IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2026

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Instruction Interest Group session! This is such a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues each spring! We had 17 people attend the Instruction Interest Group session held Thursday, May 28, 2026, at Wartburg College in Waverly. 

Laurie Neuerburg started with a little orientation to the session and activities, and outlined expectations for everyone to get the most from this time together. After introductions around the room, the bulk of the time was spent exploring Table Topics. What are Table Topics, and how do they work? 

• Participants joined a group discussing a topic they had an interest in. (There were prompts for each topic to help get the conversation started.)
• Each table appointed a note taker for their table.
• The session was structured to emphasize participation -- Conversations are made richer by everyone's expertise and experience!

Attendees had the option to pop over to another group partway through the time together to discuss a different topic.

We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. There were so many rich conversations happening during the entire session, and it's particularly nice to find folks who are also interested in what you're interested in to be able to share around the table. The topics were: 

• Critical thinking
• What helps students improve their critical thinking skills?
• How do you promote critical thinking in your library? 
• In what ways do you use critical thinking? 

• AI Literacy
• What do you think students should understand to achieve AI literacy?
• How can librarians support AI literacy? 
• What ideas do you have about incorporating AI literacy into lesson plans? 

• ACRL Framework
• What ideas do you have about using the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in instruction? 
• What do you think about the draft 2026 revision to the ACRL Framework? 
• The draft 2026 revision is at http://bit.ly/4uBAvHt

• Tech Tools
• What are your favorite tech tools? 
• How do you learn about new tech tools? 
• What tech tools do you share with students? 

• Whole person station
• What recharges your energy? 
• How do you stay inspired? 
• What helps you support yourself (self-care) and others? 

After Table Topics, the group switched gears to allow time for the Solution or Sympathy activity where participants wrote down instruction/library-related questions or concerns; shared the questions anonymously to see if the group has experienced something similar; and offered up possible solutions, or sympathized to let the person who submitted the question know that at least they're not alone.

From Laurie: "The theme of the conference was Critical Thinking in Critical Times, and one of our takeaways was that we are always using critical thinking skills in our roles and that we can promote and be more explicit about the critical thinking that we do in our work. We also talked quite a bit about supporting AI literacy for our campuses as well as self-care, and it was wonderful to hear many good ideas shared on these topics in a supportive environment. "

Thank you again to everyone who participated, and to Laurie for your leadership! This is all made possible because of your participation! We are grateful to have such caring, creative, and invested colleagues throughout Iowa! 

 

Link to 2026 IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Table Topics Notes in Google Drive.

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2025

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Instruction Interest Group meeting! Especially now, connecting with friends and colleagues feels so important! We had 15 people attend the Instruction Interest Group session held Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Drake University's Cowles Library in Des Moines. 

We started with a little orientation to the session and our activities, and outlined our expectations for everyone to get the most from our time together. We then went around the room and introduced ourselves. Because conferences are about connection, we wanted a way for people to be able to identify others who would be open to folks reaching out after the conference—What better way to indicate this than by having everyone self-select by wearing stickers? That way if something came up later in the conversation, we could be sure to get that person’s contact information for a follow up conversation.  

We spent the bulk of the time exploring Table Topics. What are Table Topics, and how do they work? 

• Participants joined a group discussing a topic they had an interest in. (There were prompts for each topic to help get the conversation started.)
• Each table appointed a note taker for their table.
• We structured the session to emphasize participation -- Conversations are made richer by everyone's expertise and experience!
• We wound up doing 3 rounds. At the sound of the buzzer, attendees had the option to pop over to another group to discuss a different topic but everyone was so engrossed in their conversations we all wound up staying put at our original tables!

We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. There were so many rich conversations happening during the entire session, and it's particularly nice to find folks who are also interested in what you're interested in to be able to share around the table. The topics were: 

• Navigating change
• Campus
• Curriculum
• Legislative/administrative pressures
• How are you staying informed? Finding balance? Advocating for your needs?
• Neurodivergent working, learning, & teaching
• What works for you? 
• What has helped you grow with your colleagues and students?
• Tech tools to make life easier *including AI
• Tools and tricks we just can’t stop telling people about
• Things that have changed how you work, teach, stay organized, communicate, and/or learn
• Professional development ideas
• How do you stay up to date with instruction approaches? How are you staying fresh?
• Articles/books you're consuming
• Info-lit-themed common read suggestions for groups of colleagues?
• What resources do you revisit time and again for inspiration?
• Whole person station
• Self-care and recharging – what works for you? Others in your orbit?
• What strategies, tools, resources (books, podcasts, mindfulness or wellness approaches) help you find balance?
• How do your hobbies help? What are your comfort hobbies? Jump-start hobbies?
• Let’s talk about boundaries!
• How can we support each other in chaotic times?

