 9:30 - 10am | Check-In (Whole Group) Participants arrive, check-in, and enjoy coffee while networking with fellow attendees. |
| 10 - 10:45am | Introduction to NC LIVE (Whole Group) Overview of NC LIVE's goals and mission, governance and structure, services, and impact. |
| 10:50 - 11:30am | Session 1: Supporting Lifelong Learning With Transparent Language This session offers a practical introduction (or refresher!) to Transparent Language, NC LIVE’s powerful tool for multilingual learning. We’ll explore the platform’s learning dashboard, highlight interactive activities, and discuss how it supports both non-English speakers (with 30+ language pairings) and English learners, including access to intermediate/advanced content and the American Citizenship Test Prep Course. We’ll also cover exciting new additions like the ASL Crash Course for Librarians, and share tips on how to promote Transparent Language in your library to support lifelong learning for all patrons. Presenter: Lauren Gancarz, Director of Customer Success for Transparent Language |
| 11:30am - 12:10pm | Session 2: Gale Literature Resource Center: Supporting Readers’ Advisory and Academic Success Discover how Gale Literature Resource Center, available through NC LIVE, can strengthen readers’ advisory services, enhance book clubs in public libraries, and support coursework in community colleges and universities. This robust resource features author biographies, literary criticism, work overviews, reviews, and scholarly articles covering a wide range of writers, genres, and literary movements. In this interactive session, you’ll learn how to use the platform to recommend titles, spark deeper book discussions, and help readers explore new literary voices. You’ll also gain strategies for guiding students through research assignments and literary analysis. Whether you’re facilitating a community book club or supporting a college classroom, this session will equip you with practical tools to make the most of this rich literary resource. Presenter: Hannah Roudebush, Training Consultant for Gale |
| 12:10 - 1pm | Lunch & Raffle (Whole Group) Participants enjoy a catered lunch and continue networking with peers. |
| 1 - 2:00pm | Session 3: Reimagining Readers' Advisory: A Guided Tour of the New NoveList Interface Join Devon Waugh, Instruction Librarian for NC LIVE, for a hands-on session of the newly redesigned NoveList interface! This session will showcase the updated design, improved navigation, and smarter search features that make readers’ advisory faster, easier, and more intuitive for both staff and patrons. Devon will highlight key changes and demonstrate how the new layout supports common workflows like finding read-alikes, curating booklists, and discovering appeal factors. There will also be time for scenario-based learning for building your RA skills. Whether you're a longtime NoveList user or new to the platform, this session will equip you with the insights and confidence you need to get the most out of NoveList’s powerful readers’ advisory tools.. |
| 2:00 - 2:10pm | Break |
| 2:10 - 3:10pm | Session 4: Resources TBD |
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
NCLA along with the Leadership, Administration, and Management (LAMS) Section is pleased to partner with NC LIVE on workshops for library leaders.
“We are excited for the opportunity to see our mission of ‘Developing leaders, building skills, and creating networks’ come to life in this way.”- Brandy Hamilton, Past Chair of LAMS. North Carolina Library Association - Inform. Connect. Support.
Guest facilitators will share their knowledge on specific leadership competencies and guide you through common leadership challenges. Whether you are in a leadership position already, or aspire to be, consider registering for an upcoming Leadership Development workshop. Is there a local library leader that you'd like to suggest as a session facilitator? Send a message to help [at] nclive.org (help[at]nclive[dot]org).
TESTIMONIALS
"This was time well spent! There was a lot of information packed in to a short amount of time. I have paid for leadership workshops that were less useful than this free one!"
"The presenters were very relaxed and approachable which created the feeling of a shared learning experience rather than a simple lecture designed to disseminate facts."
"Meeting NC LIVE staff and librarians on the various advisory councils makes me feel more comfortable about reaching out with feedback concerning future resources."
"I felt that the meeting was very productive. The subject-based handout was particularly helpful."
"Having the regional meetings was a great idea. Travel budgets are limited so it was nice to be able to take a day trip for professional development, refresh and meet the new NC LIVE staff! Please keep offering these regional meetings!!"