The 2026 Public Library Association Conference – #PLA2026 – begins today! Are you unable to attend and wondering how you can keep up with all that’s going on at the conference in Minneapolis? We’ve got you covered with #PLA2026 Conference Blogging!
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. Here are some of the people who will be writing about their experiences:
Alison Loewen (she/her/hers) is a Youth Services Librarian at Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who proudly geeks out about early literacy and can happily talk picture books all day with fellow enthusiasts. She often jokes that she reads hundreds of books each month—picture books, of course! At PLA, Alison is excited to gather fresh programming ideas and wander the exhibit hall in search of new treasures for her library’s play area and activity room. She previously served on the CLEL Bell Picture Book Award Committee and has been honored as a PBS KIDS Early Learning Champion and the Wisconsin Library Association’s 2025 Librarian of the Year.
Amelia Jenkins (she/her) is a member of the Youth Services staff at the Juneau Public Library. For over 20 years, she has been working with patrons ages 0 to 18 and the adults who care for them. At the Public Library Association Conference, she is most excited about experiencing the many informal connections that happen between all of the amazing sessions. She grew up on a fishing boat and always thought that any job on dry land was terribly glamorous!
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.
Anne Friederichs (she/her/hers) is a Children’s Librarian specializing in preschool programming, and collections for birth through 3rd graders at Dakota County Wescott Library in Eagan, MN. Anne says that she has always left each PLA Conference with an overload of information, and she is looking forward to that again! She is also anticipating learning from and gleaning great insight from colleagues across the nation! Anne says she grew up in a family of teachers. She knew the value of books and information, yet never thought of being a librarian! If she could reread a book for the first time, it would probably be Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.
Claire Ong Sabala (she/her) is a Health and Wellness Librarian at the Oak Park Public Library. She is looking forward to the amazing presentations lined up, such as:
- Advancing Anti-racism, Equity, and Justice Through Programming Design *Dr. Nicole Cook
- Every Story Matters, Every Body Belongs: Fat Inclusive Libraries
- Engaging the AAPI Communities in Librarianship
- Libraries Connecting Adults with Intellectual Disabilities to the Community
and, of course, connecting with other library workers! At the conference, you might find her snacking on Trader Joe’s nuts. If she could read one book again for the first time, it would be The Count of Monte Cristo. She devoured this book in her youth with its potent themes of betrayal, adventure, treasure, justice, redemption and revenge.
Jen Pace Dickenson (she/her/hers) is the Youth Services Librarian at Polk County Public Libraries. Over her 13 year career there, she has created many new programs for all ages while also developing a diverse and vibrant collection and managing most of the marketing. She was teaching English to children in South Korea in 2010 when she read the book American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, and had the epiphany that she should become a librarian. She is looking forward to hearing Bryan Stevenson speak at the opening session, as she has been a longtime admirer of his work with the Equal Justice Initiative, and getting books signed by authors in the exhibit hall to add to her collection.
Laura Hargrove (she/her) is a senior Public Services Librarian at the Davis Library, one of the Plano (Texas) Public Library locations. She enjoys bird watching and hopes to add a few lifers to her life list between PLA sessions! As a librarian, she works with patrons of all ages and enjoys nature-based STEAM programs for early learners and families. She is an advisor for PPL’s Teen Advisory Board. She served on the selection committee for the 2022 YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction and is chair of the YALSA Divisions and Membership committee. She is most looking forward to coming home from PLA with fresh programming ideas for her patrons.
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 Threads at @floopy13. She is looking forward to networking with colleagues and the ability to share ideas. This is her 7th PLA. An interesting fact about her is that her family has been in the Guinness World Records! 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 I grew up. She thinks that she picked right!
Mary R. Voors (she/her) is the ALSC Blog Manager. She loves reading picture books, early chapter books, YA fiction & nonfiction, and the occasional book written for adults. Mary has served on a wide variety of ALSC committees including the Newbery committee, the ALSC International Relations committee, the Great Web Sites committee (chair), the BWI Summer Reading Program Grant committee, the Notable Children’s Books committee, the Intellectual Freedom committee, the ALSC Board of Directors, and the Odyssey committee. She is currently serving on the Children’s Literature Lecture Award committee.
Prairie Hanson (she/her/hers) is the Youth Services Assistant at the Vermillion Public Library in South Dakota. She focuses on teen programming, outreach, and marketing. The last few years have been spent building up teen engagement (and turning the library into a space the teens actually want to spend time in). When she’s not planning programs or making flyers, she’s usually working on some sort of giant display to hang in the library or coming up with her next big idea. Outside of work, she’s married and has four cats. She loves reading, gaming, gardening, baking, crocheting…just about any hobby you can think of.
Samantha Ingerson (she/her/hers) is the Technology Librarian at Orion Township Public Library (Lake Orion, MI). She is looking forward to networking with other librarians from around the country (and also free books!) Samantha was born and raised a military brat – my birth certificate even names an Air Force Base as my place of birth! She was DEFINITELY that kid that got grounded from books. I would stay up past my bedtime, reading by the streetlight, and come home from school the next day with the middle of my bookshelf cleared out. This was a regular occurrence throughout my childhood – I was okay with it because it meant I could read that last chapter!
Witt Salley (he/him/his) is the Teen Services Librarian at Quince Orchard Library in Montgomery County Public Libraries. At PLA 2026, he is most looking forward to meeting colleagues whose work he has been learning from online, making new connections, and serving on the Aging Together and DigitalLearn panels. He grew up surrounded by children’s and young adult books and spent so many hours in the public library that working with teens and youth literature felt almost inevitable. If he could read one book again for the first time, he would choose Weetzie Bat for its originality and the joy of first reading it.
Thank you all! I can’t read to read about what you are learning and experiencing!
Over the next several days, check the ALSC Blog for PLA Conference photos and information. You can also check in on social media – just track the hashtag #pla2026. Are you hoping we’ll cover a particular session? Let us know in the comments below!