19-21 March 2026
International School of Amsterdam
With thanks to our Gold 🥇 sponsors!
What to Expect at the ISLE Conference
- Meet our keynote speaker Maria van Lieshout, Dutch American award-winning author illustrator of Song of a Blackbird 🐦⬛ / Het lied van de Merel and receive a print copy of Blackbird from our Gold sponsor Every Page Counts!
- Learn and connect with librarians and teacher-librarians leading libraries in international schools across Europe as well as in Africa and Asia.
- Connect with our wonderful sponsors to enhance your library’s toolkit 🛠️ to serve our diverse, multilingual reading, teaching, and learning communities.
- Attend presentations that are relevant and practical for international school libraries’ program development.
- Present and share with peers in an inspiring, collegial atmosphere.
- Participate in curated social events inspired by Dutch culture, designed to form enduring personal and professional connections with our host country.
Conference Theme
“Meeting the Challenge” explores the intersection of technological evolution and literary advocacy, addressing everything from AI and information literacy to the fight against censorship. Simultaneously, we examine how to foster inclusive reading cultures that prioritize student engagement, multilingualism, and equitable access in an increasingly distracted world.
Pre-Conference
Pre-Conference Thursday 19 March 2026 – 08:30 – 19:30 hrs: “Song of a Blackbird 🐦⬛- Literary and Art Tour” of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter (Jewish Cultural Quarter) and guided tour of the famous STRAAT Museum for Street Art & Graffiti.
Main Conference
Main Conference Friday 20 March 2026 8:30 – 20:00 & Saturday 21 March 2026 08:30 – 14:00 hrs: The International School Librarians in Europe (ISLE) Conference is a conference and workshop designed by and for librarians and teacher-librarians in international schools in Europe, as well as colleagues working in international schools in Asia and Africa. Combining presentations in best practices with inspiring conversations to bring back to your home library, our conference programme empowers international school librarians to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation.
Keynote Speaker
We are thrilled to welcome award-winning Dutch American author and illustrator Maria van Lieshout as our keynote speaker for the 2026 International School Librarians in