It was a decent idea. But in practice, the American Library Association’s LibLearnX conference appeared ill-fated from the start. And after two years of lackluster in-person attendance, the fourth event—which will run Friday–Monday, January 24–27, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix—will be the conference’s last. ALA leaders pulled the plug in March, just weeks after the 2024 LibLearnX closed in Baltimore, citing “financial and other critical factors.”

Years in the planning, LibLearnX was designed to take the place of the ALA’s long-running Midwinter Meeting, which ran for 107 shows dating back to 1908. For most of its history, the conference was considered to be a working event—that is, the place where various ALA committees and working groups gathered to handle their association business. But over the years, the show became a fixture on the publishing industry events calendar, and from 1994 to 2016, the Midwinter Meeting featured an extensive program and a busy show floor, and averaged well over 10,000 attendees—including a record 14,739 in Washington, D.C., in 2001.

But as technology made it less and less necessary for librarians to travel to carry out their ALA committee duties in person, and with travel budgets for both librarians and exhibitors under pressure, the writing was on the wall. By 2018, ALA had begun efforts to reimagine and replace the event. What would turn out to be the final in-person Midwinter Meeting—held in Philadelphia in January 2020, just weeks before pandemic shutdowns began—drew just over 8,000 attendees. And in 2021, the pandemic forced the final ALA Midwinter Meeting to go virtual only.

Meanwhile, after years on the drawing board, LibLearnX debuted in 2022 under less-than-ideal circumstances. The inaugural event, which initially was slated for San Antonio, Tex., was held online instead. In 2023, the first in-person LibLearnX turned out to be a lively affair, but it drew just under 2,700 attendees to New Orleans. And in 2024, the event drew a disappointing 2,000 to snowy Baltimore.

The sharp decline in 2024 was not unexpected. After all, the 2024 library conference calendar also featured the biannual Public Library Association conference, perhaps the most popular conference among all the ALA events, in early April. Still, by the close of last year’s LibLearnX it was clear that the event was in trouble, with too many empty seats in the meeting rooms, and lukewarm support at best from the vendor community.

Despite the low attendance LibLearnX wasn’t a disaster. The programs and speakers were quite good, and several librarians who attended the in-person shows told PW the event in many ways delivered exactly what ALA membership had asked for when the association first began reimagining the future of the ALA’s winter event: fewer meetings; an engaging program; more interactive, hands-on learning sessions; and more time in the schedule to network and connect with peers. But in hindsight, with postpandemic budget pressure and lingering concerns over Covid-19, LibLearnX never really stood a chance.

As of this writing, it remains unclear if ALA will take another run at hosting a winter conference. In announcing the show’s end, ALA leadership was noticeably noncommittal, saying only that the ALA board is “actively thinking about the experiences and value ALA provides to its members.” And bigger decisions loom: ALA currently remains without a permanent executive director after Tracie D. Hall’s abrupt resignation in October 2023. What is certain, however, is that whoever takes the executive director position next will have to grapple with how, or if, to fill the hole left by the loss of the ALA’s midwinter event.

On the positive side, ALA can point to solid attendance and strong reviews for its most recent in-person events, including the past two ALA annual conferences and a strong PLA conference last April, all of which suggests that librarians and vendors very much see the value in in-person meetings. Furthermore, there are some popular tent poles from Midwinter Meetings past that will need a home—most notably the ALA’s Youth Media Awards announcements and the annual I Love My Librarian Award reception.

This year’s LibLearnX looks to be going out on a high note, with a slate of interesting programs and—at long last—a location with warm weather. For librarians used to freezing-cold midwinter blizzards, a few days in Phoenix in January just might spark some ideas about what the next iteration of a wintertime ALA event can be.

Featured speakers

Several main program speakers have already been announced, but the LibLearnX 2025 program is still coming together as of press time, and more speakers are likely to be released in the coming days, so be sure to visit the LibLearnX website for updates. All speaker events featured below will be in MST and will take place in the LLX Studio.

Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud will keynote the opening session on Saturday (8–9:30 a.m.). Telgemeier is the Eisner Award–winning creator of the graphic memoirs Smile, Sisters, and Guts, and the adapter and illustrator of the first four Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. McCloud is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the classic Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art and Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels, and in 2021 was inducted into the Will Eisner Awards Hall of Fame. Telgemeier and McCloud will discuss their forthcoming book The Cartoonists Club (Graphix, Apr.).

The Saturday LLX speaker series continues with filmmaker and Promise Boys author Nick Brooks (1–2 p.m.). Brooks will be on hand to discuss his forthcoming book, the thriller Up in Smoke (Holt, May). Following Brooks will be children’s book author Harshita Jerath (3–4 p.m.). Born and raised in India and now living in Arizona, Jerath’s most recent book is Cooler than Lemonade.

On Sunday, the ALA President’s Program will feature Anishinaabe journalist and writer from the Lake Manitoba First Nation Kyle Edwards (8:45–10 a.m.). Edwards is the managing editor at Native News Online and his forthcoming novel, Small Ceremonies, will be published in April by Pantheon. Later on Sunday, storyteller and healer Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz will take the LLX Studio Stage (3–4 p.m.). Cocotzin Ruiz is the author of the book Earth Medicines: Ancestral Wisdom, Healing Recipes, and Wellness Rituals from a Curandera and presents frequently on traditional healing practices and culinary medicine. She is also the author of the recently published children’s book Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita, illustrated by Carlos Vélez.

Closing out the LibLearnX speaker series on Monday will be tech journalist Vauhini Vara (11 a.m.–noon). Vara’s debut novel, The Immortal King Rao, was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. Vara will likely talk about the future of writing and AI. In 2021, the author asked a predecessor of ChatGPT to write about her sister’s death, and the resulting essay, “Ghosts,” went viral for revealing the immense, uneasy implications of AI technology for creators.

Awards and more

The upcoming LibLearnX will once again feature a number of receptions and award celebrations, beginning with the popular I Love My Librarian Awards that recognize the outstanding public service contributions of librarians working in public, school, college, community college, and university libraries. Attendees can hear from the 2025 recipients at the LLX Welcome Reception on Friday (6–8 p.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix Ballroom C D E). The event is free.

The RUSA Books & Media Awards winners will be announced on Sunday (10:30–11:30 a.m., PCC West Ballroom 301A). The annual awards, administered by ALA’s Reference and User Services Association, include the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, the ALA’s adult book awards. (Note, this is a prerecorded session.)

And then there’s the most anticipated awards ceremony of all, the ALA Youth Media Awards, which includes the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King awards, to be announced on Monday (8–9:30 a.m., PCC West, Ballroom 301A). The awards are the gold standard for children’s books, relied upon by parents, educators, booksellers, and, of course, librarians for selecting the best materials for young readers. The event will once again be livestreamed, so check the Youth Media Awards site for the link to tune in.