2018 OCLC Americas Regional Council Conference

October 25–26, 2018 • Chicago, Illinois, USA

Libraries as drivers of transformation

Libraries are continuously evolving to meet changing community needs. Ongoing demands and opportunities—driven by technology advancements, data overload, heightened institutional complexities, and user preferences—make keeping pace difficult, and getting and staying ahead even more so. But what if you changed your frame of reference, and focused instead on leading change? Join fellow OCLC member leaders to discuss how we can move beyond incremental progress and instead change the game, transforming not only libraries, but communities. Together we will share ideas and experiences that dramatically expand the boundaries of librarianship.

At ARC18, together we will explore “game changers” in:

Technology & innovation

From evolution to revolution

Chart a dramatically different course

Spaces & resources

From collections to connections

Redefine your library’s delivery

Analytics & data

From what we count to what counts

Measure outcomes versus activity

Public purpose

From allies to advocates

Become indispensable to your community

We hope you’ll join us for this exciting event held in the heart of downtown Chicago. The active two-day agenda was designed for attendees representing all library types and will feature thought leaders from within and outside of the library community, including library colleagues and OCLC leadership. Learn from our featured keynote speakers:

This is your opportunity to connect with fellow library leaders to share ideas, learnings, and insights.

Hear why fellow library leaders think that you should attend the ARC18 Conference

Calling all library leaders

This conference was created especially for current and emerging library leaders across all library types—academic and research, public, special, and others. Programming and discussions are centered on library leadership’s opportunity to change the game, both today and into the future. Librarians and staff with these titles and areas of focus will benefit from this meeting:

  • Library director
  • Dean of libraries
  • University/college librarian
  • City librarian
  • Head/director of access services
  • Head/director of reference services
  • Head/director of technology
  • Head/director of tech services
  • Associate directors of libraries or library divisions

We welcome all staff members from OCLC member libraries who would like to join this strategic discussion around changing the game.

Please direct questions about event participation to oclcevents@oclc.org.

Member-driven programming

The programming and agenda at ARC18 are led by a Program Committee of respected leaders from the Americas Regional Council, which spans all library types. We sincerely appreciate their expertise and partnership:

Photo: Jennifer Bowen

Jennifer Bowen

Associate Dean, University of Rochester

Photo: Constantia Constantiou

Constantia Constantinou

The H. Carton Rogers III, Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries

Photo: Pilar Martinez

Pilar Martinez

Chief Executive Officer, Edmonton Public Library

Photo: Kendal Orrison

Kendal Orrison

Director, Resource Sharing Alliance NFP

Photo: Antoinette Pinder-Darling

Antoinette Pinder-Darling

Cataloguing Librarian, The University of The Bahamas

Photo: Debbie Schachter

Debbie Schachter

University Librarian, Capilano University

About OCLC membership

All OCLC member libraries within the Americas region—Canada, United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America—are part of the OCLC Americas Regional Council (ARC). All members are encouraged to attend member meetings and community activities, to share insights through various member forums and channels, and to participate in elections and governance. Learn more about ARC and OCLC governance.