Strengthening Innovative Library Leaders (SILL): empowering library staff around the globe

Prof Chu and Dr. Nzomo offered a powerful culmination of insights and inspiration, solidifying the program’s core theme: “Libraries Unbound: Open, Inclusive and Engaged”. This final week celebrated the vision, commitment, and transformative potential of libraries, emphasizing how they can transcend traditional boundaries to become active, engaged, and accessible community hubs worldwide.

A cornerstone of the Mortenson Center’s global leadership development efforts is the Strengthening Innovative Library Leaders (SILL) program. SILL is a free, interactive leadership training curriculum designed for library staff at all levels, created with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It addresses a global need for high-quality, practical training materials that foster innovation and leadership within libraries, enabling professionals to lead effectively in today’s rapidly evolving information landscape. The program encourages librarians to think beyond the traditional and become active change agents in their communities.

Safeguarding the digital future: digital project management and preservation at the University of Illinois

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Library itself serves as a living laboratory for many of these “unbound” principles. Its commitment to safeguarding the digital future is evident through robust digital project management and preservation initiatives, spearheaded by Professor Chris Prom. UIUC is at the forefront of managing complex digital projects, ensuring the integrity and accessibility of digital scholarship. This includes developing scalable digital workflows, managing cross-institutional collaborations, securing external funding for initiatives, and promoting best practices for born-digital content. A cornerstone of its preservation infrastructure is Medusa, an in-house developed, robust, trusted digital repository that securely manages and stores diverse digital content, from digitized photographs to research datasets. Medusa supports automated workflows, metadata validation, file integrity checks, and controlled access, ensuring content remains usable and trustworthy over decades. UIUC’s digital preservation strategy also embraces open standards and tools, policy development, and continuous training and advocacy, aligning technology with archival principles. For other libraries, UIUC’s approach underscores the importance of planning for the entire lifecycle of digital content, fostering cross-department collaboration, prioritizing open access, and continually evolving preservation strategies.

Beyond digital, the UIUC Library’s Preservation Services Program actively protects its extensive collections through a thoughtful mix of traditional conservation and modern strategies.

This encompasses strategic planning, reformatting outdated media, and emergency preparedness. A highlight is the Media Preservation Labs, where experts work to rescue content trapped in obsolete formats like reel-to-reel tapes and film reels, tackling a massive long-term undertaking of over 500,000 audio-visual items. Key takeaways for libraries from this work include the importance of strategic, proactive preservation, environmental monitoring, prioritizing digitization efforts, robust disaster planning, and recognizing the need for specialized media preservation skills.

Accessibility by Design: Building Inclusive Digital Experiences for All

A critical element of an “unbound library” is accessibility by design, ensuring inclusive digital experiences for all users. UIUC’s approach emphasizes designing for everyone, regardless of ability, to remove barriers to information. Legal requirements like the ADA and international standards such as WCAG (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) drive this imperative, despite ongoing challenges in achieving full compliance across the digital landscape. Strategically, UIUC advocates making accessibility “approachable,” creating authority through action groups, integrating user experience (UX) techniques, and fostering partnership with IT and stakeholders. The goal is to move beyond mere technical compliance to truly usable and inclusive experiences, with the UIUC Library’s Digital Accessibility Roadmap serving as a case study. Everyone can contribute to accessibility, from simple keyboard navigation checks to pursuing certifications, using tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker or WAVE browser extensions.

Navigating the AI Frontier: How UIUC Library is Embracing Generative AI

Furthermore, the UIUC Library is navigating the AI frontier by strategically embedding generative AI into core library services.

Through its dedicated AI Task Force, the library focuses on ethical AI values, product evaluation, enhanced data access, and developing AI literacy across campus. AI is being applied in reference services, research support (summarization, idea generation), and scholarly publishing, balancing efficiency with human-centered values. The library aims to be a leader in digital citizenship, ensuring AI adoption supports inclusion, transparency, and equity.

Visit to the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center & IDEA Lab

As part of the Mortenson Center Associate Program, our visit to the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showcased how academic libraries can lead in technological innovation and experiential learning.

The program also highlighted UIUC’s innovative learning spaces, like the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center and IDEA Lab.

Grainger, bridges traditional functions with emerging technologies, particularly through its IDEA Lab. This interdisciplinary space offers VR/AR equipment, 3D printers, and data visualization stations, fostering hands-on, experimental learning and inclusive access to advanced technology.

Campus Instructional Facility (CIF): a model for sustainable, tech-enabled, and student-centered learning

The CIF represents a forward-thinking approach to higher education infrastructure, featuring flexible classrooms, a 500-seat auditorium, and high-tech IFLEX rooms for interactive, student-centered learning. It also sets a new standard for sustainable campus design, achieving LEED Platinum status and aligning with UIUC’s net-zero energy goals, serving as a living lab for sustainability education. These facilities exemplify how libraries and learning spaces can merge services with emerging technologies, create innovation labs, and position themselves as hubs for creativity and academic support.

Inclusive Education in Action: a visit to the University of Illinois’ DRES Center

The visit to the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) unit showcased UIUC as a trailblazer in supporting students with disabilities. DRES, founded in 1948, is an interdisciplinary hub blending accessibility, academic services, cutting-edge technology, and a deep commitment to student success. It works collaboratively with the University Library to make content accessible, using advanced technologies like OCR machines, Braille embossers, 3D printers, and AI tools. DRES also has a dedicated copyright clearance expert to ensure legally compliant content adaptation. Key takeaways for libraries from DRES include recognizing that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, the essential nature of collaboration with disability services, critical copyright awareness, investment in assistive technology, and supporting faculty and students in content transformation. Ultimately, DRES reminded associates that accessibility is a philosophy, a path to equity, not an add-on, with libraries uniquely positioned to ensure knowledge is available to everyone.

Week 4 highlights: action plans, impact, and the power of libraries unbound

The program culminated in Mortenson Associates presenting their Action Plans and Showcase Presentations, tailored to their home institutions.

These plans reflected a strong alignment with the “Libraries Unbound” theme, demonstrating how libraries can lead with purpose and innovation by focusing on research data management, inclusive programming, or rethinking public spaces. Week 4 didn’t just mark an end, but celebrated a beginning, a declaration of intent for libraries, when “unbound,” to be transformative forces: open to all, inclusive by design, and deeply engaged with the world. The Mortenson Center’s dedication to empowering global library leaders creates a transformative space for growth, collaboration, and action, truly embodying the spirit of “Libraries Unbound”.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the Mortenson Center for International Library  Team for their vision, leadership, and unwavering support throughout the 2025 Associates Program: Libraries Unbound: Open, Inclusive and Engaged. Your dedication to empowering global library leaders has created a transformative space for growth, collaboration, and action. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of this inspiring journey.