2024 Core Forum

A conversation about pushing for deep institutional change in turbulent times. How do we do our jobs when the concept of equality, equity, peace and social justice are being questioned and the oppression of others is desired? What is your responsibility to ensure humanity, equality, equity, peace and social justice? If we want a future where everyone is thriving, we must ensure these concepts are at the root of everything that we do at work and in our lives.

Saray Garnett-Hochuli is a prominent public servant currently serving as the Deputy City Operations Officer, and previous role as Director of Regulatory Services for the City of Minneapolis. She has played a pivotal role in advancing key city functions related to equity, housing, public health, safety standards, homelessness response and operational efficiencies.
Garnett-Hochuli is known for her strong leadership and commitment to creating an anti-racist culture within the department and the enterprise at the City of Minneapolis. She is highly regarded for her fearless approach to handling difficult challenges, including protecting her staff amid threats of violence. Her leadership during a period of significant change in Minneapolis government has earned her the respect of colleagues and city officials alike, as she works to foster equity and accountability in city operations.

Throughout her career in the private or public sector, she has demonstrated strategic leadership across various public and private sector collaborations. She has been a key figure in shaping the future of the City of Minneapolis, earning praise for her dedication and passion.

Following a period of disruption, library leaders need to realign service offerings with current organizational priorities and resources. In this interactive session, we will introduce a new model that we designed and applied at our large research library to redefine, reevaluate, and right-size research service offerings to better align with current staffing levels and support work-life balance for staff. Our model includes: (1) a rubric designed to aid in the evaluation of service offerings against available resources and campus needs; (2) a reusable checklist to support the sunsetting of services; and (3) a service template to clarify ongoing services for internal and external audiences. In our session, participants will use our model to engage in hands-on learning as they assess the sustainability and resource levels of the service offerings at their own institution. They will be positioned to identify potential service changes to align internal and external communication strategies for supported change. We will also infuse our session with change management practices that center people and support them as individuals in these change processes.

You're a manager! Now, what? Transitioning from staff member to management, even as an assistant, can be tough. Now you have to make decisions, learn to say no, set policy, create culture, and find a way to create work life balance  for yourself and your staff. It's overwhelming. Don't just survive your first few years of management  find ways to thrive. Come for a candid panel discussion of three managers ranging from Supervisor to Deputy Director where they discuss the transition to management, their struggles, failures, and successes. This session will provide a candid peek behind the curtain of the struggles of being a manager both as a new manager, and throughout management. We'll discuss strategies that have helped us manage the transition, how we work with our staff, and lessons we've learned from experience. There will be plenty of time for audience questions.

Integrating the information gathered from community engagement processes into the building design is an important part of the community engagement process that is rarely discussed. This presentation will use case studies of engagement processes to demonstrate how the engagement input was integrated into the design process and show examples of how exactly it became a part of the community's library building and programming. Learn how to properly gather community engagement information to be used in the building design how to participate with your design team to integrate it. Community engagement that reaches out to underserved and culturally diverse populations by going to where they already are; where the learn, live, work and play is vitally important. Gathering information in ways that connects with these populations is crucial in understanding their needs will be an important part of this presentation as it connects with and provides direction to each of the audiences own libraries.

How does an academic library balance being an open, welcoming space and creating a safe environment for their community? Are there areas in your building that are always buzzing with activity? Can we protect those students if the worst happens? What is the difference between a quiet space and an isolated space? Academic libraries are consistently viewed as the heart of campus and as the heart, how can we fulfill our mission but protect our people? Who are the on-campus partners available for support? Join us for a frank conversation with academic librarians representing a spectrum of institutions from large public to regional comprehensive Hispanic-Serving to small private, as we discuss these challenges and more. Our panel of librarians, campus safety staff, and architects will share experiences, best practices, and resources.

Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Sioux Dakota and Muscogee Creek) holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and serves as adjunct faculty in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. She is vice chair of the board for Vision Maker Media, a national organization based out of Nebraska, chair of the board for Wakan Tipi Awayankapi in St. Paul (Imnizaska), and in 2020 was appointed by Governor Walz to serve on the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB), which oversees Capitol complex preservation and development (including public art) in downtown St. Paul.  Previously, Kate served on the leadership team at the Minnesota Historical Team where she was the director of Native American Initiatives engaging with both Native communities and tribes and advocating for and implementing Indigenous interpretation and involvement at historic sites throughout the state. In 2018 Kate and her father Syd Beane completed a documentary film, Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian, which shares the story of  her grandfather, writer, reformer, and physician Charles A. Eastman and in 2019 she presented a Minneapolis TEDX talk titled “The Lasting Legacy of Place Names,” which spoke to her family’s work restoring the Dakota name to Bde Maka Ska in south Minneapolis (Bdeota). 

In an increasingly asynchronous world, libraries are faced with the challenge of offering service hours and access to library spaces in ways that meet their users' needs. One emerging solution is self service access, which extends service beyond regularly staffed hours. As a complement to traditional staffed hours, these new service models can be a valuable addition by offering patrons the opportunity to use their libraries when it best suits their schedules. In this session, four Minnesota library systems will share their experiences with self service building access solutions. By the end of this session, attendees will understand how these technologies can be implemented in different ways for various service models and communities. They will also discuss the broader impact on both frontline staff and library users in their diverse mix of urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Leading staff in an ever-changing, unpredictable environment can be difficult. Right now, library staff at every level are facing new (and old) challenges to their emotional well-being at work. When both staff and supervisors are feeling overloaded, it can be hard to find the time and space to lead staff effectively. Coaching can be a powerful tool for proactively supporting staff, even in times of constant transition. In this session, we'll discuss the impact that coaching methods can have on building resilient employees and teams. We'll share tools and techniques that help supervisors create intentional space for thoughtful, productive conversations with staff that address concerns, provide feedback, and enhance professional development. We'll discuss ways to create a habit of using coaching skills and how proactive coaching sessions can positively impact your employee development and team-building efforts. Join us at this session to learn how adding coaching to your professional toolbox can yield substantial benefits.

Libraries are more than repositories of information—they are evolving community and student hubs,  fostering holistic wellbeing, interactive learning, and hybrid environments. We will explore current trends shaping both academic and public library spaces to support the diverse needs of their communities, students, and patrons. We'll begin by examining wellbeing-focused design trends, from biophilic elements and wellness spaces to outdoor areas that enhance personal growth and community success. Next, we'll delve into interactive spaces, discussing the evolution of children’s areas, the rise of family rooms in both public and academic libraries, and how libraries are becoming hands-on environments for making and creativity. Finally, we'll look at the hybrid revolution, unpacking how libraries are adapting to support hybrid learning, flexible staff workspaces, and reimagined user spaces like study rooms and pods to meet the demands of both in-person and digital interactions. Join us for a thought-provoking session on the future of library design that aims to equip you with insights for creating more inclusive, versatile, and engaging library spaces.

Library renovation projects are filled with surprises, pitfalls, and endless decisions - far more than an inexperienced leader will generally expect. Panelists represent a broad spectrum of librarians, partners, and professionals who are integral to any facility project. Three of the five panelists are in leadership roles at public university libraries somewhere in the renovation process and the others hold key roles in keeping renovations moving and on track. Two are in the midst of renovations - one for their entire building and the other on the next step of a phased building renovation. The third will soon be kicking off a whole building renovation. Through the planning and renovation process, they have gained experience collaborating with architects, project managers, campus stakeholders, and their library colleagues to design a library to serve their campus community for years to come. This presentation will provide insight from the perspectives of library leadership, architects, and construction project management. They will discuss the importance of developing and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders on campus and beyond, navigating the complicated landscape of construction and renovation, fundraising, the best and worst parts of renovation, and lessons learned.