Seattle Public Library.

Knight Foundation is heading to Orlando this week for the 2016 American Library Association annual conference, where the winners of the recent Knight News Challenge on Libraries will present their projects and members of our staff and people from our network will lead panels on how libraries can better respond to communities in the digital age.

For our latest Knight News Challenge, we asked applicants to submit proposals that answered the question: How might libraries serve 21st century information needs?

Join us on Saturday, June 25, from 1- 2:30 p.m. ET for presentations from the winners of the Knight News Challenge on Libraries, which will be announced Thursday. These presentations will be followed by a panel discussion on transformation and innovation in libraries.

In addition, several winners from the 2014 Knight News Challenge on Libraries have curated a series of panels on both Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26.

Events on Saturday, June 25 will take place at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Regency Ballroom T. Events on Sunday, June 26 will take place in Regency Ballroom H. Here are highlights:

Saturday, June 25

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: “Let’s Get Physical: Online Learning, Face to Face.”

Join previous Knight News Challenge winner, Grif Peterson, learning lead at Peer 2 Peer University, to discuss innovative practices for harnessing the potential of online learning at the library. He’ll be joined by Mark Andersen, director of learning and economic advancement, Chicago Public Library; Kristen Edson, librarian, Chicago Public Library; and Felton Thomas, director, Cleveland Public Library.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: “Diverse Books From Across the Globe.”

Join previous Knight News Challenge winner Rebecca Mcdonald, CEO of Library For All to explore how libraries can support access to quality educational materials in an increasingly global context. She’ll be joined by Hannah Ehrlich, director of marketing and publicity, Lee & Low Books, and Kerri Poore, director of publisher and author relations, First Book.

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: “Transforming Libraries: Knight News Challenge Winners Announced”

Hear about the latest winners of the Knight News Challenge Libraries and join a panel discussion about transformational change happening in the library field. This panel will feature Lisa Peet, associate news editor, Library Journal; Matthew Phillips, manager, Technology Development Team, Harvard University Library; and Francesca Rodriquez, foundation officer, Madison Public Library Foundation.

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: “Beyond the Bottom Line: Building Responsible Relationships With Foundation, Vendors and Sponsors”

John Bracken, vice president of media innovation, Knight Foundation, is joining a panel to discuss how ALA’s American Libraries magazine collaborates with partners to influence policy and explore the future of how foundations, vendors and sponsors can work together. He’ll speak with Rena Coughlin, president and CEO, Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida; Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager, Gale Publishing; Sandra Hirsh, dean and professor, School of Information, San Jose State University; and James Neal, university librarian emeritus, Columbia University.

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.: “Can I Use It?  New Tools for Determining Rights and (Re)Use Status for Our Digital Collections”

Join previous Knight News Challenge winner Emily Gore, director of content at Digital Public Library of America, in a discussion about innovative approaches to help libraries understand and implement rights and reuse status for digital collections. She’ll be joined by Rick Adler, DPLA service hub coordinator, University of Michigan School of Information; and Greg Cram, associate director, copyright and information policy, New York Public Library.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: “From the Macro to the Micro: How Small-Scale Digitization Can Make a Big Difference”

Caroline Catchpole, previous Knight News Challenge winner from the Metropolitan New York Library Council will be leading a discussion around mobile digitization programs and their impact on communities. She’ll be joined by Jolie O. Graybill, assistant director, Minitex; Molly Huber, outreach coordinator, Minnesota Digital Library; and Natalie Milbrodt, associate coordinator, Metadata Services at Queens Library.

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Philanthropy and Libraries

Join John Bracken of Knight Foundation for a discussion about the future of grantmaking in libraries. He’ll be joined by Sarah Lutman, consultant, Wyncote Foundation, and Trevor Owens, senior library program officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services.

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.: How to Implement Things When People Hate Change

Jason Griffey, previous Knight News Challenge winner and founder of Evenly Distributed, will discuss managing change, radical ideas and how to implement projects. This session will include practical examples and a question-and-answer session with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, owner, Sustainable Libraries LLC and coordinator for Library Sustainability, Mid-Hudson Library System; Emily Clasper, system operations and training manager, Suffolk Cooperative Library System; and Ranti Junus, systems librarian, Electronic Resources and Libraries.

Follow @knightfdn and #newschallenge on Twitter for updates.

Nina Zenni is a media innovation associate at Knight Foundation. Email her at [email protected].