Nicolet Federated Library System's annual fall conference.
Conference Details:Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Location: Brown County Library, Lower Level Auditorium 515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI 54301 Enter the library on the southside off Pine St. Parking: Garage located at 333 Pine Street. |
Schedule: 8:30 AM Registration, Coffee & Snacks
9:15 AM Opening Session 9:30 AM Public Library in the Age of AI 11:30 AM State of the System 12:00 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Caring for Ourselves & One Another 4:00 PM Closing Remarks |
Conference Sessions:
The Public Library in the Age of AI
Nick Tanzi, MLIS
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has sparked a mix of emotion, including fear, excitement, and uncertainty. It raises important questions about how this technology will shape public libraries and the communities we serve. This talk will examine AI’s current and future impact on libraries, and highlight the essential role we will play in guiding our communities through the age of AI.
About Nick
Recently named a 2025 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, Nick Tanzi is the Assistant Director of the South Huntington Public Library in New York. He is an internationally recognized library technology consultant and the author of the books Making the Most of Digital Collections Through Training and Outreach (2016) and the coauthor of the Best Technologies for Public Libraries: Policies, Programs, and Services (2020). Nick is a past column editor for Public Library Magazine’s “The Wired Library," and his work on the intersection of libraries and technology has been featured in publications including Computers in Libraries, Library Journal, and American Libraries Magazine. More information about Nick and his work can be found at The Digital Librarian.
Nick Tanzi, MLIS
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has sparked a mix of emotion, including fear, excitement, and uncertainty. It raises important questions about how this technology will shape public libraries and the communities we serve. This talk will examine AI’s current and future impact on libraries, and highlight the essential role we will play in guiding our communities through the age of AI.
About Nick
Recently named a 2025 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, Nick Tanzi is the Assistant Director of the South Huntington Public Library in New York. He is an internationally recognized library technology consultant and the author of the books Making the Most of Digital Collections Through Training and Outreach (2016) and the coauthor of the Best Technologies for Public Libraries: Policies, Programs, and Services (2020). Nick is a past column editor for Public Library Magazine’s “The Wired Library," and his work on the intersection of libraries and technology has been featured in publications including Computers in Libraries, Library Journal, and American Libraries Magazine. More information about Nick and his work can be found at The Digital Librarian.
Caring for Ourselves and One Another:
Supporting Sustainable Practice for Library Staff
Beth Wahler, PhD, MSW
This interactive workshop invites participants to explore effective, practical strategies for supporting their well-being amid the challenges of workplace stress and evolving patron needs. Together, we’ll examine the impact of these stressors on staff health, with a focus on recognizing and responding to burnout and secondary trauma.
Participants will be introduced to accessible, affordable self-care techniques, including both short-term coping tools and long-term resilience-building practices. The session will also include dedicated time for participants to develop a personalized self-care plan tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.
In addition to individual strategies, the workshop will will go beyond self-care and explore the concept of community care—a shared approach to wellness that emphasizes mutual support and the creation of psychologically safe, inclusive workplace cultures. We’ll explore how staff can support one another and foster environments that promote collective well-being and sustainable practices. Practical tools and strategies for cultivating a culture of care in library settings will be provided.
About Beth
Beth Wahler, PhD, MSW is a social work consultant, researcher, trainer, and experienced administrator whose primary focus is trauma-informed librarianship, public library patrons’ psychosocial needs (needs related to mental health, substance abuse, poverty, etc.), library staff needs related to these types of patron issues, reducing staff stress and trauma, and various kinds of collaborations, services, and programs to meet patron and staff needs (such as social work collaborations).
Dr. Wahler has worked with multiple public libraries- urban, suburban, and rural- as well as large library systems and state library associations to provide personalized training opportunities, conduct needs assessments, program evaluations, and to develop individualized plans to help meet the needs of their patron populations and staff. She has published and presented internationally on library patron and staff needs, trauma-informed librarianship, and library/social work collaborations. Dr. Wahler has a recently published book, Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons, published by Libraries Unlimited, which focuses on strategies for supporting patrons with psychosocial needs while simultaneously supporting library staff. She also co-hosts the podcast, Surviving the Stacks, aimed at providing support for and reducing challenges of library staff across the world.
Prior to her current roles, she has 14 years of experience as a social work practitioner and administrator, working with organizations serving individuals who have barriers to economic mobility and stability including homelessness, mental health problems, substance use problems, intimate partner violence and other experiences of trauma, disabilities, and chronic health problems. She also has over 20 years of experience with organizational strategic planning and leading and implementing organizational change efforts. She is currently associated research faculty at the UNC Charlotte School of Social Work, where she previously served as director before leaving to pursue her consulting business full-time.
Supporting Sustainable Practice for Library Staff
Beth Wahler, PhD, MSW
This interactive workshop invites participants to explore effective, practical strategies for supporting their well-being amid the challenges of workplace stress and evolving patron needs. Together, we’ll examine the impact of these stressors on staff health, with a focus on recognizing and responding to burnout and secondary trauma.
Participants will be introduced to accessible, affordable self-care techniques, including both short-term coping tools and long-term resilience-building practices. The session will also include dedicated time for participants to develop a personalized self-care plan tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.
In addition to individual strategies, the workshop will will go beyond self-care and explore the concept of community care—a shared approach to wellness that emphasizes mutual support and the creation of psychologically safe, inclusive workplace cultures. We’ll explore how staff can support one another and foster environments that promote collective well-being and sustainable practices. Practical tools and strategies for cultivating a culture of care in library settings will be provided.
About Beth
Beth Wahler, PhD, MSW is a social work consultant, researcher, trainer, and experienced administrator whose primary focus is trauma-informed librarianship, public library patrons’ psychosocial needs (needs related to mental health, substance abuse, poverty, etc.), library staff needs related to these types of patron issues, reducing staff stress and trauma, and various kinds of collaborations, services, and programs to meet patron and staff needs (such as social work collaborations).
Dr. Wahler has worked with multiple public libraries- urban, suburban, and rural- as well as large library systems and state library associations to provide personalized training opportunities, conduct needs assessments, program evaluations, and to develop individualized plans to help meet the needs of their patron populations and staff. She has published and presented internationally on library patron and staff needs, trauma-informed librarianship, and library/social work collaborations. Dr. Wahler has a recently published book, Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons, published by Libraries Unlimited, which focuses on strategies for supporting patrons with psychosocial needs while simultaneously supporting library staff. She also co-hosts the podcast, Surviving the Stacks, aimed at providing support for and reducing challenges of library staff across the world.
Prior to her current roles, she has 14 years of experience as a social work practitioner and administrator, working with organizations serving individuals who have barriers to economic mobility and stability including homelessness, mental health problems, substance use problems, intimate partner violence and other experiences of trauma, disabilities, and chronic health problems. She also has over 20 years of experience with organizational strategic planning and leading and implementing organizational change efforts. She is currently associated research faculty at the UNC Charlotte School of Social Work, where she previously served as director before leaving to pursue her consulting business full-time.
Please email Hannah Good Zima with questions or concerns about the conference.
