One of the highlights of the year for staff is the library’s Staff Day, where library employees from all nine Madison Public Library locations have the opportunity to come together for a full day of learning and professional development.

This year’s Staff Day was September 13, and featured Tom Kuplic (pictured at right), Earthling Interactive Vice President of Business Services, who gave the keynote address titled “Why Personal Stories Matter.” Kuplic highlighted the importance of stories in communication and the importance of telling “library stories” in helping patrons and stakeholders understand the critical role public libraries play in our communities. If you follow the library or the foundation on social media, you’ll discover many of those stories weekly.

Breakout sessions included offerings on racial equity and social justice training; library ethics; mindfulness and other self-care topics for service providers, “fake news”; and the opioid crisis in Dane County. The day’s programming is funded by a Madison Public Library Foundation grant.