Past Institutes

Except for 2020, OLSSI has been held annually since 2002! Here is what our attendees have had to say:

“This is a real rare bird – useful info, good topics for the sessions, and a relaxed atmosphere. Plus, the price is very affordable.”
“[OLSSI] is a great resource that I have recommended to staff at my library and will continue to recommend.”
“OLSSI is a great conference for library support staff, allowing us to build connections and gain new insights and ideas to implement in our home libraries.”

“This was a great experience + some wonderful information.”
“The best organized and most fun conference I’ve ever been to.”
“It’s great to get the opportunity to meet new people while learning from presenters and each other.”

“Great workshops, useful information, topics were very interesting and current.”
“Very professional. You’d never know it was your first time doing an online conference.”
“Wonderful organization and hope they are around for many years to come!!”

“My favorite thing was interacting with other attendees. I learned from their experiences and expertise and was able to share with others.”
“This was my first [OLSSI]. It was great. I was super excited. I got so much from it.”
“Amazing. Learned so much – instructors were fun and knowledgable.”

“I love that OLSSI works to keep us all apprised of new trends and topics.”
“I’ve been to nine conferences in nine years and this one was easily the best.”
“I was ready for some different, expanded professional development! I was lucky that my request was approved. I hope it will be again next year.”

“The courses were interesting and relevant to what our workplace is trying to accomplish. It also seemed to have more topics that I wanted to learn more about personally.”
“I’ve come before, and it’s always been really fun and helpful. I love the conference and the classes; they are very useful.”
“I have attended OLSSI several times. I have never been disappointed.”

“This was a training with my peers. I didn’t feel outranked or ‘only’ a library associate. Very friendly staff. Well thought-out program. I like learning about other libraries.”
“Fun people! Good sessions that have info I can use immediately.”
“My favorite part of OLSSI is visiting other schools and meeting new faces. Also the classes and instructors. It’s always fun.”

“This was suggested to me by my supervisor, and though I was nervous and its hard to be away from home, it was a great experience.”
“I loved all of the classes and the location. I honestly wouldn’t change much.”
“The people were amazing. Fun, entertaining, enlightening.”

“OLSSI is a great organization, and the classes they offer are great and informative. Nothing is keeping me from coming back.”
“I always enjoy seeing familiar and new faces each year. OLSSI is a great resource for library support staff.”
“The sessions were informative and interesting. The activities allowed me to network and get to know some pretty awesome people. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Without a doubt, the OLSSI conference was one of the most practical meetings I have attended in my 2+ years at [my employer]. I was also very pleased that OLSSI-folk made sure that we newbies felt immediately included in all of the events. Strong work!”
“As always, OLSSI is a pleasure and joy to participate in. Attendees are engaged, having fun, and the environment is conducive to learning and socializing with colleagues. Good job!”
“Thanks for all your hard work! I really enjoyed it!”

“This is just a top notch production from start to finish!”
“I have coworkers say this is the best conference going, best classes, best teachers, best fun. They were right. … I learn things that work for my job, not librarians and managers.”
“OLSSI is so well organized; can’t wait for the next one.”

“Very well run. I’m impressed with how knowledgeable your instructors are. … Truly the best conference in Ohio.”
“I always get a lot out of OLSSI. Everyone is jazzed and it’s nice to go home energized (can you be exhausted and energized at the same time?)”
“Keep doing what you’re doing because it’s turning out very well.”

“Had a great time & learned a lot. Very organized!”
“This has been a fun and instructive conference!”
“Best conference I have attended. … Hope to attend next year and bring others. Lots of great ideas to take back.”

“The mixture of education and fun was WONDERFUL! It did my heart good! I feel like I can really go back to work and tell them how much I learned!! … I can’t say enough how joyous I am! I feel like I can take on the world! Bravo OLSSI!”
” You folks really know what you are doing!”
“Wonderful conference! Very best I have ever attended!”

“Had a very good time, left full of useful information to implement when I return to work.”
“I felt the conference was very well organized. The staff was very welcoming! And fun to be around.”
“Great conference.”

“Excellent selection of topics for sessions!”
“This is by far the BEST conference I have ever attended. (I have attended 2 to four conferences every year for the last ten years.)”
“F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!”

“This is a great way to stay connected with what’s going on in a fast changing world.”
“The past few days have exceeded my expectations! Looking forward to attending future events.”
“Amazing! The effort, energy and love is quite evident! … The experience was educational, fun and worth my time!”

“Great conference, well-organized, will return!”
“So glad it was casual! It made it easier to get comfortable, relax, and absorb the huge amount of information.”
“Thank you for a great conference. See you next year.”

“Exceeded expectations; empowering and personal.”
“Very well done – gave me a number of ideas of things to look up when I get back.”
“Exceeded expectations! Wow! I learned so much! A mini MLIS degree!”

“Thank you for such a great conference. Would love to come back next year.”
“This had to be an amazing amount of work . . . to great success. Spending time with each other forms relationships that would take years of meeting to achieve. As much learning takes place at the meals as the sessions.”
“The Institute as a whole was great. It was fun and informative.”