Recharging in Challenging Times
Recharging in Challenging Times: An ALA Virtual Event is your opportunity to pause, connect, and find renewed energy for the work ahead. Join us live on Zoom Events for two inspiring keynotes and nine dynamic sessions designed to strengthen your skills and restore your sense of purpose. With three focused content tracks—Strengthening Leadership, Sustaining Wellbeing, and Preserving Intellectual Freedom—you’ll gain practical insights, fresh ideas, and supportive community to help you thrive in challenging times.
On-demand access available through May 10, 2026.
Tues., Feb. 10, 2026 | 10:00am-4:00pm CST
$129 – ALA MEMBER | $179 – NON-MEMBER
ALA STUDENT MEMBERS ATTEND FREE!
NOT AN ALA STUDENT MEMBER? JOIN ALA TODAY AND ATTEND FOR FREE!
Email your Purchase Order registration request to registration@ala.org.
Opening Keynote:
Author Emely Rumble
10:00am–10:55am CST
When the World Feels Heavy, Reach for a Story: Bibliotherapy for Radical Tenderness and Collective Resilience
In this restorative keynote, therapist and author Emely Rumble invites participants to explore how the healing power of story can sustain both patrons and the people who serve them. Attendees will learn simple bibliotherapy tools to bring steadiness, connection, and hope into their daily work while honoring their own inner lives.
Closing Keynote:
Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen and ALA President Sam Helmick
3:05pm – 4:00pm CST
Mission vs. Means: Staying True to the Library Mission with Ever-Changing Resources
Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen and ALA President Sam Helmick will be in conversation exploring the evolving role of libraries as democratic institutions through the lens of leadership, resilience, and civic responsibility.
Sessions
All the Feels: Leading with Emotional Intelligence
with AnnaLee Dragon | Despite historic precedent and the negative connotations of feelings in a workplace setting, being a leader does not have to mean checking all of your emotions at the door.
From Principles to Practice: Building Censorship Resistant Library Policies
with Cathi Fuhrman and Erin Jones | Policies are more than paperwork; they are the everyday expression of a library’s values. In a time of increasing book challenges and scrutiny of library programs, strong policies can mean the difference between panic and preparedness.
Managing Stress, Building Strength: Supporting Staff Wellbeing in Challenging Times
with Amanda Darby, Shannan Hicks, Madeline Jarvis, Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, and Bobbi L. Newman | In a time when library workers are navigating rising workloads, community tensions, and shrinking resources, caring for our own well-being is essential to sustaining our service mission.
Facilitated Conversations
Empathy in Action
with Christina Fuller-Gregory | During this facilitated session you’ll discover how the practice of Storytelling for Bridge Building can promote active listening and respectful communication.
Intellectual Freedom Policy Q&A
with Eric Stroshane | Participants in this facilitated conversation should bring their questions regarding reconsideration, collection development, and other policies related to intellectual freedom in libraries.
Carrying the Work Without Carrying the Weight
with Leah T. Dudak | A guided conversation on how stress and emotional labor show up across all library settings and how we can respond with practical, scalable strategies.
Sessions
Quietly Empowered: Leading as You are With Intention, Consistency, and Focused Presence
with Jennifer Blair | The ideals of leadership often lead the introverted to believe the leadership they bring falls short of expectations. Quiet leaders need to embrace their gifts and be empowered to lead with grace.
Seeking Support in the Midst of a Challenge
with Becky Calzada, Leila Green Little, Ashley Hope Pérez, and Eric Stroshane | Libraries have been involuntarily embroiled in a culture war for more than five years, and it is inflicting trauma on communities, library workers, and authors.
Sticks and Stones: Coping with the Abusive Language of Library Critics
with Darcy Lipp-Acord | In this session, we will examine rhetoric that has been used by book banners and other library critics to accuse and discredit library workers.
Facilitated Conversations
What is Your Management Philosophy?
with Kate Hall and Kathy Parker | Find out what a management philosophy is and how to discover what yours is. This will be an interactive session with guided questions for participants to discover their management philosophy.
Developing a Response Plan
with Sarah Lamdan and Eric Stroshane | In this facilitated conversation you'll have the chance to ask questions and share ideas and resources around how to crystalize support of the library before issues come up.
Reclaiming Balance: Countering the Six Root Causes of Burnout
with Bobbi L. Newman | In this short, facilitated conversation, participants will explore the six primary causes of burnout: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values, and discuss practical ways to push back against each one.
Sessions
Strategies for Promoting Civility and Managing Conflict in the Library Workplace
with Jo Henry and Richard Moniz | This presentation will explore the growing challenges for leaders in managing incivility, poor communication, and conflict in library environments.
Academic Freedom for Library Workers: Why it Matters and How to Defend it
with Danya Leebaw | This session will introduce core principles of academic freedom, with particular attention to how these matter for library workers and illustrated with real-life scenarios.
When to Tap-In and Tap-Out: Nurturing Resilience and Renewing Bonds in Library Teams
with Taina Evans, Lameane Isaac, and Sharon Palmer | This groundbreaking approach aims to enhance library staff's productivity, foster team dynamics, and promote resilience.
Full Schedule
10:00 am – 10:55 am CST: Opening Remarks & Keynote
11:00 am – 11:45 am CST: Concurrent Sessions
11:50 am – 12:20 pm CST: Facilitated Conversations
12:20 pm – 12:45 pm CST: Break
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm CST: Concurrent Sessions
1:35 pm – 2:05 PM CST: Facilitated Conversations
2:05 pm – 2:15 pm CST: Break
2:15 pm – 3:00 PM CST: Concurrent Sessions
3:05 pm – 4:00 PM CST: Closing Remarks & Keynote
Thank You to our Sponsors:
Strengthening Leadership Sponsor
Preserving Intellectual Freedom Sponsor
Sustaining Wellbeing Sponsor
