From April 5-8, library professionals from across the globe attended the 30th annual gathering of the Innovative Users Group (IUG). Out of an abundance of caution, this celebration was hosted virtually using X-CD Technologies’ cloud-based conference management platform.
Trevor Diamond, 2021-2022 IUG Chair, started the festivities by sharing a few important stats about IUG 2022. Over 1,700 library professionals from 16 countries registered for the conference, with over 360 first time attendees.
Diamond also took a moment to honor the recipient of the 2022 Beacon Award— Beth Juhl from the University of Arkansas. The Beacon Award honors exceptional service to the Innovative user community through presentations, collaboration, and selfless dedication to libraries as a whole. Juhl was described by her peers as “quick witted and wise,” with several members acknowledging that her presence alone made them better librarians.
Hilary Newman (Senior Vice President of Library Services, Innovative, part of Clarivate) celebrated this year’s recipients of The Crystal Award. The Crystal Award celebrates IUG members who have reached 15 years of dedication to the community. The 2022 Crystal Award recipients are:
- Susanna Aakko, Helsinki City Library (Finland)
- Lynn Baird, Clermont County Public Library
- Eileen Chandler, CLAMS
- Rhonda Glazier, Univ. of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Kramer Family Library
- Laurinda Gruber, Columbus State Community College
- Heather Hillaker, Saginaw Valley State University
- Christina Mattisson, Malmo City Library (Sweden)
- Marian McCollum, LS&S
- Eeva Stierwalt, London Public Library (Canada)
- Victor Zuniga, Poudre River Public Library District
Yariv Kursh, Innovative General Manager, followed Newman with brief remarks about the importance of this anniversary.
“This is a very special event for us,” Kursh said, “Thirty years of us coming together, spending time learning, listening, exchanging ideas, and coming out of this even smarter. With a broader vision of libraries in general, and what we want to do together to make the IUG [even more] successful.”
While celebrating 30 years of community, Kursh looked toward the future by introducing IUG members to Clarivate Chief Product Officer Gordon Samson. Samson graciously shared his fondest library memory and offered his take on the importance of sustainability in every sector.
This year’s hotly anticipated keynote speaker was New York Times bestselling author David Epstein, author of Range, who spoke of the benefits of being a generalist in a sea of specialists. Epstein also addressed at length how libraries can help support community members in their learning.
Innovative executives held presentations on the latest library software solutions, including Vega Guide for Discover, Vega Program, and Vega Promote, and the new Library Experience Starter package—which will be available to all Sierra and Polaris libraries as part of their standard ILS maintenance or subscription.
The rest of the week was filled with sessions where librarians shared tips on SQL, DIY DEI, inventory options, sysadmin tips and more.
Archival recordings from IUG 2022 will remain available online to attendees via the conference platform, linked at innovativeusers.org through September 30, 2022.
We look forward to seeing everyone again next year at IUG 2023!