National Institute 2026

National Institute 2026

Lois Haight

Seattle, Washington

Find me on

6:00pm EDT

Opening General Dinner Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom A-G

7:00pm EDT

Opening Keynote with Angie Thomas Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom A-GAngie Thomas • HarperCollins Publishers

8:30am EDT

Friday Big Ideas: Creating Reading Rainbow Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom A-DBarbara Irwin • Tony Buttino • Pamela Johnson • West Herr Auto Group

10:15am EDT

Every Day, Every Shelf: Bringing Native Stories Into Year-Round Library Life Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom GLaurel Goodluck • Stacy Wells

Innovative Play Programs for Babies & Toddlers to Boost Language, Early Learning, and Parent Engagement Embassy Suites Buffalo | AvantAngele Deneve • Emma Gordon • Kelly Smith • Rachel G. Payne • Jessica Ralli

12:45pm EDT

Information Literacy through Children's Literature Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom E-FBrooke Gross

Libraries Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline Embassy Suites Buffalo | EncoreCarrie Banks

2:15pm EDT

Examining Early Literacy Spaces: Are We on the Right Track? Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom GKim Bolan • Erin Jennings, IIDA, AIA, NCIDQ, NCARB

Exploring and Using Children’s and YA Literature about Book Bans to Advocate for the Right to Read and More Embassy Suites Buffalo | EncoreJamie Campbell Naidoo • Ramona Caponegro

Just in Time for Halloween Hum-rorous Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom E-FScot Smith

3:45pm EDT

LGBTQ Library Staff Discussion Session Hyatt Regency Buffalo | EllicottElisa Gall • Alec Chunn

Collaborative Tools for Thinking about Children’s Play Embassy Suites Buffalo | AvantRebekah Willett • Jacqueline Kociubuk • Lynn Montague

Escape (Room) Your Book Club Embassy Suites Buffalo | EncoreAustin Ferraro

8:30am EDT

Saturday Big Ideas: Dive Deep Into Discovery - Celebrating Children's Nonfiction Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom A-DMarc Aronson • Lesa Cline-Ransome • Candace Fleming • Scholastic, Inc. • Candlewick | Holiday House | Peachtree • Macmillan Children's Publishing

10:15am EDT

Making the Case for Nonfiction: Inspiring Readers and Celebrating Informational Books Embassy Suites Buffalo | SalonStacey Rattner • Elisa Gall • Cathy Potter

Pride Everywhere: Rainbow Family Storytime Success Across Two Systems Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Delaware A-CNatalie Magnatta • Alec Chunn • Rebecca Chernay • Sam Bashakevitz

The Powerful Impact of Play: How Play Can Engage Your Community and Strengthen Early Literacy Skills Embassy Suites Buffalo | AvantNichole King • Raina Tuakoi

12:45pm EDT

Create a Critical Thinking Program Recipe Embassy Suites Buffalo | EncoreMichelle Muller

Nonfiction Matters: How to Find Excellence, Engagement, and Depth in Path-breaking Nonfiction Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Delaware A-CDeborah Taylor • Deborah Heiligman • Marc Aronson

Supporting Neurodiverse Youth Ages 0-12 Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom E-FLauren Williams • Erin Richards

2:15pm EDT

Before 1, 2, 3: Early Math Precursors for Babies and Toddlers Embassy Suites Buffalo | AvantJacqueline Kociubuk

Finding and Serving Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Delaware A-CDr. Vikki C. Terrile

Scalable STEAM Programs for Any Budget and Bandwidth Embassy Suites Buffalo | SalonAbby Jean Duvall

3:30pm EDT

Saturday Closing Session: Playful Picture Books featuring Kari Lavelle, Deborah Marcero, and Rhode Montijo Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Grand Ballroom A-DDerek Ivie Reed • Rhode Montijo • Kari Lavelle • Deborah Marcero • Sourcebooks • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers • Penguin Young Readers

4:30pm EDT

Book Signing: Kari Lavelle, Rhode Montijo, Deborah Marcero Hyatt Regency Buffalo | Regency BallroomDeborah Marcero • Kari Lavelle • Rhode Montijo