By April
Shaw
The Tennessee Library Association conference is an annual
gathering of library professionals from across the state of Tennessee. This
year’s event took place from Tuesday, April 8th to Thursday, April
10th, 2025 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The 2025 theme was “Back to the Basics,” a celebration of
how library staff build on the core of library fundamentals to provide the best
service to their communities.
Chattanooga State was well represented in the workshops
with four presentations led by KLIC staff members!
During the Tennessee Library Association’s general
business meeting, former Chatt State library Dean, Susan Jennings, was
recognized with the Honorary Membership Award! Congratulations to Susan for her
years of service to the library profession!
Also, during the general business meeting, Dwight Hunter
was elected as the representative for Academic Libraries on the TNLA executive
board, and Anthony Prince was recognized as a co-chair of the Conference
Committee.
KLIC
PRESENTERS
Congratulations to our amazing KLIC staff members who
presented at the conference; especially our first-time TNLA speakers—Hannah
Boyer and Ardent Brownfield! Here are descriptions of the four presentations:
Breaking into Libraries: Expectations vs. Realities
Andrea Kincaid, Anthony Prince, Hannah
Boyer, & Ardent Brownfield
Join us for a panel
discussion featuring library professionals at different stages of their
careers: an early-career librarian, a part-time paraprofessional, a mid-career
leader, and an interim dean. Together, we’ll explore the realities of
"breaking in" to the library field, sharing personal stories rooted
in part-time library work. Panelists will reflect on their journeys, discussing
their initial expectations, real-world experiences, and the challenges of
career anxiety, job security, and professional growth. This is an opportunity
for an honest conversation about how to get started, navigate uncertainty, and
strategies to build a fulfilling career in libraries. Bring your questions and
insights as we explore the paths that led us here!
Streamlining and Empowerment: A 7-Year Retrospective of
How We Made Tech Services Better at Chatt State
Cassie Novak, Marie Cullis, Betsy
Fronk, & Anthony Prince
During this
presentation, hear a lively conversation from the Tech Services team about the
importance of streamlining, empowerment, and teamwork in creating a fun,
proactive, and dynamic environment that stands in stark contrast to the
traditional reputation of Tech Services departments. We will discuss seven
years of collaboration and transformational changes ranging from incremental to
fundamental while reviewing successes and failures. Engage with us in a candid
discussion on a variety of topics from mundane Tech Services tasks to fun team
building. Hear how team-oriented leadership empowers everyone to "get
stuff done” while also making time for bling, capes, cookies, and regular
outings.
Constructed and Contextual: Exploring Concepts of
Authority through the Creation of Student Zines
Amanda Roper
What happens when students take
authority into their own hands—literally? This session blends critical
pedagogy, alternative media, and the ACRL Framework to explore how zines can
transform discussions about bias, authority, and representation. Featuring
examples from psychology and literature classes, we’ll examine how creating
zines empower students to challenge traditional notions of expertise and
amplify diverse voices. Participants will leave not only with new strategies
for the classroom but also with their very own mini zine, created during the
session. Let’s reimagine who gets to be “in the room” and why their stories
matter.
Library Data Storytelling: From Data to Narrative
Dwight Hunter & Andrea Kincaid
Discover the benefits of library data
storytelling: a merger of marketing and assessment. More than ever, libraries
have a great need to communicate the resources and expertise of their staff and
their data. Data storytelling takes data from storage to a story. We will bring
examples of how we tell stories to highlight the Kolwyck Library and its staff.
TAKEAWAYS
It
was a joy to see so many passionate and dedicated library professionals in one
place! TNLA 2025 served as a reminder that libraries are stronger together. Overall,
we have come away from the conference feeling more motivated to advocate for
libraries. Looking forward to next year!
- AS
