Library Journal Librarian of the Year 2026 Kelvin Watson: The Library is Open Ep. 64

Library Journal Librarian of the Year 2026 Kelvin Watson: The Library is Open Ep. 64

Viva Las Vegas! In this episode of the Library is Open Podcast, our special guest is Kelvin Watson, Executive Director of the Las Vegas–Clark County Library District [https://thelibrarydistrict.org/] and Library Journal's 2026 Librarian of the Year! [https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/library-a-list-kelvin-watson-is-ljs-2026-librarian-of-the-year] Kelvin shares his experience in the library world, the unique experiences of leading a large library system in an internationally-known city, leadership advice, and so much more!

Getting Our IT Together with Justin Denton: The Library is Open Ep. 63

In this episode of the Library is Open Podcast, we have special guest Justin Denton, Chief Information Officer at Illinois Valley Community College! Justin recently hosted a session in our Digital Defense: Cybersecurity for Libraries webinar series called "Small Budget, Big Defense: Free and Low-Cost Tools That Protect Your Library." There were so many useful tips and insights from this webinar that we thought Justin needed to come on the podcast and share more. In this episode, we learn more about Justin's journey to becoming a Senior IT Executive, what he's learned along the way, and his favorite tools to keep systems safe and secure! Check out Justin's next session in our Digtal Defense series here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KZJ-BsIXRTCdrONWBKZINQ#/registration

Library AI Policies with The Memeing Librarian: The Library is Open Ep. 62

The Memeing Librarian (Molly Quinn) is back on the pod!! In this episode, we talk about the Libraries and AI study that Molly conducted and generic policy template that she created. We examine some of the results of these findings, what inspired the study and policy, and how libraries can begin to assess their AI policies if they haven't started yet. Access the study here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thememeinglib/libraries-ai-ai-policies-guidelines-sent [https://buymeacoffee.com/thememeinglib/libraries-ai-ai-policies-guidelines-sent] Access the Generic Employee AI Usage Policy here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thememeinglib/e/520821 [https://buymeacoffee.com/thememeinglib/e/520821] Listen to Molly's previous Library is Open podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHF1DX6pJ5Q&t= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=&v=LHF1DX6pJ5Q]

Love Your Library with Shedriek Battle: The Library is Open Ep. 61

February is Library Lovers' Month, and to celebrate, we have a very special guest on the podcast! Shedriek Battle is a library professional and enthusiast who has worked in public libraries for over a decade. In this episode, we talk about the countless reasons why people should love their local library, and how we can be better advocates for libraries and library workers.

Digital Defense with David Daghita: The Library is Open Episode 60

In our latest episode of The Library is Open podcast, we're joined by David Daghita, Library Accounts Supervisor at the Lewisville Public Library! David shares about his extensive experience as a Systems Librarian, his upcoming Digital Defense Cybersecurity webinar, and tech trends and hot topics for 2026. Resources mentioned in episode: * Digital Defense Library Cybersecurity Webinar series [https://bywatersolutions.com/news/bywater-solutions-announces-cybersecurity-essentials-for-libraries] * Koha Global Bug Squashing Week [https://bywatersolutions.com/news/koha-community-announces-global-bug-squashing-week] * koha-US Community Calendar [https://koha-us.org/calendar/]