NCLA Con 2025

Join Lisa Coats and Jenneffer Sixkiller for a 30 minute yoga session, followed by a 15 minute guided meditation. Participants can use a chair, or a mat; guidance for both is provided. Clothing can be comfortable conference attire; no need for “yoga clothes”. Care for your body, mind and spirit.

How can we center students in transforming instructional content? By collaborating with them! This presentation will explore how a unique partnership between an MLIS student and a librarian led to the redesign of asynchronous online information literacy modules for ENG 101, a first-year English Composition course. By visually mapping student learning outcomes, we identified gaps and redundancies in existing modules, guiding a scaffolded redesign rooted in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inclusive pedagogy, and active learning. This project involved not only redesigning the module's content, but migrating from the Canvas Learning Management System to LibWizard Tutorials, increasing interactivity and improving the library's access to assessment data. This transition allowed us to create a more engaging learning experience while ensuring that students' needs were prioritized in the design process. This new collaboration came about as a result of an MLIS student, a recent graduate of our institution, volunteering within our department. This experience brought valuable, fresh insights from the perspective of someone who is both new to librarianship and has direct experience working through the course material, sharing a student's perspective that may be missing from typical assessment data and feedback surveys. This partnership not only addressed a long-standing need to revise outdated content but also provided an opportunity for mentorship and hands-on experience for the student in designing online learning objects. Partnerships like these are rewarding and bridge gaps between librarians and students to create instructional objects that meet their needs. In this session, we will describe our process from evaluating existing content to launching new modules, highlighting the value of librarian-student collaborations in instructional design.

Libraries serve as hubs for information and community engagement, yet traditional feedback mechanisms often fail to foster real dialogue between patrons and staff. This session explores how the "What's On Your Mind?" comment board at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University has evolved from a simple feedback collection tool into a dynamic platform for meaningful conversations and service improvements. Attendees will learn how the program was structured to encourage student participation, and the tightrope of maintaining a balance between accessibility and professionalism. The session will discuss key challenges faced in managing open-ended, public feedback-- challenges such as moderating responses, maintaining engagement, and ensuring that student concerns actually lead to actionable change. The discussion will include strategies for enhancing engagement using structured prompts, collaborations with campus organizations, and innovative promotional efforts. Additionally, the session will highlight improvements that are planned for the comment board. These changes will include transitioning to a more professional platform, the exploration of digital tools to track trends in student comments, and best practices in response management. By the end of the presentation, attendees will understand how libraries can move beyond passive suggestion boxes and create interactive, student-driven feedback platforms!

Do you ever create reports or tables? Maybe you already turn data into charts or graphics. Hearing the term data visualization may bring complex infographics or visuals to mind but data visualization has many forms and you are likely creating data visualizations in your regular work already. This session will introduce attendees to data visualization best practices that apply whether creating a simple table or complex infographic. These practices are based on research into how our brains process and make sense of visual information and they increase the effectiveness of any type of data visualization. Attendees will also learn about free tools to aid in data visualization design from choosing the right graphic to ensuring accessibility.

Success in the library field isn't just about where you are-it's about where you can go. This presentation will explore how adopting an opportunity-minded approach can help you grow within your current role while preparing for new and higher positions. The speaker will share lessons learned in her path from a second career librarian to stepping into the role of Dean of University Libraries. Attendees will gain insights into exploring different paths in librarianship, leveraging existing skills, career development and mapping strategies, and fostering leadership skills that empower them to take charge of their professional journeys. Additional topics include tips for getting involved in professional organizations, finding opportunities to develop and showcase your leadership skills, and overcoming imposter syndrome. Whether you're looking to advance into leadership or expand your impact in your current position, this session will provide the tools and mindset needed to move forward with confidence.

As part of its brand-new library, which opened in Summer 2022, the Hagemeyer Library at Central Piedmont Community College features a service desk staffed by both Library and ITS Help Desk employees. This joint service desk provides students with a one-stop shop for their questions, placing ITS experts in a space where students are already located-the Library! While the collaboration has many positives, there have been challenges to overcome. While front-line ITS staff are present in the library, their supervisors are not. Each department has different priorities, scheduling needs, and hours of operation. Additionally, students don't always know who is library staff and who is ITS staff. Aligning service models has taken time, trial and error, and a lot of communication. Despite the challenges, this partnership has been a huge success. The greatest benefit has been to students, who can now get a wide variety of questions answered in one location. Furthermore, having trained ITS staff on-site means that library staff no longer need to attempt to answer technical questions without the appropriate training or access to specialized programs. Although many aspects of the service desk required careful planning, adaptation, and problem-solving, the joint service desk has now become a highlight of the library. In this session, we will share our experience with all stages of planning and implementing a joint service desk. Some of the topics we will cover include: Considerations when dividing up the physical space of a shared service point, Aligning hours and schedules, Challenges when one department's supervisors are not in the same building, Addressing conflicts between staff from different departments. Deciding whether a written agreement, such as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), is a helpful tool. Supporting staff who are not in your department. Practical strategies for enhancing multi-department partnerships.

