2025 Annual Conference

Claire Leverett, Executive Director of NC LIVE, will welcome attendees to the 2025 Annual Conference and provide an organizational update.

Keynote title and description coming soon!

About Shamichael Hallman
Shamichael Hallman is a civic innovator, author, and thought leader dedicated to strengthening communities through libraries, public engagement, and faith-based initiatives. As Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity at the Urban Libraries Council, he advocates for public libraries as vital civic infrastructure. His book, Meet Me at the Library, explores how libraries foster democracy and bridge-building.

Shamichael has presented at top universities and library associations, with his insights featured by Sightline Institute, America Trends Podcast, and Jefferson Public Radio. He is the co-creator of the Bridge-Building Resource Hub, a national initiative hosted by WebJunction that equips libraries with tools to foster community connections. The initiative recently secured a second round of funding to expand its impact and continue its work.

Previously, Shamichael championed the multi-million-dollar renovation of the historic Cossitt Library in Memphis, contributing to Memphis Public Libraries earning the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Science. Holding a master’s in nonprofit leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a 2023 Loeb Fellowship, he continues to innovate at the intersection of community, faith, and democracy.

In the fall of 2023 our library, which serves a regional comprehensive university, designed, built, and deployed poetry machines that dispense poems on BPA-free thermal paper at the click of a button. After seeing the “Short Edition” short story dispenser while visiting a different library, I wanted to bring this concept to my own university library. However, purchasing a Short Edition machine was outside our budget. As an alternative, we created our own device using a Raspberry Pi computer and thermal printer for under $200. Creating and maintaining the poetry machine has provided an opportunity to work with and bring joy to our campus community.

The poetry machine is now stationed at our circulation desk and is popular with patrons. Our circulation staff have found the machine’s impact on our patrons heartwarming. Some of our patrons now come to the library specifically to use the device or have made grabbing a new poem a daily ritual.

The poems included have largely been from the public domain. However, we are now working with students in the Creative Writing Club and a creative writing class to feature poems created by students to showcase their work. The poetry machine has also been used as part of displays; we set them to dispense topically relevant poems. For example, during Black History Month we featured Black poets, and during October we added spooky-themed poems.
In this presentation we will share details of our poetry machine, how it works, and how we made it. This includes the benefits and limitations of taking a DIY approach. We will also discuss how we have sourced our public domain works and partnered with campus stakeholders to provide poems for the machine. Additionally, we will draw on interviews with our circulation staff to talk about what kind of effects the machine has had on our patrons and how it has drawn them into the library.

About the Presenters
Josh Rakower is the Undergraduate Experience Librarian at Western Carolina University. He has previously worked as a librarian at Trociare College and Buffalo State University. He also worked briefly as a mall Easter Bunny. He holds master’s degrees in library and information science and educational studies, and a bachelor’s in communication. His research interests focus on how to add levity into the library and classroom.

Sierra Jay is the Undergraduate Support Library Technician at Hunter Library in Cullowhee, NC. She is a first-year MLIS student at UNC Greensboro, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in information science. Sierra enjoys traveling, thrifting, and dabbles in photography. 

Virtual tours are excellent tools to invite users into your library and learn about spaces and services. However, traditional approaches to virtual tours such as welcome videos can be inaccessible, unengaging, and often require restarting from scratch as changes occur. As UNCW Library underwent a major renovation and expansion, the Teaching & Learning team sought to create a more robust, interactive, and inclusive virtual tour to highlight new spaces and services in the library at reopening, as well as helping users (re)discover ways of engaging with existing areas. This session will showcase a partnership with the university’s Distance Education and eLearning team to create an innovative virtual tour of the library using the ThingLink platform. 

The virtual tour incorporates multimedia elements such as 360-degree panoramic images and interactive hotspots, allowing users to immerse themselves within the virtual environment. The designers employed Universal Design for Learning and Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in creating this tour, which includes accessibility features such as screen reader compatibility and emphasizes details such as accessible entrances, noise level expectations, and visual previews of library classrooms. The digital object’s flexibility allows librarians to embed it in its entirety or highlight a particular space in tutorials, our learning management system, or even through a virtual reality mode. This flexibility also extends to the design process, allowing designers to make updates quickly and seamlessly. The tour is now a required component of the First-Year Seminar, ensuring early exposure to library resources to promote students’ academic success and assuage library anxiety. 

Attendees at this session will have the opportunity to interact with the virtual tour and learn how they can leverage a lower-cost technology to adapt at their own institutions. Attendees will also learn about UNCW Library’s partners on this project and identify potential collaborators in their communities. This session aims to inspire attendees to rethink how they market their library as a community hub and revamp the ubiquitously generic library tour into an immersive, inclusive, sustainable, and engaging experience.

