2026 WLA Call for Proposals

 

The 2026 WLA Annual Conference Call for Proposals is officially open! This year’s theme is “Rooted in Community,” and WLA is looking for presenters to share the creative, impactful work happening across our libraries, communities and campuses.

Session proposals for presentations, panels, and workshops from all library types and organizations, across departments and roles at every level, and from people of all backgrounds are welcomed.

Presenting at WLA is a chance to grow professionally, expand your network, and share your work with colleagues across Wisconsin. You’ll build confidence, strengthen your résumé, and spark conversations that help libraries learn from one another. Whether you’re a seasoned presenter or trying it for the first time, your experiences can make a meaningful impact on the library community.

Please submit your proposal by 5 p.m. CST on Friday, May 9: https://rebrand.ly/jgqptqj 

Save the date!
The 2026 Wisconsin Library Association conference is October 20-23, 2026
Marriott Madison West in Middleton, WI

 

 

Play Make Learn 2026 Registration Open NOW!

Calling all creatives, educators, librarians, games & learning practitioners, and education researchers!

Play Make Learn is getting ready to bring you the best in research and practice on educational games, making, arts, playful learning, creative education, and more! The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work – each year!

Play Make Learn 2026 will be hosted on July 9^th and 10^th (with optional pre-conference activities on July 8^th) the at the beautiful Memorial Union on the historic University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in Madison, WI.

 Register Now!

• Registration is open now (until we sell out) — but don’t wait! Register by May 29, 2026 to secure the Early-Bird discount. Play Make Learn has sold out for multiple years in a row; don’t miss your chance to attend! We have different pricing options available.
  
  

Call for Proposals still open!

• You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the Play Make Learn Conference! Applicants will be asked to select themes that applies to their proposal, including: Playful learning, Games for learning and positive social impact, Making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and Arts in education. There are multiple session “formats” to choose from for your proposal, including: Hands-on Workshop (75 minutes, 1-6 presenters), Organized Panel Presentation (75 minutes, 3-4 presenters), Individual Presentation (15 minutes, 1-2 presenters), Poster, Playful Demo, or a “Break the Mold” session. For more details about session strands and formats, please visit our Call for Proposals webpage.
  
  
• In the interest of providing diverse perspectives any individual will be limited to participating in a maximum of two sessions. Posters and Arcade Demos do not count towards this maximum.
  
  
• Sessions should focus on new insights, learnings and innovations of broad interest to the PML community and should not be promotional in nature. If you are a for-profit company interested in showcasing your product to the PML audience, please reach out to conferences@education.wisc.edu for sponsorship opportunities.
  
  
• We believe that everyone has unique contributions to bring to the conference. PML aspires to foster a learning community that has a diversity of perspectives and practices. Are you a first time presenter, young person, or practitioner considering submitting for Play Make Learn and need additional support? Reach out to our planning team at: conferences@education.wisc.edu.
  
  

 This year's conference theme: “Scrappiness”

• Setting out to create something involves both big dreams and many obstacles. We quickly run into time constraints, limited materials, access challenges, administrative rules, and the inertia of how things have always been done. We push against that resistance. We fight to get in and get on with it. We are scrappy. We pull from the bottom of our own buckets of energy. We are outsiders, leftovers, left-outs. We are educators who deserve more but make do. We are makers who build with the materials at hand. We are inventors who cobble together rules to turn our surroundings into a game.
  
  
• “Scrappiness” means using whatever is around us—the trash, the leftovers, the scraps. We cut construction paper and leave tiny bits behind. We make a meal and compost eggshells and orange peels. Those leftovers become opportunities to make again, to play, and to learn. A cardboard box becomes a rocket ship. Compost becomes soil for a community garden. From scraps, we create beautiful art, meaningful experiences, and community.
  
  

Questions? You can email organizers at conferences@education.wisc.edu or connect with Chris.Baker@dpi.wi.gov!

