MSLA Conference: A Cardigan of Librarians

IMAGE: MSLA Annual Conference website banner, https://msla.wildapricot.org/2026conference

This article was originally published on MSLA Forum Spring 2026.

I was honored to be selected as one of five MSLA scholarship winners to attend the 2026 MSLA conference. It was my first experience, not only with this specific conference, but with any large-scale professional meeting of librarians — or, as I prefer, a 'cardigan' of librarians (Miller). Throughout the two days, I connected with Salem State classmates whom I had previously only known through discussion boards, reconnected with previous coworkers and advisors, put faces to vendors that I have been in communication with, and made new connections. This conference reinforced that librarians are the most friendly, supportive, and helpful people I have ever met — a key catalyst that influenced me to change careers.

This year’s conference theme was “collaboration” which feels like the heart of what every librarian does. Librarians do not just collaborate within their schools, they are constantly sharing and connecting with other school librarians in a collaboration network that is invisible, but impacts many of us. Each session I attended was a meeting of the minds — an open exchange where knowledge was shared freely and questions were welcomed without judgment. 

Along with collaboration, the sharing of personal narratives became an overarching take away for me. During the author panel on Sunday, Marcella Pixley discussed how collaboration creates communities. She noted that by connecting to others who share similar experiences, or the ability to share your own unique experiences, you give permission for others to identify with it. Listening to various keynote speakers and presenters, I was moved to learn about their backgrounds. I was assured I was not the only one who journeyed a winding path toward school librarianship. Many of us came from vastly different professional backgrounds, yet we all arrived at this career. It did not matter if we originally had a teaching background, we are all doing a great job. It made me reflect on my own sense of imposter syndrome by helping me come to terms with the fact that being “new” does not mean I do not belong, nor that I cannot have a positive impact on my students.

As a recent graduate and newly hired elementary teacher librarian, I entered each session eager to expand my teaching repertoire. I found myself particularly drawn to the sessions that offered tangible examples of school library “life”. My favorite sessions included examples of what others have done in their libraries (how they set up their library space, classroom management techniques they adopted, etc.), lessons and learning outcomes that could be adapted to different grade levels, new ways of looking at hands-on learning, along with the time to connect with others to share ideas, tips, encouragement, and experiences. 

Being able to touch materials and having permission to be playful when trying new things reminded me how our students learn. The need to be playful when learning and collaborating allows students to share and expand upon their ideas. This builds an excitement for discovery that ultimately shapes how they learn with and from one another. This playfulness is not just for students; as educators we can use it as a tool to maintain a fresh perspective and keep our creativity open.

Reflecting back on my MSLA conference experience, I realize that collaboration is only as strong as the communication that fuels it. I left this conference with a new sense of hope and encouragement. I feel confident, even though I am new to this profession, that I can become a stronger teacher, advocate, and librarian by keeping these lines of communication alive. I am certain that the relationships I forged and reestablished will persist long after this conference has ended. I have said it before, and I will say it again, librarians are the most friendly, supportive, and helpful people I have ever met.

Thank you to the MSLA for providing me the opportunity to attend this year’s conference. 

Note

I was so excited to attended, I forgot to take any pictures! Yet, I took 10 pages of notes so I suppose that is actually more important.

Bibliography

Miller, Sally. “Collective Nouns for Librarians.” McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, 19 Aug. 2025, www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/collective-nouns-for-librarians. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.