Last week was all about getting to know ourselves, and this one opened the door to focusing on others and their needs.

Monday was a super creative day at the Sibel Center for Design (SCD). Ava Wolf and Robert Baird led us into the world of Design, with the help of Dawn Bohn, through hands-on activities that really made us reflect. Human-centered design is the key to approaching everything, from projects and policies to team dynamics and beyond. They gave me a new perspective, and I’m seriously thinking about applying to my own library.

Dinner with Barbara Ford and Amani Ayad was truly inspiring. We talked about the value of associations and how essential it is to be part of one, at least locally. There’s real power in being together, supporting the profession, and learning from each other. Mentorship is such a gift. Even if we’re not natural at building relationships, networking is key. It opens so many doors.

On Tuesday, Professor Hahn introduced us to Cataloging, Metadata, and Classification. The volume and diversity of records make it a whole different world compared to my institution. What really caught my attention was the AI trials they’re running to enhance cataloging. Very exciting.

We dove into the core of our profession at the School of Information Sciences, where several faculty members gave us an overview of their work. What struck me most was how the university is training LIS educators to lead school libraries, since there’s a growing shortage of school librarians in the state.

Tom Teper and Mary Laskowski, Associate Deans, gave a leadership session. Turns out libraries everywhere share the same struggles, big universities like Illinois, or smaller ones like mine. Space issues, constant changes, accessibility challenges in old buildings, motivating staff, the push from vendors… we’re all in this together.

One point Mary raised stuck with me: the rise of e-textbooks, which are now replacing print due to cost and functionality. But what happens when the print market is gone? Prices will likely soar. Next, we visited the Oak Street Library, and wow — some of us were mind-blown… and freezing! Jenny Madox showed us their huge collection in many languages, and we got to see how their high-bay storage system works. Pretty impressive.

One major university project is book digitization in collaboration with Google Books. Digital copies go to HathiTrust for preservation and access, a brilliant move.

We also visited the Conservation Lab there. Quinn Ferris was the perfect host, explaining all the fascinating work they do.

That evening, I had a totally American dinner with my Library Buddy, Lisa Hinchliffe. It was such a lovely night! Smoked meats and a variety of yummy potatoes at Black Dog, followed by my first custard ever at Darling’s. Thank you, Lisa!

The next day, we had time to reflect and share what our libraries are doing in terms of SDGs. My library’s been working on this for a few years now, but hearing others’ experiences is what makes this program so valuable to me.

After lunch, we had an interesting session on Open Access & Publishing at UIUC. Dan Tracy explained their policies, APC challenges, and how they negotiate with publishers. They’ve got multiple repositories: IOPN, IDEALS, and Illinois Data Bank, each serving a different purpose.

We were also joined by Sarah Benson, copyright specialist, who talked about Creative Commons licenses, and Ayla Stein Kenfield, repository coordinator.

Huge thanks to the wonderful women from Altrusa who welcomed us for a Thanksgiving dinner. They shared what this holiday means in their culture and all the amazing community work they do.

My first time in Chicago was a mental shock, in the best way. Coming from wide open spaces and low buildings in Urbana-Champaign to a city full of skyscrapers where you can barely see the sky… wow.

The MacArthur Foundation gave us a warm welcome. We met two very different kinds of librarians than we’d seen so far. Liz Avilés impressed us all with her adaptability — what a lesson! And Liz Quinlan showed us how the Foundation, with limited resources, still manages to serve its users. The key takeaway: be part of the support chain.

We were all blown away by the visit to the Harold Washington Library Center. Every space was amazing. These institutions are so committed to their communities. YouMedia and the Children’s Library are tailored perfectly to teens and kids. It was also the first time we really got to talk about current book censorship in the U.S.

After hearing so much about ALA, we finally visited their main offices in Chicago on Friday. Michael Dowling opened our eyes to the challenges they’re facing. Tough times for librarians! Organizing the annual conference sounds like an enormous task, so many people, so many materials!

At the University of Chicago, we visited the library dome — students were everywhere, studying under the huge skylight. The space is mostly underground to control humidity and temperature, a smart solution for the lack of outdoor space.

Yao Chen, Cecelia Smith, and David Woken shared their work and current challenges. A new role that came up: the AI Librarian. We had a great discussion about how different institutions are approaching this.

Now, I’ve got two full days in Chicago ahead of me to explore on my own, and my colleagues are here too, so time to make the most of it!