Join the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at the Devens Common Center for our Member Annual Meeting. All staff employed by MLS member libraries are invited to attend. 

Please note: This year’s event takes place on a Wednesday instead of our usual Monday meeting. 

MLS is celebrating 15 years of service to our members! Join us this fall as we reflect on our work together and look ahead to new experiences.

We are excited to welcome Jay McChord as the keynote speaker at our 2025 Member Annual Meeting! 

Our meeting will include a hands-on activity facilitated by Jay, who will share how attendees can effectively communicate data and impact stories with legislators and key stakeholders.  

This year’s agenda includes our annual business meeting as well as updates from MLS, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), and the Massachusetts Library Association's (MLA) Legislative Committee. Stephanie Chase, of Constructive Disruption, will also present MLS’s new strategic plan. 

We plan to share more details – including information about the business meeting packet, activities for attendees, and other invited guests – in the coming weeks. 

Please register below and contact MLS Event & Project Manager Sarah Donnelly (sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org) with any questions. 

About our Keynote Speaker

Jay McChord is a globally recognized speaker, trainer, consultant, and coach on the subjects of leadership and communication in today’s short attention-span, multi-generational, and now, remote work environment. He is also a former four-term City Council Member in Lexington, Kentucky. 

As the son of a librarian, Jay has a love and appreciation for libraries in ways many others simply do not. For the past 17 years, he has worked with library associations, individual libraries, and their staff across numerous states. 

Jay’s heart is for helping leaders, “Know the times and know what to do.” The challenges for leading today are daunting, especially for library professionals. The key to success comes down to a leader’s ability to communicate and collaborate effectively. Therefore, Jay is committed to training and coaching those new communication and collaboration skills. 

Accessibility

The Massachusetts Library System (MLS) strives to create inclusive and accessible events. To request reasonable accommodations to attend this event, please contact Sarah Donnelly (Event & Project Manager) at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org or 508-357-2121 ext. 301. All reasonable accommodation requests should be made no fewer than two (2) weeks before the event, although we will attempt to fulfill reasonable requests made after that time. If you may need assistance during an emergency evacuation, please let us know in advance so we can plan accordingly.