TNLA 2025 Conference

Dive into essential legal knowledge for today’s school librarians. This session unpacks Public Chapter 782, copyright basics, and the First Amendment’s impact on library spaces, providing insights into balancing access with legal responsibilities. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of the law as it applies to libraries, empowering them to create informed, inclusive, and legally compliant environments.

Daphanie Gragg, Youth Services Librarian & Event Coordinator, would like to lead a session on effective fundraising and partnership strategies for small communities. The session will focus on leveraging local networks, grassroots efforts, and creative solutions to build lasting social impact. Attendees will learn how to identify and approach potential partners, raise funds without relying on traditional methods, and activate community resources. The session will address common challenges faced by smaller communities and provide practical tools for building capacity and strengthening relationships. My 15 years of experience in fundraising and community organizing make me uniquely qualified to lead this session. I am not opposed to partnering with others along this topic as well.

In this interactive session, two academic librarians will explore fundamental aspects of library assessment, guiding participants to measure and enhance their library services, regardless of library type. Aligning with the theme "Back to Basics," the session will cover essential assessment areas—such as collection analysis, user experience, and instructional impact—through collaborative activities and practical examples. Participants will engage in group discussions and hands-on planning, gaining valuable insights and tools for balancing quantitative and qualitative data. With actionable takeaways and renewed confidence, attendees will leave ready to apply meaningful, straightforward assessment techniques that communicate library value across diverse settings.

This presentation reports findings of a survey distributed to public libraries across most of the SE United States to explore perceptions of administrative library professionals (e.g., Directors, Branch Managers, etc.) primarily, along with other librarians who might respond on behalf of the administrators, regarding the phenomenon of public libraries hiring social workers to become part of library staffing. How do the administrators and librarians in these settings feel about the increasing presence of social workers in public libraries? To what extent do these professionals believe that this is a benefit to their respective communities? To what extent do these same persons think that having social workers as professional colleagues in their respective public libraries will affect their libraries’ operations?

Interested in incorporating more teen voices into your library’s offerings, but unsure where to begin? Do you dream of teen programming conceived and executed by teens, for teens? Teen Advisory Boards provide an opportunity for teens in your community to be empowered, build out-of-school friendships, and gain leadership experience, while your library gains authentic youth perspective and engagement. Participants will come away with practical strategies and best practices for facilitators interested in building a Teen Advisory Board from the ground up.

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.

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.

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.

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.