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ARSL 2025 Keynotes & Events

Jump to: Wednesday, 9/17 | Thursday 9/18 | Friday 9/19 | Saturday 9/20

The 2025 ARSL Conference will have four days packed full of engaging keynotes and events. Keynote events will include a meal (breakfast, lunch, or brunch) which is included in the cost of registration.

Wednesday, September 17

Leadership Institute Poster Showcase | 6:30-7:00 PM | Civic Plaza
Come see what our 2024-2025 Leadership Institute cohort has been up to! Join our aspiring leaders in celebrating the capstone achievement of their program, featuring projects tailored to the needs of their libraries and communities. Explore leadership projects ranging from advocacy to programming to policy and more!

Welcome Reception: ARSL Block Party! | 7:00-9:00 PM | Civic Plaza
Kick off your conference experience by heading to Civic Plaza—just across the street from the Albuquerque Convention Center and conference hotels—for an ARSL Block Party! Reconnect with your ARSL community and make new friends while enjoying a selection of catered snacks, drinks from our no-host bar (cash and credit card accepted), and entertainment. 

Thursday, September 18

Welcome Breakfast & Keynote: Rise & Shine with Mychal Threets
in Conversation with Rebecca Hass | 8:00-9:30 AM

Mychal Threets is a librarian, literary ambassador, and the library’s number one fan (according to himself, admittedly). He grew up in Fairfield, CA, right between Sacramento and San Francisco. He was raised in his local library as a home-school kid. He got his first library card at the age of five and was hooked on libraries from there. He got his first library job as a library shelver at the library he grew up in and worked his way up to become Supervising Librarian of that very same library.

He is very open about his mental health. He talks about it in hopes that it’ll help others in their mental health journey. He is adamant about encouraging people to believe him when he says he’s happy they are here.

He considers it an honor to the library people who raised him that he is a recipient of the 2024 “I Love My Librarian” award from the American Library Association, one of School Library Journal’s 2024 Movers and Shakers, one of TIME Magazine’s 2024 Next Generation Leaders, and a 2025 The Webby Awards winner for social impact.

Rebecca Hass (she/her/hers) is the programming and outreach manager for Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL) and author of 101 Seeds for Library Joy. Prior to AACPL, she served in librarianship and management with the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Ramsey County Public Library. Rebecca received her MLIS from Dominican University in 2008 and her Life and Engagement Coaching Certificate from Anne Arundel Community College in 2022. Rebecca integrates positive psychology practices with DEIB approaches in libraries, community engagement, coaching, and consulting in her business, Joy Work, LLC.

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening | 10:45–11:30 AM

New Connections Lunch | 1:00–2:15 PM

Don’t miss this opportunity to RISE with your ARSL community. At this lunch you’ll be encouraged to branch out from your usual circles to sit with strangers who have shared job roles, interests, or challenges—but they won't be strangers for long! Pick a table and refer to the guiding questions to get the conversation flowing. This lunch was created in response to requests for more events to facilitate building networks and making deeper, more meaningful connections. Whether you come to Albuquerque with colleagues or solo, you’ll leave with new ideas to bring back to your library and lasting connections.

Dine-Arounds | 5:30-7:30 PM | Offsite
Explore Albuquerque's restaurant scene and grow your ARSL community with with Dine-Arounds, one of our most popular conference traditions! Sign up for a Dine-Around at the Registration Desk or plan your own. Interested in being a Dine-Around leader? Look out for our call for volunteers, which will be sent to all registrants in mid July.

ARSL Trivia Night | 7:30-9:30 PM 
What’s the collective noun for a group of library people having a great time? Join as at Trivia Night to flex your knowledge of all things trivial and win the admiration of your colleagues! Teams will be limited to 8 people. If you arrive in a small group or solo, we’ll join you up with a larger team. We'll play two games of three rounds each. Admittance is by donation, with a suggested minimum of $10 - no other donations will be solicited.

Friday, September 19

Keynote & Breakfast with Ramona Emerson: Storytelling from the Page to the Screen | 8:00–9:30 AM

Ramona Emerson is a Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. Her debut novel, Shutter, was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Bram Stoker Award, nominated for the Edgar for Best First Novel, a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards for Best First Novel, and winner of the Lefty Award for Best First Novel. She has a bachelor’s in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she and her husband, the producer Kelly Byars, run their production company Reel Indian Pictures.

