docs.pla.org – Page 2

January 23, 2026

Membership Advisory Group – July–December 2026 Report

The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Membership Advisory Group advises PLA on membership recruitment, retention, and engagement, directly supporting the strategic goals of Professional Growth, Advocacy and Awareness, Organizational Excellence, and the centering of equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice (EDISJ) in PLA’s work. Over the past year, the group has reviewed membership trends, discussed who is and is not being reached, and provided feedback on engagement strategies and communications, with the goal of strengthening inclusive pipelines and pathways for all public library workers to connect with PLA’s resources and leadership opportunities. This work helps PLA better understand member needs, refine value propositions, and ensure that messaging and benefits reflect the diverse experiences and roles of library staff across the field.

In its discussions and recommendations, the group has focused on practical enhancements such as refining welcome and renewal messages, identifying key audiences for targeted outreach, and suggesting ways to highlight underused benefits like training, networking, and leadership development opportunities. These decisions and suggestions support the strategic plan by making PLA’s communications more welcoming and accessible, amplifying the association’s role as a national voice for public libraries, and improving internal systems and practices so PLA can function as a trusted, innovative membership organization grounded in EDISJ principles.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
Yes. There are several opportunities to more intentionally connect the group’s existing charge and activities to PLA’s five strategic goals and to make that alignment more visible. For example, the group could explicitly use EDISJ and Transformation lenses when reviewing membership statistics and communications, by routinely asking who is underrepresented, what structural barriers might exist to joining or engaging, and how welcome messages and benefit descriptions can better reflect diverse roles, identities, and library settings. That would position the group not only as a “welcome wagon,” but as a key contributor to PLA’s efforts to build more inclusive, equitable systems and pipelines into association life.

There is also room to strengthen alignment with Professional Growth, Advocacy and Awareness, and Organizational Excellence by deepening partnerships and closing feedback loops. The group could collaborate more intentionally with committees like Professional Development and Leadership Development to co‑promote low/no‑cost trainings and leadership pathways in membership messaging, and share back what members say they need, so those offerings evolve in response. In addition, developing a simple, recurring process for reviewing membership data and member feedback, and then documenting how those insights shape recommendations, would directly support PLA’s goal of measuring impact and adapting to new trends in association work.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
Yes. Partnerships with certain PLA and ALA bodies could significantly strengthen how the Membership Advisory Group advances the strategic plan. Within PLA, closer collaboration with the Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice, the Leadership Development Committee, and the Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships Committee would help embed EDISJ principles in membership practices, connect member messaging to concrete leadership pathways, and ensure that advocacy stories and impacts are highlighted as key membership benefits. For example, the Membership Advisory Group could routinely share what it learns about member needs with these committees and jointly shape outreach campaigns, conference touchpoints, and onboarding materials that foreground professional growth, equity, and advocacy opportunities.

Beyond PLA, selected ALA‑level groups focused on membership and digital inclusion could be valuable partners. Member‑engagement–oriented committees such as AASL’s Member Engagement Committee and similar entities in other ALA divisions offer models and potential joint efforts around welcoming practices, surveys, and virtual engagement that could be adapted for PLA members. In addition, partnering with ALA digital inclusion and information technology policy groups on messaging about equitable access, technology, and broadband would reinforce PLA’s Advocacy and Awareness and EDISJ goals by connecting PLA membership to national efforts that benefit public libraries and their communities.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Nope!

Submitted by Jennifer Baxter & Deborah Hallman on 01/23/2026

January 23, 2026

PLA 2026 Conference Program Subcommittee – January–June 2026 Report

The group met 4-6 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
We worked diligently to receive and review timely programming and training opportunities for PLA conference attendees that speak to the day-to-day operations with Public Libraries aligned with PLA’s strategic goals. Our committee work strengths the profession as a whole and amplifies voices of public libraries nationwide. The Programming committee supports the professional growth strategic goal with their work related to the planning of the PLA Conference. This committee also supports Advocacy and Awareness and Transformation, as the PLA Conference really provides a transformative experience for library professionals seeking professional growth and empowers them with awareness and advocacy too.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
PLA does a great job of offering ongoing professional development opportunities through webinars, in addition to the PLA conference. This committee does a wonderful job aligning with strategic goals of PLA

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Remain connected and engaged at each step of the process within the committee. Dive deeper into the conference registration drop and see how we should proceed with planning for other revenue streams if there’s a huge impact to the PLA revenue with the PLA conference registration drops.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
Collaboration is always welcomed. Specifically with the PLA Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice. ALA Specific committee would be Committee on Diversity, and Council Training & Engagement Committee would be helpful collaborators.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Angela B-I appreciated the guidance from Angela Maycock and Megan Stewart and the partnership of my co-chair Padma Polepeddi. And appreciated being trusted to cochair such an invaluable resource to our profession.

