The Collective 2025: Full Schedule

7:30am EDT

Registration

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:30am - 9:00am EDT

Speakers

Corey Halaychik

Founder and President, The Library Collective

Corey Halaychik is an author and award-winning librarian whose work and research have focused on improving efficiency, teamwork, and leadership skills development. He is also Founder and President of The LIbrary Collective whose goal is to redefine the professional development landscape... Read More →

Chante Hope

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:30am - 9:00am EDT
Cattails C/D

Registration

9:00am EDT

Welcome to The Collective

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Cattails C

Welcome and plenary session to The Collective 2025: Doowutchyalike!. We promise it will be fun and interactive--not your typical keynote or welcome, so fear not! We hope everyone will attend.

Speakers

Chante Hope

Corey Halaychik

Founder and President, The Library Collective

Emily Mann

Associate Research and Instruction Librarian, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Jessica Szempruch

Associate University Librarian and Head of Information Commons, University of South Florida

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Cattails C

Plenary Session, Skill-Building Workshop

10:30am EDT

Break

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:30am - 10:45am EDT

TBA

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:30am - 10:45am EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

10:45am EDT

This Belongs in a Museum! Identifying Materials for University Archives

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am EDT

Cattails F

Library and archive donations are wonderful for collection development but can feel overwhelming when you do not know where to begin. Join an archivist turned collections librarian for an interactive session on processing library donations, and how to identify materials most relevant to your institution.

Speakers

Brigitte Galauner

Collections & Content Strategies Librarian, University of Akron

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Cattails F

Interactive Panel, Small Group Breakouts

10:45am EDT

Craft & Chat: Zine Making & Using Crafts to Encourage Group Discussion

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Cattails B

Join us for an example session of our Craft & Chat workshops where we pair easy-to-learn crafts with typically awkward discussions to help patrons open up and learn from one another. In this session, we'll make zines and get a little meta as we talk about how creative activities can ease discussion in workshops.

Speakers

Sara Sweeney Bear

Fusion Studio Manager, University Libraries at Virginia Tech

Ellen Boggs

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Cattails B

Hands-On Workshop, Make/Hack/Play

10:45am EDT

Gamify Your Work-Life: A Playful Approach to Professional Challenges

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Cattails C

Learn how to incorporate elements of gamification into your work-life! This session will explore what gamification is, why it works, and the gamification strategies the presenter has used to tackle professional challenges. Participants will earn a "gamification explorer" badge as they consider ways to apply these strategies in their own work.

Speakers

Caitlin Benallack

Information Literacy Librarian, Michigan State University

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Cattails C

Hands-On Workshop, Make/Hack/Play

10:45am EDT

Microthemes for Macro Gains: using mini-essays for a reflective learning practice

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Cattails E

Let's go back to the basics of observing, questioning, and reflecting to center our learning and personal development. In this workshop, participants will use microthemes, or mini-essays, to collect their thoughts and ideas and develop (or re-develop!) their voice-activities that can be used and modified for instruction or for one's own reflective library practice.

Speakers

Sam Mandani

Online Instruction Librarian, NYU

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Cattails E

Hands-On Workshop, Skill-Building Workshop

10:45am EDT

Bringing Your Favorite Characters to Life - Cosplaying and the Library Community

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Cattails A

Do you love dressing up for halloween? Want to escape reality with a new persona? Interested in stepping up your storytelling game? Find out how you can dress up anytime with cosplay! Come learn a brief history, the types of cosplay, resources for cosplays and conventions, and how to integrate cosplay programming into your library.

Speakers

Hannah Brandon

Tuesday April 15, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Cattails A

Interactive Panel, Skill-Building Workshop

12:00pm EDT

Lunch Break

Tuesday April 15, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT

TBA

Tuesday April 15, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

1:30pm EDT

The LoFi Study Lounge: Learn How to Create Portable, Interactive Study Spaces

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails F

Learn how to create a portable “Choose your Own LoFi Vibe” study space for students. The LoFi Study Lounge changes an existing space into a productive study environment through the use of relaxing music and portable, interactive lighting elements. Go hands-on with these interactive sights and sounds and experience the vibes for yourself!

