2025 ALAO Executive Board Retreat

First, I would like to thank Sara Klink for her leadership as ALAO President during a particularly challenging year for academic libraries.  She provided invaluable leadership during the transition to a new conference venue, oversaw the celebrations for ALAO’s 50^th Anniversary, and took the initiative to have meaningful conversations with stakeholders regarding our strategic plan.  Additionally, Sara and I established a new tradition of biweekly meetings between the President and Vice President to strengthen communication and guide decision-making. I have already continued this practice with our new Vice President/President-Elect, Cara Calabrese.

On July 18, 2025, the ALAO Board held its annual retreat. In the morning, we discussed the need to update ALAO’s Strategic Plan.  Earlier in 2025, Sara Klink had engaged in valuable conversations with many of our IGs and Committees about how we should approach this work, especially given the current political pressures.  Drawing from these conversations, Sara and I drafted new broad Focus Areas for the updated plan.  The ALAO Board will continue refining this work, with the goal of finalizing a new strategic plan later this fall.

In the afternoon, the Board reflected on our accomplishments under the 2019–2024 Strategic Plan, celebrating successes while identifying areas for continued growth.  We then used these growth opportunities as a lens to create individual goals tied to our specific Board positions for the year ahead.  I hope this focused approach will guide our efforts and strengthen the organization as we move forward.

If you have interest in volunteering in our organization, please let me know.  For me, ALAO has been a bedrock of support over the many years that I have been involved.  Getting to meet colleagues from across the state, sharing ideas, and creating space for each other are only some of the benefits.  

Annual Conference Update

Speaking of creating community, please join us for the ALAO Annual Conference taking place November 6 & 7, 2025 at the OCLC Convention Center in Dublin, Ohio. Registration is now live. Note that early bird rates will end on September 19, 2025. (Presenters will be sent out a separate link for registration.) 

Social Event at Gateway Brewing: Get dinner with friends from any of the many great restaurants in the Bridge Park Area of Columbus and then join us at Gateway Brewing from 6-9pm to catch up with old friends and make new ones. 

Keynote Speaker Ione T. Damasco (they/them), Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Organizational Development at the University of Dayton Libraries. The title of their keynote is, Dialogue, Encounter, Imagination: Practicing Critical Hope in Times of Challenge. There will be an additional discussion session with Ione scheduled immediately after.  

Pre-Conference Workshop This year’s Pre-Conference workshop will be facilitated by Hanna Schmillen (she/her), Assistant Dean for Research and Education Services at Ohio University Libraries. Join us for Launchpad to Systematic Reviews: Evidence Synthesis Crash Course for Your Library, a hands-on workshop designed to equip academic librarians with the foundational knowledge and practical skills to support and lead evidence synthesis projects at your libraries, at your pace. 

Conference Grant Opportunities 

ALAO is committed to supporting professional development and encouraging participation in its annual conference.  2025 Conference grant program opportunities include:

• New Member & First Time Attendee Grants have been made possible by our keynote speaker, Ione Damasco, covering registration costs for up to 10 library workers who have joined ALAO within the past 12 months or will be attending the ALAO Conference for the first time.
• Two award opportunities for our Student Conference Grant

Please email the Conference Planning Committee at program@alaoweb.org with any questions you may have.