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Saskatchewan Libraries Conference

The 2023 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference logo features the theme "Libraries Expand Horizons" in turquoise lettering surrounded by a green border the shape of the province of Saskatchewan.

Mark your calendar! The 2024 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference will take place May 1-3, 2024 in Regina, SK.

The Saskatchewan Libraries Conference is an annual event that provides the premier professional development opportunity for anyone working in library and information services in Saskatchewan.

The 2023 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference took place at the Saskatoon Inn & Conference Centre on May 3-5, 2023 and was a huge success! Nearly 150 delegates took in a wide variety of sessions, with topics ranging from family literacy to reconciliation to increasing your library’s accessibility.

The theme for the 2023 conference was “Libraries Expand Horizons.” This theme invited us to reflect on the many ways that libraries serve, support, and enhance their communities. Here are just a few ways SLA sees libraries expanding our horizons:

  • Creating inclusive and equitable environments that reflect our province’s diversity
  • Providing services that expand individual opportunities and ways of thinking
  • Supporting intellectual freedom and the right to read
  • Offering diverse collections, both in topic and format
  • Gathering community in reconciliation and decolonization initiatives

Brendan Dickie and Raylee Perkins sit behind a table as they host a conference session titled "QueerEd: Is Your Library Queered?"Delegates at the 2023 conference sit around tables as they listen to a presenter give a session.

 

Our 2023 Speakers

Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, has short, straight grey hair and dark eyes. She is wearing a red collared shirt and dangly earrings.

Keynote

We are honoured to welcome Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, as our 2023 keynote speaker!

Leslie Weir was appointed to the position of Librarian and Archivist of Canada in 2019 for a four-year term, and is the first woman to hold this position. Before being appointed to Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Weir served as the university librarian at the University of Ottawa for 15 years.

Leslie Weir’s presentation will be on the morning of May 4, 2023.

Mary Donaldson Lecture

John Lagimodiere, President of Aboriginal Consulting Services, has short grey hair and is standing outside in front of trees. He is wearing a blue collared button-up shirt and is smiling at the camera.

SLA is pleased to announce John Lagimodiere, President of Aboriginal Consulting Services, as our 2023  Mary Donaldson Lecturer.

Recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and Saskatoon’s Living in Harmony Award, John Lagimodiere is a dedicated community builder and entrepreneur. President of ACS Aboriginal Consulting Services, he has been delivering Indigenous awareness seminars since 1997 while he built a 25-year career in the media as Editor/Publisher of Eagle Feather News and as a regular contributor to CBC, where he was host of the award-winning national show, As If, on CBC Radio. Lagimodiere is also the recipient of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce ABEX Award for Aboriginal Business. His Métis roots are in the Red River, and he is a citizen of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan. John’s straight forward and humorous delivery are why he is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, master of ceremonies, and facilitator.

John Lagimodiere’s lecture will be on the evening of May 3, 2023 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm.

The Mary Donaldson Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture established in 1967. Learn more about the Mary Donaldson Memorial Lecture.

Shawn Cuthand, Writer and Producer at The Feather Entertainment Inc., has long dark hair pulled back into a braid. He wears a dark blue suit and an Indigenous beaded necklace. His head is turned to the left and he smiles at the camera out of the corner of his eye.Endnote Speaker

Closing off our conference with a bang will be Shawn Cuthand, Writer and Producer at The Feather Entertainment Inc.

Shawn Cuthand is a Cree and Mohawk stand up comedian living on Treaty 6 territory.  He is also a writer, filmmaker, producer and actor.  He is a part of The Feather News, a fake news comedy series which is making it’s premiere on APTN Lumi in February 2023.  For the past 2 years he has also acted in the GTNT annual christmas plays.  Stand up comedy is his passion and he has performed all over Saskatchewan as well as Winnipeg, Ottawa and Edmonton.  For the past two years he’s been a part of the YXE Fringe with Danny Knight showcasing their open mic comedy show The Funny Bone Schomedy Zone which they have just been confirmed for a third year.

Shawn Cuthand’s presentation will take place in the afternoon on May 5, 2023 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

Our Sponsors & Exhibitors

SLA deeply appreciates the important contributions of our sponsors and exhibitors to our conference.

Our sponsors are:

Platinum

 

Gold

University of Saskatchewan University Library logo

TD Summer Reading Club Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold In-Kind

Saskatchewan Polytechnic Logo

Bronze

United Library Services (ULS) logo

Carr McLean logo

CVS Midwest Tape Logo

OUR EXHIBITORS ARE:
  • Ayôskan.designs
  • Canadian e-Resource Solutions Inc. / Britannica
  • Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA)
  • Dyslexia Canada
  • EBSCO Information Services
  • Elections Canada
  • Gabriel Dumont Institute – Métis Culture & Heritage
  • Law Society of Saskatchewan
  • Library Bound Inc.
  • McNally Robinson
  • Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Citizenship Registry
  • National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS)
  • Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC)
  • OverDrive
  • ProQuest
  • Provincial Library & Literacy Office (PLLO)
  • Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
  • Saskatchewan Council for Archives & Archivists
  • Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation
  • Saskatchewan Literacy Network
  • SaskBooks
  • Shadowpaw Press
  • TD Summer Reading Club
  • The Trojman Corporation
  • United Library Services (ULS)
  • Whitehots
  • Wintergreen Learning Materials