NLLA Conference 2026: Overdue, but Not Lost: Renewing Our Community

When: Friday, June 5th, 2026
Where: McCann Centre, Education Library, Memorial University, AND online

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

It’s been a while since we last came together in 2019. Much has changed – but some things remain constant: the strength, innovation, resilience, and care that library workers bring to communities across Newfoundland & Labrador.

This year, we’re finally coming back together – and like a well-loved library book, we may be a little overdue, but we are certainly not lost.

Our theme, Overdue, but Not Lost: Renewing Our Community, marks a moment of reconnection. It’s an opportunity to renew relationships and build new ones, to share experiences and learn from one another, and to celebrate the work happening in libraries of all kinds in our province.

Whether you’ve been part of the Newfoundland & Labrador library community for decades or are just finding your place within it, we welcome your voice. We invite proposals from library workers across all sectors on any library-related topic, either practical or theoretical. You might share a successful project or program, a challenge you’ve navigated, a research question you’ve explored, or an emerging technology or idea shaping your work or your thinking about libraries.

The conference will take place on Friday, June 5, 2026, as a hybrid event, with opportunities to present either in person in St. John’s or online from anywhere in Newfoundland & Labrador.

We welcome a variety of session formats:

• Presentation: A 30-minute session, including a 20-minute presentation and a 10-minute Q&A. May be research-, practice-, or theory-based.
• Mini Workshop: A 45-minute, interactive or activity-based session. May be research-, practice-, or theory-based.
• Lightning Talk: A 7-minute timed presentation offering a brief glimpse into a concept, project, program, activity, or idea.
• Something Else: Have an idea that doesn’t fit these formats? We’d love to hear about it.

The deadline for proposals is Friday, May 1st.

Please submit your proposal using our online form (https://tinyurl.com/LetsRenew), and remember to include:

• the proposed session type (presentation, workshop, lightning talk or other)
• the delivery format for your session (in-person or online)
• your session title plus a brief abstract (max. 250 words for a presentation, workshop, or other; max. 100 words for a lightning talk) describing your topic and the goals of your session.
• your contact details (name, library, position, telephone number and email address) for yourself and any co-presenters.
• a brief (max 50 word) biography for each speaker.

For questions or comments, please contact Janet Goosney (jgoosney@mun.ca).

We hope you decide to join us as we bring our community back together – across distances, roles, and experiences – and restart the conversations that will carry us forward.

We’re overdue. Let’s renew.