Join us for WAPL 2026
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Registration
Registration Now! Registration Closes April 13th!
Keynote Speakers!
 Kris Turner is the Associate Director of Public Services at the University of Wisconsin Law Library, where he oversees the reference and circulation departments, as well as the development of the Law Library’s website and digital repository. He also teaches Legal Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Law Practice and co-teaches Advanced Legal Research, which were selected as a Bloomberg Law finalist for Law School Innovation in 2024. Kris was also selected as a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2025.
Kris has served as the Presidents of the Wisconsin Library Association, the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin, and a number of committee and programming roles for the American Association of Law Libraries. He has written articles focused on GenAI, library outreach, the law of libraries, space and contracts law, and leadership transitions. Before joining UW Law, he worked at Madison Public Library and the Forest Products Laboratory Library.
Bobbi L. Newman MLIS, MA, (she/her) is an author, speaker, consultant, and educator specializing in workplace well-being. She is an Associate Professor of Practice, where she teaches future librarians and leaders. As a consultant she helps organizations create healthier, more equitable work environments. Bobbi is also the founder of ThriveLib, a virtual conference dedicated to advancing the well-being of library staff across the profession.
Debby Waldman is a journalist, book reviewer, and author. Her children’s books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Russian, and have been named to best-of lists by Bank Street College of Education and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Her picture books A Sack Full of Feathersand Clever Rachel are PJ Librarybooks. Clever Rachel was also adapted into a play and is available in script form.
An ex-pat American, Debby has lived in Edmonton, Canada, since 1992, freelancing for media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Parents,Reader’s Digest Canada,Wired,NBC, The Bittman Project,Kaiser Health News, U.S News & World Report, andtheEdmonton Journal, where she was a columnist for five years. She writes about a wide range of topics including mental health and culture on Substack.
Debby has also co-written two books for parents of children with hearing loss. She works part time in a writing center at the University of Alberta.
Lindsay Starck was born in Wisconsin and raised in the Milwaukee Public Library. She is the author of the novels Noah's Wife (2016) and Monsters We Have Made (2023), a finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards and winner of the Wisconsin Library Association Literary Awards. Her short prose has appeared in Ploughshares, AGNI, and the Southern Review, among other places; her story “Baikal,” published in the New England Review, won a Pushcart Prize. She currently writes and teaches in Minneapolis, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, and her cattle dog.
Program Schedule
At the 2026 WAPL Conference, you’ll have access to 36 educational breakout sessions designed to meet the diverse needs of library professionals across various roles and departments. Whether you're a frontline staff member or a library director, we have something for everyone.
Here are just a few of the session tracks you can explore:
- Youth Services
- Administration, Management & Leadership
- Community Engagement, Partnerships & Outreach
- Technology, Social Media & Marketing
- Programs & Public Services
- Small & Rural Libraries
- Reader's Advisory
- Intellectual Freedom
- Trustee Education
(please note the agenda is subject to change)
Special Events
If you can trace, you can print. The Traveling Etching Press
Monday Apr 27th; 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mark Cullen (Verona Public Library) will explore and teach the fundamental skills of drypoint etching inexpensively using upcycled materials and simple everyday supplies. The South Central Library System currently has a portable traveling etching press for other makerspace librarians to use in their own communities. Learn how to use it in this informative and hands-on workshop. Many workshops, and 100's of prints later, the mantra still rings true: If you can trace, you can print!
Cut off at 50 people
"Please bring a 4.5-inch x 3-inch simple sketch, or a photocopy (on paper) of the image you plan to trace."
Pre-Registration Required, price The cost $30.
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Welcome Reception
Monday, April 27, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Enjoy a networking reception with hors d' oeuvres and a cash bar.
Join us for the Trivia Contest for Foodies and Curious People. Don't miss your chance to win fun prizes such as a $50 Amazon gift card, a gift basket from "Explore La Crosse" or a gift certificate for an overnight stay at the Madison Marriott West!"
Capture "Memories with Your Colleagues and Friends" and display your "Inner Chef" in the WAPL photo booth managed by none other than our own Elizabeth Timmins!
You won't want to miss the fun!
