Name: The Freedom to Read Toolkit: Proactive Strategies for Protecting Diverse Voices
Start: 2026-08-06T14:00:00-1000
End: 2026-08-06T15:00:00-1000

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.
🤝 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.
🌱 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.

The Freedom to Read Toolkit: Proactive Strategies for Protecting Diverse Voices

Thursday August 6, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST

Palolo Room 1 & 2

As schools face an unprecedented increase in book challenges, professional resilience and proactive leadership are essential. This session prepares educators and administrators to address the “Ed Scare”, a trend that impacts student access to diverse perspectives. For context, we will dissect the legislative landscape and impact of coordinated censorship movements. Participants will then engage with a toolkit to strengthen selection policies and de-escalate challenges. Participants will review policy templates and leave with ready-to-use talking points that articulate the educational value of diverse stories. Whether you are a librarian, administrator, or teacher, you will gain a clear framework to safeguard the freedom to read while preserving strong community partnerships.

Speakers

Meera Garud

Instructor, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Meera Garud is an instructor with the Library & Information Science (LIS) program at UH Mānoa and coordinates the school library preparation program. Her focus is on understanding how educators can help students graduate high school while preparing them for college and career success... Read More →

Caitlin Ramirez

Librarian, Mōkapu Elementary School

Caitlin Ramirez has a M.Ed. in Teaching with a focus on secondary English, and an MLISc in school librarianship. She has taught with the Hawaii Department of Education since 2005 as a middle school ELA teacher, a Literacy Coach, and an elementary school librarian. She also teaches... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST
Palolo Room 1 & 2

Breakout

2026 Hawaii School Library Conference

Meera Garud

Caitlin Ramirez

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