2026 MLA|DLA Annual Conference has ended

2026 MLA|DLA Annual Conference

Kati Townsley

Carroll County Public Library

Development & Community Engagement Manager

Headquarters

library.carr.org

8:00am EDT

Registration Table Open Chesapeake/Choptank Foyer

9:00am EDT

Everyone Leads Schooner AKatie George • Jaleen Walker From Zero to Festival: How One Library Pulled Off a Big Event with No Budget (and How You Can Too!) WindjammerElizabeth Mayer • Kathryn Hatfield

1:00pm EDT

How Libraries Actually Get Funded: Understanding Tax Policy, Budget Practices, and Your Fiscal Partnerships WindjammerJohn Chrastka

4:15pm EDT

Opening Keynote - Lisa Varga Choptank BallroomLisa Varga

5:30pm EDT

Author Signing - Sia Willie, Melissa Trempe Exhibit Hall - Booth 22 Exhibitor Hall Open Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall All-Conference Reception Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall

8:00am EDT

Author Signing - Gina Hagler, Antoinette Jones Exhibit Hall - Booth 22 Registration Table Open Chesapeake/Choptank Foyer Exhibitor Hall Open Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall Silent Auction Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall

8:30am EDT

Make Good Choices: Decision Making Under Duress Choptank BallroomBrittany Cornish • Amy Dickinson • Amy Ford You’re Already a Project Manager: Identifying, Applying, and Leveraging Project Management Fundamentals Chesapeake E/FAbigail Williams

10:30am EDT

Author Signing - Laurie Carmody, Aimee Isaac, Debbie Levy Exhibit Hall - Booth 22

10:45am EDT

Crisis Communication: Telling the Public Your Story Schooner ATimothy Pratt • Jacob Gerding

12:00pm EDT

Maryland Author Award Keynote Luncheon Choptank BallroomJohn Shields

12:30pm EDT

Author Signing - Ann McCallum, Meera Trehan Exhibit Hall - Booth 22

2:00pm EDT

Author Signing- John Shields Chesapeake/Choptank FoyerJohn Shields Visit the Exhibitors Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall Refresh With Pets Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall

2:30pm EDT

Ice Cream Social Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall

3:00pm EDT

Author Signing - Karen Leggett, Mirka Hokkanen Exhibit Hall - Booth 22 Don’t Buy (Into) It! How to spot AI-generated Content Choptank BallroomNatasha Finnegan • Emily Zerrenner • Sara Wheatley Leading Through Influence and Persuasion: An Excerpt from Everyone Leads Clipper A/BKatie George • Jaleen Walker Our Stories, Our Advocacy: Making the Library Voice Heard Brigantine Board RoomJohn Chrastka • Catherine Wimberley Book Buzz 2026: New Stories for Your Shelves! Galleon A/B/CMeg Faller • Monica McAbee • Theo Scully • Amanda Crabill

4:15pm EDT

ALA at 150: Pathways to Engagement and Professional Growth Cutter BAaron M. Wilson • Joseph Thompson Managing the Mess: Leading from the Middle When Everything is Hard Choptank BallroomBria Sinnott • Allison Jennings-Roche

5:15pm EDT

All-Conference Reception Chesapeake/Choptank Foyer

6:00pm EDT

Thursday Evening Keynote and Banquet - Liz Gotauco Choptank BallroomLiz Gotauco

8:00pm EDT

Author Signing - Liz Gotauco Chesapeake/Choptank FoyerLiz Gotauco Karaoke Windjammer Pub Quiz Chesapeake E/F/GMichael Gannon

7:30am EDT

MLA Annual Breakfast & Awards Ceremony Choptank Ballroom

8:00am EDT

Author Signing - Laura Parnum, Veronica Jones Exhibit Hall - Booth 22 Exhibitor Hall Open Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall Silent Auction Chesapeake Ballroom / Exhibitor Hall

10:00am EDT

Author Signing - Salvacion Monasterio, Doreen Hamilton Exhibit Hall - Booth 22 Friday Keynote - Cyndee Landrum Choptank BallroomCyndee Landrum

12:00pm EDT

Boxed Lunch Pickup Chesapeake/Choptank Foyer

12:30pm EDT

Beyond Books: Empowering Public Librarians to Advocate for Unhoused Patrons Chesapeake GLaura Toner Fundraising Without Fundraisers: Turning Awareness into Action Schooner BCathleen Sparrow • Bethany Kerley • Julie Kizer Ball