1. Community building in complex
settings:
exploration based on Swiss multi-library
initiatives for gamifiers
Laure Mellifluo and Mathilde Panes
AGIK
LILAC Conference, Manchester – April 11th, 2022
AGIK

2. Workshop programme
1. Icebreaker 5’
2. A short intro about IL in Switzerland + cheese jokes 15’
3. The « work » part of workshop 30’
4. Conclusion 10’
2

3. Icebreaker: a chocolate matching game
1. Find someone who has the same
image as you
2. Try to find out which Swiss place or
symbol is represented
3. Eat the chocolate (optional)
3

4. Information literacy in Switzerland
1 association
AGIK : Arbeitsgruppe Informationskompetenz an Schweizer Hochschulen
1 standard
Swiss Standards for Information Literacy
4

5. Information literacy in Switzerland
~ 50 active members
2 yearly workshops
1 monthly online coffee (since 2022)
French Swiss German
5

6. Information literacy in Switzerland
1 catalog to rule them all (almost)
launched in Dec. 2020
6

7. Initiatives to enhance gamification
1 workshop: Learning by playing, 6.2.2020
Repository of IL games (Padlet): bit.ly/ikgamification
Checklist "How to publish a game in Open Access": go.epfl.ch/OAG-fr
1 game jam for the swisscovery catalog, 7.9.2021
SwisscoveryCOLLECT SwissCluedovery SwisscoveryBLUFF
7

8. And now?
• Input to work on common resources for IL teaching: games
• Difficulties to maintain the collaboration and finalize the games
• Aspiration to renew the experience around further projects within the
community
8

9. Challenges
• How to foster creativity and innovation in information literacy
training for trainers and content creators?
• How to ensure the existence of a safe space where differences
among professionals are treasured?
• How to enhance collaboration to produce common tools and
resources across librarians and libraries?
• How to plan for long term sustainability of communities and
resources they created together?
9

10. Let’s melt our ideas together
10

11. Let’s melt our ideas together
• 4 challenges to discuss within 25 minutes
• Goal: identify key success factors for each challenge presented
• Method:
• In groups of 6
• 1 envelope = 1 challenge
• In your group, read the challenge and write success factors
on a blank sheet (5’) (round 1)
• Insert your sheet in the envelope and forward your
envelope to the next group
11

12. Let’s melt our ideas together (round 1)
• In your group, read the challenge and write success factors on a
blank sheet (5’) (round 1)
• Insert your sheet in the envelope and forward your envelope to the
next group
12

13. Let’s melt our ideas together (round 2)
• Read your new challenge (but don’t open the envelope) and solve (5’)
13

14. Let’s melt our ideas together (round 3)
• Read your new challenge (but don’t open the envelope) and solve (5’)
14

15. Let’s melt our ideas together (round 4)
• Read your new challenge (but don’t open the envelope) and solve (5’)
15

16. Let’s melt our ideas together (round 5)
• Last turn (round 5):
• Open the envelope in your hand and read all the 4
contributions
• Discuss the results within your group and try to classify the
proposals according to the success factors that were defined in
the first round. Put a sticker on the best proposal (5’)
16

17. Wrap-up
Share the best proposal according to the success factors that you found in
the envelope (4 x 2’)
1. How to foster creativity and innovation in information literacy training
for trainers and content creators?
2. How to ensure the existence of a safe space where differences among
professionals are treasured?
3. How to enhance collaboration to produce common tools and resources
across librarians and libraries?
4. How to plan for long term sustainability of communities and resources
they created together?
17

18. Results of the activity
18

19. How to foster creativity and innovation in information
literacy training for trainers and content creators?
Success factors:
• Make time + space for brainstorming
ideas
• Transferability
• Variety
• Relevance
• Engaging
• Novelty
• Diversity
Best ideas:
• Create a process / workshop that
encourages people to think differently
& embrace failure
• Cross-disciplinary events to share
different approaches 19
Other ideas:
• Peer review
• Selling the concept
• Supportive and encouraging environment
• "Yes" to ideas
• Approach in a creative way : play, collage
• Recognising and valuing different voices
• Openness to failure
• Managerial support / stakeholder from wider
university
• More time
• Informal communities of practice
• Create a safe space where different
experiences & viewpoints are respected
• Include opportunities for reflection
• Encourage playful approaches to learning
• Remove targets / KPIs etc.

