2026 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference: Libraries Open Doors

In 2023, a team of librarians at the Winnipeg Public Library came together to ask the question: How can our library branches make community outreach a priority with limited time, staffing, and resources? Since then, the WPL Outreach Working Group has developed several tools, including a new Outreach Toolkit and staff surveys, to look at how staff can be supported and encouraged to “branch out” to build meaningful connections in their neighborhoods.

As members of this working group and branch head librarians serving very different communities, Sarah and Austin will discuss these tools, their strategies to help staff engage effectively beyond library walls, and the partnerships and outreach opportunities that they have developed at their branches.

Learn about how the Saskatoon Public Library makes Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs) accessible and how staff with no specialist knowledge can use these resources to support patrons in lifelong learning. Through RPG kits and patron-led programming, SPL patrons have expanded their social networks and gained skills, confidence, and self-knowledge. The presenters will show you how you can support patrons in their own gaming endeavours, without having to become a master of dungeons or wizard of the stacks.

In the excitement of starting a new project, program, or service it can be easy to just jump right in and begin, but when time comes for renewals and funding there is a scramble to build a case for your successes. Don’t stress! Make your project stand out from the crowd. Building assessments into your project from the beginning doesn’t have to be complicated and has both ongoing and long-term benefits.

This session will show you strategies to integrate assessment processes into all sorts of library projects from the very beginning of the planning process, so you are able to reduce time spent on data gathering, capture the most impactful information, and give evidence-based backing to your successes.

Gladys Arnold, a teacher turned journalist, worked for the Regina Leader-Post before travelling to Europe in 1935. After working as a freelance journalist for the Canadian Press, she became their Paris correspondent, ultimately serving as the sole Canadian correspondent in France during the start of the Second World War. Her correspondence and memoirs, now preserved at the University of Regina’s Dr. John Archer Library & Archives, offer a vivid picture of a time of great historical significance.

Yet, for all this primary source material, the door is not fully open. While these materials have been digitized, they have not been made publicly available due to the lack of transcription and metadata. Making Arnold’s work more discoverable is essential to ensuring that her voice can be heard, and that these first-person accounts can be studied and shared. While open source machine learning tools can generate preliminary transcripts, human review is essential to correct errors and omissions, and the volume of material makes in-house review impractical. 

To address this challenge, we explored Zooniverse, a collaborative platform supported by the University of Oxford, University of Minnesota, and Adler Planetarium. With nearly 3 million volunteers worldwide, Zooniverse enables community volunteers to transcribe text, tag images, and classify content.  For the Gladys Arnold Collection, the platform presents an opportunity not only to transcribe many of Gladys Arnold’s letters, but also to engage with a broad community and raise awareness of this significant Saskatchewan resource.

This session is designed for librarians and teacher-librarians who already have some experience using the Sask DLC Resource Bank and want to deepen their practice to support their libraries. Rather than focusing on basic searching, participants will explore strategies for endorsing high-quality resources, sharing favourite educational materials, and creating new resources to support teaching, learning, and inquiry. The session will also highlight ways to leverage groups and collections to amplify the reach and impact of shared content and invite collaboration on collections and Resource Bank hubs.

Attendees will gain practical insights on how to support educators and students by promoting valuable resources, fostering collaborative use of digital materials, and contributing to province-wide initiatives that strengthen library services.

For participants who are new to the Sask DLC Resource Bank, or those who would benefit from a refresher prior to the session, a short pre-session resource is provided HERE. This training will include brief videos and a suggested scope and sequence covering core features such as navigation, searching, collections and hubs. A guided exploration checklist will also be provided. Reviewing these materials in advance will help ensure all participants can fully engage in the session content and discussions.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping information ecosystems, public expectations, and the core workflows that sustain libraries and library employees. This panel brings together senior leaders from academic and public libraries to examine how AI is influencing current practices and shaping emerging directions across the profession. They will discuss what these shifts mean for libraries’ roles and services and how the field can approach these developments with intention and strategic clarity.

Representing the full spectrum of the library landscape, our speakers include:

• A University Librarian leading AI-responsive academic research services and digital infrastructure.
• A Public Library CEO/Library Director advancing community-facing innovation and equitable access to emerging technologies.
• A second Public Library CEO/Library Director, formerly University Librarian at two universities, who brings deep insight into AI’s implications across institutional contexts.

Together, they will explore the opportunities, risks, and responsibilities arising from AI adoption; share examples of how their institutions are navigating technological change; and reflect on the evolving competencies, values, and leadership approaches taking shape across the profession, including the roles that will be essential as libraries adapt to an AI-infused future.