Padma – This has been a highly rewarding experience. Angela Maycock and Megan Stewart and Melissa are all such high functioning leaders and they had such a highly efficient process in place where every minute of every meeting and every communication was top notch learning and professional development experience. The committee members all came with robust experience and expertise and it was a high functioning and highly efficient committee. With the leadership of Angela Bennett, the co-chair of the Programming Committee and Angela Maycock’s leadership in putting together a robust plan of action for everything that needed to get done within a planned timeline and a highly dedicated group of committee members who all brought their experience and expertise in getting the work done has made this an extremely rewarding and professional growth opportunity.

Submitted by Angela Bennett, Padma Polepeddi on 01/23/2026

January 20, 2026

Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment Advisory Group – July–December 2026 Report

The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The committee continues to provide feedback to support the annual development of Benchmark, including recommending improvements to the Benchmark product and providing feedback to PLA staff throughout the development process. The committee specifically made recommendations about rearranging the visuals to help with the functionality of the pages for the end users. We also contribute to PLA efforts to increase adoption of Benchmark and subscriber retention, including collecting Benchmark presentation material for use by MEAAG members at local and regional meetings.
The committee assists PLA staff with the development, testing, and reporting of new annual topical surveys administered via Benchmark. The committee presented the 2024 Staff Survey results at the 2025 Annual Conference and with a webinar in the fall. Committee members also helped promote the Public Library Services Survey in Fall 2025 with a successful 20.6% response rate. Work has begun for the next annual survey, Technology Survey, scheduled for the fall 2026.
MEAAG members continue to work to preserve the important outcome-based resources on outcome surveys and data on the PLA website with the end of Project Outcome.
The Case Studies subcommittee is continuing to pilot and refine a new process for soliciting and reviewing case studies that support the use of PLA’s data tools. Derived from the model used by ACRL, the new process includes revised case study guidelines, a submission form, and individual roles for committee members in the review process to make the work more streamlined.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
MEAAG members continue to pursue these growth areas in the 2025-2026 committee year:
EDISJ – Data is a necessary component to advancing EDISJ in the profession. Through PLA's data tools, we help those in the profession better understand our communities (an essential step in making our spaces more inclusive), learn from other communities' successes, and measure our impact. In addition, applying an EDISJ lens to MEAAG’s work will help ensure that data is gathered responsibly, and that necessary context is provided when we present and share data. EDISJ and MEAAG committee members are presenting jointly at PLA 2026 called “Outcomes and Benchmark For the Rest of Us” scheduled for Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 4pm that combines EDISJ objectives and outcome based program surveys.

Professional Growth – MEAAG strives to increase the field’s understanding of data-informed practices, provide unique and valuable data to professionals, and increase the network of data-focused library professionals to provide support and growth to those innovating in the field. We will continue to encourage members to seek opportunities to contribute to supporting professional learning and development related to library data and evaluation.

Advocacy and Awareness – PLA’s Benchmark data platform provides considerable value to the profession, in helping us tell the story of how public libraries benefit communities. MEAAG members are very invested in the success of this tool, and we are exploring ways we can increase awareness about the data, tools, and resources available to support library staff and leaders in communicating the true impact and value of libraries to stakeholders.

Organizational Excellence – MEAAG members participate in continuous improvement of PLA’s Benchmark data product with a focus on increasing value for subscribers and are working to develop accessible resources to support adoption of Benchmark.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
For greater efficiency, the four subcommittees have been combined to form two subcommittees.
The Benchmark and Topical Surveys subcommittee will gear up to promote the 2026 Technology Survey and present the findings from the 2025 Services Survey and will advise PLA staff about potential improvements to the Benchmark platform and assist with webinars and conference presentations to provide professional development to the field (Supports Transformation, Organizational Excellence, EDISJ, Advocacy and Awareness)
The Case Studies and Outcome Measurement subcommittee will continue refining its approach to soliciting and reviewing case studies about data-informed practices using Benchmark and outcomes assessment and maintain outcome measurement resources on the PLA webpage. (Supports Organizational Excellence, Professional Growth, Transformation)

