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Education Program

Careers, Leadership, and Management

It’s Never Too Late: Pathways to Career Advancement in LIS

Sunday, June 29, 2025
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 118 A B
Ready for the next phase of your career but worried you missed the moment to transition? Scared to make a change? Struggling to retain your staff? Unsure how to create opportunities for career advancement in your organization?

It's never too late!

Join seasoned Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) mid and late-career non-librarian staff as they discuss their experiences pursuing MLIS degrees and new career opportunities through BPL’s Pathways to Leadership scholarship program (PTL). These staff, who have been working in clerical and administrative functions at the library for multiple decades, will share how they decided to turn their long-time passion for and experience in libraries into a fresh chapter. They will also discuss the challenges they have encountered transitioning into new roles throughout their careers and the support they had – and wished they had – along the way. PTL administrators will share the lessons they have learned by managing an internal workforce development program and how all organizations can support staff, regardless of size, type, and budget.

Attendees will leave this session with a strong understanding of the challenges individuals encounter transitioning into and within the LIS field and how existing library staff can become exceptional leaders with thoughtful, formal support in place. We aim to underscore the significant impact such support can have on the career advancement of individuals as well as larger organizational goals around retention, resilience, and representation.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss the benefits and importance of investing in non-librarian staff who have invested themselves in the field.
  • Identify challenges experienced by individuals transitioning into new careers, namely librarianship, and the methods that can be adopted to help them successfully navigate these challenges.
  • Facilitate discussions on skill building and innovative approaches to foster a supportive learning environment and garner the best individual and organizational outcomes.