2026 NDLA Conference

Open educational resources (OER) are often presented as a straightforward solution to textbook affordability: find a free replacement, help faculty adopt it, and report the savings. In practice, OER support is shaped by mismatched expectations. Faculty may expect a ready-made replacement with all the convenience of a commercial platform. Librarians may undersell the instructional, technical, and accessibility work involved in adoption and adaptation. Administrators may support affordability in principle while leaving bookstore contracts, vendor platforms, staffing, and course materials workflows untouched.

This session takes a candid look at common myths surrounding OER and affordable course materials work, pairing each myth with a more complex reality and practical ways to respond. Topics may include weak metadata, aging repositories, limited creation and adaptation platforms, savings estimates, faculty labor, librarian skill gaps, accessibility, and the institutional silos that shape course materials decisions. Topics may include course redesign labor, accessibility, limited creation and adaptation platforms, licensing complexities, missed workflow handoffs, bookstore and vendor systems, unclear ownership of maintenance, and the institutional silos that shape course materials decisions.

Participants will leave with sharper language for naming these mismatches, strategies for avoiding unhelpful responsibilities, and practical approaches for building more realistic and sustainable support.

Imposter Phenomenon (IP) strikes everyone at some point. In libraries, it happens more than people realize. This presentation was introduced as a poster presentation at NDLA 2025 but there were so many questions, it's worth giving more time. This session will cover what IP is, how it may present, what the effects can be on a person and their workplace, as well as ways that an individual and a workplace can help to alleviate someone's worries about their ability to succeed. 

Creating SMART goals is an effective tool that provides clarity, focus, and motivation to achieve your goals. North Dakota Coordinating Council members Mary Soucie and Andrea Placher will focus on using SMART goals when applying for and writing Library Vision Grants. However, this session will be useful for all library staff in many facets of their work.

This session will focus on how to engage all curricular areas in your building. The presenters will focus on strategies to change how departments see the library, how time constraints and curriculum pressure often stop other areas (beyond ELA) from utilizing the library resources, and how to help align library skills to science, social studies, math, and elective standards. Participants will be able to share their successful collaboration ideas as well.

This session provides an update on the ILL Bridge project, a collaborative interlibrary loan initiative designed to streamline resource sharing across North Dakota and South Dakota. Attendees will gain insight into the technical implementation of the to-be-named system, including the current rollout status and the organizational structure between state libraries and ODIN's support role. We will discuss the project's impact on ILL workflows, share lessons learned during the initial configuration phases, and outline the future roadmap to Go Live in 2027 and beyond. This session is for all library types and anyone involved with ILL, Patron Services, Reference...really just about everyone can benefit from the work that is being done with this project!

Join us for a look at the bills and laws that are reshaping librarianship across the country. This session will cover noteworthy legal decisions, proposed and/or passed legislation, and other, similar governmental actions. This session is intended to be informational with updates on the status of each action and what it might mean for libraries in ND. 

When I started my current position, dropping from Director to a mid-level supervisor and librarian (that had to do RESEARCH), I was... trepidatious. However, in my first year as an academic librarian, I have found lovely points of intersection between public and academic librarianship, as well as opportunities for lucrative partnerships. This will explore some of these points and offer some ideas for programs and initiatives, though they will all be in the ideas phase, since I accidentally don't have enough time to do anything yet.

In this session we will explore the evolution of a specific kind of collection - the Library of Things! We'll take an in-depth look at collection development, potential funding opportunities, developing policies, and what to do when the mixer goes missing!

Discover how recognizing and leveraging your natural strengths can boost your confidence, improve teamwork, and make your daily work more energizing. In this session, we’ll explore simple strategies for identifying what you do best, aligning tasks with strengths, and building a workplace where everyone shines. Come ready to reflect, share, and leave with practical tools to help you do more of the work that lights you up.

Join EDI/LGBTQ2S+ Committee Co-Chairs Rachel Waldo and Montana Ackman as they combine peer-reviewed research and lived experience to show you the unique needs and challenges facing our local queer community members. They will explain how tabling at local Pride events allows libraries to build trust with our local queer community members and meet them at their point of need.  They will also share practical guides, helpful tips, and resources created by the EDI/LGBTQ2S+ Committee with the goal of empowering YOU to go forth and confidently meet your queer community members at their point of need by tabling at your local Pride event!

We will also hold a Q&A at the end of the session as time allows.

This presentation will give an overview of copyright, OER, and Open Access geared towards public and K-12 librarians.

Jason Matthews will facilitate an input forum for all interested NDLA attendees, including librarians and library employees, to share their thoughts on NDSL's current LSTA programs and services. We will review current programs and services and identify needs and wants, which NDSL will consider as part of its upcoming five-year LSTA plan.

Adjusting your library for Universal Design doesn’t have to break the bank! There are strategies for making library spaces more accessible with little to no cost. This program will discuss practical accessibility ideas, including free and low-cost changes. Presenters will also provide aspirational ideas for bigger budgets. Topics include digital spaces, physical spaces, and event planning.

Legislative processes can be convoluted at the best of times and downright enigmatic at the worst. This session’s goal is to provide an overview of the ND legislative process and what can be expected at each step along the way. Approaches libraries can take to help advocate for themselves, as well as keep patrons informed on pending legislation without violating anti-corruption laws, will also be discussed.

As patron expectations shift toward intuitive, app-driven interfaces, the traditional OPAC is no longer the Final Frontier for discovery of your collection. This session explores how ODIN is moving beyond traditional catalog searches to create a dynamic, patron-first digital ecosystem. We will fly over Undiscovered Country and dive into our recent implementation of Vega Discover and Mobile, illustrating how these tools modernize the user journey and provide more intuitive search experiences, merges physical with digital, and aims to meet patrons where they are. On our Journey Home, we will discuss other tools and services we are working on to create a personalized experience for patrons while also providing library staff with better data on there collections and patrons. SO set your phasers to 'discover' and join us as we step into the transporter and beam up a new patron experience!

The presenters will identify and discuss the best books for middle and high school readers. The presenters will invite collaboration from participants in sharing the most popular genres and reading trends in an effort to help librarians curate their collections with things kids truly want to read.

Presenters will share their top and bottom checkouts as well as highlight reading trends from their own libraries. The session will feature books in many fiction genres as well as graphic novels and low-readability/high-interest books.

Participants should leave with a list of books that their students will want to read.