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
We are actively investigating opportunities to partner with other ALA divisions in support of professional development on collecting, evaluating, and reporting data – and doing so in an equity-informed way – including the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Committee. A conference proposal was accepted for PLA 2026 Conference from EDISJ and MEAAG. Continued learning support for outcomes assessment is a key to success in ongoing grant-funded digital equity projects. The Digital Literacy Committee is increasingly addressing the increase in interest in and visibility of digital equity as a result of landmark federal legislation that provided funding to support these efforts. MEAAG believes that PLA data products can help stakeholders make strong decisions about how to best use those resources.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Sara Goek and Katina Jones continue to be a great support for our advisory group and are fabulous to work with. Committee member capacity continues to be affected by the current unsettled environment in libraries. We appreciate the opportunity to continue supporting data-driven librarianship and look forward to sharing results with the field from the 2025 Service Survey and gearing up for the 2026 Technology Survey

Submitted by Laurie Covington and Kim DeNero-Ackroyd on 01/20/2026

January 18, 2026

Continuing Education Advisory Group – July–December 2026 Report

The group met 1 time this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Continuing Education Advisory Group supports PLA’s Professional Growth strategic goal by helping shape continuing education that’s inclusive, relevant, and easy for library workers to access. By reviewing current offerings and identifying emerging training needs, the group helps PLA expand opportunities for professional development and leadership.

As part of our service on the Continuing Education Advisory Group, the committee completed full reviews of 16 webinar proposals submitted to PLA in October. Using the Webinar Proposal Scorecard, we evaluated each proposal across three required categories—Proposal Description, Innovation, and Relevance/Significance—and provided comments as needed. Final scores from the advisory group members helped to determine the highest-rated proposals and help inform PLA’s recommended webinar offerings.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
This recommendation isn’t tied to a specific strategic goal, but I think it would be really helpful for the committee to identify and highlight trainings that are free or scholarship-based to improve access. In conversations with colleagues, I’ve heard a lot of interest in PLA offerings—but as library budgets continue to tighten, many library workers simply can’t afford to explore the full range of PLA learning opportunities. If we’re committed to equity and inclusion, that should include supporting those with limited financial means as well.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Communication is always an area where we can keep improving, and from what I’ve seen, this kind of committee work is getting harder to sustain—both in terms of support and interest. It’s not unique to library associations; it reflects broader shifts in how people engage and commit their time. My recommendation would be to keep committee work minimal, but make sure it stays meaningful and high-impact.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
I think it would be worthwhile to consider forming a sustainability committee as a natural next step in PLA’s work—one that could thoughtfully incorporate the Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Sustainability is a vitally important and rapidly growing focus for libraries, and it connects closely to EDISJ work in meaningful ways, including environmental justice, community resilience, and equitable access to resources. A combined or aligned committee structure could help PLA approach sustainability in a more intentional, values-driven way while continuing to elevate equity and inclusion as central to this work.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?

Submitted by Alicia M Mangin on 01/18/2026

January 16, 2026

Leadership Development Committee – July–December 2026 Report

The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Leadership Development Committee is working on an event for the PLA Member Lounge at PLA Conference 2026. The committee will connect "experts" in different areas with those seeking expertise. The experts will be members of the committee, but may also be PLA Conference attendees who elect to join the event. Committee members will connect those experts with those seeking conversation in their area of expertise.

This concept aligns directly with the strategic goal of Professional Growth by connecting library leaders at all levels.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The work of the Leadership Development Committee is clearly aligned with the goal of Professional Growth. I think there is also an opportunity to engage with the goal of Transformation; strong library leaders mean strong and transformative library services.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
In the past we've seen success in working with the PLA Membership Advisory Group. Coordinating with them on existing webinar series has been a successful way of bringing attention to the work of the committee within a known structure.

The Continuing Education Advisory Group also feels like a natural fit for collaboration with the Leadership Development Committee.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?

Submitted by Megan Klein-Hewett on 01/16/2026

January 15, 2026

Annual Conference 2026 Program Subcommittee – July–December 2026 Report

The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The PLA Annual Conference Program Subcommittee worked together using the strategic goals of professional growth, advocacy for our field of public libraries, and selecting programs that we think support our goals in librarianship and hopefully transform and help us grow further.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
I think that the current strategic goals were easy to use in our selection process.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
Unless there are new initiatives like the 150th anniversary, I do not think there is at this time.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
I think the training that this committee received was a great guide to help us be effective and efficient with our time. Our top choices very quickly floated to the top of our final scoring. I think that with the clarification about merging proposals (if presenters were open would need to change how the committee meets and can consider this situation.

