Director’s Desk: 2025 Ohio Library Conference Season
This year’s conference season was action packed! During a three-week span in November, OhioNet staff had the opportunity to connect with over 1,300 members of the Ohio library community at annual conferences for the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO), Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA), and Ohio Library Council (OLC).
ALAO Annual Conference
First up was the Academic Library Association of Ohio’s Annual Conference. As a former ALAO board member, it’s always exciting to reconnect with my academic library colleagues. I am still completely humbled to have been honored with the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award…and I’m still as speechless! It was a particular honor to share the moment with Past-President Sara Klink and President Paul Campbell. Many thanks again to all of my ALAO colleagues for the many years of camaraderie, collaboration, and kindness!
OELMA Conference
Next up was the Ohio Educational Library Media Association’s 2025 Conference where I was thrilled to introduce keynote speaker Sharee Miller and connect with Ohio’s school librarians. I also got to catch up with State Librarian Mandy Knapp and INFOhio Director Erica Clay. In fact, Erica and I kicked off the Saturday session with a presentation to highlight the treasure trove of benefits our organizations collectively offer.
OLC Convention and Expo
The final stop on the Ohio library tour was the Ohio Library Council’s Annual Conference and Expo. This was my first time attending the OLC Convention and Expo, and this year was extra special as OLC celebrated their 130th Anniversary. Over three days, OhioNet staff connected with over 900 conference attendees sharing information at our booth, attending conference sessions, and having some fun at the evening receptions.
As I reflect on my time at these wonderful events, and on my first year of service at OhioNet, I return to how lucky we are to have such a strong library community in Ohio. Our annual conferences are such a celebration of the amazing work and supportive network we have. I can’t wait for us all to get together again next year and at all the events in between. And don’t worry — we’ll restock the glittery stickers!
– Katy B. Mathuews, Executive Director & CEO
