Alexander Zambrano, Public Innovation and Knowledge Management Leader, Bogotá Library System.

Maham Mansoor holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University, where she deepened her expertise in foresight, design thinking, and strategic planning. She excels in design strategy, research, and service design, using advanced methodologies to tackle complex challenges, deliver meaningful user experiences, and envision forward thinking solutions. She is a skilled Visual Communication Designer with extensive experience in UX and graphic design. Maham has collaborated with a diverse client base—including for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and educational organizations—to develop user-centred solutions that resonate across varied audiences. She is also adept at crafting strategic frameworks that empower small businesses and institutions to achieve their goals effectively

Bonnie Leung holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University, where she focused on research, systems thinking, and future-oriented strategy. With 15 years of experience in interior design, she brings a strong foundation in creative problem-solving and project leadership to her evolving work in research and foresight. Currently contributing to OCAD’s Visual Analytics Lab, Bonnie explores how design can intersect with development, policy, and community building. She is especially interested in applying design and strategic thinking to support meaningful, forward-looking initiatives.  

Camilla Notarbartolo is the Training Manager of the Milan Public Library System, where she leads continuing professional development and workplace learning for library professionals, and coordinates both national and international mobility programmes. Her responsibilities include planning and delivering EU-funded projects, chairing the working group on lifelong learning for library users, and overseeing internships, apprenticeships, volunteering, and community service initiatives.

She is a member of the IFLA CPDWL Standing Committee (2023–2027) and currently takes part in the MetLib Learning Circle (2025–2026), where she is working on rethinking lifelong learning programs to position libraries as inclusive spaces that empower communities through knowledge, skills, and critical engagement.

Erin Auger is the Manager of Support Services at Chatham-Kent Public Library (CKPL), where she leads a dedicated team focused on enhancing access to information across CKPL’s 11-branch system. She has worked in public libraries for over 15 years and brings experience from northern, rural, and urban libraries across Ontario, contributing a broad perspective to her work in community engagement and service innovation.

Sarah Hart Coatsworth is Manager of Community Engagement at Chatham-Kent Public Library.  Prior to coming to CKPL, Sarah worked at Brampton Library for 7 years where she enjoyed being a Children’s Librarian and, later, Coordinator of Children’s Services.  She has an Honours Degree in English and Media Studies from Huron College (UWO) and holds a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from McGill University completed in 2004. Born in Windsor, Sarah moved to small town Dresden, Ontario in 1988 and is pleased to be back in CK, now living in Ridgetown, Ontario on a farm with her partner who raises sheep, goats and bees. 

Liz Coates is the Manager – Programming and Outreach at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, where she leads a team of dedicated librarians and programming assistants in creating programs that inspire learning and connection and meet the diverse needs of the community. She has a strong background in library services and partnership development and is passionate about combating social isolation through meaningful opportunities that bring people together. Outside of work, Liz enjoys spending time with her two young children and three cats!

Lisbeth Mærkedahl is a Librarian and Project Manager from Aarhus Public Libraries in Denmark. In a wide range of projects and processes with users, network and partners, Lisbeth’s focus is the development of the “library of the future”.

For the past years she has been working on a joint project between Chicago Public Library, IDEO and Aarhus Public Libraries on human centered design and in the recent years on strengthen children and young people's media literacy skills. 

Sara Jones was appointed as the Washington State Librarian in, 2021, after serving as the director of the Marin County Free Library since July 2013. Prior to her time in California, she held positions in Nevada libraries for 25 years, including serving as the Carson City Library Director, the Elko-Lander-Eureka County Library System Director and Youth Services Coordinator, and Nevada State Librarian. Sara is a passionate advocate for developing the library’s role in learning and community engagement using innovative services like VR (Virtual Reality) and RPTTG’s (Role Play Tabletop Games). The Institute of Museum and Library Services IMLS) awarded $249,500 in 2024 to the Washington and Wisconsin State Libraries for a three year  project called “Empowering & Innovating Games-based Library Services: National Best Practices for Gaming Collections & Programming”. The partnership will develop and disseminate a digital toolkit to guide libraries in implementing games-based services. 

Candice Ji is an urban planner and designer with a background in environmental journalism and long-range planning. At Gehl Studio’s New York office, she works with city agencies and community leaders on public space projects and evaluation efforts worldwide, integrating research, participatory processes, design, and storytelling to foster inclusion and vibrant public life. She co-authored the Bentway report Rx for Social Connection and is a subject matter expert on how thoughtfully designed and programmed social infrastructure supports meaningful social connection and well-being

Chris Dorscht is the Director of Customer Experience at Milton Public Library, where he leads service innovation, community engagement, and strategic partnerships. With a background in marketing and customer experience, he enhances library accessibility and user satisfaction through inclusive programming and collaborative initiatives. 

