NLA/MPLA Joint Conference

Hello everyone! Please join us, Liz Dukelow and Lyndsey Kopsa, as we geek out over Anime and Manga! This session is great for newbies or hard core otakus! We cover a variety of topics including but not limited to: tropes, Japanese visual language, purchasing, reviewing, cataloging practices, age ranges for materials, collectables, censorship, fanmade content, programing ideas, and much much more!
Warning! This is a duplicate session of the presentation Liz and Richard did at the 2025 Kansas Library Association Conference.

Have you ever wanted to do your own research study but were unsure where to start? Slay this dragon by attending this workshop designed for everyone...from the novice unsure where to start to the experienced researcher who wants a refresher. Publication doesn’t have to be part of your job to attend! Participants will get a crash course in qualitative research. Other topics include choosing and using frameworks, IRB, the publishing process, and co-authoring. This is a hybrid program with both an in-person and virtual option.

Drawing on the Plains women’s tradition of addressing community issues through conversation at knitting circles and quilting bees, Patty Collins and Maribeth Shafer will facilitate an interactive craft-based discussion on complex challenges in librarianship.

With more than 40 years of combined experience, the facilitators will introduce real-world scenarios to spark meaningful dialogue. Participants are encouraged to bring their own difficult topics, questions, and works-in-progress (WIPs) to keep their hands busy as they contribute to the conversation.

As attendees engage in hands-on crafting, drawing, or coloring they will also engage in thoughtful discussion—creating a relaxed, collaborative environment that supports multiple learning styles. This format lowers barriers to participation, encourages reflection, and fosters authentic connection among peers.

In a time when professional disagreements can quickly become polarized, this session offers a structured yet informal space for constructive dialogue, shared problem-solving, and community building. Participants will leave with new perspectives, practical strategies, and strengthened professional connections.

This dynamic preconference will equip library workers with the knowledge to confidently navigate some of the most challenging issues facing libraries, the skills and media training to communicate most effectively, and awareness of what successful library advocacy has looked like from those involved in the work.

The NLA Advocacy Committee needs to confirm speakers for this preconference if accepted, but we have a plan in mind and anticipate that we can provide four hours of content. This includes the following:

Policies in Practice – Navigating Requests for Reconsideration, What It Means for Libraries to be a Limited Public Forum, First Amendment Audits and How to Respond

Policies in Practice Workshop – Facilitated group workshop with attendees working together to review or create a library policy.

Media Training – How to communicate with the media, stay on message, etc.

Panel Discussion – Members from NLA Advocacy, MPLA, state senator or staff, elected officials. Moderated discussion on what has worked for them, how to communicate with elected officials, what people can do.

Over the past nearly two years as Nebraska State Poet, Jewel Rodgers has reached thousands across the state through performances, workshops, and community-based programming. In this keynote, she reflects on what she’s accomplished during her tenure while sharing a selection of both newly written and recognized works. Grounded in themes of growth, resilience, and creativity, her work explores the complexities of human nature with a distinct edge of motivational insight.