In this Month’s News and Updates…
- Member Annual Meeting Registration Reminder
- MLS Welcomes New Consultant Katherine Adelberg
- Fall 2025 Learning Lineup
- Member Webinars: Fall Sessions and 2026 Submissions
- Building Support for Libraries Series
- Delivery Open House at the West Bridgewater Sort Facility
- New England Teen Summit Registration Now Open
- Consulting Needs Assessment: 60-Second Survey and Focus Groups
- Community Engagement Blog Spotlights
- MHEC Contract Updates
- MHEC Expo Reflection
Member Annual Meeting Register Reminder
Our Member Annual Meeting is happening soon!
Join us on Wednesday, November 5 as we reflect on our work together and look ahead to new experiences.
We are excited to welcome Jay McChord as our event’s keynote speaker!
Our meeting will include a hands-on activity facilitated by Jay, who will share how attendees can effectively communicate data and impact stories with legislators and key stakeholders.
This year’s agenda includes our annual business meeting as well as updates from MLS, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), and the Massachusetts Library Association’s (MLA) Legislative Committee. Stephanie Chase, of Constructive Disruption, will also present MLS’s new strategic plan.
Register for the MLS Member Annual Meeting on LibCal.
MLS Welcomes New Consultant Katherine Adelberg
MLS is pleased to welcome Katherine Adelberg as a new consultant in the Learning Services Department. Katherine will be focusing her consulting and training services on leadership and management, staff development, and small and rural libraries.
Katherine comes to MLS after 14 years in state libraries. She started her library career in her home state, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, first at a neighborhood branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, and later at the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives. Most recently, she served as the manager of continuing education at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, coordinating workshops, online learning, and several grant programs for thousands of library staff across the state.
Katherine graduated from Northwestern University and received her library science degree from the University of Kentucky. Libraries are her second career; she also has degrees in music performance and spent time performing with the Louisville Orchestra.
Katherine has focused her career on connecting and collaborating with library workers at all levels and developing training and resources to support library workers on the job. She also has extensive experience collaborating with rural and small libraries.
Outside of work, Katherine enjoys hiking and spending time outside with her husband Alan and dog Millie, knitting, traveling, yoga, cooking and eating, and reading, almost always on Libby.
Katherine can be reached at katherine@masslibsystem.org. For more information about the Learning Services Department, please visit our resource guide.
Fall 2025 Learning Lineup
We are excited to announce our fall 2025 workshop lineup!
This year, registration for our workshops is available through the MLS Learning Hub. Here, you can browse our growing catalog of self-paced and instructor-led courses. Registration for other learning opportunities is still available on LibCal.
Register for your free Learning Hub account and check out our workshop lineup below.
Access our calendar on the MLS website to share the lineup with your colleagues digitally or print a copy for your library’s staff area!
Artificial Intelligence Literacy (AIL) in Libraries: From Frameworks to Action
With Jane Stimpson
- November 18, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Online)
- December 2, 4 – 6:30 pm. (Online)
- December 10, 2 – 4:30 pm. (Online)
- December 18, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Online)
Register for an Artificial Intelligence Literacy in Libraries session on the Learning Hub.
Introduction to Strategic Planning for Libraries
With Michelle Eberle
- October 10, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (MLS Marlborough Office)
- October 16, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (MLS Northampton Office)
- November 7, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Online)
- November 13, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Online)
Register for an Introduction to Strategic Planning for Libraries session on the Learning Hub.
Building Confidence with Music in Storytime: Tools and Techniques
- October 24, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (MLS Marlborough Office)
- November 4, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (MLS Northampton Office)
Register for a Building Confidence with Music in Storytime session on the Learning Hub.
Member Webinars
Fall 2025 MLS Member Webinars
We’re pleased to announce the Fall 2025 MLS Member Webinar series!
MLS member library staff will share their knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics in a series of two webinars taking place November 3 and November 20.
Visit LibCal to register for a webinar or check out the lineup below!
Wait, Libraries Do That, Too? Becoming a U.S. Passport Acceptance Agency
With Patty Bailey, Morrill Memorial Library (Norwood)
- November 3, 2 – 3:00 p.m.
Organizing a Human Library Event in Your Community
With Sam Correia (they/them), Duxbury Free Library
- November 20, 2 – 3:00 p.m.
For full webinar descriptions, check out the MLS Member Webinars LibGuide or the MLS Events Calendar, where registration is open for all webinars.
MLS Member Webinars will be recorded and posted to the MLS Vimeo channel.
2026 Submissions
Want to present your own MLS Member Webinar in 2026? Submissions are open now through October 31. We welcome proposals from any library staff working in an MLS member library, and we especially encourage first-time presenters!
Learn more and submit your proposal on the Member Webinar LibGuide
Contact Consultant Jane Stimpson (jane@masslibsystem.org) with questions.
