CONFERENCE PREVIEW NEWSLETTER

By Jenn Seebauer

Advocacy as a school librarian is a 24/7 job—it takes persistence and consistency to share the value you bring to your school community. Want support in amplifying that message? Invite your administrator to the OELMA Read.Learn.Evolve. Conference! Your Ohio colleagues will help reinforce what you’ve been saying all along.

The best news? Administrators attend for FREE—and with Saturday programming, they won’t even have to miss a day of school!

When inviting your administrators, consider highlighting:

• A keynote speaker you’re most excited about and how their message will benefit students and staff.

• A session that aligns with your PGP, BIP, or a priority you’ve discussed with your administrator.

• Your own presentation—or one from a nearby colleague.

Here’s what I shared with my administrators:

Here is the tentative schedule for the "Read.Learn.Evolve." OELMA Conference on November 14 & 15: conference schedule

I will be presenting on:

-Friday during the Annual Meeting

-Saturday a.m., Answering your questions about Political Advocacy and Saturday after lunch, ILead: Hear from the Source Sleuths Team

In addition our keynotes are amazing!

Sharee Miller

Ellen Hopkins

Amanda Jones

All administrators get to attend for FREE! I hope I will see you there, one or both days. Register at https://www.oelma.org/event-6063908

I can’t wait to see you—and your administrators—at conference!

When Amanda Jones talks about librarianship, you can’t help but feel her passion. The award-winning librarian and author of That Librarian has spent her career advocating for students, communities, and the power of libraries—and this November, she’ll bring that passion to the OELMA Conference stage as one of our keynote speakers.

In August, OELMA Advocacy Committee members Angela Wojtecki and Angie Jameson had the chance to sit down with Amanda for an exclusive virtual interview. With the help of Jenn Seebauer behind the scenes, the conversation turned into a heartfelt exchange about resilience, advocacy, and the librarian’s role as a champion for intellectual freedom.

“We were honestly a little starstruck,” Angela admits with a laugh. “Amanda’s story is one that stays with you.”

During the interview, Amanda opens up about the challenges she’s faced and how those experiences fuel her drive to empower others. Her message is bold, inspiring, and a reminder of the difference librarians can make when they step into advocacy with courage and heart.

The entire interview recording will be emailed out to our OELMA members’ only listserv soon. Be on the lookout for that! We hope you enjoy it!

Don’t miss your chance to hear Amanda live on Saturday, November 15th, as she takes the keynote stage. Join colleagues from across Ohio for what promises to be an unforgettable experience.

👉 Register for our OELMA conference today: https://www.oelma.org/event-6063908
Reminder: Early Bird registration ends October 20th.

by Melissa Wolf, Director of Communications

Get ready for a dynamic and interactive experience at our upcoming conference! This year, we're shaking things up with an unconference format for one session, designed to put your ideas and expertise at the forefront.

What's an unconference, you ask? Think of it as a participant-driven meeting where the agenda is created by you, on the spot! Instead of a pre-set schedule of speakers, we'll be hosting engaging discussion sessions on topics that are most relevant and interesting to our library community. This is your chance to share your successes, brainstorm solutions to challenges, and learn from your colleagues in a collaborative and informal environment. Whether you have a burning question, an innovative project to share, or just want to connect with others who are passionate about libraries, the unconference is the perfect platform.

We believe that some of the best professional development comes from peer-to-peer learning, and we're excited to see the vibrant conversations that emerge.

But the conversation doesn't stop there! We're also launching a "Blue Sky Chat" on social media, and we want you to be a part of it. Make sure to follow OELMA on "Blue Sky" to join in on the discussion. It's a fantastic way to continue sharing ideas, asking questions, and connecting with fellow librarians even if you are not able to attend in person. We'll be posing thought-provoking questions and encouraging you to share your "blue sky" visions for the future of libraries.

We can't wait to see you there and hear your valuable contributions! Get ready to engage, learn, and shape the future of our library community.

by Liz Deskins

by Amanda Viau, Director of Continuing Education and Conference

Our 2025 conference Read. Learn. Evolve. is right around the corner! We hope you’re registering soon! Remember, early bird ends October 15. Save some money and join OELMA at the same time!

The conference schedule is now posted online! Friday will run from 8am-4pm and chock full of exciting sessions and our keynote Sharee Miller! We are currently in the works to show The Librarians at 4:30pm on Friday with movie theater snacks provided. The food should be great again! Saturday will run from 8am-4:15pm and feature both Ellen Hopkins and Amanda Jones! We are so excited for our three keynotes! The author showcase will be on Friday.

New this year: we’re having an unconference time! There will be four rooms with facilitators to discuss issues that have been popular on the listserv, including AI, HB8, SB29, and more! Facilitators will be in each room with some guiding questions, but this is really our time to use our collective brain power! Listen to your colleagues’ experiences, share your own knowledge, and leave more informed and with more connections!

Lunch will be provided each day again, as well as snack breaks. We will do our best to