Throughout the session, participants also had access to some fidget toys, bubble wrap to pop, and coloring books to help de-stress or focus throughout our time together.

Thank you again to everyone who participated! There were so many important and supportive conversations happening throughout the session, all made possible because of your participation! We are grateful to have such caring, innovative, and dedicated colleagues throughout Iowa! 

Instruction Interest Group May 2025 Drake by cstone

 

Link to 2025 IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Table Topics Notes in Google Drive.

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2024

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! It was wonderful being able to connect with so many new faces and reconnect with friends and colleagues we’ve known for years! We had 31 people attend the IL Interest Group session held May 29, 2024 at Iowa State University's Parks Library in Ames. 

We divided time into a few segments: 

• We started with a little orientation to the session and our activities and outlined our expectations for everyone to get the most from our time together. We went around the room and introduced ourselves and then took a brief moment for mindfulness (you’ll find the videos we used embedded in our slides below). Those who participated in person also had access to Cara's stress-relief box which has some fidget toys and coloring books to help de-stress or focus throughout our time together.
• Then we transitioned into Table Topics - We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. There were so many rich conversations happening during the entire session, but it's particularly nice to find folks who are also interested in what you're interested in and share around the table. The topics were: 
• Whole Person Station: self-care & recharging.  
• AI & You: your campus, your work, your tools, your instruction
• Instruction Motivation: what fills your cup, keeps you coming back, outreach, prep process, delivery, assessment, debrief/reflect
• Tech Tools to Make Your Life Easier
• Share & Tell Instruction: ideas, favorite lesson plans, lessons learned, things you wish you could try
• We were so enjoying the Table Topics conversations that we opted to extend them into the Solution or Sympathy time. 
  

Thank you again to everyone who participated! There were so many important and supportive conversations happening throughout the session, all made possible because of your participation! We are grateful to have such energized, creative, and committed colleagues throughout Iowa! 

   

 

Link to 2024 IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Table Topics Notes in Google Drive.

IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group Spring Conference 2023

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's IPAL Information Literacy Interest Group meeting! We so appreciated being able to connect with so many new faces, and touch base with friends we’ve known for years! We had 21 people attend the IL Interest Group session held May 24, 2023 in Dubuque, IA at Loras College. 

We broke our time into a few segments: 

• We started with a little orientation to the session and our activities and outlined our expectations for everyone to get the most from our time together. We also took a brief moment to breathe deeply together (shout out to so many of the free videos from Headspace that are available on YouTube – you’ll find the one we used embedded in our slides below). Those who participated in person also had access to some fidget toys, coloring books, and candy to help de-stress or focus throughout the session.
• Then we transitioned into Table Topics - We've brought together the notes from each group and posted them in the embedded Google Doc below. The topics were: 
• Self-care and recharging
• Building community in trying times
• Tech tools to make your life easier
• Chat GPT & AI
• Instruction ideas
• As facilitators, it is always hard to stop when we’re hearing all of the fantastic conversations happening in the Table Topics time—But we did, switching gears to allow time for the Solution or Sympathy activity where participants wrote down instruction/library-related questions or concerns; shared the questions anonymously to see if the group has experienced something similar; and offered up possible solutions, or sympathized to let the person who submitted the question know that at least they're not alone.
• We wrapped up our time together by celebrating the big and little things in the Wins: Now and Later segment. We asked for your successes, to share something you're proud of--whether it was a major project or a singular moment. We enjoyed celebrating our colleagues’ accomplishments!

Thank you again to everyone who participated! These sessions are truly so valuable because of what you bring to the conversations! We are grateful to have such intelligent, creative, and invested colleagues throughout Iowa! 

Link to Table Topics notes in Google Drive.