Mark your calendar and plan to join us Wednesday–Thursday, February 11–12, 2026, in Chicago-Rosemont for the third annual ARL President’s Institute. The theme of the 2026 institute will be Innovation in Libraries.
“Libraries innovate every day,” said ARL President-Elect Melissa Just, dean of USC Libraries at University of Southern California. “We find new ways of bringing people together, using AI, fostering civic engagement, developing innovative collections, leading and managing others, building community connections—the list goes on. What better venue is there to come together to discover the many ways libraries are innovating—and systematizing and sustaining those innovations—than the ARL President’s Institute, which is open to everyone?”
The ARL President’s Institute is an interactive learning experience. Facilitators create a space to connect, share best practices, and solve problems with fellow library leaders. Participants leave with resources and inspiration.
“It’s amazing to leave a conference feeling more refreshed than when I arrived! … I am actually taking back a plan to share with my library’s leadership team and I think it’s going to rock!”
— 2025 ARL President’s Institute participant evaluation
Read an overview of the 2025 President’s Institute by Sophia Abundo, the 2025 Julia C. Blixrud Memorial Scholar, and save the date for the 2026 President’s Institute!
About the President’s Institute
The President’s Institute provides opportunities for participation by ARL member institutions and others in our field each year during the start of the ARL presidency. One of the ARL Institutes, this interactive event convenes a broad community of individuals, subject-matter experts, middle managers, senior leaders, and general executives from ARL libraries and beyond on top-of-mind issues facing research libraries. As part of the President’s Institute, the Julia C. Blixrud Scholarship recipient is selected, attends, and writes a report on the institute to be published by ARL.
