Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025
The conference will be broadcast online on Friday, February 28, 2025 from 8:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Central Time, via the GoTo Webinar online meeting service.
8:45-9:00am
Welcome to the Conference & Introductions
Christa Porter, Library Development Director, Nebraska Library Commission and John Clexton, President, Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).
Navigating Partnerships, Community Engagement, and Your Library…Through Kindness and Without Losing Your Mind
Amanda Doherty, Director, Mt. Pulaski Public Library, Mt. Pulaski, IL, Population served: 2,860 and Lisa Thompson, Assistant Branch Manager, Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, Floyd, VA, Population served: 15,691
As Brené Brown says, “Clear is kind.” But kindness doesn’t begin and end with your patrons, staff, or community. It extends and encompasses you, too! Join us as we explore ways to work through the joys and difficulties of working in a rural library. A short stop at your neighborhood grocery store can come with a host of questions from folks who know you and need resources or information. How do we, literally, walk through life helping our communities without losing ourselves? This session will explore boundaries, offer centering exercises, and give you tools to walk that line between doing the job you love and loving yourself.
Small Libraries, Big Economic, Environmental and Equity Impacts
Margaret Woodruff, Library Director, Charlotte Public Library, Charlotte, VT, Population served: 4,000 and Melissa L. Olson, Director, Alice L. Pendleton Library, Islesboro, ME, Population served: 592
Hear from two library directors who are participating in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program (SLCP), an award-winning initiative that’s helping libraries become sustainability champions.
Margaret Woodruff of the Charlotte Public Library (VT) and Melissa Olson of the Alice L. Pendleton Library in Islesboro (ME) will share how their libraries used the SLCP to build stronger connections with their communities, improve internal operations, and make environmentally conscious decisions. Discover how these small-town libraries have implemented sustainable practices that save time, money, and effort—while inspiring local residents to support, volunteer for, and advocate for their libraries. Expect to come away with numerous ideas on how to get started, budget your time and make this a part of your library mission, values and everyday operations.
Little Flyers Everywhere
Andrea LeClair, Assistant Director and Youth Librarian, Edwards Public Library, Southampton, MA, Population served: 6,100
Embrace the power of paper! This presentation will share creative ways to get vital library information in the hands – literally – of your community.
Libraries often rely on digital marketing and communication for its reach to a wide audience, but we shouldn’t underestimate the impact of a little piece of paper. When we keep everything on our phone, a bright-colored flyer on the refrigerator or used as a bookmark can be just the reminder we need. Handouts and tangible reminders may even be preferred by patrons who are less comfortable with being online, or patrons who need a tech break. (And you can always sneak in a QR code linking to your digital presence.) Participants will brainstorm a way they might implement a tiny paper project for their library. Examples, inspiration, and further resources will be shared, as well as ideas to reduce the environmental impact of paper communication.
12:00-12:50pm – Lightning Round!
Bone, Stone, and Books: Revolutionizing the Integration of Library Exploration Into Modern Times
Joanna Carver, K-12 Media Specialist and K-6 Elementary Counselor, McCool Junction Public School Library, McCool Junction, NE, FTE: 242
Fighting to keep up with the times and moving library time from bone and stone into living lessons relatable to the students with whom we interact and their impact on the world around us! Joanna will be giving some examples of how integration looks in a rural school library and how transformative small changes can be to impact the cross-curricular expectations into reality.
Unique Community Resources at a Small Library
Lorena Hegedus, Director, Hubbard Public Library, Hubbard, OH, Population served: 7,884
Hubbard Public Library (HPL) is a unique community resource. In addition to traditional library programs, HPL has implemented innovative programs including a “Toy Lending Library” with hands-on learning resources including challenging, educational toys; a “Library of Things” from which patrons borrow diverse non-book items, including telescopes, solar ovens, portable exercise equipment, ukuleles, food dehydrator, technology devices and more. HPL’s outdoor initiative, “Library Beyond Walls,” offers learning resources and connections to nature via a Sensory Garden, permanent StoryWalk®, outdoor musical instruments, and Sensory Path. Details on these easily replicable innovations to facilitate their implementation at other small libraries is presented.
Partnering with Local Schools to Boost Public Library Engagement
Caitlin Henry, Assistant Director, Ashland Public Library, Ashland, NE, Population served: 3,100
Public libraries often have a wide variety of programs, activities, and resources available, but it can be a struggle to make sure the community is aware of what is offered. The Ashland Public Library has had great success with partnering with our local school administrations and teachers to increase student and teacher awareness of library programs, activities and resources, especially those targeted to K-12 audiences. This lightning talk will share some strategies and ideas that could help public libraries partner with their local schools to boost library engagement.
Postage Pals
Deb Terhune, Director, Whitewood Public Library, Whitewood, SD, Population served: 900
We started a program called Postage Pals this summer to encourage kids to hand write notes. This teaches them communication, sentence structure, spelling, and the joy of writing and receiving a note. We have expanded this and partnered with an Assisted Living Facility and the local elementary school and write monthly notes.
Mendocino County Library Round Valley Branch, Community Anchor: Best Small Library in America 2024
Josh Bennett, Branch Manager, Mendocino County Library – Round Valley Branch, Covelo, CA (Population served: 1,394)
Mendocino County Library – Round Valley Branch is the recipient of Library Journal’s 2024 Best Small Library in America Award. The annual award, with the support of sustaining sponsor Ingram Library Services, was created in 2005 to showcase the exemplary work of libraries serving populations under 25,000.
Getting To Know Your Community, Ideas For Your Board and Staff!
Angela Watkins, Director, Aztec Public Library, Aztec, NM, Population served: 6,146
This session will include an open discussion and sharing of ideas for community building, such as using a Fist-to-Five system of consensus building for your board/staff meetings and understanding the 12 Ws of project planning. So, let’s get our creative juices flowing to discuss the possibilities and see what stands out!
Background Engagement: Creating Interesting Interactive Library Displays for Patrons
Hannah Brandon, Head Librarian, Midland University, Luther Library, Fremont, NE, FTE: 1,100
Patrons in academic and similar libraries often enter the facility with a goal. These patrons may not be interested in library displays or feel like they have the time to engage. This session will provide some examples and ideas from Midland University on how to create engaging and interactive background library displays and activities that can help engage all types of patrons.
Are You There, Reader’s Advisory? It’s Me, the Librarian.
Cheyenne Chontos, Director, Harrisburg Community Library, Harrisburg, SD, Population served: 9,435
For some librarians, readers’ advisory is the best part of the job. For others, it’s a daunting task not to be taken on by the weak. No matter where you find yourself on that spectrum, we can all improve and grow our readers’ advisory skills. Cheyenne Chontos (Director, Harrisburg Community Library, South Dakota) will cover topics such as readers’ advisory outreach, challenging yourself and your patrons, branching out beyond books, and fantastic readers’ advisory tools. Will this presentation be a coming-of-age story? Only time will tell. But it will be a coming-to-the-library story.