The 2026 Super Conference is taking place on January 28-31, 2026, and you’re invited! As we speak, our Super Conference Planning Team is deep in the development of a program that speaks to the resilience and strength of our library communities. In the coming weeks and months, hundreds of people will be identified to speak, convene, manage, and volunteer. We can’t wait to share all of this with you.
To highlight some of the very best parts of the Super Conference, we recently invited a few key individuals, the ones who make the magic happen, onto the Library Land Loves podcast. Below, we share a glimpse of how this episode went down with our podcast host and Executive Director of the OLA, Michelle Arbuckle, leading the conversation. You’ll gain insights from Matthew Rohweder, the 2025 OLA President, and Emily Burns, OLA’s Director of Education.
Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive in.
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Biggest Event in Our Library Calendar
For most people, the start of fall means back-to-school. For us in library land, however, it means conference planning season is in full swing. While this planning starts a full year in advance of the conference, September is when we pull back the curtain and start sharing how things are shaping up. Ideas are dusted off, and prospective speakers are busy sharpening their proposals.
All of this planning is what leads us to determining what the heart of the conference is going to be, which is what brings us to this year’s theme.
Telling the Story About Where Libraries Are Right Now
Each year, the OLA president sets the tone/direction of the conference with a new theme. This year’s theme is We Persist: Nous persistons. It’s not hard to see that persistence is woven into every aspect of our profession. It’s evident in our resilience in the face of existential challenges.
About this, Matthew had this to say, “I think that right now, [in] libraries and library land we are a facing a little bit of a crisis…We are under almost constant forms of challenges or constant forms of oppression, whether in the face of censorship or book challenges or budget crises.”
Our persistence, our resistance, our belief in our work, is what makes our communities, our schools, and our organizations stronger.
Super Conference is an opportunity for all of us to come together as we grapple with these issues. Just as important is the space it provides to recognize our community’s achievements and goals. We Persist emphasizes this celebration, which is such an important part of the conference atmosphere. For first-timers and conference veterans alike, that’s the feeling we want you to come to expect when you come to the conference.
The Best Parts of Super Conference
For many library professionals, the Super Conference has always been the place to find their people as well as a renewed source of energy. The Planning Team builds the program brick by brick to ensure that everyone feels seen across the sectors. It’s our hope that when attendees leave the conference, they leave with a network of support.
We asked Emily what she was most looking forward to this year, to which she said, “Getting to be there, not just to reconnect and hug the people that I haven’t gotten to see in years, but to witness all of those reunions happening all around me. I love it.”
Together, we persist. Will you join us?
Meet the Contributors
Michelle Arbuckle
Executive Director, OLA
Michelle Arbuckle is OLA’s Executive Director. Reporting to the OLA Board of Directors, Michelle’s key responsibilities are government relations, advocacy, partnership development, the implementation of the strategic plan and supporting the exceptional OLA staff team. She is an avid lifelong learner, a tea sommelier, and wants to know your astrological sign.
Matthew Rohweder
OLA President 2025
Emily Burns
Director of Education
Emily Burns is OLA’s Director, Education & Impact. She is passionate about the professional development and achievement of the Ontario library sector and leads the association’s educational programming, including the annual OLA Super Conference. She is a reader, a podcast enthusiast, and is happiest when near a large body of water.
Information about the 2026 Super Conference theme was aired on the Library Land Loves podcast and has since been adapted for the OLA blog. Listen to Library Land Loves on Spotify and anywhere you access podcasts.
