How do you lead a library when the technological ground is shifting? The 2026 Directors' Retreat:Navigating the AI Horizon-A Leadership Roadmap for Library and Staff Readiness will prepare you for just that. Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it is a present reality already shaping library workflows, vendor tools, and patron expectations. For library leaders, the primary challenge isn’t just understanding the technology, but leading people through the uncertainty it creates.
We will be returning to the Punderson Manor Lodge & Conference Center this year. The retreat will kick off with a light breakfast on Thursday,April 30th at 9:00 a.m. - the perfect time to catch up with your peers. The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. starting with AI Readiness for Library Leaders: Leading Staff, Assessing Readiness, and Understanding Your AI Landscape. The afternoon will focus on Coexisting, Not Competing: Librarianship in the Era of AI . We will conclude the first day at 4:00 p.m. Dinner will be at 6:00 p.m. with the tradition of rich conversations to follow. The second day will start with breakfast at 8:00 a.m. followed by Building an AI Governance Framework.We will conclude at noon with a quick lunch.
Thursday Morning, April 30th: AI Readiness for Library Leaders: Leading Staff, Assessing Readiness, and Understanding Your AI Landscape
Artificial intelligence is already influencing library work through vendor tools, staff experimentation, and patron expectations. For library leaders, the challenge is knowing how to lead people through the questions and uncertainty it brings. This three-hour workshop is designed for library directors, managers, and senior staff who want to build clarity and confidence before making decisions about AI. Participants will develop a practical, leader-focused understanding of AI, explore how staff typically respond to AI-driven change using the SCARF model, and begin examining their organization’s current AI landscape, stakeholders, and areas that may need greater attention. The session balances shared learning with guided reflection, using realistic scenarios and structured mapping activities that can be started during the workshop and continued afterward. Participants will also receive a leadership-oriented checklist outlining common next steps libraries consider as they move from AI readiness toward more intentional exploration or implementation.
Participants will leave with:
A clear, non-technical understanding of what AI is and is not, and why it matters for library leadership
Insight into common staff reactions to AI through the SCARF framework (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness), with strategies for leading change in ways that reduce threat and build trust
Practical language and approaches for talking with staff about AI expectations, boundaries, and evolving practices
A draft Stakeholder Map identifying who is affected by AI-related conversations and decisions across departments, administration, governance, IT, vendors, and external partners
A draft Current State Map capturing where AI is already showing up in workflows, decisions, or vendor tools, including what appears to be working well and where questions and risks are emerging
A leadership-oriented Next Steps Checklist to help assess readiness and consider thoughtful options for future exploration or implementation
Increased confidence in assessing organizational readiness and identifying appropriate next steps related to AI
Presenter will be virtual: Crystal Trice, CSM, CSM@Scale, Library Consultant, Scissors & Glue, LLC
Crystal Trice, founder of Scissors & Glue, LLC, has over 20 years of experience in education and local government, with a focus on improving collaboration and handling challenging situations with patrons and coworkers. She is passionate about creating environments where people work together more effectively.
With certifications as a Scrum Master and in Scrum at Scale for Government, Crystal holds a Master’s in Library & Information Science and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Psychology. Her dedication to community enrichment fuels her work in supporting organizations to achieve their goals.
Afternoon Session:Coexisting, Not Competing: Librarianship in the Era of AI
While artificial intelligence is not new technology, the ways it can interact with people and information has changed rapidly in the past 5 years. AI chat systems are everywhere - AI in phones, on social media, and as independent services. But what about information professionals and libraries? How does AI affect librarianship and how can we respond? In this presentation, you’ll learn how AI and libraries can coexist through awareness, education, and thoughtful engagement. Librarians don’t need to embrace AI or become experts, but growing their own understanding is a key part of coexisting with AI and serving their users.
Presenters:
Lynn Warner is a Research and Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Cincinnati. Lynn supports students and faculty in the College of Nursing and College of Allied Health Sciences. She has a passion for information literacy instruction and enjoys teaching people how to find and evaluate the information they are seeking. Lynn has taken an interest in learning about AI tools and how they can (and can’t) be utilized in the research process, and has been involved in AI Literacy initiatives at UC.
