CALCON 2026 Courageous Libraries Resilient Communities: Full Schedule

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10:45am MDT

Good people are hard to find: Developing and retaining an effective workforce

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am MDT

This session explores today’s talent challenges facing government organizations, including workforce shortages, generational differences, and the high cost of turnover.

Speakers

Amanda Karger

Amanda Karger served Colorado’s state and local communities for over 17 years as a government finance leader in various roles from budget analyst to the Director of Finance and Operations providing accounting, budget, forecasting, compliance, grants management, procurement, and financial oversight services at the Colorado Department of Education – Charter School Institute, Colorado Department of Revenue, Jeffco Public Schools, and the City of Aurora., Plante Moran

Reed Smythe

Reed Smythe served as Accounting Supervisor for the City of Wheat Ridge, overseeing core financial operations including audit preparation, reconciliations, cash management, budgeting, capital assets, and two bond issuances. He prepared monthly internal financial statements, managed AP/AR, led implementations of multiple financial systems, and developed processes to ensure compliance with GASB 87 and 96., Plante Moran

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am MDT
Query Queen Breakout Room 3

Breakout Session

2:00pm MDT

Implementing a Bilingual Pay Model

Thursday September 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT

Query Queen Breakout Room 3

Bilingual staff help libraries create meaningful connections that foster a feeling of inclusion and belonging with populations that otherwise would be left out of our services.
Over many months, Anythink libraries developed a simple but intentional Bilingual Pay model that helps reward and retain staff who are bilingual in Spanish, without adding additional tasks to their workloads. We created a process, a procedure, and criteria for selecting a vendor for testing, as well as secured funding for this new benefit, so it is sustainable over time.
This presentation will explain the process of building a bilingual pay model that adapts to the size and needs of your library, as well as considerations and best practices discovered through the research of best practices in Colorado and other parts of the country.

Speakers

Paola Vilaxa

I have developed bilingual Spanish services for public libraries for 8 years, Anythink Libraries

Thursday September 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Query Queen Breakout Room 3

Breakout Session

4:00pm MDT

Bringing Resilience To Light: Working With Communities Through Oral Histories

Thursday September 10, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Query Queen Breakout Room 3

Engaging with communities through oral history interviews enables librarian archivists to work towards amplifying voices traditionally excluded from historical records. Marginalized groups such as people of color, women, immigrants, differently abled, and LGBTQ represent a significant percentage of the population that has been severely underrepresented in archives.

This presentation covers the steps recommended to conduct oral histories and how to establish trust with community members. The mutual benefits and challenges of collaborative projects such as oral histories, committees, and donations will be discussed. Documenting cultural heritage and unique experiences with diverse communities on their terms provides a more inclusive archival record and creates opportunities to help empower these communities.

Speakers