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Public and private academic libraries in the state of Utah

ULA Academic Section Annual Report, 2026

Dale Larsen

Sun, May 17, 2026 5:46 PM

Dear Academic Librarians of Utah and Utah Library Association,

My name is Dale Larsen and I am the outgoing chair of the ULA Academic Section. Part of the role of chair is to report out with goals and outcomes from the year just past. These sometimes get hidden in the ULA site so I wanted to send out the report to you all here first (please see attached). I’m sorry that I’m suddenly unable to attend ULA conference this year (I’m helping my son get his truck shipped from Utah to Alaska where he is serving in the Army 11th Airborne division: yes I’m a proud papa!), but I hope this helps grow the conversation about what we can do together as members of ULA. Many many thanks to everyone who made this a good year and we look forward to the next year with BYU’s Katie Yeo taking over the ULA Academic Section Chair role -thanks! -dale

Dale Larsen, MLS
J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
dale.larsen@utah.edu mailto:dale.larsen@utah.edu
801-581-8323
Library Guideshttp://campusguides.lib.utah.edu/prf.php?account_id=29154
University Profile Infohttps://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u0106131
ORCID infohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5973-1751

Dear Academic Librarians of Utah and Utah Library Association, My name is Dale Larsen and I am the outgoing chair of the ULA Academic Section. Part of the role of chair is to report out with goals and outcomes from the year just past. These sometimes get hidden in the ULA site so I wanted to send out the report to you all here first (please see attached). I’m sorry that I’m suddenly unable to attend ULA conference this year (I’m helping my son get his truck shipped from Utah to Alaska where he is serving in the Army 11th Airborne division: yes I’m a proud papa!), but I hope this helps grow the conversation about what we can do together as members of ULA. Many many thanks to everyone who made this a good year and we look forward to the next year with BYU’s Katie Yeo taking over the ULA Academic Section Chair role -thanks! -dale Dale Larsen, MLS J. Willard Marriott Library University of Utah dale.larsen@utah.edu<mailto:dale.larsen@utah.edu> 801-581-8323 Library Guides<http://campusguides.lib.utah.edu/prf.php?account_id=29154> University Profile Info<https://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u0106131> ORCID info<https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5973-1751>

Heidi Fendrick

Fri, May 22, 2026 5:44 PM

Hi Dale,

Thank you for sharing this! I really enjoyed reading through it, and I am excited by the direction the academic section is moving!

There is a lot in this report that feels deeply aligned with conversation happening across ULA right now around connection, shared challenges, and building stronger statewide relationships. I really appreciate the intentionality behind these projects and the creating of structures that can support ongoing collaboration and understanding over time.

Regarding your framing around AI, the "so what" and "now what" piece stuck with me.

Thank you for the thoughtful work that went into this. It is exciting to see the momentum.

Looking forward to working with you all over the coming year.

Have a great weekend!
Heidi

From: Dale Larsen dale.larsen@utah.edu
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2026 11:46 AM
To: Academic Librarians Utah listserv academic_librarians@lists.library.utah.gov; Michael Whitchurch michael_whitchurch@byu.edu; Heidi Fendrick Heidi.Fendrick@utah.edu
Subject: ULA Academic Section Annual Report, 2026

Dear Academic Librarians of Utah and Utah Library Association,

Hi Dale, Thank you for sharing this! I really enjoyed reading through it, and I am excited by the direction the academic section is moving! There is a lot in this report that feels deeply aligned with conversation happening across ULA right now around connection, shared challenges, and building stronger statewide relationships. I really appreciate the intentionality behind these projects and the creating of structures that can support ongoing collaboration and understanding over time. Regarding your framing around AI, the "so what" and "now what" piece stuck with me. Thank you for the thoughtful work that went into this. It is exciting to see the momentum. Looking forward to working with you all over the coming year. Have a great weekend! Heidi ________________________________ From: Dale Larsen <dale.larsen@utah.edu> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2026 11:46 AM To: Academic Librarians Utah listserv <academic_librarians@lists.library.utah.gov>; Michael Whitchurch <michael_whitchurch@byu.edu>; Heidi Fendrick <Heidi.Fendrick@utah.edu> Subject: ULA Academic Section Annual Report, 2026 Dear Academic Librarians of Utah and Utah Library Association, My name is Dale Larsen and I am the outgoing chair of the ULA Academic Section. Part of the role of chair is to report out with goals and outcomes from the year just past. These sometimes get hidden in the ULA site so I wanted to send out the report to you all here first (please see attached). I’m sorry that I’m suddenly unable to attend ULA conference this year (I’m helping my son get his truck shipped from Utah to Alaska where he is serving in the Army 11th Airborne division: yes I’m a proud papa!), but I hope this helps grow the conversation about what we can do together as members of ULA. Many many thanks to everyone who made this a good year and we look forward to the next year with BYU’s Katie Yeo taking over the ULA Academic Section Chair role -thanks! -dale Dale Larsen, MLS J. Willard Marriott Library University of Utah dale.larsen@utah.edu<mailto:dale.larsen@utah.edu> 801-581-8323 Library Guides<http://campusguides.lib.utah.edu/prf.php?account_id=29154> University Profile Info<https://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u0106131> ORCID info<https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5973-1751>