Join youth services managers and staff for two days of virtual learning. Sessions will focus on leveling up your leadership skills, best practices for serving your community, and how to best support your team. Each concurrent session will be presented live, and recordings will be available to registered attendees for 3-months.
2025 Virtual Power Up Schedule
February 13 & 14, 2025
Online, Zoom
Keynote Session
Thursday Keynote: Kyle Lukoff, 10:00-11:00 AM CST
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers. His debut middle-grade novel, Too Bright To See, received a Newbery honor, the Stonewall award, and was a National Book Award finalist. His picture book When Aidan Became A Brother also won the Stonewall, and his book Call Me Max has been banned in schools across the country. He is the recipient of the 2025 Children's Literature Lecture award, and has forthcoming books for all ages on a variety of topics. While becoming a writer he worked as a bookseller for ten years, and then nine more years as a school librarian.
Concurrent Sessions
Concurrent Session 1, Thursday 11:30-12:30 PM CST
Data-driven to distraction: Reconsidering the role of vulnerability in a healthy library workplace
Jessica Jones, Library Director, Takoma Park Maryland Library
While workplace mental health and burnout are topics that library workers frequently discuss in professional development settings, vulnerability rarely garners the same attention. However, in order to meaningfully address the presence and impact of burnout and mental health challenges in the workplace, we have to be vulnerable enough to talk about them - not in abstract terms, but in ways that our specific workplaces create barriers to wellness. This session will focus on three key areas and how to implement them in a library workplace: 1) Why vulnerability can be an asset in the workplace, 2) Leading by example, and 3) Reconciling the need to be "data driven" while embracing more holistic practices.
Giving Great Service
Jamie Matczak, Education Consultant, Wisconsin Valley Library Service
Providing great customer service in any business is no longer a "nice to have." It's a MUST have. Given that libraries put their customers first, they have an incredible opportunity to shine when it comes to giving the best service possible at every interaction. In this session, learn tips on assessing and improving your library's commitment to great service, how to deliver it, and steps to take when customer service fails.
Joyce Arellano, Children's Services Manager, Fountaindale Public Library District
All too often, youth services departments find themselves set in a routine, recommending the same go-to titles and offering the same programs. As libraries work to make their services, collections and programs more inclusive, how do managers effectively make the changes to move beyond legacy practices and move their departments forward? Implementing change can be a long and challenging process. Using examples from a Children’s Services Manager’s library and experience, this session will cover the basics for leading through change when you’re a new manager and employees push back and push hard. From implementing new ideas to letting go of outdated processes, we’ll explore ways to show staff how to embrace change, encourage out-of-the-box thinking and gain staff buy-in.
The Right to Inclusion: How Libraries can Extend Privilege's to the Underserved
Georgette Spratling, Youth Services Librarian, North Miami Public Library
While workplace mental health and burnout are topics that library workers frequently discuss in professional development settings, vulnerability rarely garners the same attention. However, in order to meaningfully address the presence and impact of burnout and mental health challenges in the workplace, we have to be vulnerable enough to talk about them - not in abstract terms, but in ways that our specific workplaces create barriers to wellness. This session will focus on three key areas and how to implement them in a library workplace: 1) Why vulnerability can be an asset in the workplace, 2) Leading by example, and 3) Reconciling the need to be "data driven" while embracing more holistic practices.
Giving Great Service
Jamie Matczak, Education Consultant, Wisconsin Valley Library Service
Providing great customer service in any business is no longer a "nice to have." It's a MUST have. Given that libraries put their customers first, they have an incredible opportunity to shine when it comes to giving the best service possible at every interaction. In this session, learn tips on assessing and improving your library's commitment to great service, how to deliver it, and steps to take when customer service fails.
Concurrent Session 2, Thursday 1:00-2:00 PM CST
Leading Staff Through Change to Elevate Youth ServicesJoyce Arellano, Children's Services Manager, Fountaindale Public Library District
All too often, youth services departments find themselves set in a routine, recommending the same go-to titles and offering the same programs. As libraries work to make their services, collections and programs more inclusive, how do managers effectively make the changes to move beyond legacy practices and move their departments forward? Implementing change can be a long and challenging process. Using examples from a Children’s Services Manager’s library and experience, this session will cover the basics for leading through change when you’re a new manager and employees push back and push hard. From implementing new ideas to letting go of outdated processes, we’ll explore ways to show staff how to embrace change, encourage out-of-the-box thinking and gain staff buy-in.
The Right to Inclusion: How Libraries can Extend Privilege's to the Underserved
Georgette Spratling, Youth Services Librarian, North Miami Public Library
In this session, we will explore how libraries can serve underserved communities by extending privileges that aren’t typical to smaller or underfunded Libraries. We will examine the critical role libraries play in providing access to people, places and location, thereby breaking cycles of inequity. Through innovative thinking and partnerships, libraries can provide experiences that will benefit all of our underserved families. Session takeaways:
- Understand the barriers underserved communities face in accessing library resources and how libraries can address these challenges.
- Learn about successful initiatives from progressive libraries worldwide that promote inclusivity and diversity.
- Gain actionable insights to transform your library into an inclusive, empathetic space that empowers underserved individuals and communities.
