Speakers

Dr Caroline Butler-Bowden

The State Library of NSW: A living library for now, for the future, for all of us

Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon began in the role of State Librarian in November 2023. She is a published author and curator of architecture and urban history and has 20 years of executive leadership experience in public institutions, including the Historic Houses Trust and the Art Gallery of NSW. Her career has been dedicated to leadership that connects citizens and visitors to special places, culture and heritage through a broad range of statewide public engagement programs. 

Before starting at the Library, she was Deputy Secretary for Cities and Active Transport for NSW Government, where her work focused on major policy and a program of investment in NSW addressing the wellbeing, walkability and activation in our streets, and civic places. She led a Premier’s Priority, Greener Public Spaces from 2019-2023. She also serves on a range of committees and boards to promote the power of place, culture and community in Australia. 

Beth Wahler

Defusing and Preventing Behavioural Escalation in Libraries and Beyond: The Role of Three Core Human Needs

Beth Wahler, PhD, MSW is founder and principal consultant at Beth Wahler Consulting, LLC. She is an internationally-recognized consultant, trainer, and researcher whose primary focus is trauma-informed librarianship, library strategies for addressing visitors’ social service-related needs, supporting library staff with serving high-needs visitors and reducing work-related stress/trauma, and various kinds of collaborations, services, and programs to meet visitor, staff, or community needs. She has worked with a wide variety of libraries internationally- urban, suburban, and rural- as well as large library systems and state library associations to provide personalised training opportunities, conduct needs assessments, evaluate library programs/services, and/or develop individualised plans to help meet the needs of their visitor populations and staff. She has also published and presented internationally on library visitor and staff needs, trauma-informed librarianship, and library/social work collaborations. Her book, “Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons,” focuses on strategies for supporting visitors with complex needs while simultaneously supporting library staff. She also co-hosts the podcast, Surviving the Stacks, aimed at providing support to library staff across the globe.