Aspen Institute Leadership Roundtable on Library Innovation Takes Place Next Week in Aspen, Colorado
UPDATE August 11 Updated from Roundtable (via Knight Foundation Blog)
The Aspen Institute Leadership Roundtable on Library Innovation begins on Sunday and runs through Wednesday, August 12, 2015. It’s a by invitation only event.
Twitten hashtags to follow the discussion: @AspenInstitute and @AspenCS and #libraries.
From the Aspen Institute:
Leaders and experts from the public and private sectors will meet to discuss the changing role of libraries in American society at a roundtable discussion this month in Aspen, CO from Aug. 9-12.
An initiative of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the event will bring together thought leaders and decision-makers from government, libraries, technology, business, civil society, and academia in a roundtable and working group format.
Experts will discuss ways to rethink the role of libraries as platforms for innovation, entrepreneurial activity, knowledge creation, and learning. Additionally, the group will identify ways that libraries can restructure and evolve their work to benefit the community by supporting new jobs, economic growth, and social well-being. A report detailing these findings and recommendations will be published later this year.
“Innovative public libraries are a competitive advantage in an era of digital technology and collaboration; their experience in serving the information and civic needs of their communities is unrivaled,” said Amy Garmer, director of the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries. “The Aspen Institute is thrilled to work alongside Knight Foundation to host this dialogue examining new thinking and new approaches to library practice and community-driven innovation.”
Participants in the roundtable will include:
- Brian Bannon, Commissioner, Chicago Public Library
- Jon Chambers, Chief, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, Federal Communications Commission
- Alberto Ibargüen, President, Knight Foundation
- Mary Lee Kennedy, Chief Library Officer, New York Public Library
- Siobhan Reardon, President and Director, Free Library Philadelphia
- Julie Sandorf, president, Revson Foundation
- Andrew Sliwinski, Director of Learning Products, Mozilla Foundation
- John Szabo, Director, Los Angeles Public Library
- Michelle Ha Tucker, Design Strategist, IDEO
- Anne Wootton, Co-Dounder and CEO, Pop Up Archive
Read the Complete News Release
Filed under: Jobs, Libraries, Management and Leadership, News, Public Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.