United for Libraries presents a virtual retreat to help Friends of the Library ensure a bright future. Sessions will cover recruitment, retention, and engagement, and Friends and Foundations working together.

February 2026 Learning Live

The presenters have developed a toolkit, the Viewfinder toolkit, to help libraries and archives implement AI in alignment with professional values. This hands-on session introduces the toolkit and guides participants through its use.

Teams are an increasingly important workplace construct, allowing libraries to tap into staff potential to tackle complex work in our current, dynamic library environment.

"Who Manages, Who Leads Part Two" is a four-week program for managers and leaders to learn advanced theory and practice in leadership, succession, and mentorship, benefiting both experienced and newly hired leaders.

Documenting the cultural heritage and unique experiences of your community members provides a more inclusive archival record. This presentation covers the steps needed to establish relationships and work with community members through participatory archives. This presentation will provide an overview of the basic structure of how to conduct oral histories and working with communities.

The presentation will give an overview of the work of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) Task Group on AI for Cataloging and Metadata activities, with particular focus on the Guiding Principles, the Best Practices, and the Community of Practice.

. In the area of cataloging and metadata, one frequently cited potential use for AI (particularly Large Language Models (LLMs)) is constructing summaries and abstracts of information resources.

Leading a library in today’s complex landscape presents unique challenges, including political dynamics, budget constraints, and the lingering effects of the pandemic on mental health. In their efforts to create safe and healthy environments for their teams, library leaders often find themselves stretched thin and in need of strategies to enhance their own well-being. This raises an important question: how can they prioritize self-care while supporting others?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to streamline metadata workflows and increase the capacity of cataloging operations. Interest in the promise of AI has accelerated since the release of ChatGPT in 2022. Metadata practitioners have conducted many case studies using AI processes, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP).

Description: Over the past two years, the Collection Services department of our library faced numerous staff impacts including retirements, staff shortages, hiring freezes and potential budget cuts. To maintain access to library materials for our nearly 60,000 students, faculty and staff the department engaged in a collaborative approach.

This webinar will explore the intricacies, limitations, and possibilities for change in providing meaningful and compassionate mental health support within information spaces.

Ready for the next phase of your career but worried you missed the moment to transition? Scared to make a change? Struggling to retain your staff? Unsure how to create opportunities for career advancement in your organization? It's never too late!

Is your current project management system a collection of post-it notes? Do you have to be reminded of a project that was due six months ago? Is there no accountability across the system? Turn your scattered thoughts and wistful dreams into a smooth operation with assembly line project management.

Do you want to take your library’s customer service to the next level? If so, this session is for you. We’ll share a step-by-step overview of how libraries have overhauled their customer service philosophy and elevated the patron experience from questioning and conflict to collaboration and coming to a consensus to find solutions. We’ll dig into how we created staff-driven library service success via innovation and leadership to pursue customer service excellence. In addition to sharing our own experiences, we’ll share our best tips for gaining buy-in from trustees, staff, patrons, and even those “responsibility warriors”!

Leadership is essential at every level of an organization, as experienced library leaders reach retirement age, the next generation of leaders must be prepared to take the helm. Leadership is not confined to the administrative level of the organization, as a leader might be found in any role and any level in the organization. To ensure the next generation of library leaders are prepared, one needs to know what makes an effective leader. Research indicates that the qualities of an effective leader are evolving from a focus on professional competencies to an emphasis on the character traits of the individual. A balance of competencies and character are needed for effective leadership. This presentation will explore how leadership qualifications have evolved over time and what defines an effective leader today.

Service work or professional service, whether through professional associations, conference planning, editorial boards, or task forces, offers librarians a pathway to developing leadership skills outside their immediate workplace.

A 75-minute webinar on intellectual property librarianship.

Study room spaces have become a critical resource offered in large academic libraries, yet their standard configuration and policies may not be serving the diverse needs of all patrons. To address this, we conducted an assessment project at a large, land-grant university to gather data on study room usage and user preferences. This presentation will share the results from our study and discuss how we applied these insights to enhance the study room experience, including promoting our “Library of Things” collection as study room resources.

This webinar will explore the intricacies, limitations, and possibilities for change in providing meaningful and compassionate mental health support within information spaces.