Name: Curating Connection: Libraries and Archives as Spaces for Collaboration and Belonging
Start: 2026-05-01T11:00:00-0600
End: 2026-05-01T11:50:00-0600

Welcome to the 2026 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference! We are thrilled to have you joining us for this incredible professional development and networking opportunity.

Registration Desk
Make sure you check in to the conference at our registration desk before heading off to any meals or sessions! Here you can pick up your name tag and ask any questions you might have. The registration desk will be open from 6:45 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday, April 30, and from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm on Friday, May 1.

Using the Sched App
Use this app to build your personalized conference schedule! You will find some things have already been added to your schedule (such as meals and key speakers), but everything else is up to you.

We also encourage you to turn on the "Public Profile & Schedule" option under the "My Account" tab. This will add you to the public attendee list, helping you to connect with other delegates and helping them connect with you. This is optional.

Conference Sponsors
SLA gratefully acknowledges our many event sponsors! Without their generous support, this conference would not be possible! We gratefully acknowledge all sponsors in the "Sponsors" Tab.

Exhibitors
Make sure to visit the Exhibitor Hall located in the Gallery B! The Exhibitor Hall will be open on Thursday, April 30, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with the Exhibitor Social taking place from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. Join us at the Social to visit with the exhibitors while enjoying appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks, and the chance to win great prizes!!

Curating Connection: Libraries and Archives as Spaces for Collaboration and Belonging

Friday May 1, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CST

Capital A Room

This presentation explores how exhibitions and events—curated, collaborative, and interdisciplinary—can strengthen the role of libraries and archives as catalysts for engagement, creativity, and learning.

Drawing on examples from recent initiatives at the Dr. John Archer Library & Archives, this session will highlight how it has used exhibition spaces, art installations, public talks, and themed events to showcase faculty and student research, celebrate community voices, and foster partnerships beyond traditional information services.

Participants will gain insights into planning, promotion, and assessment that align exhibitions and events with institutional priorities such as community engagement, experiential learning, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. By reframing libraries and archives as places of encounter and shared storytelling, academic librarians and archivists can strengthen relationships across campus and create lasting connections with the wider community.

This session encourages attendees to view exhibitions and events not as supplementary activities, but as integral expressions of the academic library and archives' mission to connect, inspire, and transform.

Speakers

Crista Bradley

University Records & Information Management Archivist, Adjunct Professor in History, University of Regina

Crista Bradley, MA (Archival Studies), is the University Records & Information Management Archivist and an Adjunct Professor in History at the University of Regina. She oversees the Archives’ outreach, instruction and records management programs and collection development for university records. Her research interests relate... Read More →

Gillian van der Ven

Academic Librarian, University of Regina

Gillian van der Ven is an Academic Librarian at the University of Regina and serves the Faculty of Education, Music, and Creative Technology.

Michael Shires

Community Engagement & Communications Librarian, University of Regina

Michael Shires is the Community Engagement & Communications Librarian at the University of Regina. He has subject liaison responsibilities, oversees Special Collections and collaborates with University and community partners on and off to provide programs that help support teaching, learning, an... Read More →

Friday May 1, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CST
Capital A Room

50-Minute Sessions

2026 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference: Libraries Open Doors

Crista Bradley

Gillian van der Ven

Michael Shires

Get help with the event

2026 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference: Libraries Open Doors

Crista Bradley

Gillian van der Ven

Michael Shires

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