After the intensity of the first two weeks, I thought I had become used to the rhythm of the program: learning, visiting, reflecting, discussing, absorbing, and then trying to connect everything to my own professional context. But Week 3 once again showed me how much more there is to discover.
Preservation and Conservation Services
One of the most eye-opening experiences this week was learning more about Preservation and Conservation Services at the University of Illinois Library.
I have always understood, in principle, that preservation is important. But I had not given enough thought to the level of expertise, patience, technical skill, and professional judgement required to preserve different types of materials. From audio and visual materials to print collections, rare items, and fragile documents, preservation is not simply about “keeping things safe.” It is about ensuring long-term access to both the physical and intellectual content of collections.
What impressed me most was the combination of craft, science, and strategy. Preservation work requires careful hands-on treatment of materials, but it also depends on environmental control, digitization workflows, prioritization, risk assessment, and long-term institutional commitment. In other words, it is both practical and deeply strategic.
This visit made me think about my own library and the materials we hold. Even when a library does not have large rare collections, preservation should not be seen as a luxury. It is part of responsible stewardship. Libraries are not only service providers for today; they are also caretakers of knowledge for tomorrow.
Evidence Synthesis and Systematic Reviews
The session on evidence synthesis and systematic reviews was of particular interest to me because I work in the field of medical information and literature, and I am currently involved in two systematic reviews on dementia as part of a research team.
For medical and academic libraries, systematic review support is one of the areas where librarians can demonstrate very clearly their value and expertise. Developing a search strategy, choosing appropriate databases, documenting the process, managing references, screening literature, and ensuring reproducibility are all tasks that require a high level of information literacy and methodological rigour.
That is why Sarah Park’s research on whether AI tools can replace librarians in the systematic search process was especially relevant and thought-provoking for me. AI can undoubtedly assist with parts of the process. It can help generate ideas, suggest search terms, support screening, or summarize large volumes of text. But this session reminded me that the systematic review process is not only technical. It requires judgement, transparency, subject understanding, awareness of database structures, and a careful approach to bias and reproducibility.
For me, the key takeaway was not that librarians should fear AI, but that we need to understand it well enough to use it responsibly. AI may change how we work, but it does not remove the need for professional expertise. On the contrary, it makes that expertise even more important.
This connects strongly to the data-driven part of the program theme. Evidence synthesis is, in essence, a highly structured way of working with data – bibliographic data, research evidence, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and documented decisions, etc. It is also an area where libraries can position themselves as essential research partners rather than only providers of access to resources.
Library Assessment Overview
The Library Assessment Overview session gave us a very practical and encouraging way to think about assessment.
One of the main messages I took from the session was that there are many ways to gather data and many ways to transform that data into meaningful information. Assessment does not always have to be large, complex, or perfect in order to be useful. In fact, one of the most reassuring ideas was that any assessment is good assessment, as long as it helps us understand something better and make more informed decisions.
I also found the “Rule of Five” very memorable. Do we really need every user’s opinion to redesign a library website? Do we need a huge formal survey to decide whether a sign is confusing and should be removed? Sometimes a small number of carefully observed user experiences can be enough to reveal a pattern and guide improvement.
The session reminded us of different methods we can use: surveys, focus groups, interviews, usability testing, counting and recording, and observations. Each method has its place, depending on the question we are trying to answer.
This was a useful reminder for me because, as library managers, we sometimes postpone assessment because we imagine it has to be complicated or statistically perfect. But small, well-designed assessment activities can be extremely powerful. They can help us improve services, understand user behavior, communicate impact, and support strategic decisions.
iSchool Visit
Our visit to the School of Information Sciences – the iSchool at Illinois – was another important moment during the week. It is consistently recognized as one of the leading schools in the field, and its Master of Science in Library and Information Science has held the number one ranking in the United States for nearly three decades.
We learned about the School’s Master’s programmes, PhD programme, and Certificate in Advanced Study. It was inspiring to see such a strong environment for professional education, research, and innovation in library and information science.