The issue of library media collections being relevant today has been discussed recently. There have been recent news features on the decline of DVD and music CDs in popularity and sales. Streaming is constantly being mentioned as the reason effect will be discussed. Some libraries have chosen to no longer offer physical media. This presentation will also focus on the current state and future of library media collections. It will also provide information on maintaining those collections.

Managing a Floating Collection across 24 library branches is a complex but rewarding process that ensures materials remain accessible, diverse, and relevant to our patrons. Wake County Public Libraries has developed a strategic approach to maintaining this system, balancing selection, circulation logistics, and deselection to create a dynamic collection that serves the needs of our community. In this session, our Selection Manager, Materials Manager, and Deselection Manager will guide you through each phase of the book lifecycle, sharing insights on how we select, manage, and refresh materials across our system. The selection process plays a critical role in ensuring our collection remains balanced and representative of our patrons' needs. Our Selection Manager will discuss the criteria used to choose materials, emphasizing diversity, relevance, and demand. With a system as large as ours, selecting books that resonate with our communities while maintaining a broad range of perspectives is key. Once books enter our system, the challenge shifts to managing their movement across branches. Our Materials Manager will explore how we track and maintain circulation through an efficient logistical framework. Technology plays a crucial role in monitoring the movement of materials, preventing bottlenecks, and ensuring that all branches have a well-rounded selection of books. We will discuss the tools and strategies we use to keep books flowing smoothly while minimizing delays and gaps in availability. Just as important as adding new materials is the process of removing outdated or underutilized items. Our Deselection Manager will cover the evaluation criteria used to determine when books should be weeded from the collection. Factors such as circulation data, physical condition, and evolving community needs all play a part in these decisions. Floating Collections offer many benefits, including greater flexibility, improved access to materials, and a more patron-driven distribution model. However, challenges such as uneven distribution, wear and tear on popular titles, and maintaining balanced collections across branches require proactive management and problem-solving. By sharing our strategies and experiences, we hope to provide practical insights for libraries, whether they have a floating collection or a traditional one. Join us for this informative session as we break down the key components of our collection management. Whether you are involved in collection development, materials handling, or library operations, this discussion will offer valuable takeaways on best practices, lessons learned, and future innovations in library collection management.

We would like to use this opportunity to showcase what social work and peer support looks like at the High Point Public Library. We will share what prompted this partnership between the Mental Health Associates of the Triad and the High Point Public Library, what services we provide not only for the patrons but also for the staff, as well as the data and statistics we have collected since starting our program. Additionally, we will share creative ways other libraries can still be a resourceful place for vulnerable populations without requiring funding. Furthermore, we will cover examples of future endeavors for libraries, social workers, and peer navigators serving the mental health and homelessness population.

At times, being a middle manager in libraries can feel like being stuck in a liminal state: Balancing management responsibilities with the nuts and bolts of daily library operations, putting out short-term fires while also making time for long-range planning, focusing on the needs of your team while also supporting your own wellness, and operationalizing higher level administrative decisions while not having a seat at the tables where those decisions are made. For new managers, this liminality brings unease, discomfort, uncertainty, and doubt on top of navigating the new frontier of formal leadership. Leadership training opportunities can help address these fears by offering theoretical foundations, ethical principles, and frameworks for approaching supervisory roles. However, such training typically ignores the less glamorous daily duties assigned to managers: Policies and procedures, change management and organizational restructuring, employee turnover and leave, and more. These management tasks offer opportunities for building in equity and person-centered approaches to doing library work, while also being limited to the larger organizational structures and systems that may-or may not-allow for such expectations to be set. How can new managers, grappling with their own changing professional identities and position responsibilities, confidently take up this call to action while building up their own supervisory skills? In this session, two managers will share their experience of their first years serving as middle managers in academic libraries. They will talk about how they navigated their roles, translated their leadership skills into management skills, built new relationships with their team, and learned some of the essential skills of management that are not taught in library school or leadership webinars. Topics will include setting boundaries for yourself and for team members, navigating hybrid work in the post-pandemic workplace, balancing operational tasks with strategic planning, building a network with other managers to help you tackle the tough challenges, and more. Presenters will share specific examples of management challenges and practical advice on how to proceed, while acknowledging that there is rarely any one "right" solution. As people in positions of authority and power-albeit limited-this session will advocate for the small changes that are possible within a team environment in order to advance individual and organizational goals toward the new frontier of slow, justice-oriented, and people-centered librarianship. Attendees should leave this session with greater empathy and understanding of what is involved in supervisory roles.

