Library workers and stakeholders will be gathering in Pictou this weekend to explore emerging trends, share innovative approaches, and celebrate the vital role libraries play in the health and well-being of communities across the province.

The Nova Scotia Library Association’s annual conference is being hosted by the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library from Sept. 18-20 at the deCoste Culture Hub. The association welcomes membership from anyone interested in library service.

The conference will take place in the new facility shared by the Murray Family Public Library and the deCoste Performing Arts Centre, with this year’s theme being Making Connections.

“From the venue itself to the multitude of essential services libraries provide, we rely on partnerships and on working closely with governments and communities,” conference co-convenors Trecia Schell and Kristel Fleuren-Hunter said in a Sept. 14 news release.

The conference keynote speaker will be Yaroslava Soshynska, executive director of the Ukrainian Library Association. Soshynska will present Resilience and the New Roles of Libraries in Times of War, exploring how libraries and library workers respond and adapt in times of crisis.

Other conference sessions will address a range of issues facing libraries and the communities they serve, including Public Libraries and Population Health, featuring Dr. Robert Strang, Dr. Pat Craig, and Dr. Christina Holmes. Another session will examine artificial intelligence and the role libraries can play in helping the public understand and navigate this rapidly changing technology.

A special event open to the public will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 12:15 p.m., where the Nova Scotia Symphony Quartet will perform in the library’s Sunrise Atrium.

Source: The News