For me, this visit was a reminder that professional education is not something that ends when we receive a degree. The field is changing too quickly for that. Librarians need continuous learning not only in traditional areas such as cataloging, collection development, and reference services, but also in data, digital scholarship, AI, research support, user experience, and leadership.
We also learned about the HathiTrust Research Center, which supports research and development for text analysis of massive digital libraries – an initiative that shows how digital collections can become not only resources to be read, but also data to be analysed. At the same time, I learned that HathiTrust will discontinue funding for the HathiTrust Research Center by the end of 2026 as it reallocates resources toward new programs using emerging technologies. This was another reminder that even large and important digital initiatives need to evolve, adapt, and rethink their services over time.
Library Leadership
The leadership session with Dean Claire Stewart, Mary Laskowski, and Tom Teper was especially interesting from a manager’s perspective.
They presented the University Library in figures, but what I appreciated even more was their openness in speaking about both achievements and challenges. It is always impressive to hear about large collections, many service points, complex operations, and ambitious projects. But it is even more valuable to hear senior leaders speak honestly about the decisions, constraints, trade-offs, and organizational realities behind them.
Although the University of Illinois Library operates on a much larger scale than my own library, there are many similarities in some core challenges, e.g. managing change, aligning services with institutional priorities, supporting users, developing staff, balancing space and collections, working with limited resources, and planning for the future.
This session reinforced one of my ongoing reflections during the program: leadership in libraries is not only about vision. It is also about structure, communication, priorities, transparency, and the ability to make thoughtful decisions in complex environments.
Oak Street Library: High-Density Storage and Strategic Space Management
The visit to Oak Street Library was fascinating. Its High Density Storage opened in 2004 and primarily houses items with low circulation history. It now stores more than four million items in climate-controlled conditions designed to support long-term preservation.
The facility maintains a carefully controlled environment of 50°F and 30% humidity. Materials are sorted by size rather than by subject or call number, which allows the library to use space much more efficiently. Items are tracked through a special inventory system and retrieved by trained staff using industrial lifts to access the forty-foot-high shelving.
In some ways, it reminded me of the Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago, which we visited during Week 2, although Oak Street does not use the same level of automation. Still, the scale, standards, and logic behind the facility were fascinating.
What I found most important was the strategic purpose behind the storage model. Moving low-circulation materials to Oak Street allows the University Library to free up more space in campus libraries for users – for study, collaboration, services, and learning. At the same time, the materials are not “removed” from the collection in any meaningful sense. They remain discoverable through the online catalog and are available upon request.
This is a powerful example of strategy-driven library work. Space is one of the most valuable resources in any library, and decisions about collections, storage, preservation, and user space must be made together. Oak Street shows how a library can preserve access to collections while also responding to users’ changing needs.
Springfield: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Our visit to Springfield and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was both educational and moving. The museum is beautifully designed and offers a powerful introduction to Abraham Lincoln’s life, leadership, and historical context.
The library holds extensive collections related to Abraham Lincoln, his family, his contemporaries, and his legacy, as well as materials connected to the history of Illinois. I especially appreciated learning about the Lincoln Legal Papers and the broader documentary work connected to Lincoln’s life and career. For someone who did not grow up learning American history in the same way as people in the United States, this visit helped me understand not only more about Lincoln as a historical figure, but also how libraries and museums preserve, interpret, and present national memory.
This visit also connected, in my mind, to preservation and access. Historical documents do not speak for themselves unless institutions preserve them, describe them, digitize them, contextualize them, and make them available for research, education, and public understanding.
Illinois State Library
The Illinois State Library was another very impressive visit. It supports the development and improvement of library services across the state, serves as the main reference and research library for state government, and works to ensure that Illinois residents have access to library services.
The building itself is beautiful and clearly designed with a strong sense of permanence. The marble floors, fire-proof windows, and extensive shelving all gave the impression of a building intended to last for generations.
