What Librarians Are Thinking About Right Now: Insights From Core Forum & Access Services 2025
This November, we had the chance to connect with librarians at Core Forum in Denver and the Access Services Conference in Atlanta. While the conferences focused on different aspects of library work, conversations revealed a shared set of priorities around space, workflows, and the overall patron experience.
Across both events, librarians highlighted the ongoing challenge of helping patrons navigate complex or evolving buildings. Renovations, shifting collections, and multi-level layouts create confusion not just for patrons, but for staff as well. Several attendees mentioned how often they pause their own tasks to reorient users. As one librarian put it, “People spend more time figuring out the layout than actually finding what they came for.”
In Atlanta, Access Services staff emphasized the constant balancing act of circulation, reserves, interlibrary loans, and student worker management. A recurring theme was the importance of clarity through signage, understandable floor plans, and streamlined pathways that reduce repetitive directional questions. Even small improvements can make service points run more smoothly. One staff member noted, “If our students do not understand the building, we cannot expect our patrons to.”
At Core Forum, discussions about metadata and collections frequently circled back to the physical building. Librarians stressed that successful discovery relies not only on accurate metadata but also on patrons being able to locate materials once they arrive. Aligning digital search with physical navigation is becoming increasingly important.
Leadership and operations sessions, including “How to Have an Inclusive Collection Even When Your Institution Isn’t” and “Discovery Layer Migration: A Cross-Departmental Collaboration to Prepare Library Users for Changes,” focused on designing experiences that work for all users, including new students, community members, neurodiverse patrons, and anyone unfamiliar with the space. Librarians are thinking more holistically about how people move through the library and how service models, space design, and technology can work together to support that journey.
Across both conferences, there was strong interest in tools that make buildings easier to understand. Attendees emphasized a preference for technology that integrates smoothly with existing systems, reduces confusion, and supports both patrons and staff without adding unnecessary complexity.
Together, the conversations at Core Forum and the Access Services Conference painted a clear picture of what librarians are prioritizing: clarity, usability, and confident patron navigation. Whether through improved discovery, streamlined workflows, or better-designed spaces, librarians are working toward environments where every user, regardless of their familiarity with the library, can find what they need with ease.