About the Presenters
Brittany O’Neill is the Information Literacy Librarian at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she coordinates the library’s support of informational literacy in the University Studies curriculum. She serves as the liaison to English Composition, the Honors College, and the Center for Academic Advising, and is the co-facilitator of UNCW’s Critical Information Literacy Immersion Program.

Delandrus Seales is the Teaching and Learning Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is a functional specialist on the Teaching & Learning Team with the Academic Research and Engagement department where she develops online learning objects, facilitates inclusive and accessible pedagogy, supports the utilization of instructional technology, and collaborates with library/campus partners to support digital information literacy initiatives.

Unlock the potential of S.T.E.A.M. Homeschool Programs with our dynamic workshop, crafted specifically for librarians, teachers, and educators eager to elevate their educational offerings. This workshop will empower you to design and implement engaging and interactive homeschool programs that captivate learners.

Our homeschool initiative, launched eight years ago, has blossomed into one of the most in-demand programs at the Currituck County Public Libraries, demonstrating the incredible value it brings to our community. In this session, you will gain access to a wealth of resources, including inspiring examples of successful homeschool programs, a curated list of creative theme ideas, a comprehensive outline for program development, and strategies for partnering with local organizations to create distinctive and impactful homeschool experiences. Join us and transform your library's educational reach today!

About the Presenters
Amber Jarvis and Caroline Lindsey are highly skilled library paraprofessionals at the Currituck County Public Libraries, where they provide resources, services, and programming for all ages. Amber started the S.T.E.A.M. Homeschool program at the Moyock Branch in 2016 and facilitated the events for eight years. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s degree in English Teaching and has earned a certificate in Early Childhood Literacy.
Caroline identified the need for a Homeschool S.T.E.A.M. program at the Barco Branch in 2022 and has been conducting excellent programs for two years. She graduated from North Carolina Wesleyan College, where she majored in Business Administration, Organizational Administration, and Criminal Justice, with a minor in Psychology.
Both Amber and Caroline are passionate about working with youth and enjoy helping their community grow by offering engaging, hands-on programs for homeschoolers.

In an era where libraries serve as vital community hubs, the concept of kindness in pedagogy offers a transformative approach to fostering inclusive and supportive environments. This presentation will explore the pedagogy of kindness, drawing on the influential work of Cate Denial, and its profound implications for libraries.

Cate Denial's pedagogy emphasizes empathy, compassion, and the creation of caring educational spaces. By integrating these principles, libraries can become more than just repositories of knowledge; they can evolve into anchors of community well-being. This session will delve into practical strategies for implementing kindness in library services, programming, and interactions with patrons.

Participants will learn how to:

• Apply Cate Denial's principles to create welcoming and inclusive library environments.
• Brainstorm and share examples of empathy and compassion in libraries.
• Foster a culture of kindness among library staff and patrons.

Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, attendees will gain insights into how libraries can build caring communities even during times of uncertainty. Join us to discover how the pedagogy of kindness can transform your library into a beacon of compassion and empathy.

About the Presenters
Jennifer Seagraves started in September of 2021 as the Instructional Pedagogy and Curriculum Materials Librarian, a position replacing the prior Curriculum Materials/Media Librarian with the additional charge of creating a Teaching Resource Center to support Strategic Plan Initiative 1.5 (“establish a program for teaching excellence”). She is the liaison for School of Education and Human Services. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of Virginia (2005) and a Master of Science in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2012). She has served as the President of the North Carolina Community College Library Association from 2020-2021. She also is a certified yoga instructor.

Hannah Holmes works as the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Wiggins Memorial Library, serving as a liaison librarian for the following disciplines: Clinical Research, Fine Arts, Foreign Language, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Pharmacy Practice/DIC. She joined the Library staff in 2022 as the Circulation Assistant until 2023, rejoining the Library in 2024 as a Librarian. In her previous position, Hannah aided in building and growing the Student Art Gallery in the Library, which promotes and showcases student work from all disciplines across campus. Hannah earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Minor in Biology from Campbell University in 2021, receiving the Mabel Powell English Award of Excellence that same year. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2022-2024 where she earned her Master of Science in Library Science, concentrating in Archives and Records Management. During her studies, Hannah worked in donor relations and stewardship, and was inducted into the Beta Phi Mu International Honor Society for Library and Information Science.

It's time to share your feedback! A member of the NC LIVE Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will provide an overview of the 2026-2028 Resource Selection Cycle. Then, moderators will open discussion for member feedback on resources and NC LIVE in general.

