2025 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference: Grow With Your Library

Sponsored by the University of Saskatchewan Library

Presented by Lydia Moss

To have privilege means that we have advantages that others do not. Those without privilege -- those who experience disadvantages -- often do so as a result of systemic barriers.

Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. Seems simple enough, right?!! Join Lydia Moss as she prepares participants for a fishing trip, through the eyes of marginalized communities. Using real-world contexts, this presentation seeks to address the following:

- What is information privilege? What factors influence access to information?
- What experiences/biases/privileges do we have that affect our ability to serve our patrons effectively and equitably?
- What is the Saskatoon Public Library doing to try and reduce some of the barriers to information access?

Lydia hopes this description has you "hooked" ;)

Sponsored by Bravo Tango

Presented by Jenny Ryan, Miali Rakotondravah, Makenzie Murdock & Meg Schmieder

Most libraries know that one of the keys to developing and fostering an engaged community is developing and fostering engaged community partners. But what is a "partner" anyway, and what does a partnership look like? How do you start it, how do you maintain it, and how do you end it? Join Jenny Ryan, a Community Librarian at Saskatoon Public Library and representatives from three of SPL's partner organizations. Together, we'll explore the ways partnerships can be very active or more passive and learn what expectations partners may have of the library. At the end you will leave with a better understanding of how to develop and maintain partnerships with organizations, groups, and individuals in your community.

Presented by Donna Thiessen & Darryl Isbister

The treasure maps of OER are well known to post-secondary education, although some search Oak Island and others track R.L. Stevenson. The wealth of resources that are shared openly and can be copied, printed, disseminated, revised, and sometimes even sold is not as well known in other types of libraries. Join an academic librarian with a passion for public libraries and an academic lead/school teacher with a passion for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as they navigate the seas of OE and provide guidance on the use of OERs as textbooks, reference sources and a cache of non-fiction waiting to be discovered (as well as a source and support for EDI initiatives; perhaps the real treasure).

Sponsored by Clarivate

Presented by Morgan Kelly & Amber Andersen

Since 2019, Southeast Regional Library (SRL) and South East District for Sport, Culture, and Recreation (SED) have had an ongoing partnership to provide libraries with the means of introducing patrons to new and exciting programming. This partnership was expanded in 2023, after community visits conducted by SED revealed that many recreation staff felt their communities lacked arts and culture programming. A proposal to bring professional artists into rural communities led to the development of the Art Starts at the Library Program, where community partners can book artists and borrow the necessary materials for the artistic practice of their choosing from their local library branch.
This session will cover the development of our Art Starts kits, how we’ve connected with professional artists, and how partnerships between towns, villages, RMs, and libraries play a key role in the success of arts and culture programming.

Presented by Chasity Berast, Becky Szeman & Jaydan Harrison

This session will showcase the experience of taking eight Library and Information Technology students to Mexico City, where we explored a variety of libraries and immersed ourselves in Mexican culture. Two LIT instructors and one student will highlight the trip's activities, the learning opportunities they encountered, and how the experience contributed to both their academic and personal growth.

Presented by Ashley Breland

In an age where selflessness is often celebrated, many individuals struggle to navigate the complex landscape of personal boundaries. “Braving Your Boundaries: A Framework for Self-Protection” offers an engaging and transformative session designed to empower participants to enhance their relationship with themselves, master the art of saying no, and protect the moments that truly matter. This interactive workshop will explore the profound consequences of lacking boundaries, including self-abandonment, emotional burnout, and strained relationships while emphasizing that these struggles are often rooted in societal norms, gender roles, and cultural pressures.

Participants will discover that setting boundaries is not synonymous with selfishness but rather a vital act of self-care that opens the door to authentic connections, personal growth, and meaningful engagement in their communities. Through practical strategies and reflective activities, attendees will learn to discern true boundaries from false ones, recognize the impact of their decisions, and articulate their needs confidently and respectfully. Join us in fostering a growth mindset as we empower each other to reclaim our “yes” moments and navigate our roles as community builders, learners, and leaders in the library and information services landscape.

Mark your calendars for May 8-9, 2025, at the TCU Place in Saskatoon, SK, and embrace the opportunity to grow with your library community through this enlightening session!

Sponsored by Southeast Regional Library & Wheatland Regional Library 

Presented by Morgan Kelly & Mariam Salvador

In 2024, Wheatland Regional Library and Southeast Regional Library joined the Neighborhood Forest program, a non-profit organization that distributes free trees to children across North America for Earth Day. Typically a program hosted in schools, Neighborhood Forest has expanded significantly to libraries, and was brought to x number of communities in Saskatchewan in April 2024 and 2025.

What do tree saplings have to do with increased engagement in public libraries? Be-leaf it or not, more than you might think! This session will cover the process of registering families for trees, coordinating deliveries, and unexpected impacts of the program on our libraries, communities, and the Neighborhood Forest organization.

Presented by Samara Jackson & Wendy Sinclair

Introducing the Cree Language Kits available at the public libraries of Saskatchewan. These kits are available to be borrowed from your public library and include many books and tools to build a strong Cree vocabulary! We have kits in three dialects of Cree including Plains Cree (Y-dialect), Woodland Cree (TH-dialect) and Swampy Cree (N-dialect). In each of these kits are books varying on different topics grouped by language keepers in collaboration with the Regina Public Library. These kits are designed to help libraries create programming around Cree languages, or for individual learners to build their language skills. Learn more about these kits, what is available in the kits and how you can get your hands on them yourself!

