On the road: Look beyond your usual library peers
In Part 1 of this series, I reflected on themes that emerged from a recent stretch of public library conferences, including the challenges libraries are navigating and how that can create opportunities for innovation, learning, and growth.
Here, I'll share a few more reflections that keep resurfacing, this time around the value of looking beyond our usual peers, connecting library work to broader community priorities, and engaging with AI.
Re-center: look beyond your usual peers
It's natural to benchmark against libraries that look like yours—similar populations, budget, politics, and "profile." But one of the most energizing patterns across PLA, ALA, EBLIDA, IPLFC, and ARSL was the value of intentionally disrupting your reference points. And just more recently, this notion was reaffirmed at the Joint Conference for Librarians of Color (JCLC) in Spokane, WA, and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) in Lawrence, KS.
At PLA, some of the most valuable cross-pollination happened in sessions that explicitly bridged library types or community contexts or by bringing in frameworks from entirely different sectors—a reminder that some of the freshest thinking about patron experience, space design, and service flows can come from anywhere.
In Prague, the EU perspective highlighted different governance structures, funding models, and policy frameworks, highlighting that what feels "fixed" in one context may be flexible in another. EBLIDA's international gathering brought together library leaders from countries with very different relationships between libraries and the state, libraries and education systems, and libraries and civil society. Conversations about national library strategies, EU-level policy alignment, and cross-border cooperation offered models that US libraries rarely encounter in their day-to-day peer networks.
In Chicago, the scale of ALA made it easy to find niche communities of practice: rural libraries learning from urban systems, large systems borrowing small-library agility, and public libraries borrowing methods from academic, school, and special libraries. And in Montgomery, ARSL made it clear that the growing community of rural and small libraries is building knowledge and capacity through relationships with leading urban libraries such as the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library, as well as prominent national foundations such as the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.
In Columbus, fundraising professionals brought in ideas from philanthropy and nonprofit development more broadly—language, metrics, and relationship-building practices that could help libraries evaluate and plan their development efforts more strategically.
In Spokane, it was clear that there’s tremendous value in seeking diverse perspectives and representation, whether it's designing programs and services or formulating strategy. Most importantly. including those that are underrepresented or not represented will ensure a more holistic approach and is also likely to deliver greater impact.
In Lawrence, despite having similar titles and functions, almost every state library is unique in some way—whether it's in structure, scope, funding, staffing, standards, and/or governance. By gathering to learn how each of these state agencies approached the shared challenges libraries face, we learned about new ideas, different perspectives, and alternative models.
The takeaway: don't only look at who's in the limelight or nearby. Look sideways, look outside the sector, and look internationally. Fresh models often live just beyond our habitual peer group.
Zoom out: align with broader frameworks to increase visibility and support
Libraries often do work that maps directly to civic priorities—workforce development, early literacy, digital equity, social connection, small-business support, immigrant services, public health navigation, disaster response—but we don't always describe it in the language that decision-makers use.
At PLA, this showed up in sessions explicitly designed to help library leaders make that translation. Sessions provided practical tips to equip directors and administrators to align library narratives with the priorities of elected officials and municipal planners with budget authority.
EBLIDA conversations emphasized alignment with broader policy narratives at regional, national, and EU levels. Sessions explored how libraries can be recognized not just as cultural institutions but as active infrastructure for digital inclusion, lifelong learning, and democratic participation. ALA echoed the importance of positioning library outcomes within city and state priorities. And IPLFC made the case especially concrete: fundraising succeeds when the library can clearly articulate impact in terms that resonate with funders, donors, and partners.
At JCLC, it was clear that the value of finding affinity groups can broaden your community and build awareness, capacity, and collaboration. The National Associations of Librarians of Color are growing communities as library professionals look beyond their geographies for shared interests and priorities and include American Indian Library Association (AILA), Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and REFORMA, The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking.
"Zooming out" is both external and internal. Externally, it means tying library work to established frameworks, such as municipal strategic plans, community health initiatives, economic development goals, education outcomes, or national digital inclusion agendas. Internally, it means building staff capacity to see the bigger picture and communicate it consistently, so the story doesn't live only in the director's office or the development shop.
AI all the time
The prominence of AI in conference programming cannot be overstated. As public institutions that provide information services, resources, technology, and access, libraries must integrate AI into their programs, services, and operations.
As little as a year ago, the library profession seemed hesitant to engage with emerging AI practices and tools, expressing fear, uncertainty, and distrust. While many of those fears and strong reactions were based on legitimate and ongoing concerns about misinformation, workforce implications, environmental impact, and more, recent conversations have shifted toward a more pragmatic approach to AI.
At PLA, AI was woven throughout the program in ways that reflected this maturation. We moved past the theoretical to focus on what library staff can actually do today—using AI tools to draft communications, analyze program data, improve catalog discoverability, and support reference interactions. At the same time, sessions confronted concerns head-on and held the necessary space for the legitimate concerns: PLA and ARSL sessions addressed misinformation, algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the risk that AI-powered services may not serve all community members equally.
At EBLIDA in Prague, AI was a central thread across multiple sessions and discussions. The European context adds a layer of complexity, particularly given the EU AI Act and its implications for public institutions. EBLIDA programming explored how libraries can serve as trusted intermediaries in an AI-saturated information environment, helping communities navigate AI-generated content, understand algorithmic systems, and access reliable information.
At COSLA, state libraries grappled with varying levels of AI expertise, support, funding, and engagement, though all were discussing what best served the libraries in their states. In addition to AI literacy and training, a consistent emphasis was placed on AI safety and awareness, and careful, responsible use across library types and with the communities they serve.
Public libraries are seeking ways to use AI to improve their organizations and be more efficient—in data analysis, program design, and grant writing—while also designing programs to teach the public about responsible and effective use of AI. The conversation has shifted from “Should we engage?” to “How do we engage with intention?”
Final thoughts: sustainability is a strategy, not a response
If there's one theme that grew louder from Prague to Minneapolis to Chicago to Columbus to Montgomery to Spokane to Lawrence, it's that sustainability—financial, operational, environmental, and human—is central to the work of public libraries. Programs and services are not static; they are evolving and dynamic. Advocacy isn't episodic; it's ongoing relationship work. Fundraising isn't a side project; it's part of long-term resilience. And innovation isn't a one-off; it's a habit of mind and practice of continuous improvement. Lastly, it has been reinvigorating to see more and more sharing and recognition across library sizes, types, and geographies. This will be essential to sustaining longer-term relevance and value.
The work is challenging because it matters. The solutions are often simpler than we expect. The best ideas may be outside our usual circles. And the strongest positioning comes when we connect library work to the larger story our communities are already telling about their future.
About the author
Andrew joined OCLC in 2023 as Director of WebJunction to lead the strategy and team that designs, builds, and maintains the WebJunction online learning network for public library staff. In this role, he also serves on the Research and Programming leadership team, supports and leads cross-division activities, and ensures WebJunction's alignment with OCLC's strategic priorities. Andrew was most recently a division director at The Seattle Public Library, where he oversaw system-wide public services, programming and outreach, collections and access, library operations, and information technology. While there, he contributed to a wide range of transformative work, including strategic planning and partnerships, pandemic response, collection enhancements, fine elimination, digital equity, operational efficiencies, and several other access, intellectual freedom, and equity initiatives. Andrew has been in library leadership for nearly twenty years and is dedicated to improving and advancing the work of public libraries.
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