Madeleine Gaiser is an Online Learning and Instruction Librarian at University of Cincinnati’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library. Joining UC Libraries in 2020, Madeleine supports academic research, maintains and creates online resources, and purchases library materials. Madeleine has participated in multiple AI initiatives at UC and regularly seeks professional development opportunities on the subject. In her free time, Madeleine collects cookbooks and enjoys longs walks through the Aldi Finds aisle.
Friday, May 1st: Building an AI Governance Framework
Successfully integrating AI into your organization requires a roadmap to take your AI strategy from theoretical to functional. In this interactive session, Glen Horton will guide participants through the critical components of developing an AI governance framework that ensures your AI initiatives are aligned with your organization's mission, needs, and ethics.
Presenter: Glen Horton is the AI Architect at Sinclair College where he leads and implements the College's AI strategy and initiatives. He has over 30 years of experience developing and supporting technologies in higher education and libraries. Before joining Sinclair in 2025, he supported AI and software development initiatives at the University of Cincinnati Libraries. Glen is passionate about developing human-centered AI solutions that responsibly and safely benefit people and organizations.
Join your peers to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and discover new solutions to common challenges.
This meeting will be held through Zoom which is user friendly to all devices. You will receive a link in your confirmation email a reminder 2 hours before the meeting. We hope you will join us. Please send agenda items/questions to Melissa Lattanzi.
Join your peers to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and discover new solutions to common challenges.
This meeting will be held through Zoom which is user friendly to all devices. You will receive a link in your confirmation email a reminder 2 hours before the meeting. We hope you will join us. Please send agenda items/questions to Hillary Brown.
Libraries continue to face challenges in rebuilding attendance and sustaining meaningful relationships with children and caregivers. This interactive session offers practical, field-tested strategies for designing programs that attract families, foster literacy, and position the library as a vibrant hub for community life.
Participants will explore what today’s families are truly looking for from libraries, program models that succeed across different community sizes, and strategies for engaging reluctant or hard-to-reach participants. We will discuss low-cost, high-impact programming ideas that staff can implement immediately, ways to strengthen partnerships with schools and community organizations, and approaches to measuring success beyond attendance numbers. The session is designed to be immediately applicable for both large systems and smaller branches.
Learning Objectives:
Identify needs and expectations of families in order to design library programs that effectively attract and engage children and caregivers.
Apply practical, low-cost programming strategies and adaptable program models that foster literacy and increase participation.
Develop approaches to evaluate program success using metrics beyond attendance, with a focus on strengthening community relationships and long-term engagement.
Presenter:
Annisha Jeffries is a seasoned public librarian and Early Literacy expert with over 30 years of experience. She founded Born Readers, LLC Consulting, to help libraries, schools, and community groups create effective literacy programs that reach families in everyday settings. Annisha is passionate about connecting children with literacy from birth to elementary school and has been recognized nationally for her advocacy. She holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Cleveland State University, and has received awards including the American Library Association’s Spectrum Scholarship. She also served as Chair of the 2021 Caldecott Committee.
Join your peers to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and discover new solutions to common challenges.
This meeting will be held through Zoom which is user friendly to all devices. You will receive a link in your confirmation email a reminder 2 hours before the meeting. We hope you will join us. Please send agenda items/questions to Melissa Lattanzi.
Teaching students and adults about fake news, digital literacy, and understanding data requires a deeper dive into images. What is the psychology behind images seen every day? Who is manipulating images and with what purpose? What part do Artificial Intelligence systems play? This session will explore images and charts to help break down what people see and feel. The majority of this session is focused on still images. The more practice people have in evaluating images, the better they are at discerning the real purpose.
Learning Objectives:
Evaluate an image's purpose by its creator.
Provide practice images to use with your patrons.
Conduct lessons on image manipulations and an understanding of AI images.