Building Support for Libraries Series
MLS, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) Legislative Committee, is excited to share Building Support for Libraries, a special selection of EveryLibrary webinars for our members.
These webinars and follow-up Community Chats are designed to strengthen skills in communication, fundraising, and community engagement that help libraries thrive. Each webinar introduces strategies from national experts, followed by a Community Chat where members can revisit the content, ask questions, and explore how to apply these ideas locally.
Together, the series offers expert guidance and space for peer connection, supporting healthy, vibrant libraries across the Commonwealth.
We will upload the webinar recordings to the MLS Vimeo page after the live sessions. The Community Chats will not be recorded.
View the full series on LibCal or follow the links below to register for a session:
Building the Library Coalition: Organizations, Agencies, and Stakeholder Groups
- Webinar: October 17, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Community Chat: October 29, 10 – 11 a.m.
Building the Library Coalition: Individuals
- Webinar: November 10, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Community Chat: November 17, 10 – 11 a.m.
How to Talk to People in Power
- Webinar: January 13, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Community Chat: January 20, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Webinar: February 10, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Community Chat: February 24, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Webinar: March 10, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Community Chat: March 17, 10 – 11 a.m.
Digital and Online Fundraising
- Webinar: April 21, 10 – 11 a.m.
- Community Chat: April 28, 10 – 11 a.m.
Delivery Open House at the West Bridgewater Sort Facility
Curious how Statewide Delivery works? Join MLS and Optima Shipping on Wednesday, November 22 for an in-person open house at the sort facility in West Bridgewater!
This is an opportunity for library staff to come and see the sort facility in West Bridgewater, where Optima handles library materials destined for Delivery to and from libraries in southeastern Massachusetts.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to register for one of the time slots below!
- Register for the 1 – 2 p.m. Open House Time Slot
- Register for the 2 – 3 p.m. Open House Time Slot
- Register for the 3 – 4 p.m. Open House Time Slot
New England Teen Summit Registration Now Open
Registration for the New England Teen Summit 2025 is now open!
Join us on Friday, November 14 for this free, virtual event open to library staff across New England, focused on empowering teen services in libraries. We are thrilled to have author Josh Galarza as our keynote speakers to kick off the event.
Even if you can’t make the whole day, take a moment to register so you get first access to all the recordings!
Consulting Needs Assessment
60-Second Survey
This fiscal year, MLS is conducting a consulting needs assessment with LJH Consulting, an external consulting firm. The goal of this work is to learn more about our members’ needs so we can improve our consulting services.
One piece of the assessment is our 60-second survey. It’s designed to capture some quick details about your library’s goals and the help you may need to achieve them.
Please take a minute to complete this survey. Your valuable feedback will help us shape our services for your library.
Focus Groups
MLS wants to hear from you!
As part of our consulting needs assessment with LJH Consulting, we invite MLS member library staff from all library types and positions to share their perspectives in a virtual focus group.
Your voice matters! The insights you share will inform our consulting services and help us better support the diverse needs of our member libraries.
These discussions will focus on what is top of mind for you as you think about your work over the next year — whether as a dream for your library you would like to pursue, a priority to focus on, or a challenge to solve. Each focus group will include about six participants, meet online via Zoom, and last one hour.
LJH Consulting will host the focus groups on four dates so you can choose the one that works best for your schedule.
- October 21 Focus Group: 1 – 2 p.m.
- November 3 Focus Group: 12 – 1 p.m.
- November 7 Focus Group: 3 – 4 p.m.
- November 12 Focus Group: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Spaces are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
To participate, please register through LJH Consulting’s online form.
Community Engagement Blog Spotlights
Check out two recent blogs from MLS’s Community Engagement blog!
Learn more about takeaways from the Library Summit on Social Cohesion and social work collaboration at the Needham Free Public Library:
- Reflections on the Library Summit on Social Cohesion and Creating a Healthy Library Culture
- Needham Free Public Library Social Work Collaboration
MHEC Contract Updates
A Message from our Friends at MHEC:
MHEC L51 Library: Books and Media Contract Announcement
Two vendors recently joined the L51 contract. To access their links below, be sure to first log in to your MHEC account:
- LibraryPass offers Comics Plus, a curated and unique digital reading platform containing thousands of comics, picture books, graphic novels and manga titles to the library market.
- Mackin Educational Resources provides cutting-edge educational materials, one-source ordering, and unequaled services worldwide. Offering discounts on already discounted titles, free book processing, and free shipping on all orders.
Visit the L51 contract page to learn more about the other vendors on this contract.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: Strategic Sourcing Manager Malik Ali (mali@mhec.net).
Visit the Purchasing Cooperative LibGuide to learn more about MHEC.
MHEC Expo Reflection
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the MHEC Expo! We had a great time meeting with you and vendors at this year’s event. Thank you for having us, MHEC!