Kanta Kapoor is Director of Support Services at Milton Public Library, where she leads technology integration and system innovation. She specializes in enhancing user experience through discovery services and access improvements. Kanta also develops senior-focused programs funded by the New Horizons for Seniors Program, fostering creativity and connection among older adults.

Colleen Amatruda is currently Coordinator, Programming and Outreach Services for London Public Library's sixteen locations. Colleen's interest in serving the community through public libraries began with a volunteering role as a reading mentor that opened her eyes to the unending possibilities that public libraries offer their communities which quickly re-shaped her career trajectory. With a background in visual arts, art history and Montessori education, Colleen has been a Children's Librarian, Adult Services Librarian, Visiting Library Services Librarian and Branch Supervisor in year 15-year tenure at London Public Library. 

Kathy Smith is a practicing mixed media artist and a founding member of the Creative Age Network in Ontario. 

She leads initiatives that integrate the creative arts into positive aging program models resulting in impactful programs and advocacy rooted in creativity and community. Kathy's innovative partnership development strategies and community-based arts programs have been recognized by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario with an Ontario Seniors Achievement Award.

Joanna Kerr is an adult programming librarian with London Public Library. She has worked at Fanshawe College Library, in elementary and high school libraries, and volunteered at a rural library in Tanzania before starting her Master of Library and Information Science program at Western University. She believes that every choice in programming is easier when you ask yourself why you're bringing people together and what experience you hope for them to have (to paraphrase Priya Parker's book The Art of Gathering, which she quotes frequently).

Sekoia Johnson has been the Older Adult Advocate for Vaughan Public Libraries in Ontario, Canada since 2022.  Living in West and East Africa as a child helped her understand and appreciate the power of community drumming.  Attending art school in British Columbia in her twenties gave her an understanding of the creative process and how to foster its development in others. As the Older Adult Advocate for VPL she is privileged to bring Creative Age programming to her community, including the popular, new grant funded Drum & Percussion program, facilitated by trained library staff. 

Florence Campbell is a retired senior executive from positions such as Vice Principal, Advancement, Queen’s University; Vice President, Conference Board of Canada (Ottawa); management portfolios in IBM Canada Ltd (Toronto and Ottawa).

She brought the international Compassionate Communities movement that started in Australia almost 30 years ago and has spread to several countries, to Kingston in 2017. As Chair of the Board of Directors, she leads the volunteer team in championing the initiative that focuses on helping older adults “live as well as we can for as long as we can”.   Success of this initiative involves developing partnerships with other like-minded community organizations.  The Kingston Frontenac Public Library is one of the organization’s most important partners.

In 2012 she received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and, in 2013, the Ontario Medical Association Community Service Award.

Martin Memet Könick is the Library Director of the city of Landskrona in the South of Sweden. He is also a Board member of the Swedish Library Association, an elected member of the IFLA Public Libraries Section SC and appointed by Sweden's Department of Culture as 1 of 2 experts representing Sweden in authoring a report on Public Libraries’ multiple roles in society, commissioned by the European Union.

I have been a Library Director in the Barcelona Library Network for nearly 25 years, leading libraries in different neighbourhoods and helping to strengthen public library services. I currently manage a large central library with a focus on science, gender, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. Throughout my career, I have worked with diverse professional teams and gained international experience, including the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Public Libraries Network and a residency in Medellín. Most recently, I have been elected to the Standing Committee of IFLA’s Metropolitan Libraries section.

Sarah Gauthier is the Manager, Information Services at the Hamilton Public Library, responsible for the operations at the Central Library, and includes leadership of key community-focused initiatives such as the Newcomer Learning Centre, the Social Work program, and the Peer Support program.

Katie Compton is the Digital Learning Librarian within McMaster University Libraries’ department of Teaching & Learning. She earned her MLIS from the iSchool at University of British Columbia. For several years, she worked as a Library Assistant in public and academic library settings. Engaging directly with library visitors inspires her interest in low-barrier, community-centric program design.  

Katie O'Donnell is a Library Assistant in the Archives and Research Collections department at McMaster University Libraries. She earned her LIT diploma from Mohawk College. Katie spent several years working in the Access Services department, which fostered a strong passion for connecting with the community and championing library resources. Working on different types of outreach projects has helped Katie to develop her interest in building inclusive programming. 

Laural Raine is Senior Manager of Policy, Planning and Evaluation with Toronto Public Library, where she provides leadership to establish organizational direction, align activities to achieve strategic priorities and measure outcomes. 

In this role, she leads a team responsible for development of the organization's Strategic Plan, implementation of TPL's Policy Development Framework, and building organizational capacity for evaluation and impact assessment. Prior to joining TPL, Laural worked for the City of Toronto and has more than 15 years of public sector leadership experience in strategy, public policy, and research in a variety of roles. 

