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Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt delivers the keynote address in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery for the 2025 Paraprofessional Conference.
2025 Paraprofessional Conference
Thank you for attending!
Joyner Library’s 21st Annual Paraprofessional Conference, hosted by ECU’s Academic Library Services, was held May 16, 2025. The theme was Technology & Digital Fluency. This theme emphasized the integral role technological proficiency plays in the modern library environment.
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.
All questions or comments can be directed to paraprofes@ecu.edu.
VIEW RECORDINGS
Many of the sessions were recorded and are available to view.
SCHEDULE RECAP
| 8:15am - 9:00am | Preconference Activities |
| Library Lobby | Registration |
| Faulkner Gallery | Light Breakfast - 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 |
Keynote: Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt
Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt (she/her), an assistant professor at North Carolina Central University in Information Science and the program director of Online and Extended Studies at the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS, was 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.