Lake Superior Libraries Symposium

Submit a breakout session proposal for LSLS 2025 and join us as a presenter at our 13th annual Lake Superior Libraries Symposium to be held Friday, June 6, 2025 at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota!

This year's conference theme, "Embrace, Engage, Excel: Libraries in Their Communities," challenges attendees to consider the relationship between their libraries and the communities they serve. How do we ensure that libraries are welcoming to all? What can we do to engage with the library-anxious? How can we continue to serve library users while maintaining a commitment to our professional values?

NEW this year: ALL presenters will receive free conference registration which includes breakfast and lunch!

Breakout session presenters should submit proposals at https://forms.gle/pmwD3RN6E4XSwcdH7. The CFP submission deadline is Friday, March 21st. Presenters will be notified of acceptance in mid April.

Our Mid-Winter Unsymposium is TOMORROW from 1-4:30 p.m. at Superior Public Library! Don't forget --- all Unsymposium participants are invited to gather at Julie's Family Restaurant (403 Belknap Street in Superior) for lunch at 11:30 a.m. before the Unsymposium! to meet up with other library folks and get the discussion rolling before the conference! You'll be responsible for your own meals and drinks.

If you haven't reserved your spot at the Unsymposium, there's still time! It's FREE! Click here to sign up: https://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/mid-winter-unsymposium/

Registration is OPEN for our Mid-Winter Unsymposium! We hope you'll join us Friday, January 10, 2025 at Superior Public Library from 1-4:30 p.m. for an afternoon of conversation, collaboration, and connection!

This event is totally free and open to all library folks. We invite you to join us for a pre-Unsymposium lunch at Julie’s Family Restaurant at 11:30 a.m. before we head over to the library for the Unsymposium.

Click here for more information and to reserve your spot! https://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/mid-winter-unsymposium/

Save the date! Our twelfth annual Lake Superior Libraries Mid-Winter Unsymposium will be held Friday, January 10 at Superior Public Library in Superior, WI! Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for registration information!

It's almost time for the Symposium! Yay!!

It's not too late to register for tomorrow's conference! You can register online here (https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com) until 11:30 p.m. tonight. You can also register at the door starting at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow (but we can only accept cash or check if you register at the conference).

Also: don't miss tonight's trivia contest at Sammy's Pizza - West Duluth from 6-8 p.m.! Compete against other library folks and you could win the priceless Golden Hockey Puck!

Just as athletes strive to achieve symbols of greatness like the Stanley Cup, the Heisman Trophy, and the Green Jacket, northern librarians compete for our own ultimate trophy: the Lake Superior Libraries Symposium bedazzled hockey puck.

Join us Thursday, June 6 from 6-8 p.m. at Sammy's Pizza - West Duluth for our annual Pre-Conference Trivia Contest and Social Event! Gather with other library folks and compete for a chance to win this glorious, glittery treasure. We'll gather in the back room at Sammy's. All library folks (whether or not you're planning to attend the conference) are invited!

**The restaurant charges a 20% gratuity on orders in the back room.**

Q Methodology is a little-known research tool that combines quantitative and qualitative information about a subject. At LSLS 2024, Mary Jordan from St Cloud Technical and Community College will present, "Do You Q? Using Q Method to Find Library Community Data." She'll share how Q methodology can help libraries identify the specific needs of user groups and how you can use Q to do some exploration of your own communities.

LSLS will be held Friday, June 7 at the University of Minnesota Duluth! It's $70 to attend and includes breakfast, lunch, a keynote presentation by Tess Wilson of The Library Freedom Project, and 11 unique breakout sessions. Reserve your spot today! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com/

In summer 2023, the University of Minnesota Duluth's Kathryn A. Martin Library began preliminary discussions with University Honors to launch a peer-research support service, hiring four University Honors students to collaborate on building the good bones of a student-led peer-research support service to be launched in fall 2024.

At LSLS 2024, those involved with this service will share their knowledge at a breakout session, "Student & Librarian Reflections: Co-Creating a User-Centered Research Support Service." The presenters for this session are Bekky Vrabel, Hannah Jones, Kirralee Odipo, Oliver Yehlik, and Shelby Suhr.

Learn how the project came to be and hear from librarians and the Research Support Peer-Mentors about their experiences co-creating a user-centered service. They'll discuss the importance of centering users in service creation, including those who don’t have a formal background in library work, and the opportunities of embracing unexpected pivots in service planning and design.

