MASL 53 Annual Conference 2026

This project is designed as a multidisciplinary approach to teaching either the Inter-War Period of the 1920s and 30s; or the immediate post-WWII period of the 1940s and 50s. Within this project, the student reads and breaks down a book of their choice from the time period using skills from their ELA and history classes. Synchronously, the student is learning the content of that time period in their history class. Through learning about the time period, while reading the book, the student is able to use their historical lens to understand how the book reflects the cultural norms, morals, values, fears, and struggles of the time, while simultaneously having said culture reflected within the book. 

Meet with fellow MASL members to discuss school library issues related to your grade/interest level. 

The focus of this session is source evaluation using the SIFT method. This four-part method was developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield to evaluate online content. When applied across disciplines, it can provide students with useful cross-curricular, consistent skill development to determine if information can be trusted as credible and/or reliable. Students can (and should) use this method even when facing non-academic online content. Attendees will gain ideas about incorporating digital media such as TikTok videos, X posts, Instagram Reels, blog posts, and articles from periodicals. Attendees will walk away with examples, templates for SIFT analysis documents, and an understanding of how to level this type of instruction. 

MASL was a partner with the Michigan Department of Education, MACUL, REMC, Michigan Virtual, and Common Sense Media in developing a set of resources for teaching Artificial Intelligence and Media Literacy.  This session will cover where to find and access these resources and will highlight some of the best resources included.  We will also discuss how school librarians can leverage their expertise in information/media literacy to ensure that Artificial Literacy (AI) considerations are included as our schools begin to adopt AI.

Michigan Authors and Illustrators Online is a powerful tool for librarians and teachers to use for teaching and research purposes. This session will strengthen the knowledge of Michigan as a literary resource and provide ways to use this tool within the state curricula standards.This session will demonstrate the usage of MIAI in literary instruction with lesson ideas at various grade levels.

School librarians are uniquely positioned to drive systemic change, but expanding your reach requires the right support. Discover how to leverage free resources, frameworks, and professional learning from the REMC Association of Michigan to increase your capacity and position yourself as a vital district leader. This session will explore four key ways REMC resources can boost your district-wide impact. Learn how to support administrative staff and teachers with ADA Compliance and Accessibility Toolkits, partner with tech departments using Student Data Privacy initiative and TSES framework, and directly support classroom teachers through project such as Promoting STEM Through Literature (PSTL) and Tabletop Games for Critical Thinking. Attendees will walk away with free toolkits that save prep time, support diverse learners of all ages, and provide an actionable plan to maximize their library's impact throughout the school year.