Library leaders from across North America will convene in Cleveland next week at the Urban Libraries Council’s (ULC) Lessons from the Field event to share and discuss how public libraries can continuously enhance their role as valuable partners and leaders within the community. The in-person meeting, entitled Library Partnerships in a Post-COVID World, will be held from Wednesday, June 8 to Friday, June 10. The Lessons from the Field event is one-part big ideas, one-part constructive collaboration and a big dose of experiential learning that leaders can apply immediately at their library.
Library executives will participate in presentations and working sessions designed to explore adopting a new philosophy on collaboration, strategic planning and strategic growth and understanding the need to pivot post-pandemic to create value from community partnerships. Attendees will hear from Cleveland Public Library Executive Director and CEO Felton Thomas, Jr. on the innovative ways the Library has cultivated community partnerships to serve their community during the pandemic.
“Cleveland Public Library could not serve our community without partnerships,” said Thomas, Jr. “As The People’s University, strategic partnerships are key to reaching people where and when they need us most. We have worked to nurture our partnerships for years, even decades in some cases. The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of how partnerships enabled us to pivot how we served our community while keeping patrons and staff as safe as possible. Now, we must think about how we continue to foster and build partnerships to increase connection and impact for what comes next.”
Featured speakers include:
- Sonia Alcántara-Antoine, Director, Baltimore County Public Library
- Paula Brehm-Heeger, Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
- Melanie Huggins, Executive Director, Richland Library
- Patrick Losinski, Chief Executive Officer, Columbus Metropolitan Library
- Tracy Strobel, Executive Director, Cuyahoga County Public Library
Cleveland Public Library and ULC will co-host a dinner reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 9.