TNLA 2025 Conference: Full Schedule

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.

8:30am EDT

Beyond Funding: Outreach Approaches for Grant Funded Projects

Wednesday April 9, 2025 8:30am - 9:20am EDT

Meeting Room 2

Grants provide vital support to libraries and archives engaged in archival description and digitization work, and granting and re-granting agencies require publicity and outreach for these projects. Unique collections and contexts present different opportunities and challenges to sharing these projects and generating engagement with patrons, fellow professionals, and other interested communities. Panelists from the Knox County Public Library, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the Tennessee State Library and Archives will discuss recent and ongoing externally funded projects and offer a range of perspectives on planning and conducting impactful outreach.

Speakers

Molly Copeland

Sara Kaparos

John Morton

Sara Baxter

Kimberly Wires

Carolyn Runyon

Wednesday April 9, 2025 8:30am - 9:20am EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

1:10pm EDT

TEL Basics

Wednesday April 9, 2025 1:10pm - 2:00pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

Andrea Zielke, TEL Administrator, will give an overview of TEL resources as well tips and tricks about how to use TEL for research and learning.  You'll leave this event knowing more about TEL resources, where to find marketing materials so you can share these resources with patrons at your library.

Speakers

Andrea Zielke

Wednesday April 9, 2025 1:10pm - 2:00pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

2:10pm EDT

Boundary Setting: Preventing Burnout in the Library Profession

Wednesday April 9, 2025 2:10pm - 3:00pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

Alex Sharp (Tennessee Wesleyan University), Jessica McClure (University of Memphis), and Cassandra Taylor (Nashville Public Library) will be showcasing data about public librarian's burnout during the book ban crisis. This data was accumulated by the Intellectual Freedom Committee and will be presented and discussed in an interactive panel with attendees. They will be discussing how to set healthy boundaries in many aspects of the library profession with patrons, students, and colleagues including book bans, budget cuts, and managerial responsibilities.

Speakers

Jessica McClure

Chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee, University of Memphis

Cassandra Taylor

Technology Engagement Center-Rutherford County Library System

Being a librarian has opened my eyes to a world where I fight to make a positive impact on my community and country every day. My goal as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair is to provide equal access to everyone and educate patrons about the diverse community around... Read More →

Alex Sharp

Wednesday April 9, 2025 2:10pm - 3:00pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

3:10pm EDT

Words Matter: Exploring the Discourse of Book Bans in TN

Wednesday April 9, 2025 3:10pm - 4:00pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

Book censorship has been a polarizing issue in Tennessee. From the chilling effect of inflammatory rhetoric to claims that children are being sexualized by pornography, words uttered in these moments have been divisive, and state laws now restrict what people can read. Our research explores discourse both for and against book censorship in Tennessee to understand how and why narratives about book censorship were developed and reproduced, and how language in use influenced, changed, or reinforced public thinking about books and libraries in Tennessee.

Speakers

Janet Kesterson Isbell

Shawn Marie Hinkel

Wednesday April 9, 2025 3:10pm - 4:00pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

4:10pm EDT

The Lazy Librarian's Guide to Building a Culture of Reading: The Easiest Things You Can Do to Encourage Book Love for Children

Wednesday April 9, 2025 4:10pm - 5:00pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

You want to encourage your students or patrons to love reading--you really, really do. The thing is, you only have so many hours in a day, and responsibilities can be overwhelming at times. We'll talk through some of the easiest ways to increase students' interest in your library and in reading, and there will be time to share and learn from each other as to what programs have been implemented successfully in their libraries.

Wednesday April 9, 2025 4:10pm - 5:00pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

8:30am EDT

Inter Library Loan: Basics and Etiquette

Thursday April 10, 2025 8:30am - 9:20am EDT

Meeting Room 2

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.

Speakers

Lily Woodside

Teen Service Librarian, White County Public Library

Thursday April 10, 2025 8:30am - 9:20am EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

9:30am EDT

50 states/50 ideas

Thursday April 10, 2025 9:30am - 10:20am EDT

Meeting Room 2

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.

Speakers

Cindy Matthews

Caitlyn Haley

Thursday April 10, 2025 9:30am - 10:20am EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

11:10am EDT

ADHD and the Library Profession

Thursday April 10, 2025 11:10am - 12:00pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

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!

Speakers

Courtney Lewis

Thursday April 10, 2025 11:10am - 12:00pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

1:30pm EDT

Read a Good Book Lately

Thursday April 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

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!

Speakers

Cathy Farley

Executive Director, Tennessee Library Association

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 →

Jennifer Cowan-Henderson

Michael Hale

Erin Lankford

Thursday April 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session

2:30pm EDT

The Basics of Becoming a Good Leader in Your Workspace. How and Why?

Thursday April 10, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm EDT

Meeting Room 2

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.

Speakers

Rebeckah Coleman

Thursday April 10, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm EDT
Meeting Room 2

Program Session