The Lilead Fellows met for their third in-person meeting immediately following the 2015 AASL National Conference in Columbus, Ohio. We were joined on Sunday afternoon by the staff from SLJ, LJ, and Junior Library Guild. With them, we heard  presentations on how to use marketing and selling strategies to promote and advocate for library programs. The Fellows also gave lightning talks updating us on their projects. It was a great opportunity to get some feedback from outsiders and to the great work that the Fellows have completed thus far.

Monday was filled with activities that focused on  creating short-term outcomes and establishing evidence for those outcomes, returning to conversations about Fellows using their personal strengths to tackle obstacles and challenges they face, and how to communicate more effectively with various stakeholders and collaborators.

A highlight of Tuesday was the opportunity for Fellow to have an honest conversation with local district administrators about who gets their attention, what makes good leadership, and what keeps them up at night. Fellows also got a chance to receive feedback on their elevator speeches from the administrators and brainstorm ways to support those they lead and work with in their districts.

All throughout, Fellows remained active and engaged in the work they are doing for their districts and with each other. Their enthusiasm and collegiality are true testaments to how unique and special this group of district library leaders are. A special thank you to MSI for supporting us and making this Lilead Fellows meeting possible.