CALCON 2026 Courageous Libraries Resilient Communities

CALCON 2026 Courageous Libraries Resilient Communities

8:00am MDT

Vendor/Exhibit Hall Registration/Welcome Desk

8:45am MDT

Building Community Through Collaborative Screenprinting Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Cynthia Nicola Censorship and Sensibility: Intellectual Freedom Then, Now, and Beyond Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Michaela Wilson • Ally Rodriguez-Marshall Getting More out of CALCON! Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Becky Van Den Berg • Tanya Prax Journey Mapping the Library: Using UX Research to Design Intuitive Spaces Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6David Vinjamuri

10:45am MDT

A Herd of Unicorns: Colorado Public Library Standards & You Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Office of Library Development, Colorado State Library • Kieran Hixon Elevator to Auditorium: Crafting Your Library's Message in 5, 15, and 30 Minutes Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Greg Wilson • Michelle White • Danielle Cowles • Mathangi Subramanian Empowering Teens through Meaningful Service Query Queen Breakout Room 3Jessica Schwartz • Lindsay Huth Keep Them Coming Back with Sequential Passive Programs Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Tiffany Ruhl • Charlotte Niteman Library Escape Rooms for All Ages Digital Defender Breakout Room 5David Sharp The Power of Intention. DEIB Strategic Planning for Public Libraries Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Paola Vilaxa Turning Outward: Using the Harwood Approach to produce greater relevance, significance, and impact Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Currie Meyer • Diane Lapierre You Can’t Pour From Empty (But You Still Have To Show Up) Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Amy Brady

12:00pm MDT

IFC Keynote and Awards Lunch

1:45pm MDT

Budget Development and Forecasting Query Queen Breakout Room 3Amanda Karger • Reed Smythe Creative Cardboard Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Nick Anderson • Sheena Shakely Enhancing Access Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Lidia Gurrola-Navarro • Stephanie Puebla Going to the Voters for Funding: How the Basalt Regional Library District Achieved Voter Approval in 2025 Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Amy Shipley • David Flaherty How To Not Always Run the Show: Library Person-In-Charge Training Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Carrie Watson Let’s Cook: Teaching Cooking Skills in the Library Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Madeleine Sardina Power of the People: Seeking and leveraging long-term staff insights for organizational effectiveness Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Kim Owens • Abraham Korah Who C.A.R.E.S.? Teaching and Assessing Excellent Customer Service in the Public Library Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Elizabeth Bush • Andy Hamilton

3:00pm MDT

All I really need to know, I didn't learn in library school Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Brena Smith • Kieran Hixon Once Upon a Time in the Library: How Film and TV Portray Libraries Query Queen Breakout Room 3Jon Frederick Programming for Therians: Building Belonging Through Subcultures Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Cody Robinson The Library is all-write, Integrating Writing into Early Literacy Programs Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Alexa Bynum Three Kinds of Conversations: Preparing Effective Legislative Advocacy for Libraries Tome Raider Breakout Room 1John Chrastka What’s Next? Possibilities for Adult English Language Learners After the Curriculum is Done Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Tiffany Curtin • Karin Bates You’re Not Always Your Best—Now What? Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Amy Brady

4:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall Happy Hour

8:00am MDT

Exhibit Hall Continental Comfort Breakfast Vendor/Exhibit Hall Registration/Welcome Desk Aurora Foyer

9:00am MDT

CAL Keynote Speaker: Lana Hailemariam Aurora Ballroom "The Library League"

10:45am MDT

Bringing Community Together in a Town Divided Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Paul Stanley • Shylo Harlan • Natasha Wolburg Charting Your Path: Career Development for the Courageous Library Professional Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Xochil Arellano Compassion Without Collapse: Boundaries for Library Staff Under Pressure Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Ariana Friedlander From Data to Dialogue: Understanding Burnout, Coping, and Support in Library Settings Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Annie Epperson • Jayne Blodgett • Kristin Kang From Planning to Progress: The Communication-Centered Approach to Library Strategy Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Chelsea Dodd Coleman Good people are hard to find: Developing and retaining an effective workforce Query Queen Breakout Room 3Amanda Karger • Reed Smythe Trustee Track: A Survey of Colorado Laws Affecting Libraries and What's New for 2026 Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Kim J. Seter, Esq. • Elizabeth \"Beth\" Dauer, Esq.

