2026 MLA|DLA Annual Conference

Everyone Leads examines leadership: leadership qualities, applying leadership skills, and strategies for growing into leadership. A great introduction for emerging leaders or a refresher for experienced leaders, Everyone Leads draws on both the knowledge of published experts and the experience and insights of the class participants.

Participate in open and honest conversations. Create connections with other leaders. Learn to lead from any position. Map your own leadership path. Apply your knowledge and skills to enhance your organization.

This program highlights the collaboration pipeline between the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System’s (PGCMLS) County Correctional Center and its workforce and community development team, along with community partners to serve those who are incarcerated or returning to society. Our wrap - around network aims to meet the needs of the population by addressing key barriers, such as access to job resources, career fairs, business development referrals, credit repair tools, legal resources, social service referrals (drug and alcohol, housing, food, and healthcare services, etc.), educational, financial, and digital literacy. We provide a community-oriented approach to prevent recidivism and rebuild life after incarceration.

In many jurisdictions, libraries are defending their purpose, principles, and priorities while fighting for the funding of basic services. Learn from two experienced library communicators why you need to get your side of the story before the public and discover effective strategies that can get your message heard.

For over a decade, members of the Johns Hopkins community have shared their favorite books and recipes at the University Library’s annual edible book festival. From frosted concoctions inspired by childhood favorites to sugary tributes in honor of faculty dissertations, each literary dessert reveals a personal history about one’s relationship with books and the memories they foster. Go behind the buttercream to learn how you can bring an edible book festival to your library community, overcome any cake wrecks that may come your way during the event planning process, and celebrate the creativity of your library users.

Be the voice of your library by creating your very own on-demand walking tour! Whether you want to highlight the historical landmarks and figures in your community or give patrons a guided tour of your library, a walking tour is a great choice! In this program, you'll learn how to start your research, create an original script, and use the free website, Clio, to its full advantage. Library Technician Michelle Wynne-Feigin will provide a thorough technical demonstration, showing you how to turn your walking tour into a full multimedia experience with digital maps and your own narration.

Financial health is about more than just your credit score. In this session, we’ll explore the four key components of true financial wellness: Spend, Save, Borrow, and Plan. Patrons will learn how each area impacts their overall stability and long-term goals. Participants will also have the chance to confidentially determine their own Financial Health Score. By the end of the session, patrons will leave with a clearer picture of their financial strengths and steps to improve areas that need attention, helping them build a stronger, more balanced financial future.

Organizational history and institutional memory are ephemeral and often lost as years pass. Informational institutions can implement strategies to preserve their own history. Internal and external stakeholders alike benefit from such cultural preservation initiatives. The Prince George’s Room of the Hyattsville Branch (PGCMLS) has been digitizing old memorabilia and historical documents that document library system history. Digital tools such as Omeka and Google Drive have been essential to our digital preservation strategy. We will discuss the use of Omeka as a digital exhibit space and a repository and how we connected it to a public digital special collections page.