2026 MLA|DLA Annual Conference

#MyReasonWhyDE Facilitator Training 9:00am - 12:00pm

Wonder Media: Media & News Literacy for Tweens & Teens 1:00pm - 4:00pm

All-Conference Reception 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Opening Keynote - Lisa Varga 4:15pm - 5:15pm

DLA Meet-Up 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Everyone Leads 9:00am - 4:00pm

My First Art Class: Art Programs for Toddlers and Preschoolers 9:00am - 12:00pm

Using Stories from the Library Community to Build AI Policy 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Navigate Uncertainty: Control Your Story, Amplify Your Impact 9:00am - 12:00pm

Things from Future Libraries: An Interactive Workshop 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Stories of Sustainability: How Libraries Lead Climate Action in Their Communities 9:00am - 12:00pm

Creating in Canva for Cricut 1:00pm - 4:00pm

BCMLA Cultural Conference Tour 1:15pm - 3:45pm

Haunted Walking Tour 8:00pm - 10:00pm

BCMLA Meetup 7:00pm - 9:00pm

From Zero to Festival: How One Library Pulled Off a Big Event with No Budget (and How You Can Too!) 9:00am - 12:00pm

DLA Annual Meeting Quorum Check-... 12:30pm - 1:00pm

How Libraries Actually Get Funded: Understanding Tax Policy, Budget Practices, and Your Fiscal Partnerships 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Academic Libraries Meetup 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Shared Stories, Shared Support: Building Inclusive Mentorship Co... 10:45am - 11:45am

Our Stories, Our Advocacy: Making the Library Voice Heard 3:00pm - 4:00pm

No Consultant? No Problem! In-House Marketing and Program Planni... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Refresh With Pets 2:00pm - 2:30pm

Ice Cream Social 2:30pm - 3:00pm

From Circle Time to Story time: Bringing Classroom Strategies to... 10:45am - 11:45am

Home is here: Strengthening Maryland library partnerships with i... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

You’re Already a Project Manager: Identifying, Applying, and Leveraging Project Management Fundamentals 8:30am - 10:30am

Pub Quiz 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Trouble with Teens 10:45am - 11:45am

School's Out! Building Local Partnerships with Schools Using *Th... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Classic Book Clubs: Thinking With the Great Thinkers 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Share-It in Maryland: from our shelves to yours through ILL. 9:30am - 10:30am

Short staffing and strategic thinking: Redesigning a service mod... 10:45am - 11:45am

Black History Lives Here: Telling Our Stories 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Building Collections and providing services to all patrons durin... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Poster Sessions 2:00pm - 3:00pm

All-Conference Reception 5:15pm - 6:00pm

Emerging Adults Interest Group Meetup 5:15pm - 6:00pm

Make Good Choices: Decision Making Under Duress 8:30am - 10:30am

Maryland Author Award Keynote Luncheon 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Don’t Buy (Into) It! How to spot AI-generated Content 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Managing the Mess: Leading from the Middle When Everything is Ha... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Thursday Evening Keynote and Banquet - Liz Gotauco 6:00pm - 8:00pm

More Than Just Stories: Standing out with Accessible Library Marketing 8:30am - 10:30am

AI Ethics Library Instruction and Educational Autonomy 10:45am - 11:45am

Leading Through Influence and Persuasion: An Excerpt from Everyo... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Ignite Session #1 8:30am - 9:30am

African American Subject Funnel Project 10:45am - 11:45am

Reading with One Maryland One Book 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Ignite Session #2 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Truth First: Educating, Memorializing and Advancing Racial Justice in Maryland 8:30am - 10:30am

Recipes for Connection: Food and Making as Pathways to Community 10:45am - 11:45am

Maryland Author Award Talk: The New Chesapeake Kitchen and Our C... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Our Files, Our Selves: Digital Maryland, the DPLA, and the Power... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Legislative Update 8:30am - 10:30am