Speakers

Tony Pepper

McConnell Library

Former Teen Librarian in the public library system. One year into Instruction/First Year Experience Librarian. New to academia and channeling that into fun programs and outreaches for students new to college.

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails F

Hands-On Workshop, Interactive Panel

1:30pm EDT

Anything Can Explode: Preparing your library for emergencies and disasters

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails A

At Nova Southeastern, we are located in the hurricane belt of South Florida and we've seen it all. We want to share experiences with others on the role of the library during emergency situations, exchange tips and best practices in preparing your library for the next one, and ways to keep everyone safe and calm

Speakers

Steve Roberts

Circulation Manager, NSU Florida

Alejandro Sierra

Circulation Supervisor - Martin and Gail Press Health Professions Division Library, NSU Florida

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails A

Interactive Panel

1:30pm EDT

Meeting People Where They Are: Innovating Library Services for Community Needs

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails E

More than ever before, customers are interacting with the library outside our walls. Recognizing the need to meet people where they are, Pioneer Library System embedded library services across the community with innovative technology and engaging installations in parks, leading to stronger partnerships and record-breaking customer engagement. Learn how one library system is meeting community needs and connecting more people with library resources through these innovative outreach efforts.

Speakers

Kelly Sitzman

Director of Communications & Employee Development, Pioneer Library System

I've worked for my public library system for 10 years in a variety of leadership roles. I am passionate about branding and creating awareness of library services. My hubby and I have 3 dogs and 4 cats and live in Columbus, Ohio.

Lisa Wells

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails E

Interactive Panel, Small Group Breakouts

1:30pm EDT

A Spark of Inspiration!

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails B

Get ready for a whirlwind tour through some of the most creative and practical ideas in library services. These lightning talks will take you from the art of reflective teaching to building a library site from scratch, with a pit stop for some graduation portrait fun!

Beyond the One Shot: Cultivating a Reflective Teaching Practice: Many librarians have teaching responsibilities, but not all regularly reflect on their teaching practice. This interactive session will equip teaching librarians with practical strategies to regularly self-assess, collaborate with peers, and gather student feedback - empowering them to continuously evolve their teaching and elevate the student experience. By embracing reflective teaching, librarians can unlock new levels of pedagogical expertise and better fulfill their vital role in student success.
BOOK PROPS & STACK BACKDROPS: Patron Engagement via Graduation-Portrait Photography in the Library: This presentation considers how an academic Library seized a rising tide of graduate-portrait professional photography amidst the stacks as an opportunity to engage with born-digital students’ "Shelf Credibility." The choice to engage rather than prohibit graduation-portrait photo shoots in the library yielded outcomes like both reducing unannounced shoots' disruptions to staff workflows & branding the Library with a new no-cost service using pre-existing resources.
You don't have to be a genius! How I created a library site from scratch in Linux using Google machines, PHP and MYSQL: Some special libraries don’t have their own library site or catalog, and some librarians own personal monographs that they could place online instead. Come learn how I created my own library site from scratch using Wordpress, MYSQL, and Google instances; you don’t have to be a genius to do it!

Speakers

Raeshelle Cooke

Computing Librarian

I'm a Computing Librarian at George Mason University. I have 14+ years experience working in academic libraries.

Candace Lewis

John Paul Martinez

Shelly Salo Martinez

Librarian for Science and Engineering, Vanderbilt University

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails B

Lighting Talks

1:30pm EDT

Futurecasting: Making Sense of Critical Disruption Within Libraries

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails C

Higher education faces critical disruption, prompting organizations to adapt to growing expectations. In this roundtable, we'll analyze trends in academic libraries based on the 2023-2024 ACRL Report and/or The ALA's State of America's Libraries 2024 Report. Participants will then explore and create their lists which will be shared on Padlet of the five most essential aspects of their library type's focus as we think ahead to 2035.

