2025 Association for Rural & Small Libraries Conference
Albuquerque, NM
With the assistance of CLRC’s Professional Development Grant I was able to attend the Association for Rural and Small Libraries annual conference in Albuquerque, NM. Librarians come together from every region of the US for ARSL’s conference to make connections, share what has gone well at their libraries, and what hasn’t, and to help each other out as we are all fighting to improve and advocate for our small Libraries.
When I attended library school, I never imagined that I would hold a management position, and even after 6 years in this position I still feel ill prepared for it. So this year when I attended ARSL I went to as many HR and Management sessions as I could, hoping to improve my skills and learn helpful tips for managing a staff and creating a positive work environment.
I left every session with ideas about how I could adjust my management style, or a new strategy to implement with my staff. Several sessions were run by librarians who had come by their management positions “accidentally” and they shared insights from their journeys, explained how to do things, like annual evaluations, well even if you have no HR experience. Other sessions were led by long-time leaders who had made their way up to top positions in their library systems and they shared stories about things that had gone wrong with their staffs and with other managers over the years and how the situations could have been handled better and resolved more quickly.
I made connections with other librarians who are in similar positions to me, and to ask questions of more experienced librarians. I came away with a network of peers that I can reach out to whenever I need.
I returned from the conference feeling more confident in my ability to do my job, and armed with several new strategies I want to implement with my staff, behaviors I want to change in myself, and ideas for how I can better help my staff to be the best they can be. I am extremely grateful to CLRC for their support, and making this opportunity possible for me.
Liza Taylor, Assistant Library Director
Hamilton Public Library
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