12:15pm MDT

CAL Awards Lunch

2:00pm MDT

Implementing a Bilingual Pay Model Query Queen Breakout Room 3Paola Vilaxa Moving the goal posts or raising the bar? Deciding on the best objectives in Children’s Services Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Jim Erekson • Lu Benke Presence & Purpose: The Essential Elements of Confident Leadership Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Chelsea Dodd Coleman Snacktivities and Beyond: Addressing Food Insecurity with Young Library Patrons Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Mariann Gentile • June McGinn The AI-Powered School Librarian Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Sheena Kelly Thursday Thought Talks Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Kim Bartels • Charissa Brammer • Dana Petersen • Amanda Davidson • Ashley Meisenheimer Trustee Track: How to Build and Grow a Great Fundraising Foundation Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Kitty L. deKieffer • Chris Barge

3:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall Dessert Reception

4:00pm MDT

Bringing Resilience To Light: Working With Communities Through Oral Histories Query Queen Breakout Room 3Maria Smyer • Charlene Garcia Simms Connection by Design: Library Programming to Fight Loneliness and Strengthen Communities Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Rebecca Robbins • Courtney Harris • Cody Speece From Idea to Impact: First Steps to Transforming Your Library Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Rob Cullin • Wells Squier • Rebecca Silva Making All The Right Moves: Circulating Board Games In Your Library Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Emma Lea Embry • Mary Miller Strategic Planning Reimagined - AI and Gamification in Public Libraries Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Amy Nelson True Crime Book Clubs: Making it Ethical without Censorship Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Stephanie Mead Turning Your Teens Into Library Leaders Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Emma Eriksson Trustee Track: On the Path to the Ballot: Preparing Your Community for a Successful Library Funding Measure Digital Defender Breakout Room 5John Chrastka

5:30pm MDT

CALCON After Hours Social Event Martin Luther King Jr Aurora Public Library Branch

8:00am MDT

Registration/Welcome Desk

8:45am MDT

Beyond the Buzzwords: People-First EDI That Builds Around Your Library's Heart Query Queen Breakout Room 3Xochil Arellano Can’t Touch This: Mastering Archival Processing in a Virtual Space Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Justin Easterday Designing Together: Strategies for Building Stronger Programs and Partnerships Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Katie Harness-Hemmer • Sophia Surage From Curiosity to Career: Building STEM Pathways Through Libraries Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Melissa Beavers • Alyssa Johnson • Victor Sam How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Leadership: Zen and the Art of Librarianship Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Allaina Wallace • Amy Phillips • Robyn Lupa • Jack Maness • Michele Masias Local Children’s Authors: A Vibrant Resource for your School and Public Library Communities Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Susan Wroble • Polly Holyoke The Standards Advantage: A Framework for Strategic Planning and Library Success Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Jeromey Balderrama • Erica Rose “Mini-Programs: Finding Your Blank Spaces” Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Erica Leu

9:00am MDT

CAL Committee/Interest Group Tables

10:00am MDT

AI Framework: Questions, Ethics, Cybersecurity Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Office of Library Development, Colorado State Library Beyond Listening: Expanding Library Services Through the Power of Music Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Asa Kennison CUnique Stories: Community Connection Through Storytelling Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Cynthia Keller • Amanda Rybin Koob • Caroline Sinkinson Library Safety in Uncertain Times Query Queen Breakout Room 3Krista Hanley Seeing and Serving Our Unseen Caregiving Youth Archivist Prime Breakout Room 8Kate Brunner • Nadine Roberts Cornish • Dr. Elizabeth Olson Sometimes You Need a Moment: Searching for Stories of Hope and Joy in YA Literature Paige Turner Breakout Room 4Catherine Boddie • Erica Schimmel Storytelling for Libraries Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Sara Wicen Sustainability in Action: Building Stronger Library Communities Captain Catalog Breakout Room 7Courtney Dixon • David Chung • Cameron Bowen • Lex Shannon • Kathleen Hynes

10:45am MDT

From Check-Ins to Breakthroughs: Rethinking One-on-Ones Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Melissa Beavers

11:30am MDT

CAL Business Meeting/Networking Lunch

1:15pm MDT

Beyond D&D: The Wide World of Roleplaying Games in Libraries Digital Defender Breakout Room 5Becky Van Den Berg • Matthew Galloway • Jakob Seelig • Patrick Austin • Izzie Olsen Lightning Talks Dewey Decimator Breakout Room 6Deborah Hamilton • Josh Hem Lee • Melissa Beavers • Paul Betty • Kristen DeSanto • Marisa Wood • Michael Smith • Maria Kramer Project Management in Libraries: Make a Plan and then Paddle Like the Dickens Reference Ranger Breakout Room 2Charissa Brammer • Jami Yazdani What We Talk About When We Talk About AI Tome Raider Breakout Room 1Savannah Winchell

CALCON 2026 Courageous Libraries Resilient Communities

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