Award-winning author Laurel Goodluck, a Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation Citizen, and Tsimshian Alaskan Native, resides in Albuquerque, NM, with her Diné husband. Belonging to an intertribal family is at the heart of her stories, encouraging children to realize their cultural experiences are unique and powerful perspectives to rely on, explore, and celebrate. Laurel’s 2025 books include Fierce Aunties! (Simon & Schuster) & Yáadilá! Good Grief! (Harper Collins). Forever Cousins (Charlesbridge, 2022) was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and NTCE Honor Book, and was named the 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award winner for best picture book, and was hailed by Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog as “one of the best books I’ve read.” More award-winning books include Too Much, My Great Big Native Family (Simon & Schuster, 2024), Rock Your Mocs (Harper Collins, 2023), She Persisted: Deb Haaland (PRH, 2023), which was just selected to represent NM at the National Book Festival. Instagram @lauriegoodluck & visit her at www.laurelgoodluck.com.

ARSL Awards Lunch | 1:00–2:30 PM

Join us as we announce the winners of the 2025 ARSL Awards, including the Solo Librarian of the Year, Equity Champion Award, Innovative Service Award, and Distinguished Service Award. Together, we will celebrate the innovations and accomplishments of our small and rural library community!

Exhibit Hall Grand Finale & Raffles | 2:30–3:15 PM

Book Mark-It: Author Fest | 4:30–6:00 PM
Celebrate the vibrant talent of authors from Albuquerque and beyond at Author Fest! Meet your next favorite authors, hear readings, and purchase copies of books to get signed. Stay tuned for our full author lineup and reading schedule.

ARSL 2025 Dance Party with EveryLibrary and Bibliotheca | 7:00–9:00 PM | The Library Bar & Grill
Join EveryLibrary and Bibliotheca for an unforgettable evening at The Library Bar & Grill—Albuquerque's longest-running nightclub and the perfect venue for library professionals to unwind! Located just 10 minutes from the Convention Center, this free event promises great music, food and drinks, networking, and fun with your fellow rural and small library champions.

Saturday, September 20

Coffee & Connections at ARSL with the Urban Library Council | 7:30 AM–8:30 AM
Join fellow library staff for an informal gathering of the Urban Libraries Council’s Bridgebuilding Community of Practice (CoP). This casual morning meetup is a chance to connect with peers, swap stories from the field, and share ideas about how libraries can bridge divides and strengthen trust in their communities. Whether you’re already part of the CoP or just curious to learn more, we’d love to see you there! A light breakfast will be provided.

Closing Brunch: The Librarians Film Screening | 11:15 AM–1:30 PM

When book banning reached unprecedented levels, librarians became unlikely heroes on democracy's front lines. Join us at the #ARSL2025 Closing Brunch & Keynote for an exclusive viewing of the Sundance 2025 film, The Librarians, from Director/Producer Kim A Snyder. This documentary follows the brave library professionals fighting coordinated censorship efforts—from the Texas Krause List targeting 850+ books to nationwide board meeting battles.

"A gripping story of what is at stake when curiosity and thinking are endangered." - Variety

Despite facing harassment, threats, and criminalization, these guardians of intellectual freedom refuse to back down. Their rallying cry for the freedom to read is both inspiring and chilling. Don't miss this powerful film that shows why librarians are democracy's first responders—and why their fight is our fight.
Q&A follows the screening.

Carolyn Foote is a rewired/retired 29 year Texas school librarian and a co-founder of the Texas FReadom Fighters, a Texas grassroots group advocating for the freedom to read.  She advocates for student voices and for the right to read, and has been recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change and with the AASL Library Collaboration Award and the ALA Robert Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. She believes that students deserve to see their stories on the shelves of libraries. 

An ARSL Afternoon in Santa Fe | After 12:30 PM
After the conference wraps up, ride the rails with your fellow attendees to see a bit more of the Land of Enchantment! You'll journey on the affordable commuter train directly from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe, a historic, walkable destination city that packs in more than 400 restaurants, 250 art galleries, and 19 world-class museums. Our committee will curate a list of suggested attractions to see while you're there, but you'll have the freedom to follow your own interests and explore at your own pace. Train Fare: $9 (purchased online) / $10 (onboard) / Reduced fares available.

Suggested Schedule: