ArLA 2026 Annual Conference

2:10pm CDT

Community Repair: Blazing a new path to sustainability and connection through Repair Cafes.

Friday October 16, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm CDT

This session will cover the basics of what community repair events are and how they got started. We will show why volunteer-led free events like Repair Cafes build community, preserve repair skills, and reduce waste. The presentation will give two examples of current Repair Cafes currently being run in libraries in Arkansas and how they differ. The Repair Cafe at the Dee Brown Library in Little Rock holds their cafe monthly and is supported entirely by the library. The Repair Cafe at the Pope County Library in Russellville is held three times a year in partnership with the city of Russellville. Participants will learn how to start their Repair Cafe through examples, including how each organization reached out to volunteers, gather basics supplies, and how much staff time has been required. Participants will learn how to connect volunteer repair experts with the community to highlight and preserve repair skills. Participants will also learn how all these things together create economic and environmental resilience in their communities.

Speakers

Rachel Tanner

Tool Library and Makerspace Programmer, Central Arkansas Library System - Dee Brown

Rachel Tanner is the Tool Library and Makerspace Programmer at the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) in Little Rock, Arkansas. She established and manages the CALS Tool Library Collection. Rachel develops hands-on programming for all ages, utilizing resources from both the Tool... Read More →

Morgan Frazier

Young Adult Librarian, Pope County Library System

Morgan Frazier is the Young Adult librarian at the Pope County Library, the headquarters in Russellville, Arkansas. She manages the young adult collection and department, and does young adult outreach. She does and manages programming for Teens, Tweens, and Adults. During tax season... Read More →

Friday October 16, 2026 2:10pm - 3:00pm CDT
TBA

Break Out Session

Track Whitaker Point Trail
Audience Academic/University; Public

10:00am CDT

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Form: Your Free Tool for Accountability and Accessibility

Saturday October 17, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

TBA

Ever sent a three question email and gotten the response "Sure."? Wish you could collect stats to show your daily work? Not sure how to navigate upcoming accessibility requirements? Come learn about an unexpected workplace helper, the humble online form.

Attendees will be introduced to a variety of form builders, including Microsoft, Google, and Cognito, and learn their strengths and weaknesses. We'll first explore how forms can enhance communication accountability by using mandatory fields, auto-generated email receipts, and compiled and exportable result tables. Next, we will look at how forms can capture meaningful data about individual work tasks for long-term tracking. Last, we will learn about forms as accessibility tools for creating customizable, easy-to-update web content and publicly accessible feedback forms.

Using these tools and skills, attendees will learn to blaze new trails in library services by making their communication more efficient, their work more quantifiable, and their content more accessible.

Speakers

Lauren Schmidt

Special Projects Coordinator, North Little Rock Public Library System

Lauren Schmidt is the Special Projects Coordinator for the North Little Rock Public Library System, managing large projects and system-wide events. She is currently an MLS student at Emporia State University. In her free time, she likes to read, cross-stitch, play with her cats, and... Read More →

Saturday October 17, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
TBA

Break Out Session