You’re invited to express interest in serving on the 2026 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) President’s Institute Program Planning Task Force. The theme of the 2026 institute is library innovation.
Task force members will serve a 10-month term to begin in May 2025 and conclude after the event in early February 2026.
All are welcome! You do not need to work for an ARL member institution to serve on this task force.
President’s Institute
The ARL 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 brief report on the institute to be published by ARL.
2026 Institute Details
The 2026 ARL President’s Institute is a two-day, in-person experience.
Date: Wednesday, February 11–Thursday, February 12
Location: Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel | Chicago-Rosemont, Illinois
The 2026 ARL President’s Institute, “Innovation in Libraries,” will uncover the many ways libraries are innovating—and systematizing and sustaining those innovations. Libraries innovate every day. They 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 explore innovation in libraries than the ARL President’s Institute, which is open to everyone?
Task Force
The 2026 President’s Institute Program Planning Task Force is chaired by ARL vice president/president-elect, Melissa Just (University of Southern California).
The Association welcomes task force applicants from across institution types and social identities, particularly individuals who hold leadership responsibilities in research libraries and/or have expertise in such areas as:
- Access Services
- Assessment/Analytics/User Experience
- Collection Strategy
- Digital Initiatives
- Organizational Development
- Outreach/Engagement
- Systems/Information Technology
The commitment for task force members is estimated to be two to five hours per month, which includes:
- Task force kickoff and orientation (May 20, 2025, 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. EDT) (virtual)
- Monthly task force working meetings (virtual)
- Pre- and post-meeting work and closure (asynchronous)
- Facilitation training (virtual)
- In-person attendance at the President’s Institute and onsite facilitation and logistics support
Beyond the time commitment, financial costs associated with task force membership for the individual or their institution will include travel expenses. Event registration fees and hotel accommodations are waived for task force members.
Please review the President’s Institute Program Planning Task Force Charge.
To Express Interest in Serving
If you are interested in serving on this task force, working hard, and having a lot of fun in the process, please complete this expression of interest form, including a reflection on how you would implement ARL’s values as a member of the task force, by Friday, May 2, 2025.
Please send any questions related to this task force to Audrey Grace, director of Learning, at agrace@arl.org.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of research libraries in Canada and the US whose vision is to create a trusted, equitable, and inclusive research and learning ecosystem and prepare library leaders to advance this work in strategic partnership with member libraries and other organizations worldwide. ARL’s mission is to empower and advocate for research libraries and archives to shape, influence, and implement institutional, national, and international policy. ARL develops the next generation of leaders and enables strategic cooperation among partner institutions to benefit scholarship and society. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
