MLIS, San Jose State

Director, Cherokee Public Library 

Tyler Hahn is the Cherokee Public Library Director in Northwestern Iowa. He serves as the Midwest representative for the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) board and is a member of the Iowa Governor's STEM Council, where he was recognized for his programming within the organization's "STEM Gem" poster series. Tyler was recently named one of Library Journal's 2024 Movers and Shakers where he focuses on building community capacity, promoting taxpayer education, and supporting small and rural libraries. His book, "The Handbook for Rural Library Partnerships" is set to publish in 2026 from Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited.

MLIS, University of Iowa; BA, Sustainable Community Development, Northland College

Director, Two Harbors Public Library

Madeline earned a BA in Sustainable Community Development from Northland College in Ashland and a MA in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa. She has worked in public libraries for a decade and is passionate about rural revitalization, the power of community. She is based in Duluth, Minnesota.

MLIS, University of Iowa; Ph.D., Musicology, University of Iowa; MM, Musicology, Texas Tech University; BA, Monmouth College

Reference Librarian, State Historical Society of Iowa

Hang Nguyen is a Reference Librarian at the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) in Iowa City. She assists researchers all over the state, nationwide, and overseas with Iowa history and genealogy topics. Connecting people to the right resources and experts is her passion. Hang coordinates the Paper Conservation Lab with a conservation technician to stabilize and make items ready for patron use. Additionally, she works with local volunteers and donors on the Iowa Musicians Project to expand representation in the music collection. She is a member of IMALERT and serves on internal committees such as the Accessibility Working Group and the History: Equity & Accessibility Core Committee at SHSI. 

BA, MA, MS, CAS

Executive Library Director, Douglas County Libraries

Bob Pasicznyuk has served as Executive Library Director at Douglas County Libraries since 2014. Prior to joining DCL, Bob worked for libraries in Colorado, Iowa, Texas, California, and Illinois, concentrating on the interface of technology and library service, as well as key rebuilding projects. Most recently, Bob led DCL’s $60M capital improvement plan for new and remodeled libraries across Douglas County. Bob holds master’s degrees from the University of North Texas and Missouri State University.

MLIS, University of Iowa

Assistant Professor and School Library Concentration Coordinator, University of South Carolina

Dr. Jenna Spiering is Assistant Professor of Information Science and School Library Concentration Coordinator at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Spiering’s research interests lie at the intersection of school libraries, critical youth studies, and children’s/young adult materials. Specifically, Spiering’s work emphasizes the school librarian’s role in selecting, promoting, and curating materials for students in k-12 settings. She is the primary investigator for “Extending School Library Preparation through Transitional Mentorship with Early Career School Librarians,” a $374,194 Institute of Museum and Library Services federal early career development grant.

BA, MLib

Flickr Commons Community Manager, Flickr Foundation

Jessamyn West is a library technologist in Orange County Vermont. She is a nationally known speaker, writer, and educator on the issues facing today's libraries. Her blog focusing on libraries and politics, Librarian.net, is one of the earliest and longest-running librarian websites. She is the author of the book Without a Net: Librarians Bridging the Digital Divide. She has taught "Tools for Community Advocacy" for the University of Hawaii's Library School and currently works for the Flickr Foundation as a Community Manager for Flickr Commons.