As academic libraries face reduced budgets and limited staffing, demonstrating value has never been more critical. This session offers practical strategies for library administrators to engage key stakeholders, administration, faculty, and students, by aligning library services and resources with institutional priorities.

Learn how to communicate impact through budgeting and usage data, strengthen faculty partnerships through collections and instructional support, and reimagine the library as a dynamic student-centered space. Presenters will share actionable no-budget, low-budget, and medium-budget ideas tailored to each group, helping libraries focus resources on high-impact practices that sustain visibility, relevance, and support across campus.

Presenters

Dawn Behrend is the Dean of University Libraries at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where she previously served as an instruction and outreach librarian supporting a wide range of academic programs. A licensed clinical psychologist, she continues to work in private practice and brings this perspective to her library work, with a focus on improving access and services for patrons with mental illness and neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behrend is actively involved in state and national library organizations, has served in several leadership roles including as ACRL-NC Chair and President of the North Carolina Library Association, and is a regular contributor to professional publications. She also teaches professional development courses for Library Juice Academy.

Dr. Natalie Bishop serves as Dean of the Dover Library and University Archivist at Gardner‑Webb University, where she has worked since 2007. She began her career at the university as an instruction librarian before taking on leadership roles in archives and library services. Her work focuses on digital preservation, historical community partnerships, curriculum-aligned collections, and information literacy. In 2023, she co-authored a chapter on sustainable institutional repositories in Rethinking Institutional Repositories: Innovations in Management, Collections, and Inclusion. Dr. Bishop’s professional interests include archives management, assessment, and enhancing the library’s role as a center for learning and engagement.

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