The “Transforming Libraries: New Roles & Impact” Mortenson Center Associates program kicked off with an exciting schedule designed to empower and inspire with innovative skills and knowledge to enhance their roles in library services. I arrived with full of expectations and ready to explore and excited to share my experience as part of the 2024 Mortenson Associates, a diverse group of library leaders and innovators from 11 countries: Azerbaijan, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of South Korea, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sunday, June 2: Welcome Dinner
A warm welcome dinner hosted by Barbara Ford, the past ALA President and Mortenson center Director set a positive tone for the week, providing an opportunity for networking and introductions to all other associates.

Monday, June 3: Orientation and Introduction
Associates had a formal welcome by Clara Chu, Peggy Nzomo and Vuyo Jamieson to the program. Key sessions included introductions, program overview, and paperwork collection.
The day’s highlight was a theme discussion on “Transforming Libraries: New Roles & Impact” led by Clara M. Chu and Peggy Nzomo. The day concluded with a campus tour and various assessments, including DiSC and ART exercises.
Tuesday, June 4: DiSC Workplace and Asahi
The focus was on the Everything DiSC® Workplace assessment facilitated by Shirley Stelbrink. The day ended with a relaxing Asahi session to unwind and promote well-being.
Wednesday, June 5: Leadership and AI Literacy
Associates delved into transformative leadership and change management sessions with Shirley Stelbrink. AI literacy and its implications for libraries were explored by Celenia Graves and David Ward.
The associates did a Tourof the Oak Street Library and the Conservation Lab provided practical insights into information conservations issues.
Thursday, June 6: Data Management and Effective Networking
Laila Hussein discussed data management with AI tools, followed by a tour of the Grainger Engineering Library and IDEA Lab. The library IDEA lab provided us with insights on the role of technology in shaping modern library services, applications of AI in library operations and meeting the users needs.
During the lunch break, Barbra and Amani shared effective presentation and networking tips. The highlights was to have an objective with while networking so all the networks can be build on agenda’s rather than just knowing each other. The day concluded with a tour of the Urbana Free Public Library. At Urbana Free library, we were given a tour of the children’s makers spaces where programs are user centered.
Friday, June 7: Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship
Dr. Kristen Mattson led an in-depth session on media literacy and digital citizenship. This session provided me with insights on how to approach media literacy. Rather than informing the dangers of technologies on children, we need to provide online safety tips to the children we serve.
Technical services, cataloging, acquisitions, and e-resource management were covered by MJ Han and Wendy Shelbourne. Issues that we discussed include the role of AI in technical library services, modern best practices in metadata processing and classification.
The day ended by Guangchun Zhang, a PhD student at the ischool discussed the digital divide and digital literacy to round out the day.
This transformative week equipped me with new perspectives and practical skills, laying the foundation for impactful changes in our libraries. The weeks tours provided enriching experience with new perspectives and skills, setting the stage for impactful changes in the school libraries project that I work with.
Week 1 Visual Summary

