2024-2025 ALA President Cindy Hohl
Cindy Hohl is a Past President of the American Indian Library Association! AILA is proud to recognize her leadership and service at ALA.
Stay at the AILA Hotel Block
AILA has a shared hotel block with APALA, which is $249/night at the Cambria Hotel. Rates for all of the ALA hotels are here. There are 20 rooms between the two organizations.
To reserve a space you must register for ALA first and indicate that you are an AILA member. When registered, access your personalized registration dashboard in your confirmation email to intitate the hotel booking system.
Your password is your confirmation/attendee ID. YOU MUST INDICATE YOU ARE AN AILA MEMBER ON YOUR REGISTRATION FOR THE HOTEL TO SHOW UP.
Any registration-related questions can be directed to CompuSystems at 708-486-0706 or alaregistration@csreg.zohodesk.com.
AILA Events at the ALA Conference
American Indian Library Association (AILA) Membership Meeting
- Friday, June 27, 2025
- 2:30pm-3:30pm EDT
- Location: Philadelphia Marriott, Franklin 08
Please join the American Indian Library Association for our General membership meeting held in conjunction with the ALA Conference 2025. Members of the Executive Board will provide updates, and there will be time for networking and introductions. Do not need to be a member of AILA to join the conversation. All are welcome!
AILA President’s Program: Truth, Identity, and Responsibility: Libraries and the Issue of Pretendians
- Saturday, June 28, 2025
- 9:00am-10:00am EDT
- Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 117
Join us at President’s Program for the American Indian Library Association (AILA)! This session explores the issue of Pretendians—non-Indigenous individuals who falsely claim Indigenous identity or affiliation with a specific nation. Presenters will share knowledge on how these false claims impact Indigenous communities, particularly within literature and library spaces. A panel discussion will address how libraries can navigate this complex topic and uphold standards of authenticity. Participants will gain tools to support genuine Native voices and responsibly curate Indigenous resources. All are welcome.
Moderator
- Allison Waukau (Menominee/Navajo), Past President of AILA & Chair of RNTLOAK
Speakers
- Cassy Leeport
VP/President Elect of AILA (Direct Descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe) - Debbie Reese
Founder and Editor American Indians in Children’s Literature
AILA at the Diversity Fair Poster Session
- Sunday, June 29, 2025
- 3:30pm-5:00pm EDT
- Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Ballroom A
Honoring Heritage, Building Futures: RNTLOAK’s Journey and Contributions (Poster 21)
This poster celebrates the rich history and ongoing impact of the Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds (RNTLOAK) Committee. It explores RNTLOAK’s mission of advocating for and supporting libraries that serve rural, Native, and tribal communities across the United States. The poster highlights key milestones, successful initiatives, and the committee’s collaborations with organizations like the American Indian Library Association and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries. It emphasizes how RNTLOAK honors the cultural heritage of these communities while laying the groundwork for sustainable futures, empowering libraries to provide vital resources and uphold cultural values.
Poster Presenters
- Allison Waukau (Menominee/Navajo) , Past President of AILA, Chair RNTLOAK
- Cassandra Osterloh (Cherokee Nation), Member at Large of AILA, Tribal Program Coordinator, New Mexico State Library
Preserving Knowledge, Sharing Stories: The American Indian Library Association’s Past, Present, and Future
This poster explores the rich history, vibrant present, and hopeful future of the American Indian Library Association (AILA) through stories and photographs from the AILA Newsletter archive. It celebrates the organization’s pivotal role in advocating for Indigenous librarianship, promoting access to information through an Indigenous lens, and supporting Native communities. From its founding moments to current initiatives, the poster highlights key milestones, member voices, and opportunities for engagement. Attendees will discover how AILA continues to uplift Indigenous knowledge and cultures, and how new and returning members can contribute to its ongoing mission.
Poster Presenters
- Cassy Leeport (Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), VP/President Elect of AILA
- Jonna Paden (Pueblo of Acoma), President of AILA
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility at the ALA Conference 2025.
The American Indian Library Association is an Affiliate of the American Library Association.
ALA Affiliate organizations are legally separate organizations having purpose or interests similar to those of ALA.
Affiliate organizations work together to support common causes, expand outreach to underserved populations, diversity ALA membership, and provide benefits to all parties involved.
As an Affiliate of ALA, AILA hosts in person meetings and programming at the same time and place as the ALA Conference.
Other Programs of Interest
Cultivating Community Through Critical Indigenous Librarianship Programming: Creative Expression to Language Immersion to Research
- Saturday, June 28, 2025 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
- Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 120 B C
- Direct Link to Share: https://cdmcd.co/yKy8zW
Presenter(s)
- Eric Hardy (he/him/his)
Senior Program Coordinator
Labriola National American Indian Data Center, Arizona State University Library - Alexander Soto
Director
Labriola National American Indian Data Center – Arizona State University Library
As the library profession strives to welcome diverse communities, what does meaningful and sustained inclusivity look like for Indigenous peoples? How do library systems plan to address the historic dismissal of Indigenous knowledge systems that lingers in their lack of tribally-focused services and resources? Are library systems prepared to pursue collaborations and partnerships with Indigenous peoples rooted in the “6 R’s” (respect, relationship, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, and representation)? Are public and academic library systems ready to address the information needs of Indigenous peoples beyond Native American Heritage Month? This presentation will demonstrate how Indigenous librarianship is prioritized at an Indigenous-led library within a non-Indigenous doctoral research university library. This library is trailblazing approaches and strategies that can greatly influence how libraries engage with Indigenous peoples. The all Indigenous staff has “Indigenized” their library service model so that Indigenous patrons can foster belonging in the library and larger university. By delivering programming that engages and centers Indigenous ways of knowing, lived experiences, and creative expressions, the Indigenous staff builds community through open-mic poetry events, rap, jazz, and heavy metal shows, panels centered on Indigenous activism, language immersion bingo nights, and engagements that take patrons outside the library to learn from the land. This presentation will spotlight why an all-Indigenous staffing model is needed to create programs that: 1) foster cultural resilience 2) support community building and 3) facilitate Indigenous research that supports self-determination and Tribal sovereignty. Additionally, it will stress the primary importance of having Indigenous leadership within non-Indigenous library systems.
Learning Objectives
- The audience will be able to correlate the impacts of settler colonialism and settler logic to present-day library practices that are problematic for Indigenous peoples.
- The audience will gain an overview of the cultural significance of library space, programming and research services for Indigenous peoples.
- The audience will identify why Indigenous library staff (librarians and staff) must be in critical decision-making positions if an organization seeks to develop a culturally responsive service model for Indigenous peoples.