Librarianship is a profession built on service, connection, and intellectual care — yet behind the calm and helpful demeanor, many library professionals face increasing demands, emotional strain, and invisible stressors that can lead to burnout. From public service pressures and information overload to the emotional labor of supporting diverse communities, librarians are often so focused on helping others that they neglect their own well-being.

This presentation explores the unique challenges of burnout and compassion fatigue within the library field, offering insight into how sustained empathy without replenishment can erode mental health and job satisfaction. Participants will learn to recognize early warning signs of burnout and explore practical, evidence-based approaches for cultivating resilience. Topics include mindfulness in the workplace, boundary setting, peer support, and developing a culture of self-compassion within library teams.

By reframing self-care as both a personal and professional responsibility, this session invites librarians to nurture their own well-being as a foundation for sustainable service. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to help them balance compassion for patrons with compassion for self—reigniting purpose and joy in their work.

As talks of book bans and fears of "inappropriate" children's and YA materials rise, so do challenges in your library. Patrons often expect library staff to ignore (and sometimes jeopardize) the intellectual freedom of kids and teens. This presentation will discuss the importance of preserving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the children's and YA collections, and will cover the challenges of doing so in smaller, rural libraries.

The University of Regina Library developed a three-day event on artificial intelligence (AI) designed to explore the rapidly evolving impact of AI and Machine Learning (ML) across creative practice, academic work, and society. As interest in AI continues to increase among faculty, researchers, instructors, students, and the broader community, the University of Regina was well-positioned to host a collaborative, discussion-rich event that brings these conversations together. AI Futures highlighted emerging initiatives, fostered cross-campus and community partnerships, and supported informed, ethical, and imaginative engagement with AI technologies.

This session will look at the development, organization, and outcomes of this three-day event on AI.

In spring 2025, escalating safety and security concerns forced the temporary closure of two library branches [in Saskatoon]—an extraordinary decision that tested the resilience of staff, leadership, and community. Out of this crisis came persistence and collaboration: the creation of Working Together, a training program developed in consultation with both library staff and contract guards. The program was designed to improve communication, clarify roles, and strengthen safety practices while preserving the library’s commitment to openness and community.

With the limitations on international students, universities and colleges are developing new degree programs to attract more domestic students. How do you evaluate your library's collection when a new academic program is being developed? How do you know if you have the appropriate resources to support the new curriculum? Possible evaluation ideas and strategies are discussed.

Assistive Technologies are commonly viewed as specific, often specialized devices used to aid those certain marginalized groups. But in reality, most assistive technology is quite mundane, and specific “assistive” devices can even be barriers to access. In this presentation, we’ll explore how technology is actually used by marginalized people, how our assumptions prevent access, and how libraries can be integral to providing accessibility for all.

 

This session will demonstrate how to effectively build and operate a cross-departmental team. The Borrower and Information Services (BandIS) team at SPL will be used as an example. This team is comprised of a unique variety of staff members from different departments, across the multi-branch system. Makeup of the group and how the work is conducted, particularly focusing on communication, will be discussed. By sharing our experiences with system-wide projects and how consultations are managed, we will show how to apply these lessons to other institutions planning for cross-departmental team development.

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.

This presentation will share how our library is adopting and adapting the Brian Deer Classification system as a central strategy for creating a more welcoming and culturally responsive environment. Traditional classification systems often reinforce colonial worldviews, obscuring Indigenous knowledge and placing it at the margins. By contrast, the Brian Deer system, developed by the late Kahnawake librarian Brian Deer, organizes materials according to Indigenous perspectives, cultural relationships, and community priorities.

Our session will highlight the motivations behind our transition, including feedback from local First Nations Elders and the goal of making our collections easier to navigate and more reflective of the communities we serve. We will describe the development process of our Brian Deer variation, the consultation process and a progress report as to where we are in the implementation phase.

Tanisi! Come and talk with Samara Jackson around Indigenous Library Services. We will talk about new resources available through the Indigenous Language Collection, the Indigenous Language Kits projects in Michif and resources available on the PLLO LibGuide! This is a space to come and ask the questions around Indigenous Library Services that you won't be able to ask anywhere else.

Purchasing assistive technology for your library can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore a range of high and low tech assistive technology options designed to support patrons with a wide variety of disabilities. Through hands-on activities and guided discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to play, experiment, and learn how these tools can enhance access and inclusion in library spaces. Leave with practical insights, increased confidence in evaluating assistive technologies, and ideas you can apply right away to make your library more welcoming for everyone. 

 

Presenters: Marilyn Lustig-McEwen, Shelley Fiesel, Sydney Lee