NC LIVE 2024 Annual Conference: Full Schedule

8:30am EDT

Breakfast & Check-In

Join us for a light breakfast before the conference presentations begin. Breakfast foods and beverages will be provided.

Friday May 17, 2024 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Daniels Hall

9:00am EDT

NC LIVE Welcome & Introduction

NC LIVE will welcome our presenters and guests to open the 2024 Annual Conference.

Friday May 17, 2024 9:00am - 9:30am EDT
Daniels Hall

Audience Community College Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries, UNC System Libraries

9:30am EDT

Reframing Wellness: Redefining Sanctuary & Job Boundaries in Libraries (Keynote)

In this keynote address, we'll explore the concept of reframing wellness in the context of historical library services and spaces. By redefining boundaries between work and personal well-being, we'll discuss strategies for creating sanctuary spaces while addressing the challenges of job creep.

Speakers

Rebecca Tolley

Director of Research and Instruction Services, East Tennessee State University

Rebecca Tolley is the Director of Research and Instruction Services at East Tennessee State University. She speaks and publishes on mental illness in libraries, establishing healthy personal and professional boundaries in the workplace, and cultivating empathy in library workers... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
Daniels Hall

Audience Community College Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries, UNC System Libraries

11:00am EDT

A Grave Conversation: Libraries as an End of Life Resource

Durham County Library’s Adult Services Department is working to raise awareness of an often undervalued or even avoided topic in library programming: death. The presentation will demonstrate how libraries can serve as a resource for community members for the entirety of their lives and work to fulfill the unique information needs that arise as we near the end of our lives. With an aging population, the rising costs of healthcare, funerals, and more, free and equitable access to information regarding estate planning, grief, and other end of life issues is increasingly important. Programming partnerships with local hospice workers, death doulas, law firms, and non-profit organizations can help public libraries enter this conversation and better serve as a resource for the inevitable.

Speakers

Natalie Killion

Adult Services Manager, Durham County Library

Natalie Killion is the Adult Services Manager at Durham County Main Library. Her career began in a rural library in western North Carolina. She is an avid crafter and enjoys helping adult and senior customers find creative outlets and learn new skills. She is usually reading a young... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 529

Audience Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, Teaching & Learning, Programming

11:00am EDT

Mindfulness in the Library: A Panel and Practice

Join this panel of public, university, and community college librarians as they present their experiences providing mindfulness programming to their communities. Led by the presenters, attendees will also experience a variety of mindfulness practices as a group. Attendees will learn how their colleagues use mindfulness in their libraries, experience mindfulness practices as a group, and take away many ideas for bringing mindfulness into their own personal and professional lives.

Speakers

Jennifer Smith

Reference & Instruction Librarian, Alamance Community College

Jennifer Smith, Reference & Instruction Librarian at Alamance Community College, will present about a series of mindfulness workshops she provided to her campus and lead the group in a practice to use music to make breathing meditation a little easier and more fun.

Lisa Coats

Part-time Library Assistant, New Hanover County Public Library

Lisa Coats, Part-time Library Assistant at the New Hanover County Public Library will present about how she includes mindfulness in her work in libraries and professional conferences including a chair yoga exercise to demonstrate how easy it is to incorporate in an office or library... Read More →

Chris Robinson

Outreach & Engagement Librarian, UNC Wilmington

Chris Robinson, Outreach & Engagement Librarian at UNC Wilmington, will present about how he incorporates mindfulness in programming at his academic library. He will share how this practice has positively helped students and staff.

