MLA/DLACon2025

With censorship attempts cresting at record levels, library teams maintain cohesion and communication through careful navigation. In this interactive workshop, participants will envision a challenge-ready team in their organization. Hands-on application of content in a provided copy of the ALA Editions workbook Prepared Libraries, Empowered Teams, will provide attendees with tools, resources, and actionable steps to tailor a team-centered challenge preparedness action plan to meet the needs of their library and community.

Presented by EveryLibrary, this program teaches you to leverage technology, channels, and messaging to connect with political, donor, and grant-making support. With non-political insights, participants will learn strategies to build lasting support for their library or organization beyond simply inviting use. Participants will gain the tools to differentiate audiences and craft impactful messages that resonate.

Building a Culture of Leadership takes concentrated effort. The Public Services Leadership Cohort (PSLC) of the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) is the in-house leadership seminar aimed at new and existing supervisors. Using creative and engaging hands-on activities and group discussions the course becomes the laboratory for the supervisors to explore leadership concepts and theories. Participants in the MLA workshop will engage in some of the hands-on activities used in the course and can take them back to use in training in their own systems.

Do you have a small fundraising staff or none at all? Discover how to create advocacy/fundraising events, like 'Read Between the Wines” that meet customers where they are, offering fun and accessible ways to support the library without needing another gala. You’ll learn how simple turnkey events can engage your community, expand your donor base, and foster meaningful experiences that create library advocates through philanthropy. We’ll share our successful partnerships with tattoo artists, ice cream shops, breweries, and wineries, showcasing how these collaborations raise funds, boost awareness, and inspire customers to engage more deeply with their library.

The experiences of queer people, or people who transgressed the sexual and gender norms of the time, have long been stifled– and in some cases erased– from the historical record. How does one uncover the history of same-sex attraction and gender variance in their state? And how do you present those findings to the public in an accessible way?

In this session, participants will learn about a successful digital public history project on the LGBTQ+ history of Delaware, and how an independent researcher, Carolanne Deal, has continued to expand engagement to this research through their instagram account @DelawareQueerHistory.

We will share the concept of a Book Sanctuary, the process we used to create one in Anne Arundel County Public LIbrary, and the value of creating one. We ill discuss how we presented the idea to our Board of Trustees, governmental leaders and the public, how we aligned this project with our Collection Development Policy and how we addressed questions and concerns from the public.

In today's political climate, both the LGBTQIA+ community and Libraries are under attack. The community for who they are and the libraries for supporting them through representation. While some progress might start with a Drag Queen Story Time, it goes far beyond that. It goes to the heart of schools, public libraries, and into the political arena itself. Librarian and Pride Board Member Jayne Walters brings her knowledge and years of experience representing and advocating for both to share how these two can be stronger together in this ongoing fight.

User experience is the philosophy of considering spaces, services, and processes from the end user's point of view. Shifting our perspective from what makes sense to librarians to what makes sense patrons will create a better experience for patrons using our space. This program will discuss how to get into the mind of a patron, creating an enjoyable experience, and the possible pain points of our services.