Speakers

Jackson Hoch

Tuesday April 15, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails C

Small Group Breakouts

2:30pm EDT

Break

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:30pm - 2:45pm EDT

TBA

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:30pm - 2:45pm EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

2:45pm EDT

Level-Up Source Evaluation: Co-create a Choose-Your-Own Adventure Game

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT

Cattails E

Do you feel like something is missing when you try and cover source evaluation in one-shot library instruction sessions? This topic can feel high-stakes, and the nuance involved isn't easy to capture in 50 minutes. In this make/hack/play session, you will engage in a collaborative and fun process to outline a choose-your-own-adventure source evaluation game.

Speakers

Tony Pepper

McConnell Library

Barbara Tait

Instruction Librarian, Radford Univesity

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:00pm EDT
Cattails E

Make/Hack/Play

2:45pm EDT

Something to Write Home About: Engaging Students and Building Community Through Creative Writing

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Cattails F

Learn how the Sherrod Library at ETSU creatively builds community for our students through our club, Coffee and Creative Writing. Be prepared to participate, because we will run this workshop like a typical club meeting, with introductions, prompt-writing, and sharing work.

Speakers

Lydia Gwyn

Instruction Librarian, Sherrod Library, East Tennessee State University

Writer & Instruction librarianDirector of the Library Ambassador Program at Sherrod Library

Sarah Bull

Arts & Humanities Librarian, East Tennessee State University

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Cattails F

Hands-On Workshop

2:45pm EDT

Escape the Lecture: A Choose Your Own Adventure for Library Instruction

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Cattails A

Are you ready to spark your creativity and gamify a one-shot? This panel discussion will feature four academic librarians who have taken elements from a variety of games to create one-shot sessions where students must critically think through solving clues while also being introduced to people, library resources, and spaces.

Speakers

Lindsay Bush

Reference and Instruction Librarian, Union College

Fannie Ouyang

Johanna MacKay

Instructional Design Librarian, Skidmore College - Lucy Scribner Library

Johanna provides reference and instruction as well as develops outreach and programming for faculty, staff, and students at Skidmore College. She’s the library liaison to several departments and programs and oversees several collections including the library’s Children’s collection... Read More →

Devon Cozad

Research and Instruction Librarian, Daemen University

Hello! I am a Research & Instruction Librarian at Daemen University, a private college located in Amherst, New York. I specialize in first year experience and information literacy instruction. I am also involved in campus conversations about supporting early adopters of genAI. As... Read More →

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Cattails A

Interactive Panel, Hands-On Workshop

2:45pm EDT

Fandom Conventions and Libraries: Bringing Stories and Community Together

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Cattails B

Did you know that libraries are the perfect place to give people a taste of the Comic Con experience? These events can be scaled according to your institution's needs and provide a free event for community members to enjoy. Fandom conventions are, at their core, a celebration of the stories that unite us, which makes them a great fit for libraries!

Speakers

Jennifer Johnson

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Cattails B

Interactive Panel, Make/Hack/Play

2:45pm EDT

Play, Create, Engage: Harnessing RPGMaker MZ for Interactive Learning in Academic Libraries

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Cattails C

Come gain some xp in game design as we tackle in this session the history of using Video Games in library instruction and how to go about using the accessible game design tool RPGMaker to make your own instructional materials. No coding experience required!

Speakers

Peter Conlon

Research and Instruction Librarian, Randolph College

Tuesday April 15, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Cattails C

Lighting Talks

4:15pm EDT

Break

Tuesday April 15, 2025 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT

TBA

Tuesday April 15, 2025 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

4:30pm EDT

Storytelling Slam: Confessions of a Librarian

Tuesday April 15, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Cattails C

Join us for Storytelling Slam: Confessions of a Librarian, where real librarians share hilarious, heartwarming, and unexpected tales from behind the stacks. From quirky patrons to chaotic book returns, discover the untold stories of life in the library. It's a session of laughs, revelations, and unforgettable confessions!

Speakers

ALICE ISOKA

Librarian-Research Hub, USIU-A

Professional librarian with experience in academic library setting. Dedicated to serving the community by providing assistance in information retrieval and research techniques, promoting information literacy through information literacy training, research databases, circulation and... Read More →

Tuesday April 15, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Cattails C

Plenary Session, Lightning Talks

9:00am EDT

Rest and Reflection Day

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 5:00pm EDT

TBA

Take a break, recharge, and process all the inspiration so far! This mid-conference pause is designed for you to unwind, connect in a low-key way, or simply take time for yourself. Whether you prefer quiet reflection, casual networking, or exploring the area at your own pace, this day is all about resetting before diving back into the action. No sessions, no pressure—just space to breathe.