Jenneffer Sixkiller

Health and Human Services Librarian, UNC Wilmington

Jenneffer Sixkiller, Health and Human Services Librarian at UNC Wilmington, will lead with a body-based mindful intervention, as she does with her instruction sessions on campus. She will discuss transitioning mindful programming into mindful library instruction for credit-bearing... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 512

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, Teaching & Learning, Mindfulness

11:00am EDT

The IL Jam Sessions: Developing a Community of Practice for Revitalizing Information Literacy Instruction

When instruction demands are high, librarians often have limited time to prep for classes, let alone come up with novel ideas for instruction. How can we reinvigorate our creativity and spark new pedagogical approaches in a sustainable way? This presentation will introduce a professional development series on topics ranging from citational justice to teaching with generative AI. In these sessions, librarians demo active learning activities on a theme and engage in conversations about scaffolding, the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy, and adapting lessons to fit different audiences. Librarians leave each session with a ready-to-use lesson relevant to their instruction.

Speakers

Brittany O’Neill

Information Literacy Librarian, UNC Wilmington

Brittany O’Neill is the Information Literacy Librarian at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she is liaison to English Composition, University College, and the Honors College. Her research interests include information literacy, critical pedagogy, and library communications... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 528

Audience Community College Libraries, NCICU Libraries, UNC System Libraries
Subject DEIA, Teaching & Learning, Technology

11:00am EDT

The Kids Are Alright: Supporting Student Parents and Caregivers

Student parents and caregivers benefit from college and library support that recognizes their need to balance their competing obligations as both students and parents. Creating lactation, mothering, and caregiving/parenting support spaces and services (kits, policies, programs) in academic libraries removes barriers to library usage and supports the academic success of parents and other caregivers. This presentation will provide an overview of the research and best practices for supporting caregivers and offer examples of lactation spaces, parental support spaces/kits and family-friendly study rooms, including design, policies/procedures, communication, and collaboration with campus partners, as well as examine the broader issues student parents/caregivers face on campus and how services can be designed to be more inclusive of caregivers.

Speakers

Jennifer Arnold

Director of Library Services, Central Piedmont Community College

Jennifer Arnold is the Director of Library Services at Central Piedmont Community College. In addition to her MLIS from the University of South Florida, Jennifer has a Master of Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. Jennifer has published and presented on a number of topics... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 527

Audience Community College Libraries, NCICU Libraries, UNC System Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, Management & Leadership, Outreach & Promotion

12:00pm EDT

Lunch & NC LIVE Raffle

Grab your catered lunch and socialize with other conference attendees.

Friday May 17, 2024 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Daniels Hall

1:00pm EDT

Femme Space: Nurturing Safe Exploration in Gaming, Making, and Digital Media for Femme Identities

In a society where traditionally male-dominated spaces can often be unwelcoming, Femme Space is designed to create a safe and inclusive environment for individuals with femme identities to explore, engage, and find community in gaming, making, and digital media spaces. This series is dedicated to fostering empowerment, self-expression, and a sense of belonging for femmes who are passionate about these creative and technical pursuits.

In this presentation, we will discuss how we developed the Femme Space series, which consists of Femme Game Night, Femme Making Night in the Makerspace, and Femme Beat-Making Night. We will explore the strategies employed to build strong and supportive communities, emphasizing the significance of connections that extend beyond the event series and contribute to lasting empowerment. We will also discuss how we secured buy-in from our administration, what challenges we experienced along the way, and strategies for implementing similar events at your institution.

Speakers

Lara Fountaine

Community Engagement Librarian, NC State University

Lara is the Community Engagement Librarian at NC State University where she works hard to engage the community. In her free time, when her 2 year old is asleep, she spends her time playing lots of Baldurs Gate 3.

Courtney Hewett

University Library Specialist, NC State University

Courtney is a University Library Specialist at NC State University that specializes in planning, organizing, and implementing both academic and community centered events in the libraries’ high-tech spaces (spaces like the Teaching & Visualization Lab at Hunt Library). When she’s... Read More →

Maurika Smutherman

Graduate Extension Assistant, NC State University

Maurika is a Graduate Extension Assistant for the Digital Media Lab in the NCSU Libraries. She is also a PhD candidate in the department of Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media at NCSU where her research uses a Black feminist lens to examine alternative forms of technology in... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Room 527

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, DEIA, Outreach & Promotion

1:00pm EDT

Lightning Talks

Lightning Talks: 1) An Ebook Collection to Support Resilience and Mental Health on a University Campus (Lea Leininger, UNC-G); From Reading Lists to Wellness Challenges (Erica Derr, Catawba County Library System), Here Be Dragons: Gaming in the Library (Lucas Berrini, North Carolina Wesleyan University)

Speakers

Lucas Berrini

Collection Development Librarian, North Carolina Wesleyan University

Lucas Berrini is the Collection Development Librarian at North Carolina Wesleyan. He is also one of the campus beekeepers.