Presented by Alan Kilpatrick & Ken Fox

Saskatchewan residents can now register for free online access to premium legal eBooks and databases through the Law Society of Saskatchewan's new "Premium Legal Resources" program! These premium resources will help members of the public gain a basic understanding of the law and learn about their legal rights and responsibilities. They may also enable members of the public to identify the range of legal options available within the legal system and potential next steps.

The Law Society of Saskatchewan (via its Legal Resources library) connects members of the public with legal information resources through its physical courthouse libraries and online resources. Our team strives to provide the greatest possible public access to our digital resources in response to the needs demonstrated in the 2021 Legal Needs Assessment for Saskatchewan. Unfortunately, providing public access to online legal resources is challenging, as commercial vendors have restrictive licensing terms, making access difficult. As collection shifts away from print legal resources to commercial online legal resources, public access to online legal resources is increasingly threatened.

Over the past five years, our team has worked with Canada's commercial legal information vendors to develop a solution and agree on a framework to provide reasonable public access to their resources in a way that met our need to provide public access to resources and respected the vendors' needs to sell their products. In 2024, our team finalized this work and launched the Premium Legal Resources program, providing temporary free access to legal eBooks and databases. We hope this project represents an enduring way to connect members of the Saskatchewan public with legal information.

Alongside this project and in tandem, we built a new online portal on the Law Society website called For the Public: Get Legal Information, Resources, and Options for Assistance to help centralize free sources of legal information and assistance sources understandably. Saskatchewan's many sources of legal information and assistance can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the law and legal sector. This portal helps make it easier for members of the public to learn about the law, research the law, register for the premium legal resources we've just presented, find options for legal assistance, and obtain legal information.

Presentation of SLA Awards

Presented by Dr. Shela Hirani

Breastfeeding is an ideal nutrition for young children that has nutritional, developmental, psychological, environmental, and economic benefits. In the long term, breastfeeding reduces the likelihood of a child developing obesity, type 1 diabetes, asthma or severe lower respiratory disease and contributes to healthy neurological development. Compared with the use of breastmilk substitutes (formula milk), breastfeeding is the safest mode of infant feeding because breastmilk has several beneficial bioactive agents, is readily available at the right temperature, does not require supplies for its preparation, and has low chances of contamination.

Saskatchewan has shown the sharpest decline in maternal breastfeeding rates. Statistics depict that in Saskatchewan 94.9% of mothers initiate breastfeeding soon after childbirth but then 15% of mothers stop breastfeeding within a month, 22% of mothers stop breastfeeding between 1 and 6 months, and only 38.8% of mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least 6 months. This indicates the importance of improving maternal and child healthcare in this province through informational and tangible support using non-traditional avenues, like public libraries.

Public libraries can play an essential role in promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding practices of mothers using the baby-friendly approach, offering need-based culturally appropriate innovative programs, and serving as a hub of informational support for all mothers. In this presentation, Dr. Shela Hirani will share a call to action and an insight into the ways public libraries can support the breastfeeding practices of mothers using innovative strategies and resources.

Presented by John (Jock) Buckmaster

In this session, we’ll look at the ways ingrained Ableism affects our outlook, equipment, and our service to patrons. Focus will be on practical advice to address these problems, and provide better service.

Presented by Julie Arie

Have you ever wondered why millions of adults dedicate hours to hunting dragons, building alliances, and exploring digital worlds? For many "gamers", online gaming is not just a hobby - it's a gateway to their communities and to developing their digital and technical literacies.

Join an experienced librarian and guild leader as she explores the skills that gamers cultivate through immersive online experiences. Using the Massive Multiplayer Online game The Elder Scrolls Online as a case study, the session will explore how gaming communities foster collaboration, critical thinking, and technical competencies. Learn how libraries can tap into the world of gaming to connect with diverse audiences and create innovative programming.

Come on a literacy adventure!

Presented by Lindsay Stokalko & Ann Liang

In this session Ann Liang and Lindsay Stokalko will review the community outreach strategies utilized, events hosted, and resulting educational materials created as tools to increase awareness and access of the Neil Richards Collection, housed at the University of Saskatchewan Archives and Special Collections. With a specific focus on Drag History and Wrestling History, they have partnered with individuals in the community to create informative and unique events that draw on the extensive archival collection.

Sponsored by Dr. John Archer Library & Archives, University of Regina 

Presented by Christena McKillop & Kathleen James

For many university students attending an institution for post-secondary education mostly experience formalized learning throughout their courses and program areas. The presenters will examine how opportunity for informal learning can exist in the current academic library environment that also enhances the student experience. This presentation will focus on specialized programming that two librarians created that carved out a space for informal learning and enhancing student experience. The presenters will also discuss informal learning strategies that can be applied in public and school libraries.

Presented by Lisa Worobec

We know libraries deliver crucial services for their communities. This session will review making the case for library staffing increases in a growing community, including the crucial role of formalized long-term planning, and working with your board to determine community growth needs.,

Growing your library is dependent on major funders, and in Ontario this is largely the municipality. Making the case for growth also means speaking to the municipality and their strategic priorities, and this session will also review the importance of being at the table. This session will also briefly review the Ontario library governance context, including provincial data sets and funding models.