THE INSIDER - SPRING 2025

DIRECTOR OF LIBRARY SERVICES MS. LINDA SIMMONS-HENRY AT THE 2025 TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN DALLAS, TEXAS

“My invitation to participate and serve on the panel for ‘Innovation Inspiration: Cool Technology from Texas Libraries’ with other academic librarians was a wholehearted pleasure,” said Ms. Simmons-Henry. “To be able to share with and learn alongside library colleagues, to engage in meaningful dialogue, to exchange strategies, it was a true delight.” Ms. Simmons-Henry continued her sentiment, noting that the future of libraries is undoubtedly one that is digital. In this regard, she emphasized the need for libraries to embrace innovation, as well as continue to explore and recognize the dynamic roles that they serve in the ever-evolving digital landscape. To do so, Ms. Simmons-Henry asserted that expanding partnerships, implementing the latest technological initiatives, increasing access to digital collections, and staying current with the latest academic trends are essential to maintaining a library’s functionality in the modern era and futuristically. “This is all imperative to fostering academic excellence, professional development, enhanced digital resources, and collaboration across the state,” noted Ms. Simmons-Henry. “The future of libraries are far beyond traditional knowledge curation. Libraries now serve as vibrant spaces for community engagement, digital literacy, and social inclusion. This conference was of great benefit and instrumental to empowering our library staff, enhancing our resources, creating new initiatives, and ultimately supporting the academic success of our Texas College students. The networking and knowledge exchanged at this conference served as a significant milestone that I am confident will continue to further strengthen the capacities of the D.R. Glass Library at Texas College and reinforce our collective commitment to excellence now, as well as in the future.”

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