Tips and Info from DPI's January 15, 2026 Youth Services Newsletter

 Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the January 15, 2026 edition:

 

 

Hello All,  Check out these youth services weekly resources and reminders!  Building Community Based Summers CSLP Spring Cohort application open!  The Collaborative Summer Library Program is excited to launch a third national cohort of Building Community Based Summers in Spring 2026.  BCBS is designed to help member libraries identify the “whys” behind their summer services, build strategies to engage community voices, and create and provide inclusive summer services for all members of their communities. The spring 2026 cohort will gather for online learning sessions once weekly for 6 consecutive weeks in March-April 2026.   There is no charge to participate. The application period is open through Monday, January 26, 2026.  CSLP Unearth a Story 2026 Manual Highlights Recording  Dig into some 2026 manual highlights and unearth some exciting programs, ideas, and adaptations for next summer!  View highlights video here!  View the highlights slides  Play Make Learn 2026 Conference: Call for Proposals  You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the 2026 Play Make Learn Conference (PML). The conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers of all kinds to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.  Call for Proposals Deadline for Submissions: March 9, 2026, at 11:59PM Central  Submit Your Proposal Here: go.wisc.edu/PMLsubmit  STARnet Science Across America  As America celebrates its 250-year anniversary, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and STAR Net have launched a new campaign to help libraries highlight the history of scientific achievement in our country, and the local connections to science in our communities. SCIENCE ACROSS AMERICA, the newest campaign from Spark of Science@ My Library, invites libraries to showcase local scientific advances and scientists, engage your communities with focused Community Dialogues, and host educational and inspirational activities that shine a light on the past, present, and future of science in our lives.  The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, January 23, 2026. For more information, visit the STARnet Community blog post.    Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

WAPL needs you!!

Plans are underway for the 2026 WAPL Conference taking place April 27-29, at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, WI.  

Hosted by the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL), a division of the Wisconsin Library Association, this annual event brings together members of the public library community to share big ideas and learn from each other through interactive breakout sessions and special events.

Submit a Breakout Session Proposal

The application for submitting proposals for breakout sessions is now open, and your expertise is needed to make WAPL 2026 the best conference ever!

The conference theme is Library as Test Kitchen. This means:

• Positioning Wisconsin’s public libraries as leaders in the field by showcasing innovative services and programs that can be scaled to libraries of all sizes.

• Using creativity and persistence to fuel positive momentum for ourselves, our staff, our services, and our communities.

• Identifying ways to overcome the many different challenges faced by public libraries.

While this is a very broad theme, proposals are not required to fit within it.  Innovative proposals on a wide variety of topics are encouraged!

Submit your proposal below or by clicking HERE. 

Proposals accepted until  midnight Friday, January 30, 2026.

WAPL welcomes proposals from libraries of all sizes and from individuals who work in a variety of roles - from front line staff to technical services to programming and more.  As well as proposals from vendors, consultants, trustees, friends, and other library partners.   

Questions? Please contact the WLA Office at wla@wisconsinlibraries.org or WAPL Conference Chair Roxanne Staveness at director@riolibrary.org

WI’s Power Up Call for Proposals Deadline Near

This national conference, sponsored by the UW-Madison iSchool, conference has had some powerful presentations by Wisconsin youth librarians in the past. Here's an opportunity to offer your take on leadership and management at ANY level - including as a line staffer.

 Power Up: A Leadership Conference for

Youth Services Managers & Staff 2026 Conference

Call for Proposal - Deadline August 10th

go.wisc.edu/u5448i

March 26-27, 2026

Hybrid Conference 

The Power Up planning committee wants your session proposals for Power Up 2026 to be held March 26-27, 2026, in Madison, WI. Share your strategies for project management, mentorship, program evaluation, staff morale & retention, advocacy, change management, culturally relevant programming, and more! 

Conference sessions can take one of several formats, and you are welcome to submit multiple proposals. 

• Lecture presentation: 45-minute presentation + 15 min Q&A
• Panel Discussion: 2-4 presenters focused on one big topic and sharing their experience
• Workshop presentation: One-hour hands-on learning experience
• Programming lightning talk: 5-8 minute mini presentation on or about a successful program
• Roundtable discussion: Lead an in-depth full-group discussion on a topic of your choice. No need to prepare a presentation—just shepherd good conversation!

Selected presentation, workshop, and panel sessions will receive one complimentary conference registration. Selected lightning talk and roundtable presenters will receive a discounted conference rate. 

Submit your proposal by August 10, 2025 for full consideration.

We are also excited to announce this year’s closing keynote speaker, Dr. Lisa Roy. Dr. Roy is a distinguished leader in early childhood education, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC). Dr. Roy oversaw the creation of the Department and continues to boldly lead the agency to provide comprehensive programs and services for young children, families, and early childhood professionals, including the launch of the Universal Preschool Program, which provides half-day preschool for all Colorado children in the year before kindergarten. 

