| 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM ET | Exhibit Hall Opens/Visit the Booths
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM ET | Opening Keynote with Celeste Headlee
Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist who has appeared on NPR, PBS, CNN, BBC and more. Her forthcoming book, Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism–and How to Do It, published by HarperCollins, draws on her experiences as a journalist as well as a light-skinned Black Jew—plus research on bias, communication, and neuroscience—to provide practical advice and insight for how to talk about race productively with people who don’t already agree with you. Her previous books include Do Nothing — How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving, published by Harmony Books, and We Need To Talk – How To Have Better Conversations, published by Harper Wave.
Moderator: Kiera Parrott, Director, Darien Library (CT)
10:35 AM - 11:25 AM ET | Libraries @ The Center of Public Health
Libraries play an essential role in helping the public access accurate, reliable information to make the right choices for their health. They also have long helped patrons navigate digital portals to get health insurance. Now they’re going even further to connect patrons directly to essential healthcare, from COVID tests and vaccines to telehealth consultations, on-site screenings, and more. Learn how innovators are leveraging partnerships and community trust to bridge gaps and narrow inequities in access to healthcare.
Nicholas A. Brown, Chief Operating Officer for Communication and Outreach, Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (MD)
Stephanie Buchanan, Director, Bucyrus Public Library (OH)
Kathleen Montgomery, Outreach Manager, Charleston County Public Library (SC)
Tiffany Russell, LMSW, Social Services, Manager at the Niles District Library (MI)
Moderator: Lisa Peet, News Editor, Library Journal 11:30 AM - 12:20 PM ET | Libraries @ The Center of Digital Access
COVID-19 brought home that high speed internet access is essential to work, school, and health--and how many Americans still don’t have it. Even before Congress stepped up to provide unprecedented funding, public libraries were going above and beyond to close that gap. Hear how both urban and rural libraries got patrons safely connected during lockdowns, and how you can apply new funds to provide those programs in your community.
Dianne Connery, Director, Pottsboro Library (TX)
Suzi Perez, TechCentral Manager, Cleveland Public Library (OH)
Craig Settles, industry analyst, author, and consultant
Moderator: Matt Enis, Senior Editor, Technology, Library Journal
12:20 PM - 1:00 PM ET | Break/Visit the Exhibit Hall
1:00 PM - 1:50 PM ET | Libraries @ The Center of the Job Search
One-third of Americans under 40 are looking to switch not just jobs, but career fields. More patrons than ever are turning to the library for help to replace lost positions, stay remote, leave stressful public-facing industries, and explore new opportunities. Learn how to replicate and adapt innovative library programs that offer credentials, hands-on training targeted to local employers’ needs, and in-depth support for entrepreneurs.
Brandy McNeil, Ph.D., Director of Adult Services, The New York Public Library
Morgan Perry, Outreach Business Specialist, Mid-Continent Public Library (MO)
Moderator: Elizabeth Kobert, Archivist, The Frick Collection (NY)
1:55 PM - 2:45 PM ET | Delivering Services through Multiple Channels
Librarians are eager to welcome patrons and programs back into their buildings, yet pandemic-inspired innovations have proven quite popular. From curbside pickup and book bundles to virtual programming, these new expectations are not going away. Hear how libraries plan to continue delivering service via those new channels simultaneously with the reinstituted core, in-person model.
Brittany Garcia, Teen and Adult Services Librarian II, City of Rancho Cucamonga (CA)
Jennie Pu, Director, Hoboken Public Library (NJ)
Lauren Stara, Library Building Specialist, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Moderator: Meredith Schwartz, Editor-in-Chief, Library Journal
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET | Break/Visit the Exhibit Hall
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM ET | The Future of Collections
As buildings closed, collection development librarians shifted their budget lines to support a burgeoning demand for digital content. Will new ebook users stick with that format or shift back to print? Will the advent of book bundles and other backlist discovery tools change what titles patrons want, or how they find them? Hear from collection development experts about what user behavior they see, what they forecast, and how they are managing lean budgets to get the most book bang for the buck.
Beth Atwater, Collection Development Librarian, Johnson County Public Library (KS)
Theresa E. Lynch, Senior Library Manager for Collection Development Services, Wake County Government (NC)
Lisa Oldoski, Collection Management Librarian, Pierce County Library System (WA)
Moderator: Wendy Bartlett, Collection Development and Acquisitions Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library (OH)
3:55 PM - 4:45 PM ET | Realizing an Equity-Centered Library Culture
Libraries, like the rest of America, are grappling with how to address the ongoing destructive impacts of systemic racism to advance racial equity and justice, and move beyond making statements and convening dialogues. Learn how these public libraries are embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into their internal workings through policy, practice, and partnerships; how this is enabling them to center equity in patron-facing services; and how leaders at all levels can help make it happen at their own libraries.
Ozy Aloziem, MSW, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Denver Public Library (CO)
Dominic Davis, Assistant Librarian, Madison Public Library (WI)
Allison Waukau, Community Liaison, Hennepin County Library (MN)
Moderator: Veronda Pitchford, Assistant Director, Califa Group/Infopeople |
