Every year, BCLA hosts the BC Library Conference and we hear feedback from participants recommending their favourite sessions, wishing their peers could have attended, or realizing that they missed out on a stellar presentation. In the “Conference Virtual Reboot” series, BCLA is inviting a selection of presenters to replicate or reimagine their conference session as a webinar, staggering these events throughout the coming year.
While the entire 2025 in-person conference will not be replicated, we hope that the sessions provided will give a sense of the range of topics that were offered and improve accessibility for those who were unable to attend or for whom in-person conference is not a good fit.
Just like the BC Library Conference, the events in this series will require a registration fee which is based on an equity pricing model.
Upcoming
- Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 at 10am-11am PST: I Belong at my Library Too! Creating Accessible Library Services for Children with Disabilities with Jessica Desormeaux (CELA) and Megan Sellmer (NNELS)
- Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 at 2pm-3pm PST: Restorative Practice: Why should public libraries learn to use it? with Toby Mueller.
Past
- March 25th, 2026: Navigating Toward Better Accessibility in Audiobooks with Simon Jaeger (NNELS) and Ioana Gandrabur (CELA)
- March 12, 2026: From Barriers to Belonging: Designing a Community Hub with McKelle Hansen
- February 11th, 2026: Hitting the Limit: Trauma and Library Workers with Mark Reinelt.
- January 21st, 2026: Increasing Climate Literacy with Caitlin MacRae, Joan Gillies, and Kristen Andrews.
- November 26th, 2025: Becoming Anti-Ableist with Elisabeth Walker-Young and Shawna Lawson
- November 18, 2025: Intellectual Freedom Instruction at Canadian Library Schools panel
- October 29th, 2025: Misinformation and Public Libraries with Deb Hutchison Koep, Devon Greyson, and Leigh Anne Palmer.
- October 1st, 2025: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim Language Revitalization with Tsitsáyxemaat Rebecca Duncan and Kendra Sakamoto.
- September 4, 2025: Facilitation for Community Transformation with Khari Wendell McClelland
- April 29th, 2025: Steps for Organizational Survival Before an Emergency with Kaitlyn Vecchio and Melanie Reaveley.
- March 26th, 2025: Building a Culture of Compassion, Support, and Communication in the Workspace of Public Library Staff with Kiran Ghag and Laura Weisgarber.
- February 12th, 2025: Creation Iteration: How Public Library Creation Spaces Continue to Evolve with a panel of speakers including Gregory McLeod, Julia Wagner, Kristy Hennings, Paola Tolentino, and Patricia Lesku.
- January 16th, 2025: This is Fine. I’m Okay With the Events That Are Currently Unfolding: Practical tools to empower public facing library workers” with Audrey Wang
These online presentations via Zoom include closed captioning. If you have any accessibility needs to attend these sessions, please contact Natalie Porter, BCLA Professional Development Coordinator in advance and BCLA will do our best to support you.
BCLA expects anyone attending to honour the Online Community Guidelines, to help create a positive environment that values accountability, respect, and a willingness to learn from each other.