Programming Lightning Talks, Friday 9:00-9:45 AM
Talk #1 - Empowering 'Terrific Talkers': Connecting Health Literacy, Local Early Childhood Experts and the Public Library Tessa Fox-Pawlaczyk, Early Literacy Librarian, Kenosha Public Library
Hear how one library's success pairing health literacy programs with existing children's library programs on a budget inspired a month-long program series centering on language and speech development in babies and toddlers. "Terrific Talkers" free program series provides book giveaways, early childhood developmental screenings; themed programs with pediatric speech and occupational therapists; classes from a local music school and art educator; and an author visit featuring workshops for parents and caregivers, and Early Childhood Educators who can earn continuing education credit.
Talk #2 - Monster Medical: A Studio NPL Intensive
Mariano Hayes, Program Supervisor - Lead Mentor, Studio NPL
The Monster Medical Camp is an immersive, hands-on experience where students role-play as veterinarians in the Monster Medical Corp, responsible for treating magical creatures. Through an engaging RPG campaign, participants build and embody unique characters, collaborating to solve creative and medical challenges. The camp features various fabrication stations where students use advanced technology, including laser cutting, 3D design, 3D printing, and audio production, alongside sewing, cardboard sculpting, and painting to craft costumes and props. Emphasizing safety, teamwork, and technical skills, the camp nurtures creativity and problem-solving while providing practical experience in both crafting and technology.
Concurrent Session 3, Friday 10:00-11:00 AM CST
Belonging at Work: An Inspiring Environment for Neurodivergent EmployeesKate Thompson, West Des Moines Public Library
Diversity in how employees think makes for a creative and dynamic staff. How can we recruit and train neurodivergent employees to give them a great start? And how can libraries retain and empower all employees? Learn strategies to improve your interview process and onboarding, and tips and tricks for managers and coworkers. You'll leave this session with practical ideas for making your library more welcoming to all employees.
Mastering the Art of Middle Management: Real Talk, Hacks, and Humor from the
Front Lines
Brooke Newberry, Youth Services Manager, La Crosse Public Library & Kendra Jones, Deputy Director, Timberland Regional Library
Join Brooke Newberry for a session packed with practical tips, candid advice, and a dash of humor for anyone navigating the world of middle management. Whether you’re putting out fires, juggling personalities, or just trying to stay afloat, she's got you covered with insights from a seasoned pro who has weathered the chaos and lived to tell the tale.
Concurrent Session 4, Friday 11:30-12:30 PM CST
Crafting Communication: Tools for Effective Youth Services ManagementAshley McHose, Library Manager, Lakeshore Technical College
Managing a Youth Services team is a complex and rewarding puzzle. How do you keep the whole team on the same page across multiple shifts? How do you manage team members with a variety of roles and responsibilities? How can you position yourself to advocate for your team to upper management? At the end of the day, a lot of our struggles as managers come down to inefficiency in our internal communication structures. In this session, we’ll examine common communication issues that Youth Services managers face - from the unique challenges of middle management to coordinating communication across multiple shifts. We’ll explore evidence-based strategies for strengthening communication practices on your team, including recognizing implicit communication rituals, developing shared communication expectations, and creating sustainable, effective internal communication channels. Whether you oversee a single part-time assistant or a large team, the best practices we’ll explore in this session will equip you to better support your direct reports and encourage a more inclusive, collaborative, effective workplace.
Using Critical Literacy to Decolonize your Collections
Nisa Kesseler, Teen Services Librarian, Petoskey District Library & Meredith Kennedy, Executive Director, Miigwech Inc.
In this session, we will delve into the impact of colonization on Indigenous youth, with a specific focus on stereotypes and tropes perpetuated in children’s literature. With this knowledge in mind, we explore how youth librarians can use the principles of critical literacy to decolonize their collections and center children's literature that is inclusive and affirming of our Indigenous patrons. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how to complete a diversity audit, the ability to identify tropes and stereotypes to guard against, and an understanding of when items should be removed from the collection.
Concurrent Session 5, Friday 1:00-2:00 PM CST
Implementing Trauma-Informed Principles in Your LibraryBryce Kozla, Partnerships Librarian, Washington County Cooperative Library Services
A trauma-informed library is a place where the perspectives of people who have experienced trauma are honored, and one that provides positive spaces, services, and work culture. Trauma-Informed Principles can equip libraries to best serve our complex communities. All the decisions we make are opportunities for retraumatization or healing; so we might as well make them deliberately! Explore the six principles of trauma-informed organizations, and how we can implement them in libraries.
Pushing Boundaries Without Pushing Buttons
Kevin Kelly, Associate Director for School Age Programs and Services & Alexandria Abenshon, Director of Children's Services, New York Public Library
In 2023 NYPL organized a large drag queen story hour program across the city that received pushback from local and extra-local organizations. Many of the programs were picketed by a small but militant religious group that protested, and in some cases, turned violent. In this presentation, we will discuss the strategies we implemented as leaders in the NYPL Children’s department, including: ensuring physical security and safety of staff and branches before, during, and after the events, equipping staff with adequate resources and support to navigate the situation (both personnel and institutional support and policy), collaborating with the city council to support, promote, and accomplish the events.
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