Urban Librarians Conference – Call for Speakers!

Still Standing
Brooklyn Public Library – Central, Brooklyn, NY
September 18th, 2026

Speaker proposals due Midnight EST Tuesday June 30, 2026.

Proposals submitted after this date will be considered on a rolling basis.

Urban libraries have been through it. And yet — here we are. Urban Librarians Unite is looking for speakers for our 2026 conference around the theme Still Standing, and we want to hear from the people who have lived it.

Whether you’ve navigated budget cuts, fought for your community’s right to access information, or just figured out how to keep the doors open and the programs running against the odds, you have something worth sharing. We want to hear your stories, your strategies, and your hard-won lessons.

We’re looking for sessions that explore questions like:

• What does resilience actually look like day-to-day in an urban library?
• How have you protected services and communities when the pressure was on?
• What creative solutions have you found when resources run dry?
• Where did you find support, and how did you build it for others?
• What have you learned about staying in this work for the long haul?
• We’re not looking for polished performances. We’re looking for real talk from people doing the work. If you have a story or an idea worth sharing, we want to hear from you.

Sessions can be: presentations, panels, workshops, or poster sessions.