MLA/DLACon2025

Join us for three mini-presentations on shifting from different library systems, consolidating a print collection, and using storytelling in reference interviews.
1) Go for It! Take the Leap and Work Outside Your Comfort Zone (Learn the advantages and the challenges which come with traveling to a different library system and state from a librarian who moved from Baltimore to Honolulu and back.) - Marie Condenzio
2) Journals on the Move: Consolidating a Legacy Collection and Expanding Possibilities (Learn how the United States Naval Academy embarked on a multi-year project to consolidate its run of bound journals.) - Sara Greenleaf, Amanda Rudd, & Nick Brown
3) Let Them Tell You a Story: Embracing Personal Narratives in Academic Reference Interviews (By making room for personal narratives as part of the academic reference interview, librarians can help foster a sense of belonging which positively impacts students, staff, and faculty.) - Tricia Clarke

Pool and augment your listening skills for difficult or fraught topics—including, but not limited to, climate change. Learn and practice:
 Ways to show you’re listening
 Quick methods for grounding and releasing tension
 De-escalation tools
 Attention to your own responses
Whether you’re setting up a formal listening station to gather people’s impressions and questions, or making room for complexity and conflict within a group, listening to others on a topic that you care about can be a challenge. This set of practices will solidify your confidence in difficult conversations and help you welcome the parts you can’t control.