Please excuse cross-posting. Join MCLS for a day of hands-on learning and collaboration at the 2026 Members Annual Event! [cid:f9e2a7d6-0462-420e-90fa-c239b3e9cbbc] Event Details Presenters: Kate McDowell (keynote) and Thom Fladung (workshop)Date: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 Attendance options: * In-person<https://mcls.corsizio.com/event/6a3ad2a112cf4632f8b544bb> – full program: 9:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern * Virtual <https://mcls.corsizio.com/event/6a5148206905bd52ff9c7080> – opening remarks & keynote address: 9:45 – 11:30 a.m. Eastern Location: St. Joseph County Public Library Community Learning Center 305 S. Michigan St., South Bend, IN 46601 Google Maps<https://maps.app.goo.gl/kyANG4PQtFnWR5MP6> ________________________________ Registration Opens at 8 a.m. on July 15, 2026 Choose how to attend: • In person (REGISTER HERE<https://mcls.corsizio.com/event/6a3ad2a112cf4632f8b544bb>) Register by 5 p.m. on Sept. 18 $75 per person (includes a light breakfast, lunch, and beverages) • Virtual (REGISTER HERE<https://mcls.corsizio.com/event/6a5148206905bd52ff9c7080>) Register by 12 p.m. on Oct. 7 $25 per person to participate in the opening remarks and keynote live on Zoom Registration is limited and open to anyone from an MCLS member organization. Check your membership status here<https://www.mcls.org/about-mcls/member-libraries/>. Not a member? Join today<https://members.mcls.org/w/mlcforms/membership_application_form.cfm>! ________________________________ Overnight Accommodations MCLS has secured a special group rate of $149.00 USD at the following nearby hotel: Aloft by Marriott South Bend 111 N Main St., South Bend, IN 46601 Phone: 574-288-8000 Google Maps<https://maps.app.goo.gl/DBCNfGAegMAead1KA> Check In: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. Check Out: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 Hotel reservation link<https://app.marriott.com/resview2?id=1775169333689&key=GRP&app=resvlink> The last day to book your stay<https://app.marriott.com/resview2?id=1775169333689&key=GRP&app=resvlink> at the special group rate is Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. ________________________________ About the Program Agenda Times are Eastern (local time) and subject to change. 9:15 a.m. Registration/ light breakfast (fruit, pastries, and beverages) 10 a.m. Opening remarks by MCLS 10:30 a.m. Keynote: Data Storytelling in Libraries presented by Kate McDowell 11:30 a.m. Workshop: Crisis Communication with Thom Fladung 12:30 p.m. Lunch (taco bar, dessert, and beverages) 1:30 p.m. Workshop: Crisis Communication with Thom Fladung 3 p.m. Wrap-up Experiential library tours (times TBD) St. Joseph County Public Library is planning a unique tour experience for in-person attendees! Learn more about the resources, services, and spaces that SJCPL’s Main Library has to offer on a staff led tour. Highlights will include: * The Youth Services Department * The library’s new bookmobile, The Dream Machine * Studio 304 * A hands-on learning activity in the Local & Family History Department * Crisis Intervention staff, including the library’s in-house social worker, will also be available to discuss how SJCPL has moved to a trauma informed approach when interacting with patrons. Note: tour times will be determined based on feedback from the event registration form<https://mcls.corsizio.com/event/6a3ad2a112cf4632f8b544bb>. Keynote Address [https://members.mcls.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Kate-McDowell.com_-...] Photo credit: KateMcDowell.com<https://www.katemcdowell.com/> Kate McDowell, author and professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign will present on data storytelling in libraries. About Kate McDowell Professor Kate McDowell focuses on storytelling as information research, social justice storytelling, and how the history of library storytelling can enhance contemporary data storytelling. Her projects engage contexts such as public libraries, non-profit fundraising, and health misinformation in online discourse. This research takes many forms, from publications to storytelling workshops and toolkits to research roles with international coalitions and working groups. She leads the nationally-funded Data Storytelling Toolkit for Librarians<https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/asi.24466> project to equip libraries with narrative tools for data-informed advocacy, which has been used by over 5,000 librarians in over 50 countries so far. Her book for libraries, Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact<https://alastore.ala.org/critdatst>, came out in 2025. Read more about Kate McDowell on her website<https://www.katemcdowell.com/about.html>. Workshop: Putting Crisis Communications in Play [Photo of Thom Fladung] Photo credit: crisiscommunications.com<https://www.crisiscommunications.com/> Thom Fladung will lead a hands-on workshop on crisis communication best practices and techniques including brainstorming key messages and participating in mock interviews, to help you prepare for any media interview or public speaking opportunity. With his practical approach to instruction and years of experience, you will walk away with pragmatic tips and best practices that you can put into play immediately to effectively communicate during a crisis. About Thom Fladung Thom Fladung serves as managing partner for Hennes Communications. He brings more than 33 years of daily newspaper and digital media experience to the agency, having served as a top editor at some of the nation’s largest newspapers such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Detroit Free Press. Over the past decade, Fladung has also played a lead role in helping newsrooms enter the digital age, including web, social media and handheld digital devices. Thom is an expert at crafting effective, strategic messages on hard deadlines. He is also experienced at quickly evaluating, assembling and disseminating information – crisis management skills that are critically important for clients coping with reputation management issues and breaking crises. In 2017, Thom received the Communicator of the Year award from the International Association of Business Communicators. Learn more about Thom on the Hennes Communication website<http://crisiscommunications.com/>. ________________________________ Special thanks to our location sponsor [https://members.mcls.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SJCPL-Logo-300x160.png]<https://sjcpl.org/>