Submitted by Melissa Hozik on 01/15/2026

June 13, 2025

Digital Literacy Advisory Group – January–June 2025 Report

The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Advisory group focused on 2 of the goals in PLA's starting plan Professional Growth & Advocacy and Awareness.
The group worked on creating ideas for sharing information on AI thru webinars, best practice and presenting in a session at ALA. A subgroup was developing handouts for best practices on AI with librarians.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
Collaborating with the Technology Advisory Group on emerging technology such as AI in term of both staff and publics use would be beneficial.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Areas of focus for next year could include working with groups on ensuring E rate funding continues, especially after hot spots were considered eligible and now funding is in jeopardy.

Being informed about changes in FCC both in terms of leadership and regulations.

Creating better communication and information sharing with local libraries and the Digital Library group's work. Knowing what others are providing in services and needs can help inform the group about gaps in order to be able to better meet those need.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
ALA Digital inclusion Working Group in order to ensure equitable access.

ALA ' s Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee to advocate for libraries.

Communication with National Telecommunication & Information Administration (NTIA) for broadband issues to build awareness and share stories of library's impacts.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
It is always a pleasure to serve on committees or advisory group. PLA staff are wonderful to work with.

Submitted by Patricia Ball & Julianne Rist on 06/13/2025

June 11, 2025

Leadership Development Committee – January–June 2025 Report

The group met 1 time this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The committee developed two educational activities. The first was a "Membership Monday: Becoming a PLA Leader." This webinar occurred on Monday, June 2.

A second education activity will happen in the Career Center at the ALA Conference. On Sunday, June 29, I will present a session titled Interview Prep Made Easy.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
I feel this committee did not meet often enough or have enough participation to really be productive this year.

It might help to get more orientation on the Strategic Goals.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
No work is carrying over from this committee. I feel that to make it more productive the meeting schedule should be set early on to ensure it gets on members' calendars.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
Not aware of any at this time.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
I am disappointed we didn't get more done and that participation at meetings was low. I wasn't able to give this as much time as I expected. However, I do enjoy being on PLA Committees, so I hope to participate again in the future.

Submitted by Douglas Crane on 06/11/2025

June 6, 2025

Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice – January–June 2025 Report

The group met 4-6 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The EDISJ Committee has supported PLA’s strategic goals by using consensus based decision making to identify 5 committee projects that support EDISJ work in libraries, including:

Project 1: EDISJ & MEAC conference proposal on PLA Project Outcome & Benchmark
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Professional Growth, Advocacy & Awareness, and Organizational Excellence.

Project 2: Host EDISJ Conference Listening Sessions at ALA & PLA
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Transformation, Professional Growth, Advocacy & Awareness, and Organizational Excellence

Project 3: Create a living document of EDISJ library resources by state, including training resources.
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Transformation, Professional Growth, and Organizational Excellence.

Project 4: Create a document with base level accommodation language that does not require HR/official paperwork, including developing talking points for staff in libraries that celebrate religious observances and how to communicate with supervisors about time off.
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ and Organizational Excellence.

Project 5: Write regular EDISJ articles for Public Libraries Magazine.
-Addresses PLA goals related to EDISJ, Transformation, Professional Growth, and Organizational Excellence.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The EDISJ Committee could follow the work of other committees more closely to see if there are additional opportunities for collaboration.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
I recommend new committee members attend the first meeting in July so they can meet the committee members that are offboarding, learn about the succession plans for each project, and if they are unable to attend monthly committee meetings I recommend that they participate by being active on our ALA Connect page. For those attending ALA and PLA I recommend that they attend the EDISJ listening sessions so that they know what PLA members want to see from the EDISJ committee. Lastly, this can be emotionally demanding work, so I recommend that members practice not just self care, but community care within the committee.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
EDISJ is currently collaborating with MEAC, but we could also partner with the Leadership Development Committee to help funnel emerging minority leaders into the EDISJ committee, so that they have an opportunity to build a portfolio that reflects national / association wide projects.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
The PLA EDISJ committee has provided a space for members to connect and be in community during a very challenging time for library workers. At times like these I am thankful we have organizations like PLA to bring us together. National committee work provides a reminder that even though we come from very different libraries, in various states, we often face similar challenges.