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 5:00pm EDT
TBA

9:00am EDT

An Interactive Game to Reimagine Scholarly Communications

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 10:15am EDT

Cattails A

This interactive session will be organized as a board game (in the style of the Game of Life), shaking players out of the barrier mindset to explore how a radical rethinking of the scholarly communications landscape would advance the educational and stewardship missions of academic libraries while better serving university communities.

Speakers

Jennifer Townes

Open Access Librarian, Emory University

Jenny Townes joined the Emory University Libraries Scholarly Communications Office in May 2022 as the Open Access Librarian. In this capacity Jenny leads open access outreach and advocacy, specifically focused on two of the university’s open access repositories: OpenEmory and E... Read More →

John Morgenstern

As the Copyright and Scholarly Communications Librarian, John Morgenstern is the primary resource within Emory Libraries for copyright education and consultation with a secondary focus on scholarly communications topics such as the publishing process, publishing contracts, and open... Read More →

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
Cattails A

Make/Hack/Play

9:00am EDT

Don't Ditch Your Discards: Clever Ways to Reuse Old Books in Your Library

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Cattails B

Do you have more discards than the FOL could sell in a lifetime? Piles of ARCs whose publication date has long past? Join us to learn innovative new ways to use old books and bookpages to create interactive displays, passive programming, and workshops to engage the whole community!

Speakers

Lynn Harlan

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Cattails B

Hands-On Workshop

9:00am EDT

Make your LibGuides Accessible

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Cattails F

Want to make a real difference in accessibility and inclusion? This hands-on workshop will guide you through the process of making your web content more accessible to everyone, regardless of your tech ability.
Learn to: Identify accessibility issues in your LibGuides; Use user-friendly tools to improve your content; and Receive personalized support to address your specific needs. By making your LibGuides more accessible, you'll contribute to a more inclusive learning environment for all.

Speakers

Corrine Syster

Thursday April 17, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Cattails F

Hands-On Workshop, Skill-Building Workshop

10:30am EDT

Break

Thursday April 17, 2025 10:30am - 10:45am EDT

TBA

Thursday April 17, 2025 10:30am - 10:45am EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

10:45am EDT

Less But Better: Rethinking What Matters in Your Library Life

Thursday April 17, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT

Cattails C

Tired of trying to do it all? Join us as we explore how to focus on what really matters in your library work. Through trivia, teamwork, and real talk, you'll learn to ditch the busywork, prioritize the impactful, and walk away ready to work smarter, not harder!

Speakers

Kate Tompkins

Brooke Fry

Thursday April 17, 2025 10:45am - 12:00pm EDT
Cattails C

Plenary Session, Skill-Building Workshop

12:00pm EDT

Lunch Break

Thursday April 17, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT

TBA

Thursday April 17, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

1:30pm EDT

DNA Wutchyalike: Entwining the strands of established and innovative strategies to understand genetic information

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails A

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing provides access to confusing revelations; yet we lack expertise to interpret this information about ourselves. This hands-on workshop will guide participants through finding reliable consumer health information; grappling with issues of privacy, financial burdens, ethics and the emotional impact of uncertainty; and handling emerging information about risk.

Speakers

Terrence Bennett

Amelia Landenberger

Assistant Professor, Law Library, University of Akron

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails A

Hands-On Workshop

1:30pm EDT

Research Revolution: Promoting Access and Inclusion in Scholarship Through Zines

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails F

Attendees will learn how to harness the revolutionary power of zines to change how students think about their scholarship and research processes. There will be a hands-on activity that attendees can take back to their libraries, and discussion prompts that just may ignite a few more ideas!

Speakers

Mary Ruge

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails F

Hands-On Workshop

1:30pm EDT

Connecting through Gaming: Fostering Collaborations among Librarians through Bingo!

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails C

In this hands-on session, participants will work together to design a collaborative, team-building library bingo game that can be modified to suit the needs of an individual library or department within the library. Session participants will walk away with customizable templates, instructions, and experience creating a low-cost, reusable game.

