Welcome to the 2025 Tennessee Library Association Conference #tnla25! We’re glad you’re here. Build your schedule below, and be sure to check the More Info page for additional conference details.
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With dwindling budgets and rising anti-library sentiment, it is difficult to remain positive. We're all working harder because we believe in what we do, but burnout is also rising. We're asked to do more with less, and when we complain or raise our concerns, we're often told canned phrases, especially, "Remember your why." My presentation is both a love letter to our professions and a calling out of toxic behaviors and gaslighted thinking. We deserve to be treated as humans, not superheroes. So lets take off our capes and talk about what we need.
Caroline Mickey has been an elementary school librarian for six years. She has been on a personal mission to expand her horizons and learn about her privileges so that she can acknowledge and work to help others recognize theirs. Caroline was recently quoted in a Washington Post article... Read More →
I will be presenting on the inner workings of ILL and how to do just the most basic things in the systems for ILL and Expak. How to "be kind, rewind" as it pertains to the books you send and return to other libraries and how to work with Firefly. This should be light and fun presentation with hopefully some audience participation. I will hand out all resources available to me.
During this presentation, hear a lively conversation from the entire Tech Services team about the importance of streamlining, empowerment, and teamwork in creating a fun, proactive, and dynamic environment that stands in stark contrast to the traditional reputation of Tech Services departments. We will discuss seven years of collaboration and transformational changes ranging from incremental to fundamental while reviewing successes and failures. Engage with us in a candid discussion on a variety of topics from mundane Tech Services tasks to fun team building. Hear how team-oriented leadership empowers everyone to "get stuff done” while also making time for bling, capes, cookies, and regular outings.
This is an interactive session that promotes academic discourse among educators about how family dynamics and choices affect the literacy of our students. Participants will put themselves in the shoes of our underserved students and families by selecting a career and working through daily choices as a group. These real-world choices determine if students come to school and if their basic needs are met by their parents or guardians. All these decisions ultimately affect literacy and performance in school.
As library professionals, we often focus on the stories of others while overlooking our own. This program will help you rethink the stories you tell yourself, giving you the tools to reshape them in ways that support your success and well-being. Participants will enjoy a presentation, a self-storytelling activity, and the chance to share their newly reframed stories with peers.
Feel like you’ve run out of ideas? Interested in starting something new? Stop by this training to view some of the most interesting and innovative features, services, and programs we’ve found in every state of our country. Get ready to be inspired by the creative efforts of your library peers and leave this workshop planning your library’s next move.
AutismTN and four Middle Tennessee public libraries partnered to enhance Autistic inclusion by establishing sensory-friendly spaces, providing sensory kits, and updating collections with books and resources created by Autistic people with lived experience. This initiative, funded by the KFC Foundation, made the partnering libraries more welcoming, accessible, and neuro-affirming for Autistic patrons (children and adults) and neurodiverse families, as well as expanded community understanding of neurodiversity. Our presentation will cover an introduction to neurodiversity and neuro-affirming frameworks, insights from project implementation, and recommendations for inclusive programming, as well as the impact of sensory-friendly adjustments in libraries across Wilson, Putnam, and Williamson counties.
Many libraries have pioneered the use of AI in their work, but few presentations have approached how library patrons perceive AI generated information. This session will go over the basics of how Large Language Models work, how to spot an AI generated book (they exist!) in the wild, and how to educate others on judging the accuracy of the information provided by AI.
In the summer of 2024, I combined my work as an academic librarian, my commitment to open-access publishing, and my amateur mushroom hunting antics by creating Fungi of Lambuth: A Field Guide on our Digital Commons at the University of Memphis Lambuth. This guide features photographs of mushrooms I found entirely on our campus, along with information to help students, faculty, and staff learn about my finds and begin their own mushroom hunts. In this session, I'll share why I wanted to create this resource, what the process was like, and how you can use open-access publishing to create your own campus nature guides and get your colleagues and students out exploring nature!
Come and learn about a new open educational resource and community to support library workers as they develop their negotiation knowledge and skills. Designed to help all library workers learn negotiation best practices and strategies for both their personal and professional lives, this OER includes lectures, readings, assessments, and hand-on assignments. In addition to learning about this resource, attendees will learn about the community being created to provide support for library professionals responsible for negotiations and about key issues and trends uncovered during an interview research study. While the content developed around licensing is geared toward an academic audience, the negotiation strategy and planning techniques in the OER are widely applicable across all types of libraries and library workers.
As the Asset Management Librarian and subject liaison to the College of Education, I manage the library's physical and electronic collections (from purchasing to deselection) and work closely with the College of Education faculty to ensure that the library's services and collection... Read More →
The library is full of organized, efficient professionals. What happens when your brain is wired differently than most of them? How does it affect our relationship with our coworkers and the way we accomplish tasks? This presentation is for everyone working in libraries who has ADHD or knows someone who does. It discusses the reality of what ADHD actually is--versus the persistent myths about it--and covers ways forward to make our workplaces the best they can be for all involved. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how their ADHD coworkers' chaos can sometimes be a superpower that might bring new ideas to the table for everyone!
In the aftermath of COVID-19, libraries faced the challenge of reengaging students and rebuilding disrupted outreach efforts. At East Tennessee State University’s Sherrod Library, librarians recognized the need to rebuild, innovate, and restructure our approach to student outreach. This presentation will explore how ETSU reference and instruction librarians revamped existing strategies to foster a welcoming, inclusive environment for students by redesigning our student orientation process, by developing several casual student-centered clubs, and by opening a new reference desk for drop-in research help. This presentation will provide insights and practical takeaways for libraries looking to revitalize their student outreach programs in a post-pandemic landscape.