Erica Derr

Community Engagement Librarian, Catawba County Library System

NC native, Erica Derr, entered librarianship after adventures in previous careers including a stint in a radiology practice and a management role at Our State magazine where she was also a freelance columnist for seven years. She holds a BA from UNC-Greensboro in Media Studies and... Read More →

Lea Leininger

Health Sciences Liaison Librarian, UNC Greensboro

Ms. Lea Leininger is a Health Sciences Liaison Librarian at UNC Greensboro. She works with a School of Nursing, a Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, a Department of Nutrition, and a Genetic Counseling Program. She also provides interdisciplinary library services and... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Room 512

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries

1:00pm EDT

Using TILT to Create Intentional DEI Practices to Enhance Student Experiences in Library Instruction

Library Instruction is a significant community-building element of an academic librarian’s role as it serves as an avenue to connect with students, develop stronger librarian-faculty relationships, and functions as an outreach component. To create an inclusive space, each instruction session should offer elements that welcome accountability and ensure successful research practices that will later contribute to scholarly conversations. This session will focus my experience on integrating intentional DEI practices into my instruction practices, using Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), a teaching framework, developed by Dr. Mary-Ann Winkelmes. Using the fundamentals of this framework, combined with instructional tools and interactive tools, allows for improved library and student relationships, stronger research skills that will transfer beyond their undergraduate experience, and encourages students to invest in their research interests using their background experience.

Speakers

Brittany Champion

Outreach Librarian, Furman University

Brittany N. Champion (she/her/hers) has over 10 years of experience in librarianship. Prior to her work at Furman University, she served as an Instruction and Outreach Librarian at Pitt Community College (Greenville, NC) and as an Adult Services/YA Services Librarian at Wayne County... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Room 528

Audience Community College Libraries, NCICU Libraries, UNC System Libraries
Subject DEIA, Teaching & Learning

1:00pm EDT

Wellness as a Verb: How to Support Staff Wellness as a Manager

Wellness isn’t a binary state, but rather a set of intentional actions to support overall health. Within the library, managers play a critical role in supporting wellness among staff. This session will focus on strategies managers can incorporate to create an environment that centers staff wellness. This will include creating flexibility in working conditions, conducting stay interviews with staff, providing opportunities for staff to build new skills, and team building. These strategies can promote a collaborative and positive culture, even when staff time and resources are limited. Additionally presenters will share information for supporting your own wellness, particularly when dealing with the challenges of managing.

Speakers

Tracie Krumbine

Patron Services Manager, UNC Charlotte

Tracie Krumbine is the Patron Services Manager at University of North Carolina Charlotte and co-chairs the Accessibility Committee. She loves pizza, her three dogs, and lifting others up.

Garrison Libby

Head of Research Services, UNC Charlotte

Garrison Libby is the Head of Research Services at University of North Carolina Charlotte. He enjoys a good sandwich.

Friday May 17, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Room 529

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Management & Leadership, DEIA

2:00pm EDT

Addressing Veteran Needs through Library Partnership

Although North Carolina has one of the largest veteran and active-military personnel populations in the country, it is an often underserved and unaddressed population. Many in this segment have unique or unusual needs, limited resources, and require assistance navigating life outside the military. Libraries in this state are positioned to address this diversity of needs through free to low-cost services and programs.