20. How to ensure the existence of a safe space where
differences among professionals are treasured?
Success factors:
• Everyone feels able to share their
experiences / Nobody feels they are being
forced to share
• Differences are represented + celebrated
(not tokenistic)
• Reporting mechanism in place for if safe
space is comprised
• Everyone has contributed
• People say afterwards they felt listened to
/ valued
Best ideas:
• Anonymity – privacy of group
• Confidentiality
• Freedom of expression
• Allow reflective time
• Setting clear expectations
20
Other ideas:
• Agree on rule + values which are mutually
accepted
• Clear guidelines / code of conduct
• Have neutral arbiters
• Apply institutional values
• Foster a culture of passion + respect
• Culture that fosters a healthy debate
• Give everyone a voice
• According input across sectors
• Respect opinions and challenging bias
• Clear code of conduct
• Allow time to express ideas clearly
• Value others’ experiences

21. How to enhance collaboration to produce common tools
and resources across librarians and libraries?
Success factors:
• Community of practice across
professional sectors
• Networking
Best ideas:
• Make it FUN !
• Find (the) a common need
• Formalise + structure communications
• Informal drop-ins
21
Other ideas:
• Find common ground / problem
• Interest from stakeholders
• Identify benefits
• Feedback
• Consistent + regular messaging on different
platforms
• Communication guidelines

22. How to enhance collaboration to produce common tools
and resources across librarians and libraries?
Success factors:
• Flexibility – easily adaptable
• Ease of access – easy to explain + get
into
• Make it simple + concise
• Structured communication
Best ideas:
• Shared space for resources to sit (one
repository to rule them all !!!)
• Recruit and train new members
• Open Access
22
Other ideas:
• Common standards
• Version control
• Future proof
• Get some funding – institutional commitment
• Make it part of someone’s JO
• Ensure it is truly collaborative – range of
stakeholders
• Development of a community around it, so
there is constant refreshing of ideas and
effort
• Promotion to keep awareness high

23. Thank you!
23

24. Credits
Slide 3: Mellifluo, Laure, Swiss chocolates, 2022,CC0
Slides 4+5+8: Marjanovic, Petar, Logo for theWikipedia Portal Switzerland, 2007, CC BY-SA 2.5Generic
Slide 5: Mupfel80, Pain aliments cuire miche de pain, 2015, Pixabay License; 2204574, Pain baguette boulanger,
2017, Pixabay License; Furfur, Results of the popular initiative against the building of new minarets in Switzerland on
November 29, 2009, 2009, Public Domain
Slide 6: screenshot of Heinz Becker, SLSP AG,Welcome to swisscovery, 2021,All rights reserved
Slide 7: Mellifluo, Laure, SwisscoveryCOLLECT, 2022,CCO; Mellifluo, Laure, SwisscoveryBLUFF, 2022,CC0;ORGIS,
Rahel, Swisscluedovery, 2022,CC0
Slide 10: Mellifluo, Laure, Fondue, 2022,CCO
This presentation is licensed under Licence CC BY-SA 4.0 International, Mellifluo, Laure
& Panes, Mathilde, 2022
24

25. Laure Mellifluo
Coordinator for public
services and user training
University of Geneva,
Switzerland
Email:
laure.mellifluo@unige.ch
Mathilde Panes
Training and information
service manager
University of Lausanne,
Switzerland
Email: mathilde.panes@bcu.unil.ch
Twitter: @railyards 25