Lending power tools, outdoor gear, rock instruments, and makerspace equipment? Of course we do that! Join the Chattanooga Public Library for this presentation on how to launch a beyond books collection that works for your library system and your community. During this presentation, we will highlight our experiences of creating, sustaining, and expanding our own unique collections. The story of the Beyond Books collections at the Chattanooga Public Library can help inspire your library to find natural partnerships to expand access to community assets and to create a new non-traditional collection of your own!
Norris Community Library and Rocky Top Public Library discuss the planning and implementation of their seed library and community garden. Get tips and tricks on how to find community partners, manage the budgeting and deal with any unexpected issues along the way.
Ready for a refresh on government publications that will help your users? Join us to learn how to locate the latest information on careers, publications of the three branches of government, rules by departments/agencies, and practical Federal services and resources (in English and Spanish). Bring a device for some engaging hands-on activities that will allow you to explore these resources.
What happens when students take authority into their own hands—literally? This session blends critical pedagogy, alternative media, and the ACRL Framework to explore how zines can transform discussions about bias, authority, and representation. Featuring examples from psychology and literature classes, we’ll examine how creating zines empower students to challenge traditional notions of expertise and amplify diverse voices. Participants will leave not only with new strategies for the classroom but also with their very own mini zine, created during the session. Let’s reimagine who gets to be “in the room” and why their stories matter.
Learn who last year’s TNLA Intellectual Freedom Award winner RCLA is, what they do, and how they can help you! Libraries have unfortunately turned political, with attempts to impose censorship here in Tennessee. We’ll dive into what the laws actually say, what the specific language used means, and how to resist censorship in your libraries.
Join this fun group of friends as they share what they are reading lately. You will learn absolutely nothing, but will have a full list for your TBR pile!
By day, I am the Director of the White County Public Library in Sparta, Tennessee. Our staff of 14 serves a population of just over 27,000 community members.At night and on weekends, I am the Executive Director of the Tennessee Library Association. I collect your dues and pay our... Read More →
After almost four years of trying to figure out how the Chattanooga Public Library could help bring free rides to children in our community, Read & Ride was born! Read & Ride, the pilot partnership between CPL and CARTA, ran from June 1-July 31 in conjunction with the Summer Learning Program at CPL with the express intention of facilitating free bus rides for children 6-18. It has been so successful that CARTA is publicly speaking about the possibility of year-round free rides for minors. There are very few of the 19 urban and municipal transit systems (or the 9 rural public transportation systems) that currently provide free rides to children 18 and under, so opportunities to increase access to transportation for their young patrons are out there! Session attendees will hopefully learn from CPL’s failures and successes to leave with at least one strategy with which to approach a collaborative project with their own transit system.
Youth Services Supervisor, Chattanooga Public Library
Children’s and YA books & programs, public & school library collaboration, serving the whole person/whole child, intellectual freedom, and library advocacy
Join Scot Smith as he explores humorous graphic novels and non-fiction for younger readers. He will discuss why humor is important in books for children and tweens and highlight some recently published Comics for kids. Scot will also share important resources about Comics and graphic novels and discuss ways to make the Comics collection more accessible for children.
Scot Smith worked as a school librarian for almost 27 years before he changed careers and joined the faculty at UT's School of Information Sciences. Scot served in various capacities for the Volunteer State Book Award for many years and has read for numerous committees and juries... Read More →
This practical show and tell training will teach library staff how to evaluate items for retention or replacement using the MUSTIE & Crew methods and cover basic book repairs. Participants will learn about mending methods, tools, and materials through lecture and demonstration. Each participant will get a weeding slip, book repair supply list, and PPT slides.
As children’s librarians, we are trained in early literacy best practices. However, we know that it takes many more skills to prepare the whole child for kindergarten and beyond. While storytimes with books, flannels, and fingerplays are wonderful tools for developing early literacy skills, we can add so much more to our early childhood programming. Learn how the Chattanooga Public Library is exploring additional ways to introduce basic skills into programs. From early motor skills and potty training to STEAM and kitchen skills, it’s never too early to start the journey towards kindergarten.
Library Services Specialist - Children's, Chattanooga Public Library
I received my MLIS from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and have worked for the Chattanooga Public Library for 10 years doing children's programs. Before that, I used my degree in American Sign Language while working as a sign language interpreter for Deaf students. I love... Read More →
Like many other college campuses, Lipscomb University saw an increase in mental health and social problems as students returned to campus after the Covid-19 shutdown. Because of that, our library put a new emphasis on student events to encourage students and make them feel at home in the library. In the past two years, as federal Covid funding has ended, we have also faced budget cuts making it more difficult to fund these events. These dual problems have forced us to be more creative in our programming. We faced the question: How do we make the library an inviting and encouraging place for students without spending money? This presentation summarizes our attempts to leverage our current resources to provide some levity in the library. We found that seeing students smile raises our spirits too. We hope that our experience will inspire you to create some fun in your own library even when times are tough.
Learn about a teen program used in a public library to explore primary sources. Help teens explore local history and investigate a murder from days gone by. Have your teens ever wanted to solve crimes? Do they have what it takes to be a librarian or an archivist? Learn how to put their deductive skills to the test in this spooky historical investigation.
Discover the benefits of library data storytelling: a merger of marketing and assessment. More than ever, libraries have a great need to communicate the resources and expertise of their staff and their data. Data storytelling takes data from storage to a story. We will bring examples of how we tell stories to highlight the Kolwyck Library and its staff.
I would like to share about the basics of being a good leader in your workspace. By answering the questions, What makes a good leader?, Why do you want to be a good leader?, How do you lead people that you don't have a connection with?, and How do you lead an inherited staff? During the discussion we will talk about the challenges that we have faced as leaders and how we have used setbacks to help us grow as leaders.
