Welcome Reception

Friday, April 17th

Check-In

Breakfast, Land Acknowledgement & Keynote Speaker

Exhibit Hall Opening/Posters

Breakout Session #1

• Reframing Classification: Culturally Responsive Changes to LC from a Tribal Library Perspective | Maureen Stewart

• Between the Stacks: Civic Storytelling at the Library | Michael Bowman

• “Nothing About Us Without Us”: Open Source, Consortia & Trust‑Building Models… | Brianna Hoffman

• WA Do I Read Next? | Sara Peté

• Tabletop Role‑Playing Games in Secondary Schools | Sara White

• From Library Card to Career: Streamlined Access to Living Wage Credentials | Joyce Abbott D&D as Therapy: Outcomes from a Pilot at Echo Glen Children’s Center | Sara Jones Building Writing Programs That Thrive in Libraries | Mary Boone

Exhibit Hall/Break

Breakout Session #2

• Participatory Design in Practice: Intergenerational LGBTQIA+ Co‑Creation | Alana O’Neill
• Make It Local: Culture, Community & Resourceful Library Programming | Ary Esparza
• Connecting Communities | Sam Helmick
• The Great Migration: How We Switched Our ILS… | Caitlin Hunsaker
• Wacky Wednesdays at the Senior Center! | Sam Harris
• Law 4 Librarians: Current Cases | Brenna Shanks
• A Weird & Wonderful World of Circulating Unusual Library Materials | Keith Darrock
• Your Call Numbers Suck: Building a Better Fiction Call Number System | Ellen Brigham

Lunch, Exhibit Hall; & ALA & Lightning Talks | Sam Helmik

• ALA | Sam Helmik

• From Library Card to Career: Streamlined Access to Living Wage Credentials High School Book Club!

• “Your Library, Your Impact” Project Phase 1: From Messy Metrics to Data Mastery Books for the Chronically Online

• Of Love and Monsters

• Expanding Library Collection Using the Cite Black Women Principles

Breakout Session #3

• Cultivating AI‑Literate Communities | Brianna Hoffman
• Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award 2026 | Alicia Rogers Student “Centered” Learning in Library Instruction | Elizabeth Roberts Public Library Statistics and the Real World | Kathleen Sullivan
• Law 4 Librarians: First Amendment Basics | Brenna Shanks
• True Story! Towner Award-Nominated Nonfiction Picture Books Combine Facts with Fun! | Lisa Steudel
• Amplifying Community Voices with Zines | Sara Peté
• Story‑Led STEM Labs: Bringing Nonfiction Alive in the Library | Mary Boone 

Exhibit Hall/Break

Breakout Session #4

• Public Library Division Unconference | Carol Ellison
• “Your Library, Your Impact” Phase 1: From Messy Metrics to Data Mastery | Jan Kuebel‑Hernandez
• So THIS is Librarianship | Nicole Hahn
• WLA Mentor/Mentee Meet‑up | Jessica Widmer
• CAYAS Story Time Idea Swap | Anna Morrow
• Connecting Across Board Games Unconference | Greg Bem

Author Breakfast

Exhibit Hall Opens

Breakout Session #5

• Breaking Up with the Nonfiction Dewey Decimal System | Ginny Trufan
• Two Peas in a Pod: Podcasting for Community & Oral Histories | Debi Rinehart
• Evergreen Extravaganza! | Jodi Kruse
• Want Your Books to Last Longer? Basics of Book Repair | Kerry Darnall
• United for Libraries | Debra Doyle
• From Idea to Action: Using AASL Standards in School Libraries | Sarah Logan
• Delighting in the Difficult | Melody Sky Weaver 

Exhibit Hall/Break

Breakout Session #6

• Books for the Chronically Online | Christine Ma-Kellams
• Leveraging Public Library Archives for Public History Programs | Carlos Pelley
• Stop Working in Silos (School + Public Partnerships) | Ryan Dempsey
• Tackling Tough Health Topics: Navigating Conversations Through Literature | Kirby Larson
• WASHYARG: Review Middle & High School Books | JJ Higgins
• Meeting Makers in the Middle: Hands‑On Craft Programming to Engage Youth | Heidi Bush
• Of Love and Monsters | Anna Stapley
• Where Are the Dinosaur Books? | Anna Morrow 

Exhibit Hall, Awards Lunch & Exhibit Hall Finale

Screening of the Librarians and Closing Session | WLA President Message