Presenter:
Dr. Robbie Barber is an electrical engineer from Georgia Tech who wandered into a school library. As a teacher-librarian, she works with high school students and teachers to find the best resources, use technology, and locate the perfect book. Dr. Barber teaches classes on using research databases and how to better search the internet. She researches the latest technology, plays with AI, and creates professional presentations on recognizing fake news and other tech-infused ideas in the classroom and the library.
Modeled off the Chicago-area Adult Reading Round Table, the Guided Reading Round Table (GRRT) will lead library staff through an in-depth genre study. Over the course of a year, we will explore cozy fiction, with a specific focus on the science fiction, fantasy, mystery, horror, healing, and romance subgenres. This first session will provide a general overview of cozy fiction and explore the genre through guided discussions to identify popular authors, titles, tropes, & trends. A reading list & questions will be supplied; while it is not required, it is recommended to read through some of the titles and questions. The GRRT is dedicated to the development of readers’ advisory skills and the promotion of reading for pleasure.
Join your peers to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and discover new solutions to common challenges.
This meeting will be held through Zoom which is user friendly to all devices. You will receive a link in your confirmation email a reminder 2 hours before the meeting. We hope you will join us. Please send agenda items/questions to Hillary Brown.
Spend a day connecting, collaborating and sharing solutions with your colleauges in Collection Development and Technical Services. This event brings together speakers, panel discussions, and facilitated group conversations focused on the challenges and opportunities shaping your work today. Topics include navigating vendor issues and opportunities, balancing materials selection budgets, managing AI-generated content in library collections, and developing flexible training resources and procedure manuals.
Designed to be both engaging and practical, this is an opportunity to connect with colleagues from institutions of all sizes, exchange ideas, and come away with fresh perspectives and useful strategies.
Join your peers to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and discover new solutions to common challenges. Please send agenda items/questions to Yvette Wasko.
Join your peers to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and discover new solutions to common challenges. Please send agenda items/questions to Yvette Wasko.
Have questions about Canva? Want to sharpen your design skills? Looking to create polished flyers, social graphics, bookmarks, slides, or signage without starting from scratch? Ready to try video but aren't sure where to start? Join this drop-in session focused on helping you build confidence and capacity with Canva. Bring your questions, works-in-progress, or a specific project you’d like guidance on. Whether you're new to Canva or looking to streamline your workflow and elevate your library marketing materials, you’ll gain practical, applicable skills. You may email questions to Jill Grunenwald ahead of time or join us on Zoom for the conversation.
Presenter:
Jill Grunenwald is the Marketing and Engagement Coordinator for NEO-RLS. She has her MLIS from the University of Kentucky and has experience in academic, public, and special libraries. Prior to joining NEO-RLS, she spent 7 years as a Marketing Communications Specialist at OverDrive. A storyteller at heart, Jill strives to create compelling content that emphasizes the importance of a global and inclusive perspective with a passion for all things books, libraries, and reading.
Librarians and library workers enable members of our community to take care of themselves and each other, but research shows that we often end up trying to care for our own well-being alone. The struggles and burnout that many library workers face have systemic causes, yet we may feel compelled to address them with purely individual solutions. This webinar will explore how we can move to a paradigm of community care, where organizations and people work together to support us all.
Learning Objectives:
How to recognize the underlying, systemic factors that lead to burnout
Practical tips for how organizations, teams, managers, and individuals can participate in community care to reduce burnout and proactively support wellbeing
How community and self care can work together to support library worker wellbeing
Presenter:
Audrey Barbakoff, EdD, MLIS
Dr. Barbakoff is passionate about helping organizations build capacity for collaboration and belonging by centering their communities. She is the CEO of Co/Lab Capacity LLC, which offers community-centered consulting and training to libraries. With a decade of public library experience and a doctorate in organizational change and leadership, she brings both a practical and scholarly lens to library development. Dr. Barbakoff holds an MLIS from University of Washington and an EdD from the University of Southern California. Her innovative work has been recognized by Library Journal Movers & Shakers, the Urban Libraries Council, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. She has served in a variety of service leadership roles, including the ALA Policy Corps, facilitating the ALA Emerging Leaders program, two terms on ALA Council, and chairing the Intellectual Freedom Round Table. Her newest book, co-authored with Noah Lenstra, is TheTwelve Steps to a Community-Led Library. She has also written two picture books, which give her an excuse to dust off her children’s librarian skills for school and library visits.
