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
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
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
Developing an AI Literacy Strategy for your Library
Heather Ford, ARC Future Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney
Social Events
Welcome Breakfast and First Timer's Exhibition Tour
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"
6pm-9pm
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.
Conference Dinner
7pm-11pm
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.