Submitted by Oscar Gittemeier & Lewonda Gipson on 06/06/2025

June 4, 2025

Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment Advisory Group – January–June 2025 Report

The group met 1 time this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
In the past six months, MEAAG members have focused on the transition plan for Project Outcome to preserve the important resources on outcome surveys and data on the PLA website.
The Case Studies subcommittee is continuing to pilot and refine a new process for soliciting and reviewing case studies that support the use of PLA’s data tools. Derived from the model used by ACRL, the new process includes revised case study guidelines, a submission form, and individual roles for committee members in the review process to make the work more streamlined.
The Benchmark subcommittee continues to provide feedback to support the annual development of Benchmark, including recommending improvements to the Benchmark product and providing feedback to PLA staff throughout the development process. We also contribute to PLA efforts to increase adoption of Benchmark and subscriber retention, including collecting Benchmark presentation material for use by MEAC members at local and regional meetings.
The Topical Surveys subcommittee assists PLA staff with the development, testing, and reporting of new annual topical surveys administered via Benchmark. A contractor is doing the initial report for the 2024 Staff Survey results with the committee helping to highlight the results that are of most interest to the field for the presentation to be made at the 2025 Annual Conference. Work has begun for the next annual survey, Public Library Services, scheduled for the fall.
The Project Outcome subcommittee is transitioning to focus on the data tools as well as the communication plan for Project Outcome’s decommissioning. The plan also includes tools to continue data collection and preserving survey results/reports.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
MEAAG members continue to pursue these growth areas in the 2024-25 committee year:
EDISJ – Data is a necessary component to advancing EDISJ in the profession. Through PLA's data tools, we help those in the profession better understand our communities (an essential step in making our spaces more inclusive), learn from other communities' successes, and measure our impact. In addition, applying an EDISJ lens to MEAAG’s work will help ensure that data is gathered responsibly, and that necessary context is provided when we present and share data.

Transformation – MEAAG members represent a good cross-section of the field, with representation from public libraries, state library agencies, and support organizations from locations across the country. MEAAG will continue to draw from these perspectives to identify emerging needs in the field. Working with the PLA data products, MEAAG members will contribute to identification of trends and development of resources to support responsiveness to community needs.
Organizational Excellence – MEAAG members participate in continuous improvement of PLA’s Benchmark data product with a focus on increasing value for subscribers and are working to develop accessible resources to support adoption of Benchmark. MEAAG’s assistance in curating resources for the transitioned Project Outcome static site and other elements of the transition plan support PLA’s efforts at fiscal responsibility in light of available revenues.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
The Topical Surveys subcommittee will gear up to promote the 2025 Services Survey. (Supports Transformation, EDISJ, Advocacy and Awareness)
The Case Studies subcommittee will continue refining its approach to soliciting and reviewing case studies about data-informed practices using Benchmark and outcomes assessment. (Supports Professional Growth, Transformation)
The Benchmark subcommittee will advise PLA staff about potential improvements to the platform and assist with webinars and conference presentations to provide professional development to the field. (Supports Organizational Excellence, Advocacy and Awareness, Transformation, EDISJ)
The Project Outcome subcommittee will continue to assist PLA staff in implementing the Project Outcome for Public Libraries Transition Implementation Plan, as well as investigate and develop new learning resources to support continued outcomes assessment work within the field. This subcommittee will transition to support data-driven librarianship resources with a new subcommittee name. (Supports Organizational Excellence, Transformation, Professional Growth)

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
We are actively investigating opportunities to partner with other ALA divisions in support of professional development on collecting, evaluating, and reporting data – and doing so in an equity-informed way – including the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Committee. A conference proposal was submitted for PLA 2026 Conference from EDISJ and MEAAG. Continued learning support for outcomes assessment is a key to success in ongoing grant-funded digital equity projects. The Digital Literacy Committee is increasingly addressing the increase in interest in and visibility of digital equity as a result of landmark federal legislation that provided funding to support these efforts. MEAAG believes that PLA data products can help stakeholders make strong decisions about how to best use those resources.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
The past six months have brought challenges, with one of MEAAG’s liaisons (Sara Goek) on a sabbatical while we work to begin the transition of Project Outcome. Katina Jones has continued to be a great support for our advisory group and is fabulous to work with. Additionally, the committee members' capacity has been affected by the current unsettled environment in libraries. We appreciate the opportunity to continue supporting data-driven librarianship and look forward to sharing results with the field from the 2024 Staff Survey and gearing up for the 2025 Services Survey.

Submitted by Laurie Covington and Jerianne Thompson on 06/04/2025