First timers’ gathering

This informal orientation session led by IASL officers will provide attendees with helpful hints for a successful conference experience.

Windows of the world

The Windows of the World meeting provides the opportunity for conference attendees to share briefly (in under 5 minutes) about the situation of school libraries in their country, achievements and challenges of their association, any highlights or difficulties. This helps give a global picture of school libraries. All conference attendees are welcome.

IASL regional meetings

All conference attendees are welcome to attend the IASL regional meeting of their region: Europe, USA, Canada, South Asia, East Asia, Latin America and Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Oceania, and International Schools. Each meeting is chaired by the Regional Director or designate. The topics that may be discussed at a regional meeting relate to achievements, issues and challenges in the region and brainstorming ways forward. The meetings are also useful for regional networking and strengthening local connections.

Special Interest Groups (SIGS)

All are welcome to attend the meetings of the IASL special interest groups (SIGs) which provide an opportunity to share issues, developments, ideas and projects within their specialized focus area:

  • Advocacy
  • Children’s and Young Adult Literature
  • International Development
  • Information Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
  • International Focus
  • School Library Education
  • School Library Research

IASL Annual General Meeting (AGM)

All conference attendees are welcome to attend the Annual General Meeting of IASL; only members may vote.

During this meeting several aspects will be covered:

  • Presentation of IASL reports, including finances
  • Decisions about the association
  • Elections of office bearers
  • New ideas for the future
  • Opportunity for discussion

IASL Pay & Take, Silent Auction, and Grand Auction

Conference attendees are asked to bring an easily packable item from their country to donate for the IASL auctions.

  1. Pay & Take – Smaller items are available for purchase on a first come-first served basis.
  2. Silent auction – donated items are placed on display with a bidding sheet attached. The person with the highest bid by the end of the day wins the item.
  3. Grand Auction – exceptional items will be set aside for the Grand Auction during the Gala Dinner. This auction is conducted with live bidding.

The funds raised from these auctions are used for projects such as:

  • the Books For Children Award to provide funds for purchasing books for children in developing countries or in countries affected by natural disasters
  • the Support-a-Member program which provides school librarians and others from developing countries a complimentary membership to IASL for up to 2 years
  • IASL scholarship and leadership awards