For the first time in nearly two decades, the national Public Library Association Conference will be held in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Convention Center  March 31-April 3* this spring! IFLS has budgeted some funds to provide scholarships and other assistance to attend the 2026 PLA Conference.  Please read the options below to see if any of them are a good fit for you!  IFLS will award as many scholarships as possible with the amount we have budgeted.

BUS

Provided we have sufficient interest, IFLS will be paying for a coach bus trip on Thursday, April 2 at no cost to participants.

• The bus will start in Eau Claire at 6:15 am and drop off at the Minneapolis Convention Center by 8:30 am.
• Additional stops will include:  Menomonie, Baldwin and Hudson
• This is a great option if you want to explore the massive exhibit hall and take in the How-To stage programming held there on Thursday (see below for more information)
• There will be no charge for the bus.
• Please fill out this form by December 5 if you think you might be interested in taking the bus!  This is not a registration or commitment for the bus, but will help us determine if we should offer this option.
• Meals and snacks are on your own

EXHIBITS-ONLY PASSES

You can purchase an exhibits-only pass to the conference for $55.  The exhibit hall for a national conference is beyond anything you can imagine if you’ve never been to one.

• Exhibit hall is open 3-6 pm on April 1, 9-5 on April 2, and 9-2 on April 3.
• A list of exhibitors is available (note it is 5 pages long and includes more than 100 vendors!).
• There are lots of giveaways, networking opportunities, and author-signing events in the Exhibit Hall
• There is a How-To Stage with short presentations in the Exhibit Hall, as well as a Career Center
• If you need financial assistance to pay for your $55 exhibits-only pass, please fill out this form by December 12.
• Meals and snacks are on your own
• Mileage/parking not included, but IFLS will be providing a bus from Eau Claire on April 2  if that is helpful

CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

This is a good option for you if you would like to attend the whole conference, including programs, general sessions, exhibits, networking opportunities, and author events.

• Opening session starts at 8:30 am on Wednesday (4/1) morning.  Registration is open Tuesday 3/31, along with a few optional events.
• Check out the registration information https://www.placonference.org/registration to find out how much it would cost you to attend (there are two price points, based on your position/salary)
• Check out the hotel information if you plan to stay in Minneapolis, or consider other options if that is better for you (staying with a relative, commuting, finding a place with a kitchen you can use)
• Find out how much your library can pay to help you with the cost of attending.
• IFLS scholarships can pay for registration, PLA and ALA memberships, and hotel accommodations.  They do not cover meals or mileage.  Please note there is a limited amount of funding available.
• IFLS will reimburse the library for expenses after the conference, when receipts are submitted.
• Recipients will be asked to share some take-aways with peers after the conference.
• Recipients will attend a pre-conference virtual meeting with other scholarship recipients and IFLS staff.
• Apply for a scholarship by filling out this application by December 12.

*Please note that the PLA Conference dates this year coincide with both Passover and Holy Week.

If you have any questions about the conference, the exhibits, or the scholarship/bus opportunities, please contact Leah!