MASL 53 Annual Conference 2026

This session will provide ideas for implementing district-wide and cross-district book battles in your school. Librarians from Kalamazoo and Grand Haven will share how collaborative book battles stretch time, budgets, and staff power across districts. Discover practical tools, shared resources, and creative strategies that make statewide reading competitions more joyful, efficient, and accessible. You will also learn how Ann Arbor Public Schools’ library department transformed the Great Lakes Great Books Award, presented annually by the Michigan Reading Association, into a district-wide book battle accessible to every elementary student. Come to this session to learn how your school can collaborate and have fun with book battles!

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

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

Computational thinking is an essential literacy that helps students develop the problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative skills they need to navigate an increasingly complex world. School library media specialists are uniquely positioned to bring these concepts to life through literature, inquiry, and meaningful learning experiences. In this interactive workshop, discover how engaging read-alouds and quality children's literature can become powerful entry points for teaching computational thinking concepts such as decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms. Through hands-on activities and cross-curricular connections, you'll explore practical strategies for weaving computational thinking into literacy instruction, storytime, research, and maker experiences.

Spaces with digital fabrication tools support inquiry, design thinking, and real-world problem solving -- core competencies of modern school libraries. This practical session demonstrates how introducing digital fabrication tools in the library aligns directly with AASL School Library Standards, increases student engagement, supports classroom learning goals, and fosters school and community partnerships. Through four real-world project stories, attendees will see concrete examples of curricular integration, community collaboration, and strategies for developing a supportive learning environment for students and adults. Participants will also get a chance to play with some of the tools we use.

In this session you’ll discover MackinVision, a cloud-based library and resource management system built for today’s schools. Explore how its student-centered design unifies print, digital, and multimedia materials in one easy-to-use platform. In this demo you will see powerful age and language adaptive tools like STAR, an interface to support visual searching. The Teacher's Library Portal for classroom circulation lets teachers manipulate their classroom libraries. See how MackinVision streamlines library management, supports classrooms, and enhances the student experience. 

School librarians are often on the front lines of intellectual freedom issues—yet many feel underprepared when concerns escalate into legal or policy-based challenges. This toolkit-style session grounds intellectual freedom in its legal foundations while keeping the focus practical and school‑appropriate. Participants will explore the constitutional principles, court decisions, and policy structures that shape intellectual freedom in K–12 libraries. Through real‑world scenarios and ready‑to‑use tools, attendees will learn how to respond confidently to challenges, communicate professionally with stakeholders, and protect both students’ rights and their own professional responsibilities. This session is designed for school librarians at all levels and emphasizes what librarians can rely on legally—even when community pressure is high.