I was particularly interested in the State Library’s role beyond its own collections. It supports libraries across Illinois through programs, services, and grants, and it maintains a collection of more than five million items, with strengths in government and public policy. It also has an extensive map collection.
Another remarkable service is the Talking Book and Braille Service, which provides audio and braille library services by mail or digital download to Illinois residents who are unable to read standard print because of a temporary or permanent visual or physical disability.
For me, this visit demonstrated the importance of state-level library infrastructure. Local libraries are essential, but they do not operate alone. Behind many visible public services are statewide systems, funding mechanisms, standards, collections, and programs that support access and equity at a much broader level.
Strengthening Innovative Library Leaders
Another important part of the week was the leadership training based on Strengthening Innovative Library Leaders, or SILL. SILL is a two-day foundational leadership training curriculum for librarians, developed by the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs in partnership with librarians around the world.
We focused on Module 1, Leadership Styles, and Module 4, Leaders as Communicators. The session on leadership styles helped us reflect on the styles that feel most natural to us and consider how different styles may be more or less effective depending on the situation. This was a useful reminder that leadership is not a fixed personality trait. It is a set of behaviors, choices, and responses that can be adapted.
The communication module was equally valuable. Understanding my own communication style and recognizing that others may communicate, listen, process information, and respond differently is essential for effective teamwork. As library leaders, we often focus on what needs to be done, but how we communicate can determine whether people feel included, motivated, confused, or resistant.
This part of the program connected very strongly to my own professional goals. I manage a library team, and I am constantly reminded that strategy is only as successful as the people who understand it, believe in it, and help implement it. Leadership and communication are not “soft” additions to strategy. They are what make strategy possible.
Urbana Free Library
Our visit to The Urbana Free Library was a lovely way to close another week of learning. Founded in 1874, the Library has been serving the Urbana community for 150 years and is one of the oldest public libraries in Illinois. The word “Free” in its name comes from the time when subscription libraries were common, and the city wanted to make clear that the library was free and open to the public. This history is beautiful because it expresses a principle that still feels very current: the library belongs to everyone.
The library provides a wide collection of materials, technology, programs, and services to the Urbana community. But what particularly captured my attention was the Teen Open Lab. It began with a simple but powerful idea: build library services for teens based on what teens themselves say they need and want. It is a teen-directed space that promotes creativity, peer instruction, community-building and access to creation technologies. The space is flexible, collaborative, and teen-guided. Teens are encouraged to take ownership, share ideas, teach and learn from one another, and even teach volunteers and library staff. This is a wonderful example of a truly user-driven service.
For me, this visit reinforced an idea that has appeared many times throughout the program: users should not only be recipients of library services. They can be co-creators. When libraries trust their users, listen to them, and give them meaningful space to participate, the result is often more creative, more relevant, and more sustainable.
Looking Back at Week 3
Looking back, Week 3 was another rich and inspiring part of the Mortenson experience. It brought together many different dimensions of library work: preservation, evidence synthesis, assessment, professional education, leadership, storage, history, state-level services, and public library innovation.
At first glance, these topics may seem very different. But for me, the connection between them became clearer as the week progressed. All of them are about impact:
- Preservation creates impact by protecting access over time.
- Evidence synthesis creates impact by supporting better research and better decisions.
- Assessment creates impact by helping us understand what works and what needs to change.
- Leadership creates impact by aligning people, priorities, and action.
- State libraries create impact by supporting systems beyond a single institution.
- Public libraries create impact by responding directly to community needs.
- User-driven spaces like the Teen Open Lab create impact by giving people not only access, but also agency.
This week reminded me that libraries are complex, living systems. They preserve the past, serve the present, and prepare for the future. To be truly poised for impact, they need data, strategy, skilled professionals, strong leadership, and above all, a deep commitment to the people they serve.
As the program moves toward its final days, I feel both grateful and slightly overwhelmed by the number of ideas I want to take home with me. But that, I think, is a good sign. It means that the learning journey is still very much alive.