CAPAL Conference 2026

The Irreplaceable Librarian: Reasserting Human Value in Librarianship

This year’s CAPAL Conference will take place virtually on June 22-23 2026!

Registration for this virtual conference will be free
(opening later this spring!)

The theme for CAPAL26 is The Irreplaceable Librarian: Reasserting Human Value in Librarianship. Librarianship is deeply embedded in the lived experiences of the communities we serve. Our work is shaped by human relationships, social justice concerns, and the broader societal and information systems within which knowledge is created, accessed, and governed. This theme speaks to the importance of centering humanness in an era of rapidly advancing technology and the widespread proliferation of generative AI. As librarians, our roles often require us to continue to prove our value within this shifting landscape. Our profession revolves around providing information, as well as its ethical uses, critical evaluation, and various tools.

We hope this conference provides space to critically and creatively examine our experiences as librarians, and to highlight the values, expertise, and care that make librarianship irreplaceable, both within and beyond the technologies that surround us.