2026 ARSL Conference

When: September 16-19, 2026
Where: Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, Montgomery, AL

About the Conference

#ARSL2026 was the conference for rural and small libraries. Our conference planners and presenters understand the constraints of shoestring budgets, small spaces, and limited staffing within small and rural libraries, as well as the unique opportunities for innovation and collaboration. Our conference was packed full of information attendees could take right back to their libraries—no scaling down required.

This year's conference theme was ROOTED IN COMMUNITY! This theme captured the strength, connection, and resilience that define small and rural libraries. We recognized the challenges our communities face, but we also celebrated the creativity and determination that grow from shared roots, empowering our libraries and communities to thrive together.

Thank you to everyone who joined us September 16–19, 2026, in Montgomery, AL, for networking, learning, and inspiration tailored specifically to your work in small and rural libraries.

Thank You for Joining Us in Montgomery!

We were so grateful to welcome so many of you to Montgomery, Alabama, this September. This year's program brought together an extraordinary lineup: Amanda Jones (That Librarian) on intellectual freedom, Laurie Halse Anderson on storytelling and access, and Yo-Yo Ma closing the conference with a celebration of libraries and the communities they serve.

Thank you for making #ARSL2026 the premier professional development event for rural and small library professionals.

Read the press release

#ARSL2026 Keynotes & Events

Thursday Keynote

Amanda Jones, also known as That Librarian, welcomed everyone to Montgomery on Thursday morning. Amanda is currently the school librarian at the same school she attended as a child, where she has worked for the past twenty-three years. Amanda made national headlines in 2022 when she was targeted by extremists in her town for speaking out at a public library board meeting. She decided to fight back and took her harassers to court, while continuing to speak out at both the local and national level against the pro-censorship movement. Amanda chronicles what it is like being the target of white Christian nationalists and the importance of standing up for intellectual freedom, in her 2024 book That Librarian: Fighting Book Banners in Today's America, and in her appearance in the 2025 documentary film The Librarians, which was screened at the 2025 ARSL Conference.

Lunch & Roadtrip Nation Sneak Peek

Attendees got an exclusive first look at Roadtrip Nation's newest two-episode documentary series "Beyond Books," filmed in part at last year's ARSL Conference in Albuquerque. The series follows three aspiring librarians — Maryan, Isabelle, and Jenny— as "roadtrippers" traveling the country, meeting and interviewing leaders in the field they're entering, while exploring what the future of public libraries could hold.

The roadtrippers shared their experiences during a panel discussion featuring clips from "Beyond Books," available on roadtripnation.com and airing on public television this fall.

Friday Keynote

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including the groundbreaking modern classic Speak —a National Book Award finalist translated into 35 languages. In 2023, she was named laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, given annually for outstanding contributions to children's and young adult literature. In 2009, she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting impact on young adult literature.

A passionate advocate for intellectual freedom and diversity in publishing, Laurie has been honored by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English for her work championing the freedom to read. Mother of four, grandmother of dragons, and wife of one, she lives in Pennsylvania.

Laurie joined us Friday morning for a conversation with a fellow rural librarian about storytelling, access, and what it truly means to get the right book into the right reader's hands.

Thank you to Macmillan Publishers for sponsoring this session.

Saturday Keynote

Yo-Yo Ma closed the conference Saturday morning with a special celebration of libraries and library professionals, sharing reflections on their essential role in strengthening our communities, making meaning, and binding us together as a nation. One of the world's most celebrated cellists, Yo-Yo Ma has recorded more than 120 albums, earned 20 Grammy Awards, and performed for nine American presidents, most recently at President Biden's inauguration. He has received the National Medal of the Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and has served as a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006. Throughout his career, he has brought communities together to explore culture's role in society, engaging familiar and unexpected musical forms alike to stimulate the imagination and reinforce our shared humanity.

Steps to Freedom: The Dexter Avenue Civil Rights Walking Tour

Attendees stepped into the heart of history on this powerful three-hour walking tour through downtown Montgomery—where ordinary people took extraordinary steps that changed the world. The "Steps to Freedom" tour invited attendees to walk the very streets where courage confronted injustice and a movement was born. Centered along historic Dexter Avenue, this immersive experience explored defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

This tour was led and organized by Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Libraries.

Get our official event app,

iOSAndroid

For Blackberry or Windows Phone, Click here

For feature details, visit Whova

Access Whova Post-Conference

Conference may be over, but you can still access Whova to view photos, community board posts, and speaker bios from your phone or browser.

Visit Whova on your web browser

 

#ARSL2026 Merch is Still Here!

Missed getting your #ARSL2026 gear in Montgomery? The official conference merchandise collection is still available in the ARSL Store. Explore three unique logo versions across more than 70 products, from t-shirts and hoodies to hats and tote bags, and keep the #ARSL2026 spirit going all year.

Shop the #ARSL2026 Collection