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Conference Early Bird Registration opens on January 5, 2026 and closes on March 13, 2026.
To learn more, please visit us online using the links below.
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Session Proposals
Deadline Extended!
The SLA is extending the deadline for the 2026 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference session proposals.
The extended submission deadline for proposals is December 12, 2025.
If you have an industry-specific program, presentation, or special knowledge you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you!
The SLA Conference Program Committee invites presenter submissions in the below broad areas:
- Libraries open doors to discovery, learning, and growth
- Libraries unlock community, culture, and conversation
- Libraries create pathways to equitable access for resources, programs, and services
- Libraries provide access to information and support intellectual freedom
All conference sessions will be held in-person at the conference venue. Submissions from within Saskatchewan and outside the province are welcome and encouraged!
To learn more or to apply, please use the link below.
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SLA Seeks New Members for the Intellectual Freedom Sub-Committee!
SLA's Advocacy Committee invites members to join their soon to be formed “Intellectual Freedom Sub-Committee”.
The Intellectual Freedom Sub-Committee will work to support the right to intellectual freedom and access to information as a core value in the library community. This may include learning and development opportunities, as well as keeping the SLA community apprised of intellectual freedom resources, news, and other relevant information.
For more information, please submit an expression of interest to SLA Advocacy Committee Chair, Morgan Kelly at mkelly@southeastlibrary.ca.
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One Book One Province 2026
The Saskatchewan Library Association's One Book One Province program offers Saskatchewan residents an opportunity to find points of connection through a book. We aim to create an experience that supports literacy, encourages reading culture, celebrates libraries and literacy organizations, and builds community engagement through shared experience.
The 2026 One Book One Province title is Towards a Prairie Atonement by Trevor Herriot. The program will see libraries, book clubs, and individuals all across Saskatchewan join together in April 2026 to read this book and share discussions about the story.
For more details including title information, author biography, dates, and locations, please visit us online using the link below.
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Continuing Education Committee Seeks Input
SLA’s Continuing Education Committee works hard to offer sessions of interest to members throughout the year.
We would like to hear from SLA members about the professional topics that interest you. If you have suggestions for upcoming CE sessions (ideas for both topics and speakers are welcome), please send them to Milena Džordeski, Program Coordinator, at mdzordeski@saskla.ca.
Be sure to keep an eye on SLA's upcoming communications and webinars for details on future offerings.
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Tokenism and Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation Webinar
The SLA is pleased to offer the upcoming anti-racism webinar, Tokenism and Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation taking place on December 3 from 1-2pm CST. This webinar is hosted by Zane Arnott and Malvina Rapko at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association and is free to all SLA members, both individual and institutional.
Intercultural community requires the inclusion and engagement with diverse cultural expressions. This webinar, hosted by Zane Arnott at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, focuses on developing the tools to avoid tokenistic inclusion and cultural appropriation when engaging with cultural diversity.
Zane Arnott (any pronouns) has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Saskatchewan. They taught for eight years in Saskatchewan schools, then joined the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association as the Equity and Inclusion Coordinator. They bring their experience as a classroom educator and a community advocate to wellness community events and equity-centered professional development.
Malvina Rapko (she/her) is an Intercultural & Anti-Racism Educator with SIA. She has over twenty-five years of experience supporting diverse teams, organizations, and newcomer communities in Saskatchewan. Rooted in her own family’s newcomer journey to Saskatchewan, Malvina has worked extensively in international education, settlement services, DEI and antiracism capacity-building for newcomer agencies and community organizations. She is recognized for her practical, relationship-centered approach and her ability to create safe, engaging spaces for learning and collaboration. Malvina’s contributions to newcomer engagement and community development have been recognized by the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the YWCA Women of Distinction award.
To register online, please use the link below.
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Honourary Life Member Award Nominations Open
Do you know someone who deserves to be celebrated for their valuable work within Saskatchewan libraries?
The Honourary Life Member Award recognizes individuals who have had an active role in SLA and have made a substantial and longstanding contribution to library services in Saskatchewan. The recipient of this award receives a free, life-long membership in SLA.
Nominations for the Honourary Life Member Award open December 1, 2025 and close on February 1, 2026.
To learn more or to make a nomination, please visit the link below.
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Nominations for the Frances Morrison Award Now Open
The SLA Frances Morrison Award is an award of merit for outstanding service to libraries given in the name of one of Saskatchewan’s exceptional librarians. This award is open to individuals, institutions or groups, and is not restricted to professional librarians or SLA members.
Nominations for the Frances Morrison Award open on December 1, 2025 and close on February 1, 2026.
To learn more or make a nomination, please visit the link below.
| | Photo: Frances Morrison, February 1981., B. Weston (Saskatchewan Archives Board) PS80-2962-07 | | |
SLA Member Forum Live Event!
Join the SLA for our first ever live forum event taking place this Monday, December 1st! Members are encouraged to login throughout the day to discuss the question, “What are your best programming ideas for under $100?“
Please use the link below to take part!
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SLA Bids Farewell to Another Amazing Year!
As 2025 draws to a close, the SLA and Board of Directors would like to take the time to acknowledge the many accomplishments achieved through the collective effort of our fantastic library community. Thanks to all the volunteers who contributed to the success of our organization over the past year. Here are a few of the highlights:
Over the past year, SLA has:
- Received 280 entries in the Book Spine Poetry Contest;
- Engaged with hundreds of people across Saskatchewan through the One Book One Province program, featuring the book Bread & Water: Essays by dee Hobsbawn-Smith;
- Awarded dozens of program grants for Family Literacy Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, summer programming, Saskatchewan Library Week, and Culture Days;
- Generated discussion about the importance of Intellectual Freedom and the services libraries provide through social media campaigns during Freedom to Read Week, and Saskatchewan Library Week;
- Partnered with the Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association to host the Regional Park Pass Lending Program, with all library regions participating and hundreds of regional park passes circulated throughout the province;
- Hosted the 2025 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference, with 172 delegates attending;
- Began work towards a new library for residents and staff at the Regina Correctional Centre through the SLA's Prison Library Sub-Committee
- Planned the development of an Intellectual Freedom Sub-Committee
None of this work would be possible without the hard work of our committed volunteers and ongoing support of our institutional and individual members. Thank you also to our funder, Sask Lotteries, for enabling SLA to continue its important work of furthering library service in Saskatchewan.
We look forward to another exciting year in 2026!
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SLA's Prison Library Sub-Committee's quarterly book recommendation section in SLAte is an opportunity to consider Canada's justice system, the lived experiences of incarcerated people, and the importance of having accessible resources while incarcerated.
This month's book recommendation is Surviving Incarceration: Inside Canadian Prisons by Rose Ricciardelli.
Is prison a humane form of punishment and an effective means of rehabilitation? Considering that many Canadians have served time, are currently incarcerated, or may one day be incarcerated-and will be released back into society-it is essential for the functioning and betterment of communities that we understand the realities that shape the prison experience for adult male offenders. Surviving Incarceration reveals the unnecessary and omnipresent violence in prisons, the heterogeneity of the prisoner population, and the realities that different prisoners navigate in order to survive.
We encourage you to stop by your local library or independent bookseller and pick up a copy today!
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SLA Prison Library Sub-Committee Seeks Donations for New Library Space!
The Prison Library Sub-committee (PLSC) has been hard at work planning the establishment of a new library space at Regina Correctional Centre.
In support of this valuable initiative, now is a great time to contribute to the PLSC through a monetary donation.
To make a monetary donation, please fill out the SLA's online donation form using the link below, and indicate that you want your donation to go to the Prison Library Sub-Committee.
To learn more about the work of the PLSC or download an information package, please use the link below.
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• December 1 - SLA Member Forum Live Event
• December 1 - Honourary Life Member Award Nominations Open
• December 1 - Frances Morrison Award Nominations Open
• December 12 - SK Libraries Conference Submission Deadline
• January 5 - SK Libraries Conference Early Bird Registration Opens!
• January 27 - Family Literacy Day
• March 13 - SK Libraries Conference Early Bird Registration Closes
• February 1 - Honourary Life Member Award Nominations Close
• February 1 - Frances Morrison Award Nominations Close
• April 1 - One Book One Province In-Person Events Begin
• April 30- June 1 - SLA Saskatchewan Libraries Conference
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Hello, everyone,
Happy December, and welcome to the end of the year! I plan to spend December of 2025 the same way that I spend the end of every year: visibly bewildered because my brain thinks that it’s still October.
(I think it’s because the stores don’t put out clearance sales on their Halloween candy any more. Have you noticed that? That used to be a very reliable indicator of the season, and November just doesn’t feel the same without carefully pacing out little discounted Coffee Crisps through to Remembrance Day. No wonder I’m discombobulated!)
(But I digress.)
Yes, December! A time of gift-giving, a time of year-end best-ofs listmaking, a time of excitedly counting down the days until the days begin getting longer again (just in time for Christmas!), and of course, a time for considering and preparing one’s slate of New Year’s resolutions for the year to come.
What if I were to tell you that you can get your start now on a resolution that will bolster your credentials, share your unique insights and expertise with your peers, and contribute your talents to your professional community? That’s right—presenting at the 2026 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference!
This coming year’s Conference, with a theme of “Libraries Open Doors”, will take place April 30 and May 1 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Conference Centre in downtown Regina (mark your new 2026 calendars when you get them!), and we’ve extended our Call for Session Proposals to Friday, December 12.
In the meantime, I am also extending my personal callout for some o’ them little Coffee Crisps, if you happen to have any. (Yes, I am aware that stores always have the regular-size ones. That’s not the same. The little ones hit different.)
Until next time,
James Hope Howard
SLA President
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Library Leadership and Management Workshops – Fall 2025
New Library and Management workshops, hosted by the Educational Institute, are being offered this fall. These interactive, virtual sessions are led by library professionals to build essential management skills, improve leadership performance, and inspire resilience to navigate library workplace situations of all kinds.
Library and information management professionals from across all sectors are welcome to attend, including those currently in or seeking future potential leadership / management roles.
Registration is open for the following workshop:
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Coaching Strategies for Transforming Challenging Conversations
Monday, December 1, 2025
1:00pm – 3:00pm EST
Online via Zoom
Facilitator: Susan Cleyle (Certified Professional Coach)
To register, please use the button below.
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Sask Girls United: Rural Saskatchewan Mental Health Survey
Through fostering an inclusive community, Sask Girls United (SGU) provides skills, resources, and mentorship to inspire and empower the leaders of tomorrow. Sask Girls United is launching a campaign to amplify the voices of rural girls and gender diverse youth across Saskatchewan and shine a light on their experiences with mental health.
SGU wants to hear directly from girls and gender-diverse youth ages 8 to 18 about what mental health looks like in their community. The collected stories and perspectives will help them better understand the challenges and strengths of rural life and will shape a youth-led report to be shared with community organizations, media, and policymakers.
To complete the survey, please use the link below.
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Free Educational Game + Resources for Saskatchewan Libraries
Libraries across Saskatchewan are invited to participate in an exciting new educational initiative featuring the Guardians of the Grasslands Game, a free, interactive online game that allows students to explore the province’s wildlife, grasslands, and the important role of beef cattle in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Interested libraries can receive complimentary materials, including tablets, printed guides, stickers, and other resources to support implementation and student engagement.
Designed for Grades 7–11 and aligned with Saskatchewan curriculum outcomes, the game builds on the award-winning documentary Guardians of the Grasslands and has been used by Agriculture in the Classroom and is featured throughout Saskatchewan schools and museums including the Western Development Museum.
Explore the game and more: www.gotggame.ca
For more information or to express interest, libraries can contact sarichj@cattle.ca
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SLAte Submissions
Have something you want to see in SLAte? Send us a submission! The deadline for SLAte submissions is the 20th of each month, and submissions must be emailed to Yasmin Dar at YDar@saskla.ca. SLA reserves the right to change or edit any submission, or to refuse publication in its entirety.
SLAte is an open-access publication under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY-NC-ND copyright license, excluding all logos and other material where indicated.
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