Call for Proposals: Ohio Library Employees Institute
OhioNet invites presentation proposals for the upcoming Ohio Library Employees Institute (OLEI) on August 11-12, 2026. This two-day event, hosted in-person at OhioNet in Westerville, is a reimagination of the Ohio Library Support Staff Institute (OLSSI). OLEI will honor OLSSI’s original mission of creating a space for library employees to experience professional growth, social networking, and community building.
We are looking for individual presentations that highlight the following, or similar, topics –
- Promoting healthy workplace culture (workplace communication skills, engagement, retention)
- Working with patrons (reference skills, de-escalating situations, addressing hot topics, and more)
- ILS management (this could include public or academic systems, skill building, ILS functionality, and more)
- Basic preservation (general collection/item repair, skills for non-specialized staff)
Proposal Guidelines –
- Title of Presentation: A concise and engaging title.
- Abstract: Up to 250 words summarizing the content of your presentation and its relevance to the summit.
- Presenter(s): Name, title, and affiliation of proposed speaker(s).
- Format(s) of presentation you would be willing to accept as a speaker:
- Panel session participant
- Lightning round presentation
- Standalone presentation
- Roundtable discussion participant/facilitator
- Technical Requirements: Any special equipment, set-up, or accessibility needs that we should consider.
Submission Deadline: May 25, 2026
Submission Instructions: Please submit your proposal using this form. Selected speakers will be notified by June 5, 2026. Meals and complimentary registration will be provided to all speakers during the summit.
Please Note: If there is more than one speaker per proposal, OhioNet can only provide complimentary registration for one of the speakers. Transportation will not be provided.
Questions? Please email us at [email protected].
