White River Junction — The Children’s Literacy Foundation is hosting its semiannual Rural Libraries Conference on Sept. 15 at Hotel Coolidge and Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, bringing together librarians from throughout Vermont and New Hampshire to address the unique challenges facing rural libraries.

Meredith Scott. program director at the Children’s Literacy Foundation, a nonprofit focused on literacy for low-income, at-risk and rural children, said the conference allows people from large and small libraries to come together to address common issues, such as funding, staying relevant and meeting the diverse needs of their communities.

“They can help each other and create a network so that feeling of isolation can be alleviated,” Scott said.

This year the theme for the event is “Building Confidence,” with a focus on children’s and teens’ programming. Scott said she hopes librarians will leave the conference knowing that they can address the needs of children and teens in their communities and fulfill the many roles needed to make a library successful, from marketing to event planning.

“We want to look at everything and have people feel confident that (they) can be successful in all those places,” she said.

The conference will feature workshops, panels and networking opportunities. If libraries are unable to send a staff member, Scott recommends sending a board member or volunteer who can bring the information back to the community. The cost of the conference is $20, which includes breakfast and lunch. Registration and more information can be found at www.clifonline.org/rural-libraries.

— Staff report