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The 2026 Hawaii School Library Conference, centered on the theme "Think. Create. Share. Grow." invites school library professionals to dive deep into the four domains of the AASL Standards Framework for Learners. This theme is a call to action, emphasizing the pivotal role school librarians play in empowering students to become ethical, critical, and collaborative citizens in the digital age.

What to Expect

Through engaging keynotes, hands-on workshops, and collaborative sessions, we will explore practical strategies to:

  • 🧠 Think (Inquire & Analyze): Equip students with the critical thinking and research skills necessary to navigate complex information landscapes, evaluate sources, and become proficient users and creators of knowledge.

  • 💡 Create (Design & Construct): Foster innovation and digital literacy by integrating tools and practices that encourage learners to design solutions, construct new understandings, and express their ideas creatively.

  • đŸ€ Share (Collaborate & Connect): Highlight the importance of the library as a hub for collaboration, ethical digital citizenship, and connection, promoting respectful dialogue and the responsible sharing of ideas and resources within the school and global community.

  • đŸŒ± Grow (Explore & Engage): Focus on the personal and professional development of both students and librarians, championing a mindset of continuous learning, adaptation, and reflective practice that fuels lifelong literacy and intellectual growth.


Join us in celebrating the vital work of Hawaii’s school librarians as we collectively cultivate the future-ready learner by embedding these essential domains into every facet of the school library program.

Venue: Piinaio Ballroom 1 clear filter
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Thursday, August 6
 

7:30am HST

Continental Breakfast
Thursday August 6, 2026 7:30am - 8:30am HST
Join us in the foyer for coffee, juice and breakfast treats.
Thursday August 6, 2026 7:30am - 8:30am HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

8:30am HST

Welcome
Thursday August 6, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am HST
Partners
avatar for Library Media Services

Library Media Services

Hawaii State Department of Education
Thursday August 6, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

9:00am HST

Keynote: My Life, My Story
Thursday August 6, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am HST
Speakers
avatar for Mychal Threets

Mychal Threets

Resident Librarian & Reading Rainbow Host, PBS and PBS Kids
Mychal Threets is a librarian, mental health advocate, and, by his own admission, the library’s number-one fan. A lifelong lover of libraries, Mychal was homeschooled and raised among the stacks, receiving his first library card at the age of five.

He began his career as a library shelver at the same library he grew up in, eventually working his way up to become its Supervising Librarian. Mychal is open and honest about his mental health, sharing his experiences in hopes of helping others on their own journeys. He’s known... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

10:10am HST

Un-Predictable: Reclaiming the Human in the Machine
Thursday August 6, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am HST
As generative AI blurs the lines between fact and fabrication, the role of the school librarian as an information expert has never been more vital. This session explores a scaffolded approach to AI literacy for middle and high schoolers, centering on the "Human in the Machine." We will present a dual-grade curriculum (7th and 9th) that integrates media literacy essentials—source evaluation, bias detection, and ethical creation—with the emerging challenges of AI. Discover how to empower students to reclaim their agency in an automated world. Participants will receive access to all featured curriculum modules and adaptation guides.
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Agena

Jennifer Agena

Upper School Librarian, 'Iolani School
Jennifer Agena has served as an Upper School Librarian at 'Iolani School for the past six years, following her time as a librarian at McKinley High School. A graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa with an MLIS, Jennifer has been a part of the team that helped create 'Iolani's... Read More →
avatar for Dominique Tosatto

Dominique Tosatto

Upper School Librarian, 'Iolani School
Dominique Tosatto is an Upper School Librarian at 'Iolani School and holds a Master of Information Studies from McGill University. Dominique and Jennifer are members of the curriculum team currently designing the school's 7th and 9th grade Media Literacy and AI courses.
Thursday August 6, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

11:40am HST

Lunch & Networking
Thursday August 6, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm HST
Thursday August 6, 2026 11:40am - 12:40pm HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

12:50pm HST

Level Up ʻAmaʻama Escape: Where Culture, STEM, and Game Design Power Up Student Inquiry
Thursday August 6, 2026 12:50pm - 1:50pm HST
Dive into a dynamic learning journey where culture, inquiry, STEM, and game design collide. This session highlights how 6th graders at Kamehameha Schools investigated the decline of the Ê»AmaÊ»ama (Hawaiian striped mullet) through mo‘olelo, kilo observations, field studies, interviews, historical documents, and scientific data. Their research became the backbone of a student‑designed hybrid board/digital game that blends Ê»ike kĆ«puna with cutting‑edge tools—including AI for custom chatbots, coding platforms for digital mini-games, 3D modeling for custom game components, and media production for storytelling.


You’ll explore practical strategies for guiding students through authentic, place‑based inquiry and helping them synthesize diverse primary sources into meaningful, community‑centered products. The project demonstrates how school librarians can champion interdisciplinary learning that places culture at the forefront while embracing emerging technologies.


And yes—you’ll get dedicated time to play the game. Experience firsthand how research, STEM, and cutting edge technology can level up student engagement, cultural connections and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
Speakers
PL

Patricia Louis

School Library Media Specialist, Kamehameha Elementary School - Kapālama
Veteran educator and librarian with 30+ years of experience as a practicing school librarian and over a decade working with Native Hawaiian communities. She has dedicated her career to integrating technology into educational practices. Currently focused on integrating game based learning... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 12:50pm - 1:50pm HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

2:00pm HST

What if reading level didn't stand between a child and their curiosity?
Thursday August 6, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST
  • Explore ways to turn student curiosity into literacy and critical thinking.
  • Discover accessible, standards-aligned digital resources that let curiosity lead and deepen learning across the curriculum.
  • See how PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next articles correlate to 90+% of the C3 Framework, NGSS and the Hawaii Social Studies and Science Standards.
  • Using PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next’s read aloud voice audio, even your struggling readers will grasp the content. Teach even your youngest students how to use PebbleGo once and they can use it on their own. We have made it even easier to support your teachers and students. 
  • See examples on how to integrate PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next into your curriculum and classroom.
FYI- It would be great if I could have a session on both days since there are a number of schools new to PebbleGo. (This info is for the Conference staff only.)
Speakers
avatar for Teresa Sakurada - StarrEd LLC

Teresa Sakurada - StarrEd LLC

Hawaii Capstone Sales Rep, CAPSTONE
After 20 years as a CPA, in 2004, I started selling manga (graphic novels) to libraries. Our 5th grade daughter got me started as she was so passionate about reading manga; she kept wanting to read more. I felt manga would be a great way to hook students into reading. Through selling... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1

3:10pm HST

Closing
Thursday August 6, 2026 3:10pm - 3:30pm HST
Thursday August 6, 2026 3:10pm - 3:30pm HST
Piinaio Ballroom 1
 
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