Senior Project Manager

Srija Biswas has a Masters of Health Science with a specialization in community health. Srija has worked with several non-profit community based organizations to manage and evaluate provincial programs and partnerships. Srija is skilled in program planning and evaluation, program and project management, community engagement, qualitative and quantitative research. Srija is passionate about evidence-based client-centered approach to healthcare, mitigating the gap between clinical and social care, and non-clinical and social interventions for improved overall health outcomes while implementing a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Spaces for Connection

People are healthier when they are connected to resources and supports. To provide comprehensive care, these supports must address not only physical health, but social and structural factors that influence well-being, such as loneliness, or a need for creativity, or community connection.

Tommi Laitio is an internationally recognized strategist who consults libraries, museums, cities and foundations in finding solutions to urban friction, partnerships and engagement. Laitio's research on convivencia, the capability to coexist, has inspired libraries and arts institutions around the world. Laitio is the Principal of Convivencia Urbana, which carries out advisory and design projects in North America and Europe on the future of public spaces, public-private partnerships, youth development and impactful engagement. His work builds on two decades of experience in public innovation and city leadership. Laitio was the inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow at Johns Hopkins University (2022-2024) where his research focused on the skills and capabilities public institutions need for library and park partnerships. The appointment was based on his innovative leadership as City of Helsinki’s first Executive Director for Culture and Leisure (2017-2021). Laitio also co-leads the MetLib Learning Circle, a global networking for library leaders.

Corrina Chetley-Irwin is the Executive Director, Employee Experience at Edmonton Public Library. She is an energetic and optimistic leader who is passionate about learning, conversations, and relationships. She has over 30 years of experience in human resources, strategy development and business planning in both the private and public sector in the role of leader, consultant and educator. Her professional experience is supported by an MBA and a B. Comm with a major in Labour Relations.  

John Beebe is the founder of the Democratic Engagement Exchange at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he leads national initiatives that strengthen civic participation and amplify marginalized voices in democratic processes. A Max Bell Policy Fellow, he works closely with community organizations and public institutions—including libraries—to foster inclusive and accessible engagement. His award-winning programs, such as Vote PopUp and Democracy Talks, have been adopted across Canada and recognized in Elections Canada’s reports to Parliament. John is widely quoted in Canadian and international media on democratic participation and civic innovation. His work draws on decades of experience as a political advisor, educator, and advocate in both the U.S. and Canada.  

Dialogue and Democracy - learn strategies and practical tools for libraries to build healthy communities and a vibrant democracy in a moment of increasingly polarized discourse.

Ilana Altman is a cultural planner and designer who has a background in art and architecture. In her role as Co-Executive Director she works to unlock new public space opportunities, build strong civic partnerships and implement innovative and engaging programming, resulting in new inclusive experiences across the city.

Welcome and Community Connections: Explore how thoughtful public space design and programming can foster social connection and address urban isolation.

Brian Bannon is The New York Public Library’s first-ever Merryl and James Tisch Director. Bannon is the chief librarian responsible for directing NYPL’s 88 neighborhood branches, as well as the Library’s educational strategy. 

Most recently, Bannon was commissioner and chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Library, serving as chief library officer for one of the largest urban public library systems in the world. Bannon came to NYPL in 2019 with 20 years of experience in developing and implementing educational programs and leading large-scale operations that maximize impact for all citizens and contribute to a culture of learning, reading, and community learning. Before his successful tenure in Chicago, Bannon was Chief Information Officer at the San Francisco Public Library, and worked at the Seattle Public Library and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

How to Measure Connection: In the last two years, both NYPL and TPL have published research to demonstrate how libraries foster, promote and impact well-being. Hear from research leads on what the research means.

Pete Bombaci is a social change leader and the founder/CEO of GenWell, Canada’s Human Connection Movement. Since 2016, he has led its mission to educate, empower, and catalyze Canadians around social health and its impact on well-being. Under his leadership, GenWell delivers social health education and six national campaigns, fostering connection in workplaces, schools, and communities. Previously, Pete served as Country Director of Movember Canada, raising $142 million for men’s health. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, he inspires individuals, businesses, and policymakers to invest in social connection for a healthier, more connected Canada.

Welcome and Community Connections: GenWell is Canada's human connection movement committed to making social connection a core part of our individual and collective well-being. As part of the broader conversation on social health we highlight the critical role that connection plays in the mental and physical health of Canadians and the communities we share. Join GenWell founder and CEO Pete Bombaci to explore how libraries can be powerful catalysts for connection and learn practical ways to foster human connection in your space.

Pilar Martinez is the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Edmonton Public Library, where she has championed numerous innovative services, including community-led and digital initiatives. Pilar has a broad base of experience in executive leadership and is passionate about the difference public libraries make. She is highly engaged in the community, serving on boards in Canada and the United States. 

How we Adapt and Connect: With the guidance and support of Tommi Laitio, EPL has created a convivencia framework. Learn about the how and what of this work and its impact on enhancing spaces for well-being at your library.