Events

The Preservation Committee meets monthly.

This virtual meeting is held via Zoom / Conference Call.

Contact CARLI Support for attendance details.

As academic libraries face ongoing retirements and organizational restructuring, early career librarians are increasingly assuming supervisory or managerial responsibilities earlier in their careers. Yet questions remain about how prepared they feel for these roles and what kind of support contributes most to their confidence and effectiveness. This presentation reports the results of a national survey conducted in 2024 exploring early career academic librarians’ perceptions of their readiness for management. The survey gathered quantitative and qualitative data from over 70 respondents with fewer than ten years of professional experience across a range of academic library settings. Findings suggest that while many early career librarians find themselves in management positions, fewer feel adequately equipped to take them on.

This presentation will share key data themes on how library managers did and did not feel prepared, highlight respondent narratives, and discuss possible implications for library administrators, professional associations, and LIS programs. There will also be opportunities for participants to discuss their own management situations and brainstorm how to best support new incoming managers. Attendees will gain insight into how institutions can better support leadership development for early career professionals and foster more intentional management onboarding within academic libraries.

Presenters:

Cathy Austin is the Director for Collection Management & Strategy at Mississippi State University. She graduated with her MSIS from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2019.

Lauren Geiger is the Director of Digital Archives at Mississippi State University. She graduated with her MLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019.

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Hosted by FLVC

Effective communication is at the heart of every library service. This webinar explores practical plain language strategies and introduces librarians to tools that support clear, accessible communication across programs, instruction, outreach, and resource development. Participants will learn how to transform complex information into user-friendly content, enhance the readability and visual design of library materials, and foster a culture of clear communication among staff. Through real-world examples and actionable techniques, attendees will discover how plain language promotes equity, improves user experiences, and strengthens the library’s role as a trusted community resource.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the principles of plain language and explain its role in improving access, engagement, and trust in library services.
• Apply practical strategies to simplify complex information while maintaining accuracy and meaning.
• Evaluate and enhance the readability and visual design of library materials, programs, and communications.
• Identify tools and techniques that support staff training and the integration of plain language into library instruction, outreach, and resource creation.

Presenter: 

Jessica Daly is the Health Literacy Coordinator at the R.A. Williams Library at AdventHealth University in Orlando, Florida, where she also serves as a faculty librarian with the rank of Assistant Professor.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Library Science from East Carolina University. A published author, columnist, and public speaker, Jessica is a dedicated health literacy educator and advocate. Her years of experience as a medical research librarian working within a large healthcare organization and as a family caregiver is where she learned the importance of health literacy for both patients and clinicians. 

Her contributions to the field have earned her several prestigious awards, including Hospital Librarian of the Year (2020) from the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association, the Exemplary Instructional Programs or Services Award (2022) from the Florida Library Association, and Librarian of the Year (2024) from the Florida Health Sciences Library Association. And most recently, Jessica was awarded the Innovative Program(2026) award from the Institute of Healthcare Advancement for the AHU Health Literacy Integration program.

She has earned her Consumer Health Information Specialization - Level I (CHIS) from the Medical Library Association as well as her IHA Health Literacy Specialist Certificate.

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Hosted by FLVC

The Commercial Products Committee meets monthly via Zoom.