Welcome to Zoom—an easy way to conduct online meetings.
Zoom is an online application available for free to meeting leaders and participants that can be used through a computer, phone, mobile device, or tablet. Participation is enabled via the free web-based platform, or by simply calling in—it's up to the participant!
In 2018, ILA introduced Zoom remote conferencing as an alternative to conference calling to conduct meetings for board members who were not able to attend in person. Zoom is now available to all ILA Committees and Forums to conduct their meetings.
Please review the procedures for using and scheduling your meetings via Zoom, advantages for meeting via Zoom as well as best practices when participating in a Zoom meeting.
ILA procedure for scheduling or participating in your next meeting via Zoom:
- The Committee Chair or Forum Manager needs to contact their ILA staff liaison with the pre-determined date and time of the meeting. Staff liaisons are listed on the ILA web rosters.
- Once the staff liaison schedules the meeting, a link with log in instructions will be sent to the Chair/Manager and they will be responsible for communicating that information to the rest of the committee or forum.
- Zoom is a free application and the email will contain instructions on how to download if you have not previously done so, and you wish to participate online. If you are simply calling in by phone you do not need to download anything; a phone number and access code will also be included in the instructions.
- You do NOT need to sign up for a Zoom account or take any action prior to receiving the emailed instructions.
Note: Keep in mind that your IT staff may have blocked certain application downloads when using a library computer, which may prevent you from using Zoom. Always check with your IT staff if you run into issues downloading the app. It is recommended to log in a few minutes prior to the start of the meeting, in case you need to do any updates on the application (you will be prompted automatically to do updates when necessary) or download it on a new device. If you would like the application downloaded for the whole library or certain computers, please contact your IT staff and have them visit the Zoom website for instructions at https://zoom.us/. Downloading the application is free and your IT department will not need a permission or specific account from ILA to do so.
Advantages of using remote online conferencing:
- Ability to fully participate and collaborate in meetings, even when unable to attend in person
- Ability to conduct meetings fully online, when weather conditions, schedules and availability do not allow for meetings in person
- Ability to share screens, share documents and links via chat
- Ability to mute microphone to avoid background noise
- Ability to choose whether you would like to participate via video or by voice-only
- Video conferencing rather than teleconferencing allows for smoother communication as you can see when a person is done speaking and there is less interruption
Best practices when participating in online conferencing:
- Try to join the meeting a few minutes early in case you need to download the application or run any updates
- If possible, find a quiet place where you will have fewer interruptions during your meeting
- You can choose whether to connect via video or by voice-only
- When not speaking, please mute your microphone as to avoid background noise that can be disturbing to the meeting
- While calling in is definitely an option, if possible, use the Zoom app on a desktop or laptop, tablet, or mobile device rather than calling from a landline or mobile number, as some of features (like “raise your hand,” chat, and “mute microphone”) are only available in the app.
Resources: These very brief (one-minute) videos offer an introduction to Zoom and how to access your first meeting. There are many, many more videos available in varying levels of depth available on the Zoom website.
An Introduction to Zoom Meetings
Join a Meeting
Questions? Please email Tina Koleva at tina@ila.org.
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