2020 Speakers

Big Talk From Small Libraries 2020


Carrie D. Adams, Senior Consultant, Baptist Health Science Libraries, Jacksonville, FL (Population served: 9,000)

Can a New Library Webpage Overcome Small Library Challenges?

Carrie Adams has served as the Senior Consultant for Health Science Libraries for Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida for 7 years. In this role, she oversees all library operations for the health system, with a focus on promoting evidence-based practice for improving patient care, library instruction, and service outreach.  She also strives to improve the usability of electronic resources for better efficiency for health professionals. 

Carrie currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Florida Library Information Network and chairs committees for the Medical Library Association and Florida Health Sciences Library Association.  She is also pursuing a second master’s degree from the University of Central Florida in Instructional Design and Technology. 


Taylor Atkinson, Deputy Director, Union County Library System, Union, SC (Population served: City of Union: 8,000. FTE: University of South Carolina Union Campus: 687)

Libraries: Spaces to Unite and Empower Communities

Taylor Atkinson graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s in Religious Studies in 2013 and a Master’s in Library and Information Science in 2015. She has been Assistant Director of the Union County Library System since 2017, and worked as a librarian and grant writer overseas in the Marshall Islands from 2015-17. Taylor is passionate about mental health in libraries, and is a dually-certified Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor.


Katelyn Baroody, Assessment and Instruction Librarian, Mildred & Louis Resnick Library, SUNY Delhi, Delhi, NY (FTE: 3,100)

Wizards and Jedi and Gamers, Oh My! : Library Con on a Limited Budget

Katelyn Baroody is in her third year as the Assessment and Instruction Librarian at SUNY Delhi. She received her MLIS from the University at Buffalo in 2017. In addition to her assessment and instruction duties, she serves as coordinator for the library’s federal documents depository, assists in the planning of library programming, and can often be found cuddling with visiting therapy dogs.


Betsy Davis, Director, Moundridge Public Library, Moundridge, KS (Population Served: 2,000)

Growth Mindset and Staff Development

Betsy Davis is the library director of the Moundridge Public Library in central Kansas. She loves working with people and helping them find information. Before working in libraries, Betsy worked in public schools and has a passion for education and learning. When not at the library she enjoys cooking, jogging with her dog, reading with her kids, and exploring. 


Rieta Drinkwine, Director, Union County Library System, Union, SC (Population served: City of Union: 8,000. FTE: University of South Carolina Union Campus: 687)

Libraries: Spaces to Unite and Empower Communities

Rieta Drinkwine earned her Bachelors in Classics from the University of Kansas in 2009 and her Masters in Library Science from Indiana University in 2011. She has worked in both academic and public libraries, and has served as the Library Director for the Union County Library System in Union, SC since 2016. 


Jodi Fleurie-Wohlleb, Librarian, Groton Free Public Library, Groton, VT (Population served: 1,000)

Prom Dress Giveaway!

Community service, and my love for people have been a life long passion. From my work as an AmeriCorp Member helping children learn to read, to volunteering at the local Senior Meal Site – my fingers have always been engaged in making my community all it can be! That’s what drove me to my current position as a Librarian! At the center of my community, I’m driven to find good books and information for people, as well as gather all the best resources offered outside the stacks!

When I’m not at the Library you’ll find me cheering on my two children, volunteering, or working alongside my husband, a local timber framer!


Macey Lackaff, Library Director, Rock County Public Library, Bassett, NE (Population served: 575)

Partnering with Local Organizations to Benefit Youth

Macey is the library director at Rock County Public Library, serving a population of 575. She is fairly new to this role which she began in April of 2019. After graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in health and fitness she went on to get her master’s degree in public health promotion. Her knowledge in public promotion of services has helped her step into this role and reach out to the community to develop relationships for the library. The library is vital for our small community and we need to utilize every resource we can to keep growing. Macey also serves on the Chamber of Commerce, KBR Leadership advisory committee, North Central Youth Athletics Committee and is a member of Rocktoberfest.


