2026 Hawaii School Library Conference: Full Schedule

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.

10:10am HST

Inclusive classrooms start here: Digital learning in action

Thursday August 6, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am HST

Palolo Room 3 & 4

Millions of K–12 students require personalized learning support, yet many still lack access to tools that meet them where they are.

Join Jody Brookshire for this session exploring how digital reading platforms promote accessibility, support differentiated instruction, and expand learning opportunities for students with diverse abilities. Learn how integrating platforms like Sora can help educators create more inclusive, flexible, and engaging classrooms for every learner.

We’ll also take a Hawaii-focused look at the past year—celebrating successes, reviewing key data highlights, and setting meaningful goals for the year ahead. Walk away with actionable strategies to manage your Sora platform and inspire more students to become lifelong readers.

Speakers

Jody Brookshire

Account Executive, Sora

Jody Brookshire is a passionate Educational Account Executive with over 27 years of experience in the e-learning and digital content industry. Throughout her career, Jody has demonstrated a deep commitment to championing literacy in K-12 schools by leveraging digital content, 21st-century... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am HST
Palolo Room 3 & 4

Breakout

12:50pm HST

Choice Boards and Gale Resources from HIDOE

Thursday August 6, 2026 12:50pm - 1:50pm HST

Palolo Room 3 & 4

Empower elementary and middle school students by giving them voice and choice through Choice Boards. Discover best practices for connecting the library to the classroom using Gale digital resources from HIDOE. In this session, you’ll explore ready-to-use Choice Board examples designed with Gale resources that promote responsible, accountable, and independent student learning. Learn more about the digital resources available through HIDOE and leave with curriculum-connected student activities for elementary and middle school. Attendees will receive Choice Board samples using HIDOE Gale resources to use in their library or share with teachers in their building. We’ll also be joined by the fantastic Ho‘okele Elementary School Librarian, Angie Ramey, who will share how she uses Gale resources to support learning in her school and library.

Speakers

Angela Ramey

School Librarian, Ho'okele Elementary School

School Librarian - Ho'okele Elementary School

Tammi Burke

Senior Training Consultant, Gale in partnership with the HIDOE

Tammi Burke is a Senior Training Consultant at Gale with over a decade of experience helping librarians and educators maximize their Gale resources. A former educator with degrees in Education and Advertising/PR, Tammi combines instructional expertise with a passion for practical... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 2026 12:50pm - 1:50pm HST
Palolo Room 3 & 4

Breakout

2:00pm HST

The Library as Catalyst: Scaling Little-C Collaboration into Big C Change

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

Palolo Room 3 & 4

The school library is uniquely positioned to transform everyday collaboration into systemic, Big-C change. In this session, participants will explore how little-c collaboration—informal conversations, low-stakes co-planning, and small instructional partnerships—can be intentionally designed, nurtured, and scaled to create sustained innovation across a school community.
Grounded in the AASL National School Library Standards, this session examines the library as a catalytic space where relationships, inquiry, and shared purpose converge. Attendees will unpack practical strategies for identifying entry points for collaboration, lowering barriers for participation, and leveraging librarian expertise to move work from isolated efforts to collective impact. Through real-world examples and reflective prompts, participants will see how incremental collaborative practices can evolve into transformational programs that influence teaching, learning, and school culture.
Participants will leave with a framework for recognizing and amplifying little-c collaborative moments, tools for aligning collaboration to instructional and organizational goals, and actionable next steps for positioning the library as a driver of Big-C change—one partnership at a time.

Speakers

Amanda Kordeliski

President, American Association of School Librarians

Amanda Kordeliski is the current president for the American Association of School Librarians and works as the Director of Libraries and Instructional Technology for Norman Public Schools. She has held a variety of leadership positions within the Oklahoma Library Association and Oklahoma... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST
Palolo Room 3 & 4

Breakout

10:10am HST

Learn360 Streaming IRL - Elementary Session

Friday August 7, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am HST

Palolo Room 3 & 4

Curious about ways to engage students and support teachers with streaming videos and online interactives in Learn360? Hear real-life success stories supporting reading, writing, and math, from several Hawai'i K-5 schools. Learn360 is provided free to all Hawai'i public schools, thanks to the Hawai'i Dept of Education, so this fun session will have something for everyone!

Speakers

Hilly Kravitz

Customer Success Manager, Infobase Learning

Hilly has been supporting Hawaii and mainland K-12 schools for 15+ years, helping to integrate educational technology and boost usage of digital resources. Hilly is based in Seattle WA and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Hilly is a Customer Success Manager at... Read More →

Sonya Smallwood

Business Development Consultant, Infobase Learning

Sonya has dedicated her entire career to education, beginning in the classroom where she taught across multiple grade levels. For the past decade, she has worked in edtech, partnering with schools to ensure they have access to high-quality resources that support student success. Sonya... Read More →

Friday August 7, 2026 10:10am - 11:10am HST
Palolo Room 3 & 4

Breakout

12:50pm HST

Research Tools for the Classroom: Ready-to-Use Hawaiʻi Lessons

Friday August 7, 2026 12:50pm - 1:50pm HST

Palolo Room 3 & 4

This session shows how to use World Book Online and the Indigenous Peoples of Hawaiʻi eBook to build research lessons across grade levels. You’ll explore practical, ready-to-use ideas for elementary, middle, and high school that help students connect with local history and make research more meaningful.

Speakers

Jennifer Clayton

Online Sales Specialist, World Book, Inc.

Jennifer Clayton is an Online Sales Specialist at World Book, supporting schools and libraries across the country with digital research and literacy solutions. She works closely with educators to integrate World Book Online into classrooms through practical, student-centered stra... Read More →

Friday August 7, 2026 12:50pm - 1:50pm HST
Palolo Room 3 & 4

Breakout

2:00pm HST

One platform, every language learner: Digital tools for multilingual students

Friday August 7, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST

Palolo Room 3 & 4

Multilingual learners are one of the fastest-growing student populations in U.S. schools – and equitable access to tools that support their needs is essential for their success.

During this session, Jody Brookshire will share how digital reading platforms support language acquisition, increase access to relevant texts, and provide built-in scaffolds for multilingual students. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for using Sora to boost literacy, engagement, and academic outcomes across diverse language needs.

We’ll also take a Hawaii-focused look at the past year—celebrating successes, reviewing key data highlights, and setting goals for the year ahead. Walk away with actionable strategies to manage your Sora platform and better support multilingual learners and their families.

Speakers

Jody Brookshire

Account Executive, Sora

Friday August 7, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm HST
Palolo Room 3 & 4

Breakout

10:10am HST

12:50pm HST

2:00pm HST

10:10am HST

12:50pm HST

2:00pm HST

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