2026 Recordings Now Available

Recordings of Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026 sessions are now available!

You will find the recordings and presentations through the Previous Conferences link on our website header menu. You can also jump directly to the 2026 Recordings & Presentations page.

Don’t forget to complete the conference Evaluation! We’re looking for input from people who attended the live conference and watch the archived recordings.

And mark your calendars now – Big Talk From Small Libraries will be back in 2027! Next year’s conference will be on Friday, February 26, 2027!

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Is Your Public Library the ‘Best Small Library in America’?

Calling all public libraries serving communities of 25,000 or less!

Library Journal is now accepting applications for the Best Small Library in America Award.

Library Journal‘s award for the Best Small Library in America was founded in 2005 to encourage and showcase the exemplary work of these libraries. Sponsored by the Junior Library Guild, this year’s award will honor the U.S. public library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less.

The deadline to nominate your library is March 31, 2026.

This is an amazing opportunity to show off your great rural or small library. Anyone can nominate a library – the library administration itself, patrons, members of the community, library peers, etc.

Judges want to hear about how, in the last two years, you have raised the profile of the library in your community, reached out to new users and remote users, impacted literacy in the community, and used technology to support and grow patron access to materials and information. Share your innovative approaches to traditional problems, including seemingly small fixes that work, and specific innovations that can be readily adopted by other libraries of all sizes.

The winning library will be featured in the August 2026 issue of Library Journal and online.

Nominate your favorite public library today! Learn more about the guidelines and submit your nomination on the Best Small Library in America Award website.

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2026 Conference Wrap-up

Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026 is done! Thanks to all the presenters and attendees. It was a great day!

Evaluation

What did you think of Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026? Please share your impressions of this year’s event on our Feedback Form.

Continuing Education Credit

A “Thank you for attending” email has been automatically sent from the GoTo Webinar system to all attendees who logged in to the live session. That message serves as your proof of attending. In addition, a link to a PDF certificate is included with the e-mail. If you are having trouble finding this email, check your Spam or Junk folders.

Nebraska library staff and board members: You can earn 1 C.E. credit for each 50-minute session attended. Due to the nature of this event, we cannot track which sessions you attended, so please fill out and submit this special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form, so your C.E. credits can be recorded correctly.

Non-Nebraska attendees: Any CE credit you wish to earn for this event will need to be arranged with your CE-granting agency, since we are not authorized to issue CE credits for other states or programs, only for Nebraska.

Recordings and Presentations

At the moment we have a single eight-hour-long video file. We’ll be editing this down into the individual presentation recordings, and adding them to the site under Previous Conferences. We’ll also post any presentation materials provided by the speakers. This process will take some time and everything will be posted as it becomes available, but experience tells us that it will take a week or two to complete.

Watch Parties

If you watched our event with others, please let us know the size of your group for our statistics via our Contact form.

Thanks!

And mark your calendars for Big Talk From Small Libraries 2027 – Friday, February 26, 2027!

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Login Instructions for Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026

Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026 is broadcast online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements and firewall configuration. GoTo Webinar works on Windows, Mac, Google Chrome OS, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.

TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE – Pre-Registration is not required!

You can join the conference at any time on February 27 by following these instructions. There is one login for the entire day – you can use these instructions to log in and out of the conference as you like throughout the day, based on your interest and availability.

1. Go to the Join a Webinar page.

2. Type or paste in the Webinar ID: 648-725-899 and enter your e-mail address.

3. You will be connected to audio using your computer’s speakers (VoIP).

If the instructions above do not work, go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1451999008584171103 and register in the GoTo Webinar system. Use the link on the Confirmation webpage to Join the Webinar.

Click ‘Yes’ or ‘Always’ (or ‘Trust’ on a Mac) if prompted to accept the download.

If you are unable to attend the entire day, that’s OK. All sessions will be recorded and posted to the Previous Conferences page after the conference.

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Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026 is tomorrow!

Join us tomorrow for the 15th annual Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference. Registration is still open, so head over to the Registration page and sign up!