Reference all seems personalized because each question from a patron is unique. Many questions can be similar, but not all questions are the same. How do you train yourself to respond to challenging questions and utilize reference skills? Reference can be one of the most intimidating divisions of a library for new and emerging reference staff. Recognizing how to surpass the fear of not knowing every answer is necessary to respond with confidence and reassurance. Reference skills can also be utilized to discern a standard response vs. personalized. Discerning also requires you to recognize when someone wants help vs. when someone wants you to do things for them.
Learning Objectives:
The challenges of unique questions and demands
How to instill confidence in your response when you don’t have the answer
How to form policies, procedures, and training for standardized vs. personalized reference
How to help patrons with their unique needs while also enforcing healthy boundaries.
Presenter:
Jennifer Blair is the Head of User Services Librarian and Associate Professor at Azusa Pacific University (APU). Her role is dedicated to the user experience, including marketing the library, operations, and teaching. She has extensive experience teaching online courses in design and library science. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Graphic Design, an M.A in Educational Multimedia, and an M.S. in Library and Information Studies. Her experience in academic and public libraries as well as work experience in art and design allow her to employ visionary strategies to enrich progress and enhance advancement for library users.
Is your library seriously considering website accessibility but unsure where to begin? As awareness and legal requirements continue to grow, understanding your responsibilities is the essential first step.
In this session, we’ll discuss the core guidelines used to evaluate web accessibility in the United States and offer practical first actions you can take right away. You’ll learn about common pitfalls to avoid, how to start building a strong foundation for an inclusive online experience, why commercial accessibility overlays fall short, and how to approach PDFs responsibly and effectively.
Learning Objectives:
Learn core guidelines to evaluate web accessibility
Learn how to avoid common pitfalls
Learn practical actions to start immediately
Presenter:
Laura Solomon,CPACC, MCIW, MLS, is the Library Services Manager at the Ohio Public Library Information Network and a W3C-certified front-end web developer. Her CPACC credential from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals reflects a formal, standards-based expertise in digital accessibility that underpins her work with libraries.
With nearly three decades of experience in web development and design, Laura has worked extensively in both public libraries and as an independent consultant. She is a recognized Library Journal Mover & Shaker and the author of books on social media, content marketing for libraries, and library website design.
Laura is a frequent speaker for public library organizations, where she emphasizes practical, sustainable approaches to accessibility and helps libraries build digital services that are usable by all members of their communities.
Modeled off the Chicago-area Adult Reading Round Table, the Guided Reading Round Table (GRRT) will lead library staff through an in-depth genre study. Over the course of a year, we will explore cozy fiction, with a specific focus on the science fiction, fantasy, mystery, horror, healing, and romance subgenres. This second session will explore and compare cozy science fiction and cozy fantasy through guided discussions to identify popular authors, titles, tropes, & trends. A reading list & questions will be supplied; while it is not required, it is recommended to read through some of the titles and questions. The GRRT is dedicated to the development of readers’ advisory skills and the promotion of reading for pleasure.
Change fatigue is the exhaustion, resistance, and apathy toward fast-paced, complex changes in the workplace. Change will always be present but change fatigue doesn’t have to be!
While often easy to identify, change fatigue can be deadly to an organization if not addressed and managed well. Leadership should acknowledge the potential for change fatigue and have a plan for managing it. Employees should be alert to potential change fatigue situations, their personal symptoms of it, and have a strategy for handling it.
Discover the symptoms of change fatigue, why it happens, and ways to manage it from the leadership and individual employee’s perspectives.
Learning Objectives:
Identify 6 symptoms of change fatigue
Describe 5 ways management can prevent or manage change fatigue
Explain 3 ways the individual employee can prevent or lessen change fatigue.