This presentation will begin with a comprehensive description of the technologies available in the CP Library makerspace. It will then discuss three key elements to fostering engagement with your community through your makerspace including: creating student buy-in, creating staff and faculty buy-in, and promoting your makerspace through student events and instruction services. Student buy-in can be created through a variety of training options, both one-on-one and in groups. It can also be created through encouraging students to attempt to utilize new technologies and flexing their creative muscles. Student buy-in also requires the encouragement for students to make projects for their own personal edification in the makerspace and to engage in iterative learning through a trial-and-error approach. Staff/faculty buy-in can be created through a variety of methods including cross-departmental staffing of the makerspace within the library, implementing a train the trainer method, encouraging non-library staff to receive free one-on-one training, and encouraging staff and faculty to make projects for their own personal edification. Promoting your makerspace successfully among your community includes tying makerspace tours into instruction sessions, attending student events and running tables, and hosting events open to the entire college community in the space.

Usage statistics can be challenging to collect and interpret. NC LIVE is uniquely positioned to provide libraries with guidance and context for interpreting their statistics. To leverage this we've been building an updated statistics portal that gives librarians more control over what data is included in their usage reports, and provides new tools to analyze them. In this presentation, we'll go over the goals, process, and challenges of redesigning the NC LIVE Statistics Portal, how librarians can use it to get data about their own usage trends, and how they compare to those of their peers, and how they can use them to better understand their resource usage.

To further establish libraries as dynamic hubs of entrepreneurial activity and support, NC IDEA (a foundation dedicated to supporting North Carolina's entrepreneurs) has partnered with NC LIVE to pilot a groundbreaking fellowship program that empowers librarians to effectively support the "patron-founders" who walk through the library doors. The Libraries for Entrepreneurial Advancement Fellowship Program (LEAF Program) is a fully funded professional development experience that invites a cohort of 20 librarians to a 2-day in-person summit followed by virtual skill-building sessions throughout the year. Fellows gain confidence in speaking the language of entrepreneurship, they expand their knowledge of business resources, and also strengthen their market research skills using tools like Data Axle and Social Explorer. Through this program, librarians develop meaningful connections with peers and ecosystem partners. They also learn how to capture and communicate the numbers and stories of the library's contributions to local economic development. In this session, meet a current LEAF librarian and hear from NC IDEA's program manager. You'll understand how the LEAF Program works, what it hopes to accomplish, and how it has been developed in close collaboration with ALA's Libraries Build Business, BLINC, and the State Library of North Carolina. Attendees will leave inspired by how our state can serve as a national model of library-powered, equitable economic development. Application materials for the upcoming LEAF cohort will be on hand. (To ensure accessibility for all library systems, NC IDEA is committed to covering 100% of all Fellow expenses -- hotel, food, transportation.)

This presentation will provide some concrete examples of emergency events that happened at our libraries over the past few years and how we managed these crises situations during periods of uncertainty. It includes our responses to Hurricane Helene, mold issues in the library, updates to our emergency procedures, and what we learned throughout these processes. The discussion of these topics is relevant to any library or institution that has faced a natural disaster crisis situation before, or would like to become better prepared for future emergency events with appropriate planning and procedures in place. Attendees will have an opportunity to engage with presenters on these topics through Q&A, and also share what they have learned about emergency planning through past/current similar experiences and circumstances at their own libraries. Our collective goal is to continue to provide equitable access and critical services to our communities during difficult times.

