The 2026 National ALSC Institute is starting today! Participants will discover a wide range of educational opportunities especially developed for youth librarians. In addition, the Teen Services Development Day will focus entirely on educational programs designed to support Teen Services library staff and participants at the Bill Morris Seminar will together about children’s media evaluation techniques
Are you unable to attend and wondering how you can keep up with all that’s going on at #alsc26? We’ve got you covered!
Let me be among the first to offer special thanks to the conference bloggers who will be reporting for the ALSC Blog on what’s happening at this biennial conference devoted exclusively to children’s & teen librarianship.Here are some of the people who will be writing about their experiences at the 2026 ALSC Institute:
- Alicia Rogers (she/her/hers) is the Tween Services Librarian at Worcester Public Library–the library’s first! She hosts programs and builds collections for children ages eight to twelve in the children’s center and provides reference and reader’s advisory service in the library’s teen room to ease patrons’ transition between the spaces. Through her work, she strives to build community among the tween patrons who are craving some independence. Alicia is a member of ALSC and the Notable Children’s Book Committee and reviews for Booklist, The Horn Book, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. She loves books of all kinds (can you tell?), so is most looking forward to meeting and hearing from authors and illustrators at the institute.
- Amy D’Arco (she/her/hers) is the Teen Librarian at the The Manhasset Public Library in Manhasset, NY and is the 2026 president of the Young Adult Services Division of the Nassau County Library Association. She has been a young adult and teen services librarian for the last five years after making a career shift from working in publishing. She is looking forward to meeting fellow teen librarians and hearing Delali Adjoa discuss The Free Verse Society, especially now that it has been longlisted for the National Book Award! When not at the library, Amy can most likely be found drinking entirely too much coffee, watching Survivor with her husband, quoting Gilmore Girls, or cuddling with her cats, Stella and Luna (yes, like the picture book!).
- Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.
- Catherine Ash (she/her/hers) is a Youth Services Librarian for the Clinton Macomb Public Library in Clinton Township, Michigan. Catherine can’t wait to play at the Strong National Museum of Play and to hear Angie Thomas speak later that evening – what a way to begin the conference! Catherine is also looking forward to lots of learning from and connecting with youth services professionals from around the country. As a child, Catherine wanted to be an archaeologist to uncover stories from the past; while that never happened, she continues to be fascinated by stories and histories of all kinds.
- Elizabeth Hurtado (she/her) is a Youth/Children’s Librarian at Springdale Public Library in Arkansas, where she has worked in children’s librarianship for about seven years. She is looking forward to learning new ideas, connecting with fellow children’s librarians, and bringing inspiration back to her community. As a child, Elizabeth wanted to be a teacher, a babysitter, or a flight attendant. She jokes that combining all three makes a children’s librarian! She loves working with kids, learning through their eyes, and traveling to new places through books.
- Erica Siskind loves her job at the Oakland Public Library, in Oakland, California, and recently celebrated 30 years as a Children’s Librarian at the Rockridge Branch. Erica is most excited about making time and space for kids to write, illustrate, and perform their own stories – encouraging them to finish projects and share them with others, which she knows is the hard part! She’s looking forward to picking up tips about conducting joyful learning programs through play. Sketching helps her focus – so if you see her with her sketchbook and you want to be included, act natural, but hold still for just a minute.
- Jen Woo (she/her/hers) is the Family Engagement Coordinator at San Francisco Public Library (the unceded Ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples). With ten years of youth services librarianship, she is most looking forward to the Bill Morris Seminar, meeting folks, sharing ideas and later – making ideas happen at the Library. As a child, she wanted to be a veterinarian and a fire fighter. Alas, she is neither but does own a cat named Bird and is an avid birdwatcher. You can find her drinking coffee, tea and trying to stay warm and cozy at the Institute.
- Judy Ehrenstein (she/her) is a seasoned children’s librarian with Montgomery County (MD) Public Libraries but this is her very first National Institute. She is looking forward to seeing friends, hearing inspiring talks and sharing some good laughs. Outside of work she is an avid baker, British cozy mystery watcher, and petter of all dogs that come her way. She will likely be found drinking too much coffee and probably eating Dot’s seasoned pretzels.
- Laura Schulte-Cooper (she.her) is senior program officer for communications in the ALSC office. She started her ALA life in 1989 as an administrative assistant in the Office for Research. She loves reading despite the anxiety (visceral terror, really!) and flunking grades spawned by the McCall-Crabbs reading lessons of 1970-71! If she could read one book again for the first time, it would be Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. It was pure magic!
- Lisa Mulvenna (she/her/hers) is the Head of Children’s and Teen Services at Clinton-Macomb Public Library. You can also find her online on Bluesky at @lmulvenna. She is looking forward to networking with colleagues and the addition of Teen Services Development Day. This is her 5th ALSC Institute and in 2026 she celebrated her silver anniversary as a children’s librarian. When she was young, Lisa wanted to be a queen, a nurse, a lawyer, a doctor, a child psychologist, and then finally a librarian when she grew up. She thinks that she picked right!
- Meredith Bazzoli (she/her) is a Youth Librarian at Glen Ellyn Public Library in the Western Chicago suburbs. She’s been a youth librarian for about 4 years after coming over from the dark side, adult services! Meredith is looking forward to the “think space” conferences provide to dream, plan, and get a fresh perspective on her work. In addition to her library work, she’s also taught special education and performed as a part of one of the house improv teams in iO theatre in Chicago!
- Taylor Coonelly (she/her/hers) is a K-4 School Media Specialist at Dodge Elementary in Buffalo NY. She has also worked as a Prek-5th grade School Librarian and an Educational Specialist for the Rochester Public Library. She is excited to attend her first ALSC conference, and hopes to learn more about creating enriching programming and inclusive instruction to bring back to her school community. If she could read one book again for the first time, it would be a tie between The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.
Thank you all! ALSC Blog readers can’t wait to read about what you are learning and experiencing!
Over the next several days, check the ALSC Blog for 2026 ALSC Institute photos and information. You can also check in on social media – just track the hashtag #alsc26. Are you hoping we’ll cover a particular session? Let us know in the comments below!
The post Conference Blogging from the 2026 ALSC Institute appeared first on ALSC Blog.
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