Practical Intellectual Freedom Strategies for Front Line Workers 10:45am - 11:45am

Maryland State Library Agency & Delaware Division of Libraries 2... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

ALA at 150: Pathways to Engagement and Professional Growth 4:15pm - 5:15pm

The Anthropologist in the Library 9:30am - 10:30am

Empowering Library Staff and Customers: Building a Culture of Te... 10:45am - 11:45am

Book Buzz 2026: New Stories for Your Shelves! 3:00pm - 5:00pm

ASRD Meet Up 5:15pm - 6:00pm

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System services for incarcerated and reentering individuals. 8:30am - 10:30am

Crisis Communication: Telling the Public Your Story 10:45am - 11:45am

Read It & Eat It: Building Community Through Edible Book Festiva... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Historical Walking Tours: How to Make Your Story Interactive 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Training Staff in Services for Queer Patrons and Care for LGBTQ Co-workers 8:30am - 10:30am

The Joy of Queernorm: A Readers' Advisory Discussion 10:45am - 11:45am

Reading Buddies: An Innovative Approach to Addressing the Commun... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Bringing Kindergarten to Libraries – How to Start a Kindergarten... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Beyond the Ramp: Creating Truly Inclusive Library Experiences 8:30am - 10:30am

Let's Talk Stuff 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Stories Bring us Together: Connections through the Family Litera... 9:30am - 10:30am

Library on the Loose! Serving the Underserved through Mobile Lib... 10:45am - 11:45am

Nature's Pages: Nurturing Environmental Literacy from an Early A... 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Morning Yoga 7:00am - 8:00am

Financial Literacy Programs for Children from the ALA and FINRA 9:30am - 10:30am

Harvesting Stories: Cultivating Agricultural Literacy Through Ou... 10:45am - 11:45am

Our Shared Shelves: How Collaborative Outreach Unlocks the Full... 3:00pm - 4:00pm

From Page to Plate: Empowering Young Cooks with Library Kitchens 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Karaoke 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Styling Creative Programs: The Modern Literary Salon 11:15am - 12:15pm

Embracing the Joy: Getting Comfortable with Romance 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Collections to Creations: A Flexible Mindful Making Model for Te... 11:15am - 12:15pm

Shorelines on the Shelves: Connecting Patrons with the Local Env... 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Reading in the Psych Ward: Libraries Inside Institutional Walls 11:15am - 12:15pm

Beyond Books: Empowering Public Librarians to Advocate for Unhou... 12:30pm - 1:30pm

MLA Annual Breakfast & Awards Ceremony 7:30am - 9:30am

Friday Keynote - Cyndee Landrum 10:00am - 11:00am

Balancing the Books: Intellectual Freedom in Technical Services... 11:15am - 12:15pm

Build Your Outreach Kit 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Ignite Session #3 11:15am - 12:15pm

Once Upon a Summer: Our Stories, Our Shelves, and the Maryland L... 12:30pm - 1:30pm

The Talbot County Free SEED Library 11:15am - 12:15pm

Our Stories, Our Shelves, Our Trails: Connecting Communities to... 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Maintaining Our Virtual Shelves: Database Descriptions for Bette... 11:15am - 12:15pm

DLA Annual Breakfast 7:30am - 9:30am

Shelf Censorship: Threats to the First Amendment's protection of... 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Cents and Sensibility: Financial literary for your patrons. 11:15am - 12:15pm

Using Digital Tools to Preserve Organizational History 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Snack Attack at the Stacks: An Afterschool Cooking Program 11:15am - 12:15pm

Fundraising Without Fundraisers: Turning Awareness into Action 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Share Your Story With Pride: Building a Community Driven Art Sho... 11:15am - 12:15pm

Keeping You and the Library Safe: How to Handle Contaminated Mat... 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Using the M in STEM: Engaging Children with Math 11:15am - 12:15pm

Who's Going to Do It?: Utilizing Vendor Services to Fill Outreac... 12:30pm - 1:30pm