Early Bird Registration Now Open for the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) Annual Conference

Early Bird registration for the 2026 ARSL Conference is now open! This year’s theme, Rooted in Community, reflects the strength, creativity, and resilience that define small and rural libraries. In recognition of the challenges this community faces, ARSL celebrates the creativity and determination rooted in shared experience, empowering libraries and communities to thrive together. Attendees can expect professional development, meaningful networking, and shared experiences throughout the conference, from the opening Meet & Greet Reception to the closing Brunch & Keynote.

The 2026 Conference will take place September 16–19, 2026 in Montgomery, Alabama at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. Attendees can take advantage of discounted Early Bird pricing on full conference registration through July 8.

2026 Early Bird Rates:

ARSL Members: $300
Students, Advocates, and Retirees: $255
Nonmembers: $400

Wednesday preconference workshops and a post-conference walking tour are available for an additional fee. Early Bird discounts do not apply to preconference workshop or one-day registration pricing. Advance in-person registration closes September 1.

Enjoy a Wednesday evening Meet & Greet Reception, followed by two and a half days of programming, shared meals, and community events. On Thursday morning, Amanda Jones — known nationally as That Librarian — will welcome attendees to Montgomery with the conference's opening keynote. A school librarian for 23 years at the same school she attended as a child, Amanda made national headlines in 2022 when she stood up against book banning in her community, took her harassers to court, and kept speaking out. She chronicles her experience championing intellectual freedom in her 2024 book That Librarian: Fighting Book Banners in Today's America and in the 2025 documentary film The Librarians.

On Friday morning, attendees will hear from keynote speaker Laurie Halse Anderson, the New York Times bestselling author of Speak and a longtime champion of the freedom to read. Laureate of the 2023 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, Laurie will be joined in conversation by a rural librarian to discuss storytelling, access, and getting the right books into the right hands. This session is generously sponsored by Macmillan Publishers. On Friday evening, registrants can join us for the annual EveryLibrary party.

On Saturday, celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma will close the conference with a special celebration of libraries and library professionals. In his program, “Yo-Yo Ma: Community, Meaning, and the American Experiment,” Ma and others will share reflections on libraries’ essential role in strengthening our communities, making meaning, and binding us together as a nation. Afterwards, attendees who have registered in advance will join Steps to Freedom: The Dexter Avenue Civil Rights Walking Tour, led by Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Library Alliance.

The ARSL Annual Conference is THE national event designed specifically for rural and small library professionals. It brings together practitioners, partners, and supporters from across the country for real connection, peer learning, and practical ideas that travel straight back to the communities they serve.

“This is THE conference for small and rural libraries. I got something from every session. I made wonderful connections. It was so wonderful to be in a place with so many other professionals experiencing the same situations I am!”
— Library staff member, South Carolina

Issued May 2026 by the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL)