Illinois School Library Workers Symposium 2026

Ready to breathe new life into your library collection? This practical session will demystify the art (and library science!) of weeding. Learn why regular weeding is essential for a vibrant, relevant collection, how to evaluate materials using ALA and AASL recommendations, strategies for using circulation data to guide your process, and managing discarded materials (without a “dumpster disaster!). Whether you’re new to weeding or looking for fresh inspiration, you’ll leave ready to cultivate a vibrant, relevant, and appealing collection to make space for books your students actually want to read.

Genrefying your fiction collection is one of the single best ways to spike circulation, empower student readers, and make your space genuinely easy to navigate. Ten years after ditching traditional arrangements in her own high school library, Kelsey Bogan is sharing the real talk, practical workflows, and hard-earned lessons learned along the way. Join us as we dive into the why and how of collection reorganization, tackle common hurdles, and explore the awesome perks of going genre-first (spoiler alert: your circulation numbers are going to love it!). You'll walk away with a clear roadmap for how to get started, plus ideas for how to take your genrefication to the next level if you've already begun.

Join two veteran school paraprofessional librarians as they share their decades of experience in classroom management. Learn real world tips and tricks for building relationships while managing behavior and promoting a building wide reading culture. This session will cover grades K-8.