Presenter:
Laura Greco is a certified wellness coach, author, and speaker/trainer with a 20+ year background in nursing who helps professionals eliminate burnout, manage stress, create life balance, and rekindle their sense of purpose and joy. She believes that self-care (body, mind, and spirit) is the basis for well-being and that we all have the capacity to make positive lifestyle changes. Her books include Wellness Made Simple, and Wellness Made Simple-for Residents. For more information please visit her website www.YouBloomWellness.com.
Laura has a BSN (University of Michigan), Master in Adult Education (Penn State), training from HeartMath and the Mass General Benson Henry Mind Body Institute, and certifications in wellness coaching from both Wellcoaches and Center for Credentialing and Education. more info...
Crystal Trice, CSM, CSM@Scale, Library Consultant, Scissors & Glue, LLC
Lynn Warner is a Research and Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Cincinnati. Lynn supports students and faculty in the College of Nursing and College of Allied Health Sciences. She has a passion for information literacy instruction and enjoys teaching people how to find and evaluate the information they are seeking. Lynn has taken an interest in learning about AI tools and how they can (and can’t) be utilized in the research process, and has been involved in AI Literacy initiatives at UC.
Madeleine Gaiser is an Online Learning and Instruction Librarian at University of Cincinnati’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library. Joining UC Libraries in 2020, Madeleine supports academic research, maintains and creates online resources, and purchases library materials. Madeleine has participated in multiple AI initiatives at UC and regularly seeks professional development opportunities on the subject. In her free time, Madeleine collects cookbooks and enjoys longs walks through the Aldi Finds aisle.
Presenter:
Annisha Jeffries is a seasoned public librarian and Early Literacy expert with over 30 years of experience. She founded Born Readers, LLC Consulting, to help libraries, schools, and community groups create effective literacy programs that reach families in everyday settings. Annisha is passionate about connecting children with literacy from birth to elementary school and has been recognized nationally for her advocacy. She holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Cleveland State University, and has received awards including the American Library Association’s Spectrum Scholarship. She also served as Chair of the 2021 Caldecott Committee.
Dr. Robbie Barber is an electrical engineer from Georgia Tech who wandered into a school library. As a teacher-librarian, she works with high school students and teachers to find the best resources, use technology, and locate the perfect book. Dr. Barber teaches classes on using research databases and how to better search the internet. She researches the latest technology, plays with AI, and creates professional presentations on recognizing fake news and other tech-infused ideas in the classroom and the library.
Jill Grunenwald is the Marketing and Engagement Coordinator for NEO-RLS. She has her MLIS from the University of Kentucky and has experience in academic, public, and special libraries. Prior to joining NEO-RLS, she spent 7 years as a Marketing Communications Specialist at OverDrive. A storyteller at heart, Jill strives to create compelling content that emphasizes the importance of a global and inclusive perspective with a passion for all things books, libraries, and reading.
Audrey Barbakoff, EdD, MLIS 
Jennifer Blair is the Head of User Services Librarian and Associate Professor at Azusa Pacific University (APU). Her role is dedicated to the user experience, including marketing the library, operations, and teaching. She has extensive experience teaching online courses in design and library science. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Graphic Design, an M.A in Educational Multimedia, and an M.S. in Library and Information Studies. Her experience in academic and public libraries as well as work experience in art and design allow her to employ visionary strategies to enrich progress and enhance advancement for library users.
Laura Solomon, CPACC, MCIW, MLS, is the Library Services Manager at the Ohio Public Library Information Network and a W3C-certified front-end web developer. Her CPACC credential from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals reflects a formal, standards-based expertise in digital accessibility that underpins her work with libraries.
Laura Greco is a certified wellness coach, author, and speaker/trainer with a 20+ year background in nursing who helps professionals eliminate burnout, manage stress, create life balance, and rekindle their sense of purpose and joy. She believes that self-care (body, mind, and spirit) is the basis for well-being and that we all have the capacity to make positive lifestyle changes. Her books include Wellness Made Simple, and Wellness Made Simple-for Residents. For more information please visit her website www.YouBloomWellness.com.