CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has opened the proposal submission site for its 2025 national conference. AASL invites proposals for concurrent sessions and research empowering practice sessions to be presented Oct. 17-18, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri. Complete session proposals must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. Central on Sat., March 1, 2025. AASL invites proposals for IdeaLab and Poster presentations to be presented October 16, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri. Completed presentation proposals must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. Central on Tues., July 1, 2025. More information is available at.

AASL seeks proposals for:

Concurrent Sessions

Fifty-minute-long concurrent sessions to be held on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18. Proposals should include up to three learning objectives and address how the session aligns with the AASL “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.” Proposals should relate to one of the conference strands – Collaboration, Collection Development, Design & Create, Leadership & Advocacy, Literacy, Teaching & Learning.

Research Empowering Practice Sessions

“Research Empowering Practice” session proposals to be held on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18. All sessions are fifty-minute-long concurrent sessions, but research empowering practice sessions offer the option to be part of a “Research Paper Presentation” which will include the presentation of 2-3 papers in one session, or “Research Presentation” that will be an in-depth fifty-minute presentation of research, application, and implications. Proposals should focus on incorporating original, current research from the field into the practice setting. Previously presented or published research is permitted.

IdeaLab Presentations

The AASL IdeaLab will occur on Thursday, October 16, 2025, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., and showcases best practices, innovative ideas, and adaptive projects and practices. Small program presentations should offer visuals in handouts, laptop presentations, or samples. The AASL IdeaLab is considered the “speed learning” of the conference. While attendees will engage and explore with “Ideas” that spark further interest, presenters should generally be able to explain their table in 2-3 minutes to groups who visit.

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations will occur on Thursday, October 16, 2025, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., but posters will remain up for attendees to peruse throughout the conference. Submissions are invited on any topic relevant to school libraries and may include a description of an innovative library program or practice; an analysis of a solution to a problem; a report of a research study; or any other presentation that would benefit attendees. Poster session presenters populate boards with pictures, data, graphs, diagrams, and narrative text and informally discuss their poster with conference attendees during the presentation session.

The AASL National Conference Committee will conduct a blind review of all proposals, evaluating for clarity, originality, and timeliness. The following dates and deadlines have been set for AASL proposal process:

• March 1, 2025 - Concurrent session proposals CLOSE

• March 1, 2025 - Research Empowering Practice session proposals CLOSE

• March-May, 2025 - Concurrent and Research proposal reviews and final determinations

• July 1, 2025 - IdeaLab presentation proposals CLOSE

• July 1, 2025 - Poster presentation proposals CLOSE

• July-August, 2025 - Ideal and Poster proposal reviews and final determinations

Submissions will be accepted only via online form. E-mail, mail, or fax submissions will not be accepted. All questions regarding programming at the AASL National Conference should be directed to aasl@ala.org.

The AASL National Conference is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. Those communicating about the national conference are encouraged to use the official hashtag, #AASL25.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.