REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Library Journal invites director-level leaders at public libraries to join us for our 2024 Directors’ Summit, being held Nov. 7-8 at Richland Public Library in Columbia, SC.

This annual day-and-a-half of interactive thought-leadership, learning and networking will spotlight ways that library leaders - often isolated in their work – are effectively tackling the many complex and difficult challenges of library management.

Topics for the event’s sessions and breakouts are curated by LJ’s editorial team based on a survey of event registrants, as well as input from the event’s advisory board of library directors. The agenda is currently under development so stay tuned! Click here to see last year’s program.

Who should attend: This event is exclusively for director-level leaders at public libraries. If you work in a different type of library and/or are in a leadership position with a different title and would like to request an invitation, please email us at ljevents@mediasourceinc.com.

If you have questions about the Summit, please email them to ljevents@mediasourceinc.com

COMPLEXITY AND COURAGE: LEADING LIBRARIES IN TURBULENT TIMES

Public libraries are often called on to respond to complex community challenges and opportunities. From housing insecurity to low literacy rates to lack of civil discourse, we fill the gaps and lead the way on the very issues that impact the livability and resiliency of our communities.

As we look to the future, we can ask ourselves: Who does our community need us to be? What role are uniquely positioned to play, now and in the future? The LJ Directors Summit is an opportunity to engage in peer-to-peer conversations about issues we face today and a future-focused dialogue around key items that will inform a library leadership agenda.

DAY 1

9:00 – 10:00 AM | Registration & Continental Breakfast

10:00 – 10:20 AM | Welcome

Hallie Rich | Editor-in-chief, Library Journal

Amandeep Kochar | President & CEO, Baker & Taylor

Melanie Huggins | Executive Director, Richland Library, SC

10:20 – 10:45 AM | Keynote: Libraries 2035 with Sandy Hirsh

10:45 – 11:45 AM | Discussion

What challenges and opportunities are we best positioned to lead in our communities?

11:45 – 11:55 AM | Industry Spotlight: Communico

12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch

1:00 – 1:15 PM | Regroup/ Industry Spotlight: Hoopla

1:15 – 1:40 PM | Talent Today & Tomorrow with Pat Losinski

1:40 – 2:30 PM | Discussion

How do we grow, attract and retain the talent needed to address community need/meet our strategic objectives? What skills are needed and what gaps exist? How to build and nurture a diverse and inclusive workforce?

2:30 – 2:40 PM | Industry Spotlight: OCLC

2:40 – 3 PM | Break

3:00 – 3:25 PM | Advocacy & Action with Kent Oliver

3:25 – 4:30 PM | Discussion

How do we navigate in a partisan, politicized environment? (Board relationships; advocacy; pro-library policies; censorship)

4:30 – 4:40 PM | Industry Spotlight: Springshare

4:40 – 5:00 PM | Conclude Day 1

5:00 – 6:00 PM | Cocktail reception

DAY 2

9:00 – 10 AM | Breakfast

10:00 – 10:10 AM | Welcome & Check in conversation

10:10 – 10:20 AM | Industry Spotlight: Baker & Taylor

10:20 – 10:50 AM | Keynote: TBD

10:50 – 11:45 AM | Discussion

What are the priority areas where our libraries need to focus resources?

How do we talk about ourselves in ways that we didn’t 20 years ago?

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Wrap Up

12:00 – 1:00 PM | Library Tour

			John Chrastka is co-founder and executive director of EveryLibrary, the national political action committee for libraries, and the EveryLibrary Institute, a public policy and education policy think tan for libraries. Since 2012, EveryLibrary has supported public libraries in numerous funding negotiations, politicized challenges, and over 130 election days, winning over $2.8 billion dollars in stable tax money for libraries. Its SaveSchoolLibraians.org campaigns help ensure the future of school library work, and its FightForTheFirst.org site supports over 100 local and statewide anti-censorship and anti-discrimination campaigns. The EveryLibrary Institute supports funding-focused research and training for library leaders and outreach to the public about librarians.
			Dr. Sandra Hirsh is Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Professional and Global Education at San José State University (SJSU). She previously served as professor and director of the SJSU School of Information and worked at HP Labs, Microsoft, and LinkedIn. She is past president of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) and the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T). Her book about the future of libraries, Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in March 2024
			Patrick Losinski recently retired as CEO of Columbus Metropolitan Library after 22 years. He was the director of three other library systems and previously served on the State Library Boards of Illinois and Colorado, Board Chair of the Urban Libraries Council, and as a Governing Board member of the International Federation of Library Associations.
			Kent Oliver is currently an ALA Senior Fellow working with the Public Policy and Advocacy Office's Policy Corps Cadre supporting Unite Against Book Bans. Prior to joining ALA Kent was Director of the Nashville (TN) Public Library and the Stark County District Library in Canton Ohio. He is a native Kansan who has also managed public libraries in Kansas and Missouri. He is a member of the Freedom to Read Foundation Board of Directors.
			As executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Kelvin Watson oversees 25 branches run by 600+ employees, spanning 8,000 square miles, with a budget of $77 million and a collection of 3.2 million items. Kelvin has brought innovative, award-winning leadership to Nevada’s largest library system and his deep experience in fundraising, technology, program development, and demonstrated success in addressing the digital divide has brought a new era to this library system. Regarded as one of the most highly respected thought leaders in the library industry, Kelvin has been credited, in multiple library management roles, with expanding his customer base through outreach efforts to underserved and diverse populations.