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2025 Paraprofessional Conference
Joyner Library’s 21st Annual Paraprofessional Conference, hosted by ECU’s Academic Library Services will be on May 16th, 2025 from 8:00am – 4:00pm (Eastern Standard Time) at Joyner Library in Greenville, North Carolina! Please join us this year as we explore the themes of Technology & Digital Fluency. This year’s conference will be a hybrid event, with sessions offered in-person and selected sessions streamed virtually.
Sponsored by East Carolina University’s Academic Library Services SHRA Assembly, the conference is aimed at providing professional development for library workers in academic, public, and special library systems, as well as students pursuing degrees in library and information sciences.
This year’s conference will be focused on our theme: Technology & Digital Fluency and emphasizes the integral role that technological proficiency plays in the modern library environment.
Conference registration is open!
ATTENDING
This year there is a registration fee of $30 to attend, for MLS/MLIS students there is a reduced fee of $15 for the conference. However, if you prefer to attend virtually, registration is only $5. If you plan to attend the 21st annual Paraprofessional Conference, click this link to go to the payment website, then click the link in the confirmation email to finish registering. You must complete both forms to be registered. If you are a current student, use the discount code “2025-student-rate” for 50% off in person registration, then click the link in the confirmation email to finish registering.
SCHEDULE
The Keynote and all sessions in the Faulkner Gallery will be live streamed on the day of the event. Many of the sessions are going to be recorded and will be available to watch online soon after the conference has concluded.
| 8:15am - 9:00am | Preconference Activities |
| Library Lobby | Registration |
| Faulkner Gallery | Light Breakfest - Fruit, Bagels, Coffee, and Conference Networking |
| 9:00am - 10:15am | Welcome and Keynote |
| Faulkner Gallery (Streamed) | Welcome Keynote - Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt |
| 10:30am - 11:20am | Morning Session One |
| Faulkner Gallery (Streamed) | Checked Out on AI: Student Insights, Ethical Guidelines, and Practical Applications for Libraries by Kelly Spring, Amy Cooley & Brandon Stilley |
| Room 1615 | Building & Maintaining a Digital eBook and Audio Collection by Ronald Headen |
| Room 1618 (Virtual: Live) | AI Integration in Libraries: Leveraging Generative AI for Research, Outreach, and Digital Fluency by Donte Perry |
| 11:30am - 12:20pm | Morning Session Two |
| Faulkner Gallery (Streamed) | The Best Defense is a Good Offense - Lessons Learned from a Regional Library’s Cybersecurity Audit and Program Review by Justin Stout & Sean Moore |
| Room 1615 | Paraprofessionals: Foundation of Digital Support by Lori Special, Taylor Fountain & Tammy Walsh |
| Room 1618 (Virtual: Live) | Work Smarter, Not Harder Using CELUS by Ashley Pate & Lisa Leinhos |
| 12:30pm - 1:30pm | Lunch & Networking |
| First Floor (Check Conference Map) | The main lunch selections will be provided by Sam Jones BBQ, an additional vegan option will supplied by The Scullery. |
| 1:30pm - 2:20pm | Afternoon Session One |
| Faulkner Gallery (Streamed) | Equipment Lending: Providing the Technology Patrons want and Managing Common Tech Issues by William Gee & Blume Mansfield |
| Room 1615 | Generative AI on Campus: Understanding Faculty and Student Perspectives to Shape Library Support by Angela Whitehurst, Amy Cooley & Brandon Stilley |
| Room 1618 (Virtual: Live) | The People's University: Libraries as Essential Centers for Technology Education by Jess Quick |
| 2:30pm - 3:20pm | Afternoon Session Two |
| Faulkner Gallery (Streamed) | Home Is Where the Wifi Connects: Defining the Digital Divide in a Post-pandemic Campus by Dr. Lauren Thorn |
| Room 1615 | Network & Brain Break |
| Room 1618 (Virtual: Live) | Low Risk, High Reward: Shifting to Online Workshops for Broader Reach by Denise Klasen-López |
| 3:30pm - 4:00pm | Closing Remarks and Door Prizes |
| Faulkner Gallery (Streamed) | Thank You for Attending! Must be Present to Win |
Parking will be provided free of charge in the Main Campus Student Center garage, which is adjacent to the library. Directions and additional information related to parking can be found here.
All questions or comments can be directed to paraprofes@ecu.edu.
Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt is Our 2025 Keynote
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt (she/her) who is an Assistant Professor in Information Science and the program director of Online and Extended Studies at the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) will be this year’s keynote. Dr. Ogbo-Gebhardt is a nationally recognized digital inclusion scholar and uses mixed methods to investigate the socio-economic and socio-technological factors that impact broadband and digital technology acceptance, use, and impact of use, predominantly among marginalized populations and communities often underrepresented in technology research. Her work also evaluates the broader impact of digital inclusion initiatives (e.g., subsidized broadband or digital literacy training) on the recipients.
Dr. Ogbo-Gebhardt earned a Ph.D. and an MSc. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University in 2019 and 2017, respectively, an MSc. in Management and Information Technology from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, in 2013, and a B.Tech. in Information Technology from Bells University of Technology, Nigeria, in 2011. Before joining the faculty at NCCU, she was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California, where she reviewed existing research on the effectiveness of digital inclusion initiatives and built analytical models to evaluate the effectiveness of digital inclusion initiatives and inform broadband policymaking.
View 2024 Conference Recorded Sessions
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful presenters, volunteers, and everyone who joined us virtually and in-person at our recent conference. Your presence and active participation truly made the event a tremendous success! We are incredibly grateful for the energy and enthusiasm from all of those who contributed to the conference.
Use the following link to view and download conference resources:
Session Recordings, Presenter Contact Information, and Presentation Downloads