Jason Macoviak, Library Manager, Copper Queen Library, Bisbee, AZ (Population served: 5,575)

Thriving Together – Copper Queen Library: Best Small Library in America 2019

Jason Macoviak is the Library Manager of the Copper Queen Library in Bisbee, Arizona, the oldest, continuously operated library in the State.  Jason earned his Bachelors of Arts degree from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania in English Literature.  Considered an “accidental librarian”, Jason started at the Copper Queen Library in 2008 as a part-time library assistant and eventually became library manager in 2016.  Jason also serves on the boards of the Bisbee Bloomers and the Bisbee Restoration Museum.  In his spare time, he enjoys gardening at home with his cat, Farmer, and daydreams of traveling and visiting every single library that exists in the world.  


Erin Merrill, Instruction & Outreach Librarian, Giovale Library, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT (FTE: 2,215)

How to Create a Textbook Donation Program to Build Course Reserve

Erin is in her 3rd year as the Instruction & Outreach Librarian at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. In her role, Erin looks forward to finding out-of-the-box ways to promote the library to students on campus. She describes herself as “unusually loud for a librarian” and enjoys teaching information literacy sessions, bringing down student costs of college attendance, and her unofficial title of “snack lady.”


Cali Neuberger, Online Learning Librarian & Liaison to the Sciences, Perkins Library, Doane University, Crete, NE (FTE: 3,470)

Surviving Science Liaison Work as a Non-Scientist

Cali Neuberger is an early career librarian working at her undergraduate alma mater, Doane. She received her MLIS from the University of Denver in 2017, where much of her experience was with archives and humanities research. She has now found herself with the exciting, fascinating challenge of supporting the library needs of science faculty and students. Her favorite parts of her job are building relationships with Doane community members, helping them achieve research success, and constantly learning new things.


Janet Reynolds, Librarian, Library District #2 of Linn County, LaCygne, KS (Population served: 2,400)

Fitness, Food, & Fun with Seniors (citizens that is)!

I will be starting my 41st year at the library in La Cygne, where I have worked part-time until May 2018, when I retired from school and started working full-time for the library. During those 41 years I have taught Elementary School, received my Library Media Specialist Degree and served as High school librarian, curriculum and testing. My first love is literacy and the public library, so I was very happy when the Library Board allowed me to come on staff full-time. There were some strings attached, one of which, I was to develop a program for Senior Adults for our community. My expertise was working with children and teens, so this was a scary thought at first. Those who remember two years ago I shared about our summer lunch program experiences on Big Talk, so I approached my adult programming with the same mentality and passion and it has been successful. I will talk about some of the challenges, the ideas, the programs and the benefits. I’m aware that not all libraries can do it the way “we” did, but hopefully some of the ideas will help you plan so fun activities for your senior patrons!


Liz Santobuono, Library Instructional Support Associate, Mildred & Louis Resnick Library, SUNY Delhi, Delhi, NY (FTE: 3,100)

Wizards and Jedi and Gamers, Oh My! : Library Con on a Limited Budget

Fines, fulfillment, and student employer by day and toddler-tamer by night, Liz Santobuono is a full time library assistant and tired mom of two. When other duties are draining her superpowers, she recharges by planning creative programming and displays. Some of her favorite projects include Library Con, punny-yet-inspirational displays, and March Book Madness.


Michelle Shea, Education Librarian, University Library, Texas A&M University – Central Texas, Killeen, TX (FTE: 3,470)

Community Connections: Working with Schools, Libraries, and Local Partners to Make Big Things Happen

Michelle Shea is an education and reference librarian at Texas A&M University- Central Texas. She provides research assistance for staff and students, while also doing collection development for education, children, and young adult books. As a former elementary teacher, Michelle is proud to plan and facilitate youth programs on campus, which includes annual tutoring and summer camps. She enjoys helping, teaching, and connecting with the community.


Monica Tidyman, Director, Stromsburg Public Library, Stromsburg, NE. (Population served: 1170).

Holiday Break at the Library!

Monica Tidyman has been the Director of the Stromsburg Public Library for 6 years. She and her husband have three sons and are enjoying their empty nest this year. Her favorite part of being a librarian is getting people excited about reading and finding that book that ignites the spark. She is an avid reviewer on goodreads.com and loves to see what others are reading.  


Alison Williams, Library Program Coordinator, Copper Queen Library, Bisbee, AZ (Population served: 5,575)

Thriving Together – Copper Queen Library: Best Small Library in America 2019

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