Feedback sessions are divided by Community of Interest (COI). These sessions will also be an opportunity for you to connect with your representatives on the NC LIVE governance committees.

There will be a raffle at the end of each session.

It's time to share your feedback! A member of the NC LIVE Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will provide an overview of the 2026-2028 Resource Selection Cycle. Then, moderators will open discussion for member feedback on resources and NC LIVE in general.

Feedback sessions are divided by Community of Interest (COI). These sessions will also be an opportunity for you to connect with your representatives on the NC LIVE governance committees.

There will be a raffle at the end of each session.

It's time to share your feedback! A member of the NC LIVE Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will provide an overview of the 2026-2028 Resource Selection Cycle. Then, moderators will open discussion for member feedback on resources and NC LIVE in general.

Feedback sessions are divided by Community of Interest (COI). These sessions will also be an opportunity for you to connect with your representatives on the NC LIVE governance committees.

There will be a raffle at the end of each session.

It's time to share your feedback! A member of the NC LIVE Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will provide an overview of the 2026-2028 Resource Selection Cycle. Then, moderators will open discussion for member feedback on resources and NC LIVE in general.

Feedback sessions are divided by Community of Interest (COI). These sessions will also be an opportunity for you to connect with your representatives on the NC LIVE governance committees.

There will be a raffle at the end of each session.

This workshop, facilitated by NC State researchers and librarians, will create an opportunity for participants to learn, share, and imagine new practices of archival storytelling and care. Facilitators will outline different approaches in personal, community, and institutional settings and will provide participants with tools to consider how to preserve their community stories and artifacts by donating to or creating their archives. Facilitators will work alongside participants to engage with questions about how this type of memory work can situate our lived experiences by drawing on the past and present to imagine the future. 
Facilitators include Ericka Christie, a Ph.D. candidate in NC State’s Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media program whose research focuses on theories and practices of archiving activism, and librarians Virginia Ferris and Shima Hosseininasab from the Special Collections Research Center, who will share their personal and professional experiences working with archival materials, encountering silences in archives where voices and evidence of the past have gone missing, and looking to innovative approaches to archives as sources of community knowledge and as inspiration for research and creativity.
Attendees will walk away with ideas and roadmaps for understanding institutional, community, or personal archival projects and a sense of how the stories of their lived experiences are essential contributions to our community's past, present, and future.
About the Presenters
Virginia Ferris is the Lead Librarian for Outreach and Engagement for the Special Collections Research Center at NC State University Libraries. She has a background in oral history, archival research and processing, and community engagement. In her current role, she focuses on engaging students and other audiences with special collections to build awareness of how they can access, interpret, advocate, create, and contribute to archives and history.

Shima Hosseininasab is an instruction and outreach librarian for Special Collections. She has a Ph.D. in Public History from North Carolina State University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Tehran. She specializes in architectural history, cultural heritage, historic preservation, and archives. She is committed to making historical resources accessible to community members.

Ericka Christie is a fourth-year Ph. D. candidate in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media at N.C. State University. Her current research focus is on archival and digital rhetorics, particularly as they relate to social movements, community organizing, and public memory.

Black Superheroes is a Black History Month program in collaboration with the Davidson College Library and the Davidson Arts & Creative Engagement Studio. The inspiration for this program stemmed from Nas' love for superhero comics and animated series, especially the Black superheroes he was exposed to, such as Static Shock, Blade, Spawn, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Black Panther, and Spider-Man (Miles Morales). During this program, Nas will share the history and significance of Black superheroes while also providing the Davidson community with the opportunity to create their own superheroes and stories.

About Nasir Jean-Paul
Nas works as a Library Studio Fellow at the Davidson College Library. He manages the student employees, assists in library instruction, develops student employee training, and creates professional development opportunities that align with his interests. 

Nas graduated from Davidson College in 2024 with a B.A. in Sociology, and he aspires to acquire a Ph.D. in Africana studies or a related field. He is interested in Black culture, community building and engagement, teaching and learning, traveling, multicultural immersion, and foreign language acquisition, fitness and skill learning/development, reading and creative writing, superhero comics and animated series, manga and anime, African/African Diasporic religions, dance and music, walking and hiking, thrill activities, nature, and more.

In this session, we’ll explore how audiobooks can transform recreational reading and engagement on a college campus. By adopting audiobooks as an extension of our existing browsing collection, we’ve been able to provide greater accessibility, collect diverse and trending literary genres, and support busy students who may not have time for traditional reading formats. Audiobooks also help us reach remote and distance learners, ensuring equitable access for all community members.

