Library professionals from across North America will connect at the annual Workshop for Instruction in Library Use conference, or WILU conference, hosted by McMaster University Libraries next month.
The event runs from June 9-12, with sessions taking place in the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery and L.R. Wilson Hall on McMaster’s Hamilton campus.
Ariel Stables-Kennedy, first year experience librarian with McMaster University Libraries, is one of the co-chairs for this year's event. She says the conference provides attendees with the opportunity to learn from one another and build new relationships.
“A lot of librarians and library workers who do instruction are so focused on practice,” she said. “These conferences allow folks engaged in instruction the time and space to connect and reflect on the work that they're doing in a place-based, local way. I find people really bloom at conferences because they get to see what their colleagues are working on and share their own experiences.”
The Workshop for Instruction in Library Use conference began in 1972 with the goal of creating a grassroots conference hosted by library professionals for library professionals engaged in teaching and learning. Institutions across Canada take turns hosting each year to give librarians and library workers from a variety of locations the opportunity to attend. The conference was previously held at McMaster in 2010, making this the second time the university libraries have hosted.
Attendees can expect a keynote presentation Librarians as Helpers: Bringing Ideas and Lessons Back with Us presented by Karleen Delaurier-Lyle, information services librarian at Xwi7xwa Library (UBC Library). The other keynote presentation is Rethinking ‘Normal Learning’: Neurodiversity, Universal Design, and Autonomy for All presented by Kate Klein, a faculty member in the Transitions to Post-Secondary Education program at George Brown College.
Other activities include lightning talks, workshops, and tours of different areas on the McMaster campus, including the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections, the McMaster Nuclear Reactor, the McMaster Biology Greenhouse, LIVELab, and the McMaster Museum of Art.
The conference also provides attendees the opportunity to participate in excursions to popular spots in the Hamilton area, including Tiffany Falls, Sherman Falls, Fairweather Brewing Company, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
Anna Flak, teaching and learning librarian with McMaster University Libraries, is the other co-chair of this year’s conference. She says the inclusion of these tours and excursions aligns well with the conference’s theme.
“This year’s theme is ‘falling into place,’” Flak said. "It's about finding yourself both personally and professionally where you live, within the work you do, and within the communities you serve, focusing on the benefits, strengths, and opportunities that arise.”
Flak and Stables-Kennedy say they are grateful for the essential contributions of the 12-member steering committee, who were crucial in organizing this conference. Committee members represent every area of McMaster libraries.
Learn More
To learn more about the Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (WILU) conference, visit the WILU 2025 website.
