2025 ILA Conference Preview
September 24, 2025
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By Gwendolyn Gemmel, Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS)
The 2025 Annual ILA Conference will take place, in person, October 14-16, 2025 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.
In 2025, we will celebrate inclusivity and belonging for patrons and library workers alike with the ILA Conference theme: You Belong Here.
Belonging happens when you are not just included–but when you are valued. When a person feels that they belong, they feel loved, seen, prioritized, celebrated, placed at the center, made space for. We will explore how libraries foster belonging within our spaces; how libraries build strong relationships with diverse communities and address their unique needs; how we as library workers hold space for each other within our profession; and examine how belonging fits in with diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility efforts within libraries.
IACRL Unconference
The IACRL Unconference will be held on Wednesday, October 15th from 8-10am. Join your academic colleagues for community. Hosted by IACRL President Joshua Newport, this annual unconference provides a space for academic library workers to network, share ideas, and discuss topics important to our everyday work. Participants will suggest and vote on topics, and table discussions will follow, with ideas shared out at the conclusion. Spend time with your colleagues to problem-solve, share stories, and leave with innovative ideas. Academic library staff from all departments, classifications, and levels of experience are welcome and encouraged to attend!
IACRL Luncheon
The IACRL will take place on Wednesday, October 15th from 12:15 - 1:30pm. Join your academic library colleagues for a luncheon with April Anderson-Zorn. April K. Anderson-Zorn is an associate professor and University Archivist at Illinois State University. She holds advanced degrees in history and library science, along with certifications in digital and professional archiving. Active in professional organizations like SAA and MAC, her work advocates for mental health awareness in the field and focuses on women’s history and innovative outreach for hard-to-access archives. Pre-registration is required for this ticketed event.
Some other sessions of interest for academic library community members:
- Using data to demonstrate academic library value by Kara Malenfant and Terra Jacobson at the Libraries Count: RAILS Data Conference Session (Pre-Registration Required)
- Fat studies as an example of Information Literacy for topics of oppression by Emily Gilbert and Paula Dempsey, University of Chicago
- Navigating self-censorship, soft censorship, and the chilling effect in Illinois libraries, presented by the Intellectual Freedom Committee
- Hope belongs here: Cultivating critical hope through leadership by Carolyn Ciesla, ILA President, Library Director at Elmhurst University, and Michelle Boule Smith, Director of Library Services at North Central College
- The accidental health services librarian, by Emily Porter, Medical Librarian at OSF Healthcare, Hilaree Lombardo, College and Medical Center Librarian at OSF Saint Anthony College of Nursing, and Stephanie Nissen, Library Director at Rockford University
- Fostering student belonging in Research: A workshop on positionality, by Frances Brady,Teaching & Collections Librarian at National Louis University
- The call is coming from inside the house: How white librarianship protects itself and hinders belonging, by Alea Perez, Youth Services Manager at Roselle Public Library District, Becky Spratford, Consultant at RA for All, and Julie Jurgens, Youth Services Librarian
- Your next chapter: Redefining library skills and belonging, multiple panelists
- You belong here: Fostering inclusive library collections through diversity audits, by McKenna Jacquemet, Research Services and Information Literacy Librarian at Illinois College
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Inclusive by design: Centering LGBTQ+ perspectives in library catalog research, by Karen Snow, Professor at Dominican University, School of Information Studies, and Rachel Fischer, Member Services Librarian – Technical Services at Cooperative Computer Services (CCS)
Find more information on the ILA event page and view the full schedule.
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