Kick off your ALA Annual Conference weekend with CLC and fellow Connecticut library folks! Join us for a casual evening to reconnect with colleagues and meet new faces

We'll be gathering Friday evening at the Woven & Bound Bar in the Marriott Marquis (connected to the convention center).Stop by to relax, chat, and enjoy some time with fellow library professionals.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Let us know if you’ll be there, or even if you’re just thinking about it, by registering!

Join us for the second annual Bridging the Gap Conference, a dynamic conference designed for Connecticut high school librarians, media specialists, and teachers, and led by Connecticut academic library staff. This unique event aims to strengthen collaboration between high schools and higher education institutions, focusing on how we can work together to support students on their educational journey as they transition from high school to college. Discover resources available at Connecticut’s colleges and universities, share ideas, and explore strategies to help students succeed in their next academic chapter.

The goal is to create a robust college outreach program that builds strong partnerships and ensures smooth transitions for students moving from high school to higher education.

We invite high school librarians to attend this event and bring along one or two colleagues. Academic librarians are also encouraged to attend.

If you are a CLC member, please log in to your account first to avoid being charged the non-member registration fee. 

Registration closes on Wednesday, July 22nd!

Bridging the Gap is inspired by Utah State University's successful Bridging the Gap Conference and aims to bring that impactful model to the Connecticut education community.

Conference Highlights

MORNING

Registration, networking, and welcome

K-12 School Librarian Panel: Inside School Libraries: Realities, Challenges, and Impact Today

Breakout Session 1: Workshops by Academic Librarians

Breakout Session 2: Workshops by Academic Librarians

AFTERNOON

Lunch & Networking

College Student Panel: From High School to Higher Ed: Student Perspectives on Research Readiness

"Putting Into Practice" Sessions 

This collaborative session will provide an opportunity for peer feedback from a group of colleagues, facilitated by librarians, on a research assignment. Please bring an assignment you have used with students or one that you are currently developing. If possible, bring along ten copies to share with the participants at your table.

➞ HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDEES: Please bring an assignment you’ve already given, or something you’ve wanted to create but haven’t had the time to develop.

Registration:

• If you are a CLC member, you must log in to your CLC account during registration in order to waive the $40 registration fee. Don't know your login? Contact us at clc@ctlibrarians.org or 860.344.8777.
• CLC member librarians may register non-library colleagues using their login. If your school library is a member, all staff are also members.
• Event price:
  CLC member (includes lunch): Free
  Non-member (includes lunch): $40
  You may pay online with a credit card during registration, or follow up with a check.  You may defer payment of the invoice until the start of the new fiscal year in July.
• Your payment must be received in advance of the workshop
• Registration closes on Wednesday, July 22nd!
  

Cancellation Policy

Refunds for cancelled registrations cannot be issued if a cancellation is requested less than 5 business days before an event is scheduled to take place, but the registration may be transferred to a staff member at the same library as the original registrant. 

Parking + Directions:

1 Great Path, Manchester, CT 06040

(note: some GPS may use 60 Bidwell Street, Manchester, CT as a location – either way will get you here)

Questions? Suggestions?

Contact Stephanie at ssmith@ctlibrarians.org

Leader to Leader Retreat: Leading from the Middle

A full-day leadership workshop for library managers and emerging leaders

Branch managers, assistant directors, department heads, and supervisors play a critical role in shaping library culture, supporting staff, and moving organizations forward — often while balancing expectations from both administration and frontline teams.

This full-day workshop is designed specifically for library middle managers who lead through influence, collaboration, and day-to-day decision making, even when they are not the ultimate decision maker in the organization.

About the Retreat

Facilitated by renowned library leader Maureen Sullivan, we'll explore

• The difference between leadership and management - and why both matter

• How to adapt your approach to work effectively with different personalities and leadership styles

• Strategies for leading change, building trust, and supporting staff from the middle of the organization

• How to communicate effectively upward, downward, and across teams

• Practical ways to strengthen your confidence and leader presence

The day will include interactive discussion, reflection activities, and opportunities to connect with peers from libraries across the state who are navigating similar challenges and opportunities. Participants will have time to share experiences, exchange ideas, and build relationships with colleagues in similar leadership roles.

REGISTRATION:

Fee:

• If you are a CLC member, you must log in to your CLC account during registration in order to receive the member rate. Don't know your login? Contact us at clc@ctlibrarians.org or 860.344.8777.
  
• Event price (Includes breakfast and lunch)
  CLC member:$175
  Non-member: $275
  You may pay online with a credit card during registration, or follow up with a check. 
• Your payment must be received in advance of the workshop

Directions and Parking: See here for information about getting to Guest House. There is ample parking on site. 

About Maureen Sullivan

Maureen Sullivan is a widely recognized leader and educator in the library profession. Her career has included positions as the human resources administrator at two major research libraries - the University of Maryland and Yale University. She has served as a consultant to numerous academic and public libraries on the development of their strategic plans and their programs to redesign work and create organizational cultures in which equity, diversity and inclusion are core values. Her clients in Connecticut have included the libraries in West Hartford, Greenwich, Fairfield, Ridgefield, and Hamden.

She has designed and led numerous leadership development programs, including the American Library Association’s Leading to the Future Institute, the New England Library Leadership Symposium (NELLS), and the Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians (LIAL) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Maureen served as the 1998-1999 president of the Association of College and Research Libraries and as the 2012-2013 president of the American Library Association. She served as a consultant to The Aspen Institute on the project that resulted in the report Rising to the Challenge: Reimagining Public Libraries.

She was born in Norwich, Connecticut. In 2011, the City of Norwich named her their Native Daughter. She was the Acting City Librarian in New Haven from June 2022 to July 2023.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Refunds for cancelled registrations cannot be issued if a cancellation is requested less than 7 business days before an event is scheduled to take place, but the registration may be transferred to a staff member at the same library as the original registrant.