Sonya Schryer Norris:: What’s Next?

A Passionate Librarian

I am a third-generation Michigan library worker with over 26 years of experience in libraries, including 16 years in Library Development for the Library of Michigan. Since founding Plum Librarian LLC in 2020, I have consulted for 12 state libraries and served as the Niche Academy administrator for seven states. My 35+ courses on Niche Academy have been adopted in all 50 states and internationally. My Burnout in Public Libraries series has thousands of learners nationwide and became the Library of Virginia’s top tutorial in 2025.

Presentations

I present on hot topics for Library 2.0 and state library agencies. I have a strong presentation history including for the Public Library Association, Computers in Libraries, PCI Webinars, the Southeast Collaborative Online Conference, CORE, RAILS, California Libraries Learn, and Niche Academy among others.

Current presentation topics:

• From Invisible Labor to Line Items: Budgeting for Today’s Library Work
• Managing Up: How to Work Well with the Boss You Actually Have
• Burnout and a Trauma-Informed Approach for Frontline Staff

• Intellectual Freedom in Crisis: Moral Panics, Censorship, and the Cost to Library Workers
• Seven Auditing Tools to Uncover Soft Censorship
• The Modern Landscape of eAccessibility in Public Libraries

Testimonials

I have worked with state libraries, national platforms, and library organizations across the country. Here’s what clients have to say:

• Brianna Hoffman, Nevada State Library and Archives – Sonya was an absolute pleasure to work with. She brought incredible expertise to the overhaul of our Niche Academy, thoughtfully grounding the work in our continuing education needs assessment and making it a professional development resource we are proud to share with our library staff in Washington state. She was professional, collaborative, and made complex work feel fun and manageable. READ MORE.
• Andrew Sanderbeck, PCI Webinars – Instructional Designer and Speaker – Sonya’s expertise in Niche Academy and the interaction with the Articulate platform to create the Front Line Customer Service program for our clients which has received rave reviews for interactivity, navigation and the overall learning experience. Further, working with Sonya has been a positive and pleasurable experience as she is timely in her responses to my questions and needs, a wizard in working with the two platforms and she is able to work with my guidelines of keeping things simple and easy whenever possible

Read all testimonials

Professional titles

• Library 2.0, Speaker and Consultant, 6/24-current
• Library of Virginia, Niche Academy Consultant, 4/22-current
• Georgia Public Library Service, Niche Academy Consultant, 3/25-current
• California Libraries Learn, eAccessibility Consultant, 8/24-current; Project Coordinator and Niche Administrator, 8/20 – 8/21
• Reach Across Illinois Library System (RAILS), Niche Academy Consultant, 1/25-3/25
• Washington State Library, Niche Academy Consultant, 6/25-12/25
• Nevada State Library and Archives, Niche Academy Consultant, 1/25-6/25
• PCI Webinars, Instructional Designer and Speaker, 8/21-8/23
• Library of Michigan – Library Development, Library Consultant, 12/11 – 1/22