The literature on this topic is immense, with various toolkits and training resources widely available. By leveraging their resources and reach, North Carolina libraries can fill critical informational and technological gaps, support and strengthen their communities, and provide a welcoming space that offers mental health resources, training classes, and outreach programs.

Speakers

Amy Wilson

LIS Student, UNC Greensboro

Amy Wilson possess an AA in English, a BA in Sociology, and is currently studying for her MLIS at UNCG. Amy's capstone is focused on connecting libraries with veterans. After graduation, Amy hopes to continue building relationships, connecting communities to resources, and spreading... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Room 529

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, Outreach & Promotion, Teaching & Learning

2:00pm EDT

Cultivating Well-Being in Academic Libraries

College students today balance an array of challenges, including coursework, relationships, adjustment to campus life, economic strain, social injustice, mass violence, and the continuous waves of COVID-19 that directly impact students each semester. According the the National Education Association, “Rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation on college campuses have never been higher.” Thus it is imperative for colleges and universities to enhance and elevate a culture of belonging and well-being throughout their campus communities. At NC State University we are focusing on a holistic approach to address students’ mental health needs. This presentation discusses the role that libraries can play in both being an anchor for, and enhancing, the well-being of students on college campuses by fostering connectedness, increasing resilience, and reducing anxiety.

Speakers

Jamie Bradway

Preservation Librarian, NC State University

Jamie Bradway has been with NC State University Libraries since 2002, serving as the Preservation Librarian since 2007. He and his team had presented “stress busters” in the form of bookbinding and papercrafts for years before expanding programming. He has just earned a M.Ed in... Read More →

Cara Smelter

Executive Assistant, NC State University

Cara Smelter is the Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice Provost & Director of Libraries at NC State University. Cara joined the Libraries in 2020 and currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the Well-Being Committee. Cara is currently pursuing her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Room 527

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, DEIA, Outreach & Promotion

2:00pm EDT

Engaging Community Through Public History

Chapel Hill Public Library’s community history staff work with local people to document and share untold, ignored, and erased stories from Chapel Hill's history. This work is an intentional, collaborative co-creation with history makers, historians, local government, and community members. Our work is rooted in racial equity and seeks to flip the traditional model of collecting and sharing history. This program grew out of a 2017 local government task force charged with documenting local civil rights history from the community’s point of view. In the years since, interest and participation in this work has continued to grow.

In this presentation, history staff will walk through how we developed this program and our current practices. We’ll share several notable history projects, including a podcast, digital exhibits, summer programming, a reparations book club, and much more.

Speakers

Molly Luby

Community History Coordinator, Chapel Hill Public Library

Molly Luby is the Community History Coordinator at Chapel Hill Public Library. Her work focuses on applying human centered design thinking to co-create community-driven programs and initiatives. Luby currently leads strategic projects to document and share Chapel Hill’s community... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Room 528

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, DEIA

2:00pm EDT

Naloxone Training

Speakers

Tim Fuss

Director, Law Enforcement Programs, Cape Fear Community College

Friday May 17, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Room 512

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries

3:15pm EDT

Community Programming with Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Attendees will be introduced to various resources and opportunities for community partnerships that explore every aspect of wellness, including physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, financial, environmental, and occupational wellness. By the end of the event, you will have gained a toolkit of ideas that can be put into practice with audiences of all ages and generations.

Speakers

Suzanne Moore

County Librarian, Wilkes County Public Library

Suzanne Moore is currently residing in Wilkes County and serving as the librarian for Wilkes County Public Library located in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. She joined the library in July 2021, and before this, she served as the Ashe County Librarian for nine years. She has a... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 529

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Community Engagement, Outreach & Promotion, Teaching & Learning

3:15pm EDT

Cultivating a Holistic Wellness Collection: A Journey from Concept to Collaboration

This presentation details the journey of Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University in establishing a significant wellness collection. It begins with the challenge of securing funding and extends to curating a diverse range of resources tailored to academic community needs. Key highlights include strategic partnerships with campus entities like the Counseling Center and Health Services, which have been instrumental in enriching the collection and promoting holistic wellness. Attendees will gain insights into the steps involved in both initiating and developing a wellness collection, the importance of collaborative efforts for enhancing its impact, and the methodologies employed for measuring its effectiveness. This session aims to provide practical strategies and lessons learned, inspiring library professionals to cultivate similar resources in their institutions, thereby fostering a culture of well-being.

