Atla Annual 2026: Full Schedule

8:00am MST

Saturday November 21, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am MST

St. Jerome or St. Catherine, or somebody else entirely? Who is the patron saint of librarians? Who says? Does it matter? And what does that mean for you? Welcome to the world of saintly patronage, where the fascinating lives of holy men and women inform q

Speakers

Jordan Patterson

Associate Librarian, St. Peter’s Seminary (London, Ontario, Canada)

Saturday November 21, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Listen and Learn (45 minutes)

9:00am MST

How can theology libraries support the work of interreligious studies in the current context of war and global conflict?

Saturday November 21, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am MST

Room TBA

In an era marked by armed conflict, forced displacement, and intensifying religious and cultural tensions, this WRIG panel critically examines the role of theology libraries in sustaining meaningful interreligious engagement within academic contexts. Rath

Speakers

Karla Fackler Grafton

Director of Library Services, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace

Susan Ebertz

Emerita Associate Professor & Director for the Library, Wartburg Theological Seminary

Lucinda Mosher

Professor of Interreligious Studies, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace

David D. Grafton

Saturday November 21, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Panel Presentation (75 minutes)

10:30am MST

A Transformative Partnership: Discovering Best Practices when Small Libraries Merge

Saturday November 21, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am MST

Room TBA

In a climate of complex challenges affecting institutional viability, closures and mergers are becoming more and more common. How do libraries face these changes? Is there a way forward that recognizes change, loss, more work, uncertainty, but also the po

Speakers

Elli Cucksey

Head Librarian - Hamma Library, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Capital University

Susan Ebertz

Emerita Associate Professor & Director for the Library, Wartburg Theological Seminary

Saturday November 21, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Conversation Group (45 minutes) – In Person Only

12:45pm MST

Reflections on Representation: The Atla Board and the Power of Diversity

Sunday November 22, 2026 12:45pm - 2:00pm MST

Room TBA

In this panel presentation, members of the Atla Board of Directors, in celebration of Atla’s 80th anniversary, explore a few aspects of the diversity of Atla’s membership as represented in the board. While theological libraries and librarianship are the u

Speakers

Susan Ebertz

Emerita Associate Professor & Director for the Library, Wartburg Theological Seminary

Cindy Aalders

Library Director; Associate Professor of the History of Christianity, John Richard Allison Library; Regent College

Kate Wimer

Research & Instruction Librarian, Murdock Library; George Fox University

Leslie A. Engelson

Metadata Librarian, University Libraries, Murray State University

Sunday November 22, 2026 12:45pm - 2:00pm MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Panel Presentation (75 minutes)

2:10pm MST

When Journal Evaluations Fanned the Culture War Flames: CPLI and The Wanderer

Sunday November 22, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm MST

Room TBA

Evaluating periodicals for inclusion in database indexes is much like any library acquisitions decision. Is the periodical within scope and do we have the budget to index it? There is seldom scrutiny of such decisions, which are made often and by committe

Speakers

Barnaby Hughes

Metadata Editor, Atla

Sunday November 22, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Listen and Learn (45 minutes)

3:10pm MST

Beyond the Book: Theological Librarianship Amidst Disinformation and Scholasticide

Sunday November 22, 2026 3:10pm - 4:00pm MST

Room TBA

Theological libraries, and librarians, are trusted repositories of knowledge, yet they are increasingly challenged by the rapid spread of religious misinformation and the deliberate destruction of educational infrastructure (scholasticide) globally. This

Speakers

Deanna "Dee" Roberts

Sunday November 22, 2026 3:10pm - 4:00pm MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Listen and Learn (75 minutes)

8:00am MST

Solo Librarianship - Managing Your Time to Wear Many Hats

Monday November 23, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am MST

Room TBA

Solo Librarianship requires you to play all the roles in your library - administrator, educator, cataloger, technical services, collection manager, e-resources manager, and more. Come learn tips, tools, and tricks for managing "everything all at once."

Speakers

Stephanie Garrett

Director of Library & Learning Services, Catholic International University

I am a mid-career librarian with experience in business management and non-profit leadership. My professional contributions come from supplying innovative solutions in the form of data gathering and interpretation, leading to analytical decisions that boost library resource use and... Read More →

Monday November 23, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am MST
Room TBA Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202)

Identity, Listen and Learn (45 minutes)

9:00am MST

The Atla Board and You: Opportunity for Questions and Connection

Monday November 23, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am MST

Room TBA

Following on our successful panel at the 2025 conference, the Board again invites members to join them in this session to hear more about the work they do, how the Board operates, and the important connection between the Board and Association members. The

Speakers

Identity, Panel Presentation (45 minutes)

Atla Annual 2026

8:00am MST

Jordan Patterson

9:00am MST

Karla Fackler Grafton

Susan Ebertz

Lucinda Mosher

David D. Grafton

10:30am MST

Elli Cucksey

Susan Ebertz

12:45pm MST

Susan Ebertz

Cindy Aalders

Kate Wimer

Leslie A. Engelson

2:10pm MST

Barnaby Hughes

3:10pm MST

Deanna "Dee" Roberts

8:00am MST

Stephanie Garrett

9:00am MST

Dr. Richard Manly Adams

Jessica Boyer

Vance Thomas

Cindy Aalders

Leslie A. Engelson

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