Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Back to the Basics: TNLA 2025

 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.

A group of people in a building

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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

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