ULA Annual Conference 2026

Jennifer Blair Keynote: "Authentic Grace: Enlisting Gentle Boundaries and Compassionate Resistance by Shifting Motivations Toward Self-Compassion and Empathy"

Libraries are caregivers, providing compassion, and empathy to their communities. We recognize the impact we make, but only primarily as a library representative. As servant leaders, we often fail to recognize that compassion also requires self-application. But by shifting motivations and applying compassionate resistance, we incorporate gentle boundaries to maintain and eventually excel in implementing strategies to be intentionally authentic. In leading by example, we employ the same level of compassion and empathy we give to others. We go beyond surface-level acknowledgement, believing in our individual roles, illustrating authenticity and intentionality in applying grace to ourselves. 

The Career Services Booth is located in the Exhibit Hall and will be staffed during the morning and afternoon breaks:
10:15-10:30am
2:05-2:30pm

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Is there a superhero looking back at you? There should be! If you have any doubts, this session will help you feel the power of your profession. The first part of the session will focus on the image of the librarian in a vast array of media and over millennia. While the duties of a librarian have expanded and even altered over time, the core value of providing free and equitable access to information has remained constant. The dedication to this guiding principle sets the foundation for superhero status and needs to be celebrated!

However, burnout is a real issue among librarians and concerns for the profession have reached new levels. Tighter budgets and always being asked to do more with less can be deflating and exhausting. Not to mention the fact that it is getting more difficult than ever before to balance work and home life.

There will be a panel discussion about learning to deal with the pressures of being a librarian in today’s world, explore ways to develop a greater appreciation for the library profession, and keep a renewed interest in the job without losing yourself along the way.

This workshop will teach attendees how to be a superhero to both internal and external library patrons. We will take a closer look at how attendees can transform themselves into the librarian they want to be. And we will celebrate this unique creation, the librarian.

Karen Bowling (gen X) and Aubrey Durrant (gen Z) from the Smithfield Public Library will walk you through our history of social media at the library. From our initial struggles to our current successes, showing you how we leveled up our online presence and how it’s helped our library reach out to our community and beyond. We’ll offer practical design knowledge and strategic examples that can help you build on the social media you’re already doing. And we’ll give you ways to keep it cheap or free!
Part I: Humble Beginnings - Resources for Getting Started Facebook and Instagram: using these platforms for success. Meta Business Suite: a visual tour for new users to organize their content. Canva: graphic design made simple.
Part II: Level Up Your Look Slideshow/Tutorial: Graphic design basics for librarians. Solidifying your brand: making your library unique, recognizable, and appealing.
Part III: Build a Community Follow, like, collaborate, tag, repost, comment. Show the behind-the-scenes of YOUR work - relate with your audience. Video/content examples from libraries we love.
Part IV: Social Media Safety. Creating a social media policy to protect the library. Password safety. Watching for suspicious activity. Keeping posts and interactions relevant to your goals.

As materials created by AI continue to flood the marketplace, it is inevitable that librarians will encounter materials generated wholly or partially by AI. Libraries can prepare for this reality with selection guidelines and collection development policies that intentionally address AI generated materials. In addition to discussing AI guidelines and policies, we will share tips on identifying and evaluating AI generated materials. After attending this session, attendees will have a better understanding of key issues regarding AI generated materials and considerations that need to be weighed in regards to their collection. Armed with this knowledge, they will feel empowered to make decisions regarding AI generated materials for their own library.

Many of us only think about the importance of strategic communication in times of crisis, but creating a strategy for library communication is a key tool in connecting meaningfully with patrons. In this session, we'll discuss principles and strategies for communicating with patrons on a variety of issues, diving into real-life examples of success (and failure) and discussing the ultimate impact of successful library communication.

Finding federal government information is often a considerable challenge, yet understanding the history of the Government Publishing Office, as the largest publisher in the world, can aid researchers in finding relevant information. This history predates its official formation in 1860 and includes the transition to a digital world. Historians and researchers will find in this presentation some of the tools and strategies to assist in their quest for government information.

A balanced Library collection provides windows, mirrors and sliding doors. However, traditional weeding practices, primarily based on circulation statistics, often erase underrepresented voices. The best way to combat homogenous collections is to perform regular diversity audits!
Michael Biggs and Lexi Johnson have collaborated on auditing SLCPL Collections for diverse authors several times over the years and are ready to share the results of their research and how these audits tied directly into balanced collection management.

This hands-on session introduces a spreadsheet-based tool and suggested practices for auditing your collections for diversity of authors, focusing on race & ethnicity, authors with disabilities, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Bring a laptop to follow along and start your own audit.

In an era of record-low trust in media and the proliferation of "AI slop," many library patrons have moved beyond healthy skepticism into information nihilism—the belief that because some information is biased, no information can be trusted. This shift presents a unique challenge for librarians: How do we teach critical thinking and evaluation skills without accidentally fueling deep-seated cynicism?

Join our panel of experts as we explore the "messiness of expertise" and share actionable coaching strategies to move patrons from the "everything is fake" mindset toward a productive hopeful skepticism. We will discuss:

• Navigating High-Tension Conversations: Strategies for engaging patrons who reject traditional sources of authority.
• Instructional Frameworks: Evaluating the effectiveness of frameworks like SIFT in the age of generative AI.
• Empowerment over Despair: Helping patrons embrace ambiguity and uncertainty without throwing all journalists and scientists "under the bus."
• Cross-Disciplinary Partnerships: Suggestions for leveraging expertise from experts and colleagues to combat both naive acceptance or nihilistic opposition.

Attendees will leave with practical conversation strategies and resources to help their communities reclaim a sense of agency in a complex information landscape.

Eighty-one percent of employees nationally report that they will look for future workplaces that support mental health. The Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah, in cooperation with the campus WellU program, encourages wellness among its faculty and staff with innovative “challenges” offering an insurance incentive for activities that promote good mental health. The programs also encourage good working relationships among colleagues. We will provide background information on mental health among employees, detail the library’s efforts, and discuss lessons learned from the campaigns.

Help shape the future of the Utah Library Association. In this interactive session, participants will reflect on current challenges, share ideas, and collaborate in small groups to “remix” those ideas into actionable possibilities. Input gathered will inform ULA programming and future conferences, with a focus on building stronger structures, deeper connections, and collective impact across Utah libraries.