The organizers of the Lake Superior Libraries Symposium (LSLS) invite breakout session proposals for our 14th annual conference to be held on Friday, June 5, 2026, at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota.

This year’s conference theme, “Everything is (Not) Fine!” addresses the unique challenges facing libraries and information professionals, and seeks to offer support, solidarity, and solutions to those challenges. From funding cuts to the seemingly-unchecked proliferation of artificial intelligence into nearly every aspect of our lives, the role of an informational professional has never been more challenging — or more important. As information professionals, it is our responsibility to help our patrons and the communities we serve navigate a constantly-evolving and increasingly polarized information landscape, which can be challenging when we’re already expected to do “all the things!” At LSLS 2026, we’ll identify our common challenges and work together to develop sustainable solutions.

Possible presentation topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Library Bill of Rights
• Information literacy
• Career development
• Telling your library’s story
• Advocacy, awareness, and promotion
• Conducting a community needs assessment
• Working with stakeholders (administrators, boards, volunteers)
• Combating misinformation
• Staff training
• Work/life balance
• Boosting morale
• Events and programming
• Artificial intelligence
  • Coming to terms with AI in the workplace
  • Ethical uses — do they exist?
  • Environmental implications
  • Collection development

While this is a very broad theme, proposals are not required to fit within it.  We welcome and encourage proposals on a wide variety of topics relating to all library types and from presenters at all points on their library journey.

Successful breakout session presentations will be applicable to many types of libraries and showcase effective and innovative practices. 60-minute breakout sessions should include 10-15 minutes of question and answer. Panel presentations, particularly those representing a diversity of library types, sizes, and/or locations, are strongly encouraged. 

All presenters receive FREE conference registration, which includes breakfast and lunch.

Breakout session presenters should submit proposals at https://forms.gle/4WxVRJUMGEfA77Rc8. The CFP submission deadline is Friday, March 20th. Presenters will be notified of acceptance in mid-April.  

LSLS allows library staff to share their expertise, learn from their colleagues, and network to develop a stronger community of information professionals. We welcome proposals from all types of libraries. The event is organized and supported by library staff and educators from Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin; for a full list of our supporters, see https://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/about/supporters/.

For questions about proposals and submissions, please contact Julie Rustad at jrustad@css.edu. A complete listing of speakers, agenda, and costs will be released in late April.