We’ll share insights into our decision-making process, including why we chose the Cost Per Circ model for greater flexibility and our selection of OverDrive over other options to meet user needs. Attendees will get a look at the behind-the-scenes effort required for maintenance, customization, and troubleshooting. Additionally, we’ll discuss broader trends in audiobook usage and how they align with library and university missions to foster leisure reading and lifelong learning. Join us to learn how to leverage audiobooks as a dynamic tool to engage and support your academic community.

About the Presenters
Meghan Webb is the Instruction and Outreach Librarian at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University. Kathy Shields is the Research and Instruction Librarian for History and Social Science at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest. Kate Silton is Electronic Resources Librarian at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library Wake Forest University.

Lightning Talks:

• Books & Blocks: Campus Childcare and University Library Unite for Student Parent Success
  

Nearly one-fourth of students at U.S. colleges and universities are parents, representing more than five million people. Unfortunately, the significant challenges of raising children while pursuing a degree result in only 40% of these students graduating within six years. Additionally, these challenges often affect women and minorities disproportionately. Yet while there are numerous specialized campus services to support targeted populations, student parents are often overlooked and neglected despite their considerable numbers. This poster tracks how one university library built upon its established success creating alternative study and sensory spaces to also offer a family-friendly room for students. After the first year of operation, the library partnered with the university's child development center to offer students developmentally appropriate drop-off childcare in the family-friendly room twice a week for up to three hours. The room is staffed by university staff and students who integrate curriculum materials and services from the library's Teaching Resources Center (TRC) into the provision of childcare and caregiver education.

About Mark Sanders
Mark Sanders is a Professor and the Assistant Director for Public Services at East Carolina University’s Joyner Library. He holds a BA from UNC-Asheville, an MA from Penn State University, an MLS from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a graduate certificate in “Student Affairs in Higher Education” from ECU. His professional interests include learning spaces, Access Services, and financial planning.

• Magnets and Messages: Creating a Student-Centered Feedback Board
  This lightning talk will provide a concise overview of the “What’s on Your Mind?” program in the Public Services Department of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, focusing on its role in fostering student engagement and addressing community needs. I'll share key statistics, benefits, and lessons learned from implementing a low-cost yet highly impactful program. Key Points will include: (1) Simple tools can create big impacts (e.g., magnets and comment boards). (2) Student feedback as a driver for library service improvements. (3) Plans for scaling, including digital integration and cross-campus collaborations.
  
  About Will Ritter
  Will Ritter is the Public Services Librarian for User Services at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University, where he manages Circulation, Collection Maintenance, and General Reference Services. He has over a decade of experience in academic libraries, including his previous role as Director of the James Addison Jones Library at Greensboro College.
  
  
  
• Empowering Students: AI in Information Literacy and Library Instruction
  

AI is rapidly changing the landscape of information access and creation. This presentation examines the implications of AI for information literacy and library instruction, focusing on practical applications for community college students.  We will discuss how librarians and instructors can leverage AI tools to support student learning and address the challenges of evaluating information in an AI-driven world.

About the Presenters
Krishawna "Kris" Brown is the Librarian for Instruction and Technical Services at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), where she works in the library's technical services department and is part of the library's instruction team. She also serves as the library liaison for the FTCC satellite campus in Spring Lake, NC. Kris received her MLIS from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2011.

Ashley Apple is the Librarian for Instruction and Access Services at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), where she works in the library's circulation department, coordinates ILL requests, and assesses collection development. She also works with the library's Makerspace. Ashley received her MLS from North Carolina Central University in 2008.

Sophia Demitri is the Librarian for Instruction and Archives at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), where she works in the library's archives and serves on the library's instruction team. She has in public libraries and previously served as librarian for public schools as a Media Coordinator. Sophia received her MLIS from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2016.

National Library Card Sign-Up Month is more than just a promotional campaign, it is an opportunity to reinforce the library's role as a vital community anchor. This session will showcase how Orange County Public Library transformed this initiative by focusing on community engagement, deepening connections, and expanding our marketing and social media presence. As a result, we saw a significant increase in library card sign-ups, achieving the highest number of new cards for the year and surpassing previous years' totals.
Attendees will learn how our initiative:

