When Programs Go Wrong: Being Adaptive in Difficult Situations

How do I handle a presenter who’s using my session as a sales campaign? What happens when barely any people show up to my big event? Should I cancel if my equipment breaks? Help! I didn’t schedule enough staff for the amount of patrons here! There are many great resources that help design the best programs for your library. But what happens when things go wrong during the program?

The nature of running programs is that eventually one will have a disruptive problem, whether it be minor issues such as equipment malfunctions, or major such as severely unmanageable participants. This session speaks to what to do then; tricks, tips and tools that can help salvage programs in difficult situations. This is not a presentation on how to avoid problems designing programs, but an education on accepting that problems come up, and how to manage them. The presenters will speak to problem program experiences they’ve had, what they did, then open up the discussion to the audience. Attendees will also be invited to share and all kinds of public programs will be discussed.

Join Kelsey Waggener (Librarian, Programming and Community Connections – Coquitlam Public Library) and Tanya Rogoschewsky (Director, Community Engagement and Programming – Regina Public Library)

This workshop was originally offered at the 2026 BC Library Conference.