Thrive Core

Save 10% through June 30! Register by June 30 and use code EarlyBird at checkout to save 10% on a standard ticket.

Join us August 11-13! 28 speakers across 15 sessions covering compassion fatigue, collective care, neurodivergent leadership, building solidarity on a zero-dollar budget, psychological safety, and what it really looks like to stay in this profession on your own terms. All sessions are virtual, and replays are planned, so you can join live or catch up when it works for you.

Please note that right now registration is capped at 450 tickets this year, so now is a great time to grab your spot.
Register now https://thrivelib-2026.heysummit.com/

It’s here! Registration for ThriveLib 2026 is officially open, and we’re so excited to see you there.

This year’s conference runs August 11-13, and the theme, Reimagining Library Culture Together, shaped everything about how we built the program. Fifteen sessions, 28 speakers, three days of honest conversation about what library work looks like when the people doing it are genuinely cared for.

Tickets
We want as many library workers in the room as possible, and this year we were able to lower our subsidized rate. Tickets are available at three price points:
- $50 subsidized rate is available for library and information science students and for library workers who are unemployed or underemployed. We’re not asking for proof. We just ask that you use it if you truly need it.
- $100 standard rate is the regular price for most attendees and helps us cover the cost of the event and pay our speakers and organizers fairly.
- $125 Pay It Forward rate is for those who are able to give a little more. Every pay it forward ticket helps fund a subsidized ticket for someone else. If that’s you, thank you.

One thing to know: due to our current Zoom license, registration is capped at 450 tickets.

Early bird discount
Register by June 30 and save 10% on standard tickets with the code EARLYBIRD at checkout.

Ready to join us? Head to the HeySummit platform to register. And if you know someone who needs this, please pass it along.

We’ll see you in August!

https://thrivelib-2026.heysummit.com/

Is your organization looking for a meaningful way to support librarians and library workers this year?
Sponsoring ThriveLib 2026 puts your name behind something that matters. Every sponsorship directly funds subsidized tickets, keeping the conference accessible to library workers who need it most, regardless of budget.
Learn more at thrivelib.com/sponsors or reach out at [email protected].

Three in four (73%) would take at least a 5% pay cut to work for an employer who genuinely prioritizes their wellbeing. One in five (20%) would accept a salary that was 15% below their target. Gen Z (80%) and Millennials (79%) are the most willing to sacrifice pay, compared with Baby Boomers (61%). Americans of all generations continue to place a clear premium on their workplace environment, but younger employees generally drive this trend.

73% of U.S. Workers Would Sacrifice Pay for Workplace Wellbeing New PensionBee data reveals “offboarding is the new onboarding” as employer communication gaps leave 401(k)s exposedKEY FINDINGS: 73% of U.S. workers would take a pay cut for workplace wellbeing92% say employers bear at least some responsibility for guiding benefit decisions71% received clear be...

This is what one ThriveLib 2025 attendee walked away thinking about.
ThriveLib 2026 is coming back August 11-13, and registration opens June 15. Fifteen sessions, 28 speakers, and three days dedicated entirely to the well-being of library workers. Replays available for all sessions.
Find out more and register at thrivelib.com.

English speakers often rely on social media that are "me-oriented" & substitute real relationships. In other countries, platforms are used to cultivate relationships & build connections. One is consuming content from strangers, the other is maintaining relationships

Happiness expert says if Americans used social media like non-English speakers it would fix everything Happiness researcher Arthur Brooks says Americans and non-English speakers use social media differently, and it affects their mental health.

"When we talk about trauma in the context of library work, it’s important to remember that trauma rarely exists in isolation. It often intersects with other forms of stress, exhaustion, and harm that shape how we experience our jobs and relate to our communities. Some of these experiences may not qualify as trauma in a clinical sense but are still deeply impactful. Understanding the range of related terms can help us more accurately describe what we’re going through, validate our own and others’ experiences, and begin to imagine healthier, more supportive workplace cultures. "

A Vocabulary for Library Worker Wellbeing – Urban Librarians Unite A Vocabulary for Library Worker Wellbeing May 22, 2026 by Leah Dudak When we talk about trauma in the context of library work, it’s important to remember that trauma rarely exists in isolation. It often intersects with other forms of stress, exhaustion, and harm that shape how we experience our jo...

"I get asked a lot to do something that feels contradictory to me, and I’ve been struggling with it for a while. How to reground librarians in their work or help librarians find joy in their work. I think this topic is both incredibly important and it makes me anxious because it feels like it could slide into vocational awe very easily, either on my part or through the interpretation of the audience. The word “joy” has been everywhere lately, and I worry it’s starting to sound like toxic positivity, like we’re asking people to feel better about hard situations instead of changing the situations.

But I keep coming back to something Fobazi Ettarh said. One of the questions she gets often is whether she’s saying we’re not allowed to love our jobs. And she’s clear: that’s not what she’s saying. We spend most of our lives at work. It should be a place where you feel good.[i] And that we need multiple ways to survive, work is just one of those."

Find the Cracks: That’s How the Light Gets In. on reclaiming joy in library work without losing yourself to it I get asked a lot to do something that feels contradictory to me, and I’ve been struggling with it for a while. How to reground librarians in their work or help librarians find joy in their work. I…

Workers who enjoy what they do each day rate their lives more than a full point higher on Gallup’s zero-to-10 life evaluation scale than those who don’t enjoy what they do. But the analysis also reveals that job choice and purpose play an outsized role among specific populations, including full-time employees, workers in their peak career-building years, and those living in lower-income economies.

Work Enjoyment Strongly Linked to Overall Wellbeing Of three aspects of workplace wellbeing measured globally, enjoyment in daily work is tied to the largest increases in how workers evaluate their lives.

Small business? Independent professional?

ThriveLib 2026 has a sponsorship tier designed just for you.

Our Seed tier is for small businesses and independent professionals who want to show up for library workers — on any budget. Get a booth on our HeySummit platform and be listed on our sponsors page.

Contact us to discuss. We'll make it work.
https://thrivelib.com/sponsors/
[email protected]