Speakers

Will Ritter

Public Services Librarian, Wake Forest University

Will Ritter, an accomplished librarian in Winston-Salem, serves as the Public Services Librarian at Wake Forest University's Z. Smith Reynolds Library. Renowned for his expertise in information literacy and library management, Will actively contributes to professional organizations... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 528

Audience Community College Libraries, NCICU Libraries, UNC System Libraries
Subject Collections, Community Engagement, Outreach&Promotion

3:15pm EDT

Gardens, Farmers Markets, and Libraries: Cultivating Connections and Collaboration

Food is foundational to our health and wellness. This session explores how we can cultivate and leverage community connections to support gardening, farmers markets, and more to increase our impact, support lifelong learning, and play a role in sustainable community food systems. To do this work, we’ll look in depth at how since 2014, High Point Public Library has worked with an ever-expanding number of community partners to host a teaching garden, a farmers market, and a variety of free, educational classes. You’re then invited to join a conversation about how you too can get involved to make a difference.

Speakers

Noah Lenstra

Associate Professor, UNC Greensboro

Noah Lenstra earned his PhD and Master's degrees in Library & Information Science at the University of Illinois before joining the LIS program at UNCG in 2016. There he started Let's Move in Libraries, focused on increasing public library participation in community-based efforts to... Read More →

Mark Taylor

Librarian I, High Point Public Library

Mark Taylor has worked in both the Greensboro and High Point Public Libraries. Passionate about the roles of public libraries in gardens and food, he has spoken on this topic at the North Carolina Library Association and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services.

Friday May 17, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 527

Audience Public Libraries
Subject Management & Leadership, Community Engagement, Outreach & Promotion

3:15pm EDT

Let’s Talk: When a Soft Command Firmly Pushes your Boundaries

Capitalism’s pursuit of profits demands much of us all, shaping employee identity and expectations in the workplace across many sectors including higher education. The impact of fervent capitalism contributes to a toxic workplace culture within academic institutions rendering sustainable work/life balance practices inaccessible.

From the outside looking in, academic institutions and corporations are very different. A business removes barriers to profits while educators attempt to remove barriers of learning for students. However, in terms of workplace practices around employee wellness, the differences begin to diminish.

As a society, and profession, we need to move beyond the idea that taking on more responsibilities, beyond the 40-hour work week, is a reasonable litmus test of workplace competency and commitment. We propose to host a presentation discussing sustainable solutions for library worker wellness where radical self-care begins by addressing the very systems that make it a necessity.

Speakers

Candace Jacobs

Assistant Professor, STEM Liaison Librarian, UNC Greensboro

Candace Jacobs (she/her/hers) serves as an Assistant Professor/ STEM Liaison Librarian at UNC Greensboro. She is passionate about mentorship, increasing access and representation in librarianship among those in the BIPOC community, inclusivity in STEM, and forming connections with... Read More →

Melody Rood

Student Success & Open Education Librarian, UNC Greensboro

Melody Rood (she/her/hers) is the Student Success and Open Education Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research interests include student outreach, open educational resources, open pedagogy, critical librarianship, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and... Read More →

Juanita Thacker

Information Literacy Librarian, UNC Greensboro

Juanita Thacker (she/her/hers) is the Information Literacy Librarian at UNC Greensboro. She supports the research of the College Writing Program and the African American/African Diaspora Studies department. Her professional interests include information literacy, student success... Read More →

Friday May 17, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 512

Audience Community College Libraries, UNC System Libraries, NCICU Libraries, Public Libraries
Subject Management & Leadership, DEIA, Community Engagement