As we approach the holiday season I hope we all get a little time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to future endeavors. Wishing everyone the best in the new year!

ALAO 2024 Conference Recap

The 50th Annual ALAO Conference, Ohio Academic Libraries: Past, Present, & Future was held on November 7th and November 8th at a new conference venue, the OCLC Conference Center. I would like to thank the well equipped team at OCLC. They were very hands on with the Conference Planning Committee and such a pleasure to work with. Of course, as with any new venue we learned a few things that will need to be reworked for next year but we are thankful to have a venue secured that will allow ALAO to continue offering the professional development and networking necessary for our profession.

Programming this year included both online and in-person events that allowed for expanded attendance and participation among the membership.  The in-Person conference brought in 220 registered attendees and 24 registered online attendees. The  pre conference brought in 53 registered attendees and our Thursday night celebration of the 50th conference had about 50 attendees throughout the evening.

Conference feedback is currently being looked over by the planning committee in preparation for next year. One area of focus on the conference evaluation was looking at how attendees feel about the modality of conference events.

“I appreciate having the in-person conference as a way to really connect with other librarians from around the state.”

“The professional connections and discussions that spring up in an in-person event are what I really go to conferences for.” 

“I always feel like I need a break to get away from the office and chat with colleagues from all over the state about what they are doing, or just to catch up.” 

“I think offering an online option is so valuable in our current climate. It creates equity for attendees who are unable to attend in person”

“In-person really allows me to focus. Online conferences – I’m too easily distracted by emails or other things.” 

“I never find networking as effective in online conferences and meeting with colleagues outside of the sessions is very useful.”

“With so many meetings and workshops online now, the in-person ALAO conference is one of the few remaining opportunities to network with colleagues. It’s too easy to be distracted or pulled away when trying to attend an online conference and there’s no personal connections.”

“I prefer in-person in general, however my institution is losing the ability to support us financially, so having a cheaper online option will likely be important going forward.”

“One of the most valuable parts of attending and speaking at a Conference is the opportunity to get out of the office and network with colleagues in the field.”

The Thursday pre conference workshop What You Need to Know About AI Right Now: Practical Guidance for Academic Librarians, presented by Michael Flierl and our AI panel discussion was attended by librarians and library staff that came to the event with a lot of questions and willingness to dive deep into the world of AI. I think most of us that attended left with a much stronger understanding and even some new practical strategies to bring back to our home libraries and research centers. We were very thankful to OHSLA, Ohio Health Science Library Association for sponsoring our pre-conference event.  

Thank you to Dr. Michelle Collins-Sibley for kicking off our conference day with a passionate keynote address.  And a huge thank you to all of our presenters! Whether you presented a hybrid session, a poster session, a lightning talk or a traditional presentation, we thank you. This conference is successful because of the wonderful presentations that build our schedule. Please continue to support ALAO’s annual conference by sharing your submissions with us! 

I would also like to share that the OCLC Conference Center rate allowed us to keep conference registration rates to the same rate as last year.  Thanks to your participation and that of our presenters, hosts, volunteers, and planning committee members, we were also able to keep presenter registration discounts, and expanded grant opportunities.  Thank you for your membership support!

Stay tuned for postings on the ALAO website for conference photos.

Congratulations, Grant & Award Winners!

One of our favorite activities at the ALAO Conference is highlighting the remarkable work and achievements of Ohio academic library colleagues!  This year’s ceremony at the Conference luncheon was filled with many heartwarming moments as awardees were announced and celebrated by the ALAO community.  Check out our Past President, Mark Eddy’s, newsletter entry for details about this year’s awardees!

ALAO Executive Board Meetings Report

The Board held meetings this past September and October and our annual business meeting in November. Board members will use time this winter to work on the ALAO strategic plan.