Session Title: Fair Use For Library Educators

Session Description: Fair use is a powerful tool, but many librarians and educators are unaware of how to use it. In this welcome address, Sara Benson will highlight some examples of how fair use operates to enhance K-12 learning both in the library and throughout the school.

Biography: Sara R. Benson is the copyright librarian and an assistant professor at the Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a JD from the University of Houston Law Center, an LLM from Boalt Hall School of Law at Berkeley, and an MSLIS from the School of Information Science at the University of Illinois. She also holds appointments with the School of Information Sciences, the European Union Center, and the Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois.

Prior to joining the library, Sara was a lecturer at the University of Illinois College of Law for ten years. Sara is the author of two books, “Copyright Conversations” published by the ACRL and “Compact Copyright” published by ALA Editions. Sara is the host of the Podcast ©hat (“Copyright Chat”) available on iTunes.

Session Title: Better Together: Supporting Intellectual Freedom is a Team Effort (Updated)

Session Description: Where and how building an information-sharing ecosystem supports intellectual freedom. This keynote will take a brief look at the loss of news and how this has contributed to the rise of mis-, dis-, and mal- information, as well as hindered the reality of book bans over the last three years. It will then talk about collaborative partnerships that help raise the profile of book ban stories, empower parent groups to support their libraries and schools, and where and how librarians can tap into the power of all these resources in their work.

Biography: Kelly Jensen is an Editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for nearly ten years. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults. She was named a person of the year in 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the year in 2022 by the Chicago Tribune for her anti-censorship work. Prior to her work at Book Riot, she was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. 

Session Title: Clear, Consistent, Inclusive, and Transparent

Session Description: School librarians facilitate learning. They build on the interests of students in inquiry based learning. They fill the largest classroom in the school with tools rallied around a curriculum of information literacy and problem solving. In order to do this, school librarians must forge strong partnerships with not only teachers and administration, but parents, and increasingly, community organizations. In a time of increasing challenges to the expertise of librarians, to the materials collected, and the role of the community in the process, school librarians must have strong community development skills. Lankes will talk about building trust, standing ground, and advocating for better partnerships. 

Biography: R. David Lankes is the Virginia & Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information. He is the recipient of ALA’s Reference and User Services Association 2021 Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award for distinguished contribution to reference librarianship. His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship won the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature. Lankes is a passionate advocate for librarians and their essential role in today’s society.

Twitter @rdlankes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rdlankes 

Session Title: On Disasters, Stories, and Nachos

Session Description: A meditation on how disasters and stories can help us see humanity in each other.

Biography: Born and raised in Mexico City, Adi Alsaid is the author of several young adult novels including Let's Get Lost, We Didn't Ask For This, North of Happy, a Kirkus Best Book nominee, and Before Takeoff, which was an Amazon Editor's pick. He's also the author of the middle grade novel, The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife, son, and two cats, where he occasionally spills hot sauce on things (and cats, though at the time of his writing, not yet his son). 

Twitter: @adialsaid

Instagram: @uhhdee

Session Title: Secretary of State

Session Description: We are honored to have the Illinois Secretary of State visit us for lunch. As our State Librarian he has advocated for libraries and the right to read. He will start by letting us know about the issues facing libraries in Illinois and how his office is making changes. He will then have a Q & A session with the attendees- so come prepared with your questions!  

Biography: Secretary Alexi Giannoulias was sworn into office as Illinois’ 38th Secretary of State in January, committing to restore trust in government, modernize services and strengthen state ethics.

As State Librarian, Secretary Giannoulias is dedicated to fighting against book censorship in our libraries. Amid the surge of book bans across the nation, Giannoulias introduced first-in-the-nation legislation, which was signed into law earlier this month, designed to support public and school libraries by withholding state grants from libraries that remove books. He is a staunch supporter of librarians, who have found themselves on the frontlines of culture wars and have been targeted by extremist groups in Illinois. 

Secretary Giannoulias also drafted legislation to narrow the digital divide by increasing access to e-books and digital materials. His “License to Read” bill, which passed the General Assembly this spring, allows his office to negotiate with publishers on behalf of public libraries to enable them to acquire the licenses needed to allow more library users access to more e-books and audiobooks. He also secured a reoccurring $5 million appropriation in the state’s budget for annual technology grants that allow libraries to update and upgrade their equipment and services to provide the latest technology and better serve their users, regardless of where they live.

Secretary Giannoulias served as a member of the Chicago Public Library’s Board of Directors for five years and has seen first-hand how indispensable libraries are to communities. One of his priorities as State Librarian is improving the public’s access to the vital services libraries provide and ensuring libraries have the resources they need to continue providing the tools and knowledge that open doors for learning and opportunity.

In 2006, Giannoulias was elected Illinois State Treasurer, becoming the youngest State Treasurer in the nation at age 30. After leaving the Treasurer’s office in 2011, Giannoulias was appointed as chairman of the Illinois Community College System. He also became senior director at BNY Mellon Wealth Management and taught at Northwestern University. 

Secretary Giannoulias graduated cum laude from Boston University with a degree in economics and earned a law degree from Tulane University’s School of Law. He is a lifelong Chicagoan and still calls the city home along with his wife and their three daughters.

Session Title: Diversity Activism: History and Future of Children's Literature

Session Description:  The mid-2010s were a turning point in diversity activism: social media enabled activism to go viral, We Need Diverse Books was established, and Black Lives Matter went global. Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen will address the history of diversity activism, some persistent issues, and the challenges that writers and illustrators continue to face in diversifying publishing.  

Biography: Sarah Park Dahlen 박사라, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is also affiliate faculty in the Department of Asian American Studies and the Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies. Dr. Dahlen also serves on the College of Education's TEAACH team (https://teaach.education.illinois.edu/). Her research is on Asian American youth literature and transracial Korean adoption. She co-edits Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, co-created the Diversity in Children’s Books infographics, and co-edited Harry Potter and the Other: Race, Justice, and Difference in the Wizarding World with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. She is represented by Tricia Toney Lawrence of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. sarahpark.com @readingspark