We have a full agenda for the day, with speakers from academic and public libraries presenting on a wide variety of topics specifically tailored for small libraries: intellectual freedom, mental health, food insecurity, STEAM, serving disabled patrons, school/university/public library partnerships, a Tiny Art Show, and much more.

This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries serving fewer than 10,000 people.

So, come join us for a day of big ideas from small libraries!

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Only One Week Until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026!

Small libraries! Awesome ideas! FREE Online Conference!

There’s only one week until the 15th annual Big Talk From Small Libraries!

Check out the full schedule and register to join us next Friday, February 27.

Sponsored by the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) and the Nebraska Library Commission, this free one-day online conference is tailored for staff from small libraries – the smaller the better! All of our presenters are from libraries serving fewer than 10,000 people. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.

Everyone is welcome to register and attend, regardless of how big or small your library. But, if your library serves a few hundred to a few thousand people, this is the day for you!

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2026 Schedule Now Available

The schedule for the 15th annual Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference is now available!

You will find all the details on the Schedule page.

Information about our presenters is available on the Speakers page.

If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to jump over to the Registration page and sign up – the conference is free and open to anyone in the world to attend! Please be aware that all times are listed in US Central Time – UTC-6.

You are welcome to watch as an individual or to host a group viewing of the conference. If several staff members from the same library want to attend, you can just register for one seat and have staff members view/listen together via one workstation.

You can also host a viewing party this same way and invite staff from other libraries. For any group viewings, if you know who will be there, you can list your Additional Attendees on your one registration or you can send us a list after the event. Be sure to take all necessary health and safety precautions into account when planning group viewings.

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2026 Call For Speakers Now Open!

The Call for Speakers for the 15th annual Big Talk From Small Libraries is now open!

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

This free one-day online conference is tailored for staff from small libraries; the smaller the better!

Small libraries of all types – public, academic, school, museum, special, etc. – are encouraged to submit a proposal.

We’re looking for seven 50-minute presentations and four 10-minute “lightning round” presentations.

Submit your proposal by Friday, December 12, 2025.

Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026 will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026 between 8:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (CT) via the GoTo Webinar online meeting service.

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2025 Recordings Now Available

Recordings of Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025 sessions are now available!

You will find the recordings and presentations on the 2025 Recordings & Presentations page.

Don’t forget to complete the conference Evaluation! We’re looking for input from people who attended the live conference and watch the archived recordings.

And mark your calendars now – Big Talk From Small Libraries will be back in 2026! Next year’s conference will be on Friday, February 27, 2026!

Posted in Post-event | Tagged , | Leave a comment

2025 Conference Wrap-up

Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025 is done! Thanks to all the presenters and attendees. It was a great day!

Evaluation

What did you think of Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025? Please share your impressions of this year’s event on our Feedback Form.

Continuing Education Credit

A “Thank you for attending” email has been automatically sent from the GoTo Webinar system to all attendees who logged in to the live session. That message serves as your proof of attending. In addition, a link to a PDF certificate is included with the e-mail. If you are having trouble finding this email, check your Spam or Junk folders.

Nebraska library staff and board members: You can earn 1 C.E. credit for each 50-minute session attended. Due to the nature of this event, we cannot track which sessions you attended, so please fill out and submit this special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form, so your C.E. credits can be recorded correctly.

Non-Nebraska attendees: Any CE credit you wish to earn for this event will need to be arranged with your CE-granting agency, since we are not authorized to issue CE credits for other states or programs, only for Nebraska.

Recordings and Presentations

At the moment we have a single eight-hour-long video file. As with previous years, we’ll be editing this down into the individual presentation recordings, and adding them to the site under Previous Conferences. We’ll also post any presentation materials provided by the speakers. This process will take some time and everything will be posted as it becomes available, but experience tells us that it will take a week or two to complete.

Watch Parties

If you watched our event with others, please let us know the size of your group for our statistics via our Contact form.

Thanks!

And mark your calendars for Big Talk From Small Libraries 2026 – Friday, February 27, 2026!

Posted in Post-event | Tagged | Leave a comment