Pre-Registration Required; price $26 members, $39 non members
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At the Movies with Librarians: One Adaptation After Another - sponsored by University of Milwaukee Wisconsin school of Information Studies
Tuesday Apr 28th; 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Rated G - For General Audiences. The panel will discuss books being made into movies slated for release in 2026. After enjoying exciting trailers, panelists will analyze how well (or poorly) these books may translate to the screen. Panelists will also rate films previewed at previous conferences. Grab your popcorn and join us for this fun and popular conference tradition!
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Chef Guided Cooking Class
Tuesday Apr 28th; 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Osthoff Resort Cooking School Kitchen
Don't miss your chance to experience a Chef Guided Cooking Class!
Discover the art of authentic pizza making at the Osthoff Resort Cooking School in this fun, hands-on culinary experience. Students will prepare pizza dough, crust, and sauces from scratch. A variety of fresh toppings will be available so you can craft your own personalized pizza, with Chef guided techniques including proper use of a pizza stone and peel. Enjoy Chef-facilitated instruction, plenty of hands-on learning, and finish the class by savoring your creation! Two complimentary beverages are included offering your choice wine, beer, or soft drinks.
Pre-registration required; price $95
Space is limited.
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Wednesday Afternoon Tea and Library Tour at the Elkhart Lake Civic Center; Visit the Village Shops
Post Conference
Following the conference’s conclusion, join us for an afternoon tea at the Elkhart Lake Civic Center, conveniently located less than a mile from the Osthoff Resort. Explore the Public Library situated within the same building, and then wander through the park adjacent to the Library’s entrance to discover the delightful shops in the Village.
Pre-registration required; Free
Conference App
 We have chosen the Results @ Hand app for our conference technology needs. Registered attendees will be able to download the Results @ Hand app or access the app from their smartphone, tablet, or PC web browser.
The app will feature our entire conference agenda, speaker handouts, venue maps, community message boards, sponsor information, and tools to interact with other attendees. Conference attendees will receive additional instructions about how to download the conference app via email a few weeks before the event.
Hotel Information
WLA has secured a block of rooms at the Osthoff Resort for the nights of Monday, 4/27/2026 and Tuesday, 4/28/2026 at the rate of $149.00 per night plus applicable taxes.
Rooms will be available in our block until April 6, 2026 or until the block is sold out. After that, rooms will be available at the prevailing room rate, subject to availability. All reservations must be guaranteed and accompanied by a first night room deposit. If you are tax exempt, you must provide your own proof of exempt status, or you will be subject to applicable state and local taxes.
To make your room reservations, you may call the Osthoff on-site agents at 1- 800-876-3399. To receive the WAPL group discount, you must mention the "Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries Conference" room block and the requested dates you would like to stay.
"Don't forget to secure your room reservation for the WAPL conference through the newly created easy WAPL booking link below, or by calling the reservations team at the resort between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. The Osthoff has added more rooms to accomodate our attendees and our room block will remain open with group rates available until April 10th or until rooms are sold out."
*Important information: The Resort does not allow holding multiple room reservations on a complimentary basis. Once you have made your room reservation, there is a $50.00 fee to cancel it within the first 7 days. After 7 days, the full one night conference group rate will be charged if you choose to cancel your reservation.
Thank you to our sponsors!
 
Sponsorship Opportunities
We anticipate two hundred attendees representing a mix of decision-makers including directors, assistant directors, librarians, and library staff working across a wide range of areas including programming, youth services, outreach, reference, and more. Your support for this conference at any level will receive the attention of library professionals and a direct link to those with purchasing power.
Don’t see the opportunity you’re looking for? Contact WLA Executive Director Kara Sullivan at [email protected] to discuss additional options.
Learn more about sponsorship opportunities here
Spon
sor & Adv
Conference Committee
Roxanne Staveness - Chair
Nanette Bulebosh - Local Arrangements
Amy Mitchell - Promotions
Jenny Sessions - Technology
Sara Klemann - Programming
Elizabeth Timmons - Registration
Amy Waldman - Programming
Event Policies & Code of Conduct
Event Policies
Code of Conduct
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