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Questions? Email ce-info@ischool.wisc.edu 

Power-Up a Conference Proposal

This national conference, sponsored by the UW-Madison iSchool,  conference has had some powerful presentations by Wisconsin youth librarians in the past. Here's an opportunity to offer your take on leadership and management at ANY level - including as a line staffer.

Power Up: A Leadership Conference For Youth Services Managers & Staff 2026 Conference

March 26-27, 2026 | Hybrid Conference  (online and IRL)

Call for Proposal Now Open! 

Submit your idea today: go.wisc.edu/u5448i 

The Power Up planning committee wants your session proposals for Power Up 2026 to be held March 26-27, 2026, in Madison, WI. Share your strategies for project management, mentorship, program evaluation, staff morale & retention, advocacy, change management, culturally relevant programming, and more! 

Conference sessions can take one of several formats, and you are welcome to submit multiple proposals. 

• Lecture presentation: 45-minute presentation + 15 min Q&A
• Panel Discussion: 2-4 presenters focused on one big topic and sharing their experience
• Workshop presentation: One-hour hands-on learning experience
• Programming lightning talk: 5-8 minute mini presentation on or about a successful program
• Roundtable discussion: Lead an in-depth full-group discussion on a topic of your choice. No need to prepare a presentation—just shepherd good conversation!

Selected presentation, workshop, and panel sessions will receive one complimentary conference registration. Selected lightning talk and roundtable presenters will receive a discounted conference rate. 

Submit your proposal by August 10, 2025 for full consideration. 

Questions? Email ce-info@ischool.wisc.edu 

2026 Power Up Conference Call for Proposals

                       

 Power Up 2026 

A Leadership Conference for Youth Services Managers & Staff

Call for Proposals is Open!

The Power Up planning committee wants your program proposals for Power Up 2026 to be held March 26-27, 2026, in Madison, WI. Topics could include, by are not limited to strategic planning, leadership styles & strategies, advocacy, intellectual freedom, mentorship, staff morale and retention, culturally relevant programing & collection, managing change, program assessment, innovative or experimental programming, and playful & connected learning. 

Conference sessions can take one of several formats, and you are welcome to submit multiple proposals!

• Lecture presentation: 45-minute presentation + 15 min Q&A
• Panel Discussion: 2-4 presenters focused on one big topic and sharing their experience
• Workshop presentation: One-hour hands-on learning experience
• Programming lightning talk: 5-8 minute mini presentation on or about a successful program
• Roundtable discussion: Lead an in-depth full-group discussion on a topic of your choice. No need to prepare a presentation—just shepherd good conversation!

Submit your idea by August 10th, 2025.

Submit your idea: go.wisc.edu/u5448i

Selected presentation, workshop, and panel sessions will receive one complimentary conference registration. Selected lightning talk and roundtable presenters will receive a discounted conference rate. 

For full details visit the conference website: go.wisc.edu/882gy2 

WLA Fall Conference Proposals Due Tomorrow, Friday May 9

Last call!

Go ahead and pitch a proposal. We always need more youth content at conference!!

The WLA Programming Committee is now accepting proposals for panels, presentations, and workshops at the 2025 WLA Annual Conference in Middleton, WI! This year’s theme is “Be the Change,” and we want YOU to be part of it.

• Who should submit? Library staff from ALL backgrounds, departments, and experience levels! Whether you work in public, academic, school, or special libraries, your voice matters.

• Session Details: 60-minute breakout sessions | Up to 4 presenters & 1 moderator

• The conference is in Middleton, WI, and runs from October 28-31, 2025

• Submission Deadline: Friday, May 9, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. CST

Be bold. Share your knowledge. Submit your proposal today! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXPHJOzJbVsD5fjmX8NToIoGBUCH6nzuveZv3kYhevFPWrOw/viewform

Please feel free to reach out to me, or the programming co-chairs listed on the proposal form, with any questions.

Carol Hassler (she/her)
carol.hassler@wicourts.gov
WLA Annual Conference Committee 2025 Chair
Save the date! The 2025 Wisconsin Library Association conference is October 28-31, 2025 at the Marriott Madison West in Middleton, WI.

Call for Proposals: 2025 WLA Annual Conference

The WLA Programming Committee is excited to review your program proposals for the next annual conference, to be held October 28-31, 2025, at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton, WI. This year’s conference theme is “Be the Change." The WLA annual conference is an event where everyone can contribute valuable knowledge and connect with others in the library and information community. Conference Proposal Workshop Join us for an online proposal workshop on April 16 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. and May 5 from 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. to learn more about the proposal process and get tips for crafting a successful submission. Mark your calendars and join the workshop using this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86547797705?pwd=AyeMZBHRyBAmAeEutVGb8GecyDKhEc.1 We are now accepting proposals for presentations, panels, and workshops. Both WLA members and non-members are welcome to apply. Breakout sessions will run 60 minutes in length, with a maximum of four presenters and one moderator. Presenters may be part of up to two breakout sessions. Only proposals for in-person sessions will be considered. Who is encouraged to send us a proposal? People from various departments in library types and organizations (academic, public, special, and school), including youth services, outreach, adult services, marketing, technical services, patron services, programming, etc. People across the organizational hierarchy: patron-facing staff, administration, directors, emerging and incumbent leaders, trustees, etc. People from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities, including those who identify as: BIPOC, neurodivergent, people with disabilities, or LGBTQ+. Submission Deadline Please submit your proposal using the online form linked here: https://forms.gle/Vd68vDSG989yc4ns7 by 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, May 9. Contact program committee members Daphne Goldfinch and Michelle Dennis with questions. We look forward to receiving your proposals and seeing you in October!

Submit Your Proposal

Visit the Conference Webpage

Tips and Info from DPI's Feb 13, 2025 Youth Services Newsletter

Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is chockfull of great resources. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list! 

Here are some of the highlights from the February 13, 2025 edition:

Money Smart Week (April 5-12, 2025) Kids Read Program

• Wow! All of the free books have been claimed!  
• The Money Smart Week Kids Read program, targeted at kids ages 5 to 8 years old, is an enjoyable way to introduce financial responsibility to youth through programming at your library. You can still participate in Money Smart Week by doing programing using a copy of Deena's Lucky Penny from your library collection. 

Teen Inclusive Internship application

• The Department of Public Instruction has opened the competitive application process for $2,500 grants for up to seven Wisconsin Libraries to fund library internships for local high school juniors or seniors to be completed between June 1st, 2025, and August 31st, 2025.
• Each library will be awarded up to $2,500 to recruit and hire an intern, in compliance with applicable nondiscrimination laws and minor workers laws, and in collaboration with the library’s human resources and finance staff.
• The application period is open and will close at 4 p.m. on Friday, February 21st. The informational webinar presentation slides and scoring rubric are available for your review and can also be found on the DPI Youth Services webpage under the Teen Inclusive Internship Program dropdown menu.

Play Make Learn Annual Conference

• Call for Proposals - You can visit our website here to learn more and to access the application. The deadline to submit is March 7th, 2025 
• REGISTER HERE. You can view the different registration rate options at that link; Early Bird Rates are currently being offered.

WebJunction - FREE content for public libraries in Wisconsin

• Rooted in connection: Libraries designing for belonging and community 
• Despite living in an age of unprecedented digital connectivity, people are feeling the increasing effects of loneliness and isolation. These challenges extend beyond individuals, weakening the health, resilience, and trust of entire communities. The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, reveals that loneliness can harm our health as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. While the impact is profound, there are clear and achievable solutions within our reach. Read how libraries can bring intentionality to designing programming and services that deepen engagement and create environments where everyone feels they belong. 

WebJunction - Embracing Neurodiversity: Cultivating an inclusive workplace for neurodivergent staff

• Tuesday, March 4, 2025 ◆ 2:00 pm Eastern ◆ 60 minutes 
• Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/embracing-neurodiversity.html  
• Work environments that are made up of people who think differently bring more ideas and perspectives to the table. In fact, research consistently shows that diverse teams are better at problem solving, are more innovative, and are more effective. As our workplaces become more diverse, it becomes everyone's responsibility to learn how to embrace differences. In this webinar, you will gain an understanding of the term 'neurodiversity' and learn about the strengths of those who are neurodivergent. In addition, attendees will learn about ways they can support inclusion of neurodivergent colleagues to help create a more supportive and welcoming environment for all. 

Ask Me Anything: Youth and Teen Services

• Do you have questions about serving youth and teens at your library? I'm here to support you! Ask me anything about best practices for programming, engaging with children and families, collection development, and more. Your insights and questions are invaluable, so don't hesitate to reach out on the Ask Me Anything form. 

Have a great weekend!