Workshops & SOCIAL EVENTS
Workshops and Social Events Schedule
Pre-Conference Workshops will be held on Monday 11 May and each workshop will run for 3 hours. No catering will be provided on the day, you are welcome to bring your own food.
Due to capacity limits, you must be pre-registered in order to attend workshops. You can register for a workshop when you register for the conference, or add on at a later date. All worshops are priced at $220 each and full payment is required prior to 24 April 2026 to attend.
Workshops bookings are only available to ALIA Members.
Pre-Conference Workshops
| 9:30am – 12:30pm |
Effective Leadership Strategies for Reducing Staff Stress and Trauma Beth Wahler, Founder and Principal Consultant at Beth Wahler Consulting, LLC |
Engaging Today’s Community to Volunteer Martin Cowling, Change Management Expert and Leadership Guru
|
Anna Burkey, Head of Australia Reads |
Respect and Recognition in Practice: Facilitating Ongoing Workplace Dialogue Kirsten Thorpe, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow at Jumbunna Research |
| 2:00pm – 5:00pm |
Caring for Ourselves and One Another: Supporting Sustainable Practice for Library Staff Beth Wahler, Founder and Principal Consultant at Beth Wahler Consulting, LLC |
Martin Cowling, Change Management Expert and Leadership Guru |
From Profile to Presence: LinkedIn for Library and Information Professionals Kylie Chown, Director, My Digital Brand |
Social Events
Conference Dinner
Wednesday 13 May 2026, 7:00pm – 11:00pm
This will be a wonderful night and a chance to dress up in your finest evening attire or come in whatever you are comfortable in.
Awards ceremony for the Library Design Awards, other Awards TBC.
This evening is a time to bring together people to celebrate and enjoy the opportunity to be able to all gather, learn and connect while letting your hair down and dancing till you can’t dance anymore. This dinner is the perfect opportunity to build new professional connections as well as re-connect with colleagues and industry partners. Surrounded by fellow conference attendees you can get to know your industry in a low key, relaxed environment.
Don’t forget to have your photo taken at the photo booth and share them online using the hashtag #National26.
Tickets are $155 per person and can be purchased during the registration process, or at a later date.
Welcome Breakfast and First Timer’s Exhibition Tour
Tuesday 12 May 2026, 7:30am – 8:45am
Start your day with connection and conversation at the Welcome Breakfast — an opportunity for all delegates, especially first-time attendees, to kickstart their conference experience. Whether you’re reconnecting with colleagues or attending your first conference, this event offers the perfect start — great connections often begin over coffee.
First-time delegates will have the opportunity to make new connections and learn some great tips and tricks to get the most from your conference experience. Following breakfast, first timers will be invited on a guided tour of the exhibition hall to discover key exhibitors, resources, and innovations shaping the profession.
Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased during the registration process, or at a later date.
Private Screening of “The Librarians”
Tuesday 12 May 2026, 6pm – 9pm (timing is approximate and TBC)
Join us for a priavte screening of the documentary “The Librarians” to be held at Event Cinemas Parramatta (located a short Light Rail or Taxi ride from Rosehill Gardens)
Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.
In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale.
Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased during the registration process, or at a later date.
Delegates Networking
We will have designated ‘Networking Areas’ setup throughout the Venue including in the Exhibition Hall, and the Terrace area. Please look at the Event Floor Plan for location details.
Delegates are encouraged to organise their own networking/catch up dinners. We have a list of restaurants all within a short walk of the convention centre.