Reserve your spot at LSLS 2024 today! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com/

According to the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of book challenges in the U.S. rose 65% from 2022 to 2023, reaching the highest number of challenges ever documented by the ALA. Come to LSLS 2024 and join Pam Cipkowski from the Murphy Library at UW-La Crosse for "Anatomy of a Book Challenge: Alchemy on Display," a breakout session that will look at the rise in book challenges in libraries over the past few years, the unique nature of challenges to materials in academic libraries, and outline the process they took in responding to a challenge they received in response to a Pride book display. You'll learn how to respond to a book challenge, where you can get assistance in responding to the challenge, and how to formulate a policy in the event of a challenge at your library.

$70 gets you breakfast and lunch, a keynote by Tess Wilson, and 11 unique and inspiring breakout sessions, plus the opportunity to meet and network with other library staff from throughout the Lake Superior region. Join us in Duluth on June 7! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com/

What is it like to work as a librarian in a correctional facility? Come to LSLS 2024 and attend a breakout session presented by Jennifer Lund from the Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake. "From College to Corrections" will delve into her experiences making the transition from an academic library to a correctional facility library. Learn about the unique challenges of managing limited budgets and resources, serving diverse populations, adhering to and enforcing policies, and adapting to the institutional culture of correctional facilities. Learn how she advocates for information access in restricted spaces, creates equitable schedules, and weeds the collection—all within the constraints of limited capacity.

Register for LSLS 2024 today! For just $70 you'll get breakfast and lunch, an inspiring keynote by Tess Wilson, and eleven breakout sessions! Join us June 7 in beautiful Duluth, Minnesota! Reserve your spot today! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com/

In the event of an emergency or disaster, every library should have a plan in place to protect its collections. At LSLS 2024, the Minnesota Alliance for Heritage Response (MN-AHR) will offer a breakout session about emergency preparedness, fire safety response and training, and will share resources for creating emergency plans and salvage/recovery methods and supplies. You'll come away with the tools you need to develop an emergency plan for your library!

LSLS 2024 will be held on Friday, June 7 at the University of Minnesota Duluth! Reserve your spot today! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com/

One thing you may not have learned in library school is how to build a strong library board! At LSLS 2024, Nicole Miller, director of the Cannon Falls Library in Cannon Falls, MN, will share the strategy she's developed over more than a decade of experience to build a library board that works well with the director, supports the library’s mission, and works to promote the library in the community. Whether your board is appointed or elected, her lessons are applicable to a variety of situations.

LSLS 2024 will be held Friday, June 7 in beautiful Duluth, Minnesota! For just $70, you'll enjoy an inspiring keynote, 11 fantastic breakout sessions, a light breakfast, and lunch. Reserve your spot today! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com/

Are you interested in attending LSLS 2024 but can't afford the registration fee? Apply for a scholarship!

We offer Student Scholarships for those currently enrolled in library coursework as well as Working Professional Scholarships for people working at a library, museum, or local history institution.

After the conference, scholarship recipients will be required to write a blog post about their conference experience for the LSLS website. Applications must be completed by Monday, May 20. Submit your application today!

https://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/scholarship-opportunities/

Meet our keynote speaker for LSLS 2024, Tess Wilson, deputy director of Library Freedom Project!

From book challenges to the criminalization of library staff, it's a challenging time in the library world. Tess will kick off LSLS 2024 with an inspiring presentation, "Intellectual Freedom in Crisis Times: Defending Library Values," which will explore how library workers can stand up for democracy during crisis conditions. She'll present practical strategies for organizing against attacks before, during, and after they happen. Her talk will energize library workers to stand up for what we believe.

LSLS 2024 will be held Friday, June 7 at the Kathryn A. Martin Library on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reserve your spot today!

Registration is OPEN for LSLS 2024! This year's conference will be held in-person on Friday, June 7 on at the Kathryn A. Martin Library on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Click here to reserve your spot! https://lsls2024.eventbrite.com

This year's theme, "Persevere: Carrying Out Our Mission," will inspire you to stay the course, hold true to your values, and persevere!

For just $70, you’ll experience a keynote by Tess Wilson from the Library Freedom Project, 11 inspiring presentations, and a Thursday evening pre-conference trivia and social event. Stay tuned for details!

Register by May 24 to ensure that any dietary requests can be accommodated.

Calling all educators, librarians, and library staff! Librarians from the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) will visit Superior Public Library on May 13 & 14 to offer free workshops about fantastic new books for youth and offer intellectual freedom training.

Please note that the 2024 CCBC Choices Workshop is being offered twice to better accommodate schedules of educators, school librarians, and public library staff. Choose the session that works best for you. Click here to register for this free workshop: https://shorturl.at/lqvGU

We had a special request to extend the breakout session submission deadline one more time, so we're giving EVERYBODY until the end of the week to submit a proposal! So . . . if you were looking for a sign from the universe to submit a proposal for LSLS 2024, this is it!

Visit our website for info and to submit your proposal! https://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/call-for-proposals/