2023 Annual Conference - Sessions for Trustees

If you serve as a Trustee for a library board, consider attending these sessions while you're at the conference. You can register via this link.

Sunday, November 12

Sunday will offer a series of pre-conference sessions that benefit libraries across the state, including:

Time: 1:00 - 4:00pm
Facilitator(s): John Chrastka (Executive Director, EveryLibrary) & Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs Chad Heck & Vanessa Martin

Time: 9:00 - 10:00am
Facilitator(s): John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary
Description: Advocacy and Activism are interrelated but are not the same. In order to succeed in either an advocacy effort or an activism campaign, it is critically important for library leaders to understand the differences in the messages they should share. As we face ongoing budget problems and other challenges at all levels of government, a new kind of approach to both advocacy and activism is key in building support among the elected officials who control your finances and participate in your contracts.

Time: 11:30am - 12:20pm
Facilitator(s): Lisa Krull
Description: Having diverse perspectives on your Library Board is critically important. High-performing Library Boards are both thoughtful and deliberate in creating a strategically composed board. Board composition should be considered in terms of a Library’s specific needs, strategies, and lifecycle. Library Directors and Boards can work together to identify gaps and show appointing bodies that the library is intentional in creating, orienting, and continually educating a strategically composed board.

How Might Changing our Approach to Conversations Shift Our Everyday Experiences at Work? (Breakout Session)

Time: 11:30am - 12:20pm
Facilitator(s): Pamela Seabolt
Description: We have any number of conversations and interactions every day, and often those interactions end up setting the tone for our day. By understanding and examining how we approach our conversations, we can impact our experiences for the better. Through a combination of presentation and interactivity, we will learn about different conversation types, and how we can use curiosity, generative questions, and a learner mindset to help shift our conversations and interactions in a more appreciative way.

Libraries: A Gift to Our Brains and Community Resilience (Featured Speaker for Public Libraries)

The Healing Library: Defining the Growing Relationship between Third Places and Mental Health (Breakout Session)

Time: 3:00-3:50pm
Facilitator(s): Zachary Benedict
Description: With over 80% of all public libraries being located within small towns, a growing function of the modern third place will bear the responsibility to better understand how such institutions can support the growing behavioral health needs impacting these communities. This session will explore the connection between placemaking and mental health, providing a dynamic discussion focused on refining the library's role as a supportive and inclusive environment for people of all ages and abilities. By outlining short- and long-term strategies that libraries can employ to support the behavioral health needs within their buildings (addressing issues ranging from sensory rooms to trauma-informed design), this session will provide a series of case studies and operational recommendations to serve as a collection of best practices to address the growing concerns surrounding mental health (especially within rural settings).

A Legal Review of Book Challenge and Reconsideration Policies (Breakout Session)

Time: 3:00 - 3:50pm
Facilitator(s): John Goth
Description: A legal analysis and review of policies relating to book challenges, reconsideration requests, intellectual freedom, with the aim of establishing a platform upon which to improve a library's own policies to withstand legal challenges.

Time: 4:00 - 4:50pm
Facilitator(s): Lissa Krull
Description: A solid strategic plan can provide a road map for a library’s future. To be most effective, the process should start before the in-person sessions begin. Whether you’re choosing to do it yourself or hiring a consultant, you need to set the stage and gather information in advance to help create an impactful, equitable, and inclusive plan. Strategic planning is a continuous process and being fully prepared from the start will help participants come to the table ready to explore new ideas.

Time: 10:30 - 11:20am
Facilitator(s): Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, Vanessa Martin
Description: Join the ILF Advocacy Committee for a Legislative Panel featuring two state legislators. Senator Andrea Hunley and Representative Bob Behning will discuss outcomes of the 2022 legislative session, how to form relationships with your local legislators, and what to expect during the 2023 legislative session.

Time: 11:30am - 12:20pm
Facilitator(s): Matthew Etzel
Description: The Allen County Public Library rolled out a training in 2023 to help staff members meet any influx of material challenges. The training focused on what to say and how to care for themselves afterward. We focused on encouraging conversations with our community. This session will focus on how we went about creating and rolling out the training with tips for implementing your own training.

The Inflation Reduction Act: How Can it Benefit Your Library? (Breakout Session)

Time: 3:00 - 3:50pm
Facilitator(s): Jack Faber
Description: The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is in motion. What does this mean for your library? Jack Faber, Architect and Designer, and Ron Steinhart, Mechanical Engineer, will dive into the details. You’ll learn how the new legislation can save your library money while completing necessary upgrades, position your library to be a leader in generating a greener future, and help your community foster future tradesmen and young workers.