1. Built Stronger Community Partnerships: We connected with over 10 local businesses, many of which were new collaborations, offering library cardholders exclusive discounts and free items, reinforcing the library's role as an economic and cultural hub.
2. Expanded Outreach to New Locations: We extended our reach to new locations, including the Orange County Sportsplex and Eno River Brewing, and established ongoing, monthly outreach efforts at these locations, leading to new partnerships and sustained engagement.
3. Boosted Patron Engagement Through Creative Marketing & Social Media:We offered new library card members a chance to win an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, as well as for all patrons a chance to win a "Cozy Book Lovers Basket" via social media, driving both online and in-person interactions. Our strategic campaigns resulted in a 25.1% increase in Facebook content interactions, 94.4% growth in followers, and a 5% increase in reach. On Instagram, content interactions grew by 96.5%, and followers increased by 85.2%, with reach expanding by 252%.
4. Engaged Staff Across All Library Divisions: This initiative fostered internal collaboration across divisions, leading to themed programs like a library-themed storytime, a bookmark competition, and library tours, bringing the entire library together for a shared mission.

This session will provide practical strategies for libraries of all sizes to create high-impact, community-centered initiatives. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas to expand outreach, boost patron engagement, and position their library as an essential community anchor.

About Caroline Clucas
Caroline Clucas is the Outreach and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Orange County Public Library. Caroline graduated early from Appalachian State University in 2019 with a B.A. in English Literary Studies and History. While awaiting the start of her graduate program, she worked as a Children's Librarian Assistant in her hometown of Goldsboro, NC. What began as a temporary job quickly turned into a passion for libraries and community engagement.
Encouraged by her supervisor, Caroline decided to shift her path and pursue a M.S. in Library Science at UNC Chapel Hill. During graduate school, she returned to the same library where her journey began, serving as the Children's Department Head and fostering literacy through meaningful connections with families.

Now based in the Triangle, Caroline coordinates engaging adult programming, builds community relationships, expands the library's communications and social media presence, and broadens its reach through strategic outreach. Though she misses leading storytime, she finds joy in connecting the library with the community. Fun fact: During college, Caroline interned at Walt Disney World, where she created magic for guests, a skill she now channels into cultivating memorable experiences in her library work.

Many undergraduates begin their college careers in a new city, surrounded by new people, and for those who find employment while they study, working at a new job. During these formative years, a job in a campus library offers a wealth of opportunities to begin building their sense of self, community, and career. This presentation will look at ways student employers can help undergraduate employees connect their personal and academic interests to the workplace and build relationships with supervisors and colleagues. Strategies presented are not particularly difficult or expensive, but have an outsized effect when implemented cumulatively and are flexible enough to be applied in nearly any library to some degree.

About Jesse Bethany
Jesse Bethany currently serves as the Public Services Manager at the Undergraduate Library at UNC Chapel Hill. In this position he hires, trains, and supervises library assistants, most of whom are undergraduates. Jesse has his MSLS from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as a M.A. in Philosophy of Religion and a M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. When he is not managing the library assistants he is attempting to manage his four kids, ages 5, 2, and 3 months (twins!) and prepare for his weekly game of Dungeons and Dragons.

As we build our library collection, collection analysis projects help our department maintain focus on and center our user community. In the collection diversity practicum project we research user needs for diverse resources, and asses how our collection meets those needs. As a practicum project, it also serves the broader librarian community by providing emerging librarians hands on experience in collection building, user research, and collection analysis.

This project is experimental and seeks to explore ways to assess the library collection for diversity. In the library collection, diverse resources allow users to find new perspectives. Practicum students will select a tightly scoped section of the collection and research diversity in that context, conduct an analysis, make actionable recommendations, and share the results in order to add to our collective understanding.

Throughout all of this, the student will meet with librarians and library users to gather context about the collection, and learn how collections are built and used.

About Sarah Holsapple
Sarah Holsapple is the Collection Analysis Librarian at Duke University Libraries. She collaborates with colleagues to gather and interpret data, informing the development and management of library collections.

This presentation will cover setting up, maintaining, and providing programming at StoryWalks to engage community members with opportunities for wellness and literacy. A StoryWalk is an outdoor activity that combines walking and reading pages from children’s books. The example StoryWalks are in Farmville and Greenville and are maintained by the Farmville Public Library and East Carolina University Joyner Library, respectively. We will also describe our experiences with StoryWalk visitor participation and feedback, discuss our challenges and solutions, and share resources for starting a StoryWalk. Librarians at both libraries have worked together to share insights and provide family events at the StoryWalks. 

About the Presenters
Laura Bright is the Collection Strategist and Assessment Librarian at ECU's Joyner Library. As a co-PI, she helped write an LSTA EZ grant to bring StoryWalks to Greenville, NC.

Heather Harden is the Youth Services Librarian at Farmville Public Library. She has 20 years experience delivering engaging programs to families in eastern North Carolina. She earned her MLS from East Carolina University.