Libraries have historically served as the heart of campus and academic life. However, their purpose is constantly evolving to align with changing stakeholder needs, accommodate new technologies, and serve new purposes. University libraries are developing strategies to navigate changes in technology, demographics, and virtual versus in-person services while supporting strategic partnerships, campus services, and flexible spaces to support student success and wellbeing. Through recent project examples at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Wilmington’s Randall Library and UNC Greensboro’s Jackson Library, this session will provide actionable strategies to reimagine campus libraries and create better student and community-focused spaces. 

Growing communities require partnerships with higher education institutions across multiple industry sectors to support local economies. This session will highlight Wake County’s exemplary economic development work and show how its leaders found a path to create a national model of successful collaboration amongst higher education, community economic development, and private sector industries, leveraging collective assets to build a thriving regional economy. You’ll hear leaders’ strategies to align public-private sector partners and implement partnerships for success, citing real-world pathways for job creation, including North Carolina’s largest economic developments in history.