Family Place LibrariesTM (FPL) is a national model that transforms public libraries into community centers for early literacy, parent education, and family support. Since its formation in 1996, over 500 libraries in 32 states have joined the FPL network. The Haywood County Public Library (HCPL) implemented the national model in 2019. The overarching goal of this initiative is to help improve library services for young children and families, and to strengthen the library's role in contributing to shared goals in the community. The purpose of this presentation will be to inform other North Carolina library staff about this program and its components, to detail the staff experiences, to share the value of this program, and to advise others regarding lessons learned. The presentation will overview the seven FPL goals and how a public library can implement the program, including: improving library services for young children and their families, strengthening the library's role in the community, and enhancing literacy access for young children. Libraries can implement these goals by training staff, updating parent collections, designing special spaces for children and families, collaborating with community partners, and hosting five-week parent-child workshops and other children's programs. The FPL model supports the community goals for young children set by North Carolina' Early Childhood Action Plan. Interacting in an environment that equips children to build strong brain architecture and school readiness skills, helps ensure healthy development. This vision for healthy, successful children is set by North Carolina's Early Childhood Action Plan, and implementing the FPL model is one way North Carolina public libraries can align with this vision. The FPL components build on the traditional strengths of public to libraries in creating opportunities for children and families to flourish. In 2023 at the 64th Biennial North Carolina Library Association Conference, Canton Branch Manager Jennifer Stuart & Youth Services Librarian Ashlyn Godleski presented a poster on the HCPL's positive experience of becoming a Family Place Library. Implementing the FPL model has been a great experience for Haywood County. The program is achievable for any size public library and is a great opportunity for other NC public libraries who would like to build their role as a vital community center for young children and their families.

When libraries partner effectively within their communities, everybody wins. This discussion with staff from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation will cover the process of building successful partnerships by defining what a partnership is, identifying different partnership tiers, and discussing ways that partnerships and fundraising intersect and strengthen each other. By the end of the session you'll be prepared to engage deeply with community partners and leverage partnerships to inspire and engage your community and meet their needs creating connections that result in meaningful change for your community.

This past year, the High Point Public Library has participated in a city-wide initiative to help provide meaningful access to public services for all individuals, regardless of their preferred language. This presentation will have two parts. Part one will discuss the process the Language Access Committee went through in developing the Language Access Plan, and its first year of implementation throughout the City of High Point. Part two will discuss how the Language Access Plan is allowing the library to better meet the needs of patrons in our community while helping to further the High Point Public Library's mission of "nurturing the joy of reading, sharing the power of knowledge, strengthening the sense of community and enhancing cultural and economic vitality".

Artificial intelligence is transforming the research process, offering new ways to support topic development and critical thinking. This session explores how AI tools can be effectively integrated into research assignments while addressing the diverse needs of a multigenerational student body. Attendees will examine the role of AI in guiding students through topic exploration, evaluating sources, and developing research strategies. The discussion will include a comparison of Credo Reference's Mind Map tool with other key research features, as well as the integration of library databases to enhance information literacy. Participants will gain practical strategies for helping students critically engage with AI tools while leveraging reliable academic resources for their research.

Library advocacy is the support of libraries and their services, often through campaigning and donations. The goal is to ensure that libraries have the resources they need to serve the community. This presentation will help define why you need to advocate, and provide tips and information about best practices to move forward.

Mentorship in libraries is a powerful tool for professional growth. It plays a key role in helping librarians develop essential skills, advance in their careers, and overcome role-specific challenges. Both formal and informal mentorship provide invaluable support, particularly for early-career professionals and those navigating job transitions. For mentees, these relationships provide guidance, help build confidence, and offer a sense of direction, while mentors benefit from fresh perspectives, strengthened leadership skills, and the opportunity to pass on their knowledge Beyond individual growth, mentorship aids in the creation of a supportive network, promoting knowledge transfer across generations and job roles. By leveraging existing networks, libraries can build and sustain meaningful, mutually beneficial mentorship relationships that extend across institutions and strengthen the field as a whole. Throughout our careers, we've each benefited from both formal and informal mentorship experiences that have helped us grow professionally, build meaningful connections, and navigate the complexities of the library field. As libraries continue to evolve in response to new technologies, changing job roles, and shifting institutional priorities, mentorship will become increasingly important, as it offers a sustainable way to adapt to these changes while nurturing professional development and fostering a culture of collaboration. In this session, we will use real-life examples to show how mentorship assists early-career professionals with navigating job transitions and career difficulties. We will highlight why mentorship is particularly crucial in today's library landscape, and how it contributes to resilient, adaptive, and confident professionals who are ready to face future challenges. By exploring the many ways mentorship strengthens libraries, we will demonstrate how it encourages idea-sharing, promotes collaborative problem-solving, and offers opportunities for personalized, low-cost professional development. Ultimately, mentorship helps librarians grow their skills, build networks, and achieve professional goals, ensuring the continued evolution and success of libraries.

Explore the wide range of legal issues affecting libraries and discover strategies to better prepare for potential challenges. This session will allow participants to gain a foundational understanding of how the First Amendment, copyright, and privacy laws impact libraries, as well as how the impact may differ for public vs school libraries. Bring your questions and curiosity and leave with more confidence about how your work is supported by law.

How nimble is your library? If a staff member is gone for an extended period of time, can their major job duties be covered? Do your staff want to build new skills? Cross-training is a solution to all of these challenges! Cross-training is any form of employees learning job duties that are outside their normal focus from their colleagues within the same library system. Implementing a cross-training program not only helps your staff grow professionally, but it also benefits your library as a whole while keeping training costs low. By emphasizing cross-training at your library, you will have staff that can step in and fill gaps that may arise and develop well-rounded, skilled staff. Cross training can have a variety of appearances, from people within a single library learning each other's areas, to creating staff who are comfortable at more than one branch location, to back-ups for tasks crucial to the library's success. Cross-training is also beneficial to library staff by allowing them to build new skills and gain experience in different aspects of the library to support their own career goals and professional development. In this session, librarians will discuss the benefits of cross-training and ways to implement it at your library. Whether you work in a single library or multi-branch system, there are multiple ways to design a cross-training program to help your staff grow and enable your library to rapidly adapt to changing needs. Practical tips and ways to avoid common pitfalls will also be covered.

Improving the accessibility of your library online content doesn't have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. Small, intentional changes can make a real impact on how users engage your resources. This session will outline six practical, actionable steps that libraries of any size can take to improve accessibility and prepare for the new ADA Title II requirements. Topics will include tips for performing an accessibility audit of your library's custom content, how to leverage existing accessibility tools and consortial efforts to streamline work, and how to prioritize content for remediation. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies they can implement to create a more accessible online experience for all patrons.

The job search process can be daunting for early career librarians and not always something they are prepared for as part of their graduate program training. The success of the search process for these librarians may be impacted by several factors, including the job ads that often dictate whether an early career librarian even chooses to apply for a position. This presentation will highlight the findings of an extensive qualitative study of the job search experiences of early career librarians. Utilizing a series of focus groups and semi-structured interviews, the researchers investigated early career librarians' job search process, including how they located positions, which factors motivated them to apply for a position versus red flags that deterred their application, and other aspects of the job search process. Participants also shared suggestions for library and information organizations interested in attracting early career librarians to their workplaces. The findings of this study offer insights for both job applicants and library and information organizations looking to recruit early career professionals and offer valuable and applicable suggestions to improve the overall job search experience and, ultimately, professional experiences in the LIS workplace.

Join us for an inside look at Wake County Public Libraries' Kit Services, a dynamic initiative designed to engage readers of all ages and meet the evolving needs of our community. Our Kit Services provide carefully curated collections that foster literacy, discussion, and connection, supporting patrons in a variety of ways. From Book Club Kits for Kids and Adults to Memory Care Kits designed for individuals experiencing memory loss and their caregivers, our offerings provide valuable resources that enhance learning, spark meaningful conversations, and promote community engagement. Libraries are continuously evolving to meet new demands, and Kit Services represent a powerful way to extend access to high-quality materials in a flexible and user-friendly format. Book Club Kits allow groups to explore literature together, making it easier for schools, community organizations, and book clubs to facilitate discussions without the burden of tracking down multiple copies of a title. Meanwhile, our Memory Care Kits serve a specialized need, providing resources tailored to individuals with dementia and Alzheimer's, along with their caregivers. These kits incorporate books, activities, and sensory tools that encourage reminiscence, engagement, and cognitive stimulation, supporting both individuals and their families. Developing and managing these kits requires thoughtful planning and ongoing assessment. Our team carefully selects materials based on community needs, circulation data, and emerging trends in reader engagement. We will share insights into our selection process, including how we balance popular titles with diverse and inclusive options to ensure broad appeal. Additionally, we will discuss the logistics behind maintaining, tracking, and refreshing our kits to keep them relevant and in excellent condition for patrons. Distribution and accessibility are also key considerations in Kit Services. Ensuring that kits are easy to find, request, and borrow requires a seamless workflow that integrates with existing library systems. We will outline our approach to organizing, cataloging, and circulating kits across our library system, including how we manage reservations and track usage to optimize availability. By streamlining these processes, we enhance the overall user experience and ensure that as many patrons as possible can benefit from these resources. Promotion and outreach play a crucial role in maximizing the impact of Kit Services. Effective marketing strategies, staff training, and community partnerships help spread awareness and increase engagement with these valuable resources. We will explore different ways to promote kits both inside and outside the library, including collaborations with local organizations, digital outreach efforts, and programming that highlights the benefits of using kits for group learning and discussion.

In Spring 2024, USC Lancaster held the first-of-its-kind student research showcase on the campus. The new "Celebration of Lancer Excellence" featured a poster session, student presentations and performances, and awards announcements. The event was a success among the campus community, leading to an expanded annual student research showcase in April 2025. In this session, librarians share their experiences planning and hosting this successful celebration of student achievement. We will cover lessons learned and tips for librarians interested in creating similar events. This successful collaboration demonstrates the importance of positioning the library as a research center at all stages of the process. This event' success highlights the importance of cross-campus collaboration with faculty, campus offices, students, and community groups.

The integration of library services into student transition programs has emerged as a novel approach in the evolving landscape of academic affairs on college and university campuses. At Augusta University (AU), the AU Libraries have partnered with the Office of New Student and Family Transitions for orientation events and transformed the library space into a dynamic event venue for other unique activities welcoming students to campus, such as ice skating in the library (yes, you read that correctly). This cross-departmental partnership between transition programs and university libraries directly addresses the need for creative academic engagement from the first day on campus. It reflects the growing emphasis on holistic student development, integrating academic resources and recreational activities to enhance the student experience. This session will highlight the importance of collaboration in creating impactful student experiences and showcase the potential of libraries as multifunctional spaces for student activities. Attendees will learn strategies for incorporating library services into transition programs and will understand the benefits of early library engagement in fostering a culture of resource utilization among students

If ever there was a time to educate the community on how to access credible, authentic government information, now is that time. As a librarian working in an academic library, I typically assist students with locating sources of government information. However, after presenting online sessions to the general community in fall 2024 and spring 2025, on how to locate federal and North Carolina state sources of government information, the Coordinator from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a university-led and member-supported organization that provides lifelong learning opportunities for adults 50+, contacted me to see if I would be interested in teaching these same sessions in an in-person format to this community group. During my presentation, I'll discuss the format/content in which I taught these sessions, the interaction and feedback of those who enrolled in the course, and things I learned while presenting this as an in-person session for the first time.

In conjunction with the already complex issue of copyright, more students, librarians, and faculty are increasingly mystified by AI and the ways students are incorporating AI tools in their schoolwork. Librarians need to be aware of how AI technology constantly evolves, how students are utilizing AI resources, and where boundaries for academic integrity need to be set. Students will keep pushing the boundaries of what is considered academically acceptable and what constitutes plagiarism until these boundaries are clearly defined and communicated.

Outreach in academic libraries is rewarding but often comes with challenges like managing capacity, avoiding burnout, and justifying the return on investment. This session will offer actionable strategies to measure workload, determine how much to take on, and handle over-capacity scenarios. We'll explore ways to sunset ineffective programs, leverage collaboration to lighten the load, and build sustainable outreach practices that align with institutional priorities. Attendees will gain tools to manage internal and external expectations, advocate for resources, and foster growth opportunities for their outreach teams. The session will also delve into balancing creativity and practicality, addressing hidden labor like event cleanup, signage design, and material storage. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to outreach, this session provides practical tips for maximizing impact, sharing ownership, and adapting to evolving needs-ensuring your outreach efforts remain impactful, feasible, and personally sustainable over the long term. As current outreach librarians and staff members, we believe outreach is the heart of connecting libraries with their communities, yet it's often one of the most demanding and underappreciated aspects of our work. Balancing creativity with practicality, impact with sustainability, and enthusiasm with capacity is a challenge every outreach professional faces. We are particularly inspired by the opportunity to explore innovative ways to sunset ineffective programs and embrace new ideas, all while fostering teamwork and advocating for resources.

Join Jennifer Smith for an introduction to mindfulness meditation using music as a tool to help you calm your mind and reduce stress mindfully. At the close of the session, participants will be able to connect and reflect about their experience. No experience needed.