After the conference wrapped for the first day, I joined librarians from around the country in downtown Minneapolis for dinner. A server asked me, “What do librarians do at a conference?”
It’s probably not what folks first imagine. Rather than “just” book talks or strategies for managing “bad” patron behavior, it is far more nuanced: breakout sessions that are data-driven, empathetic, and reflective; stories that are both celebratory and difficult to hear. Referencing the keynote by Bryan Stevenson, one attendee told me, “I never expected to tear up at PLA.”
This was my first PLA Conference—and my first national library conference since 2013—so I attended very much as a first-timer. Choosing sessions and managing an itinerary is its own challenge, and by the end, the cognitive overload is real. One attendee praised the inclusion of a quiet room as “an amazing way to recharge midway through the conference.”
I went to PLA to broaden my understanding of the state of libraries and librarianship. In my role as a continuing education consultant, I am always seeking out topics, ideas, and presenters that might translate into meaningful continuing education for libraries in Northeast Kansas. After the conference, I invited Kansas attendees to share their observations so I could combine their perspectives with my own and use that input to inform future NEKLS continuing education opportunities. Below is a summary of our observations.
PLA 2026 Conference Session Summary
What stood out across sessions was not a single theme, but a set of persistent ones: libraries working through how to engage with AI, how to better serve older adults as a central—not peripheral—audience, how to strengthen leadership and staff culture, and how to refine policies around safety, access, and privacy in increasingly complex environments.
If you have the opportunity to step away from your daily routine to learn, it’s worth taking. NEKLS offers Continuing Education Grants to support conference attendance, webinars, and coursework—opportunities designed to help our members expand both skill and perspective.
And maybe that’s part of the answer to the question I was asked that first night: what do librarians do at a conference?
We step outside our own libraries to see the work differently. We listen, compare notes, and notice patterns that aren’t visible from any one vantage point. What emerges is a clearer view of what is consistent across libraries, and what is shifting faster than any one of us can see alone.
Feature Image: Downtown Minneapolis at Night, Dan Alexander