Speakers

Alejandra Mendez

Coordinator of Library Services, Lowell Campus, Middlesex Community College

I am an academic librarian, and education researcher. My areas of interest are information literacy education, information and algorithmic bias, critical curriculum theory, and video game scholarship.

Kim Money Priddy

Systems and Electronic Resources Librarian, Middlesex Community College

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails C

Make/Hack/Play

1:30pm EDT

Building Strategic Leadership Opportunities Within Libraries

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails B

Libraries recognize the need for more inclusive leadership, yet thereâ€™s limited discussion on the structures that foster leadership roles. In this roundtable, we'll explore how libraries can create more opportunities for staff to engage with leadership and brainstorm innovative approaches to developing leadership skills and competencies for more meaningful retention/progression in leadership positions.

Speakers

Jackson Hoch

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails B

Roundtable Discussion

1:30pm EDT

It's Fine, I'm Fine, Everything's Fine: Confessions of a First-Year Librarian

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Cattails E

Join us for a tea-spilling session with two first-year librarians who survived the wild ride of post-grad life, first jobs, and all the chaos in between. Whether you're here for the laughs, the lessons, or just to know you're not alone, we're breaking norms and telling it like it is.

Speakers

Krystal Dean

Samantha Rose

Learning & Curricular Services Librarian, Texas A&M University

Thursday April 17, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Cattails E

Roundtable Discussion

2:30pm EDT

Break

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:30pm - 2:45pm EDT

TBA

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:30pm - 2:45pm EDT
TBA

Networking/Social Activity

2:45pm EDT

From Mold to Magic: Seizing Opportunities to Reimagine Library Staffing

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Cattails A

Make the most of unexpected challenges by innovating in times of crisis! Learn how one library system challenged the traditional perceptions of library staff roles by implementing a new service pilot, and relocating more than 60 staff when the main library unexpectedly closed due to the discovery of mold.

Speakers

Lisa Wells

Caroline Dulworth

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Cattails A

Interactive Panel, Roundtable Discussion

2:45pm EDT

LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX BABY! Let's Talk About Sex: Engaging Students in Sexual Health Education through Gaming

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Cattails B

Librarians worked to address gaps in students' sexual health knowledge. Since 2022, we have hosted "Sextember" trivia that provides fun, educational information. Attendees of Sextember gain sexual literacy, resources, and a positive experience. This trivia-style presentation will share how we plan the program, sample trivia questions, and a template for future replication.

Speakers

Elizabeth Long Allen

Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian, Louisiana State University

Larissa Elliott

Resource Sharing Specialist, LSU Libraries

I have been in ILL since 2012, the first 5 years I was a student worker and I have been full time staff ever since. I am now the student supervisor as well as the resource sharing specialist so when I am not working on processing, my focus is training students, working on schedules... Read More →

Randa Lopez Morgan

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Cattails B

Interactive Panel

2:45pm EDT

Me, Myself and AI: Prompts, Hallucinations, and Bias, OH MY!

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Cattails E

Hey, I didn't learn this in Library School! How often do I say this? As an early career faculty librarian, DAILY. Navigating the uncharted territory of AI in an ever changing academic landscape has not made me an expert. But I do have handy tools and strategies that I've found incredibly valuable for a proactive approach to AI Literacy!

Speakers

Jennifer Davis

Public Services Librarian, Assistant Professor of Practice, University Libraries, The University of Akron

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Cattails E

Lighting Talks

2:45pm EDT

The Makerspace Rainbow Librarian

Thursday April 17, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Cattails F

In a makerspace, librarians engage with a wide array of users, including readers, authors, explorers, scientists, and designers. What requirements arise from makerspaces that foster diverse creativity, utilize various tools, and adapt to ever-evolving technology? Is the creation of a lively, colorful makerspace an artistic endeavor, a skill, or something one is born with? Do we have librarians who represent this vibrant makerspace spectrum?

Speakers

Stephen Ario

Librarian, USIU-Africa

I am a teacher-librarian, specialized in cataloguing, User services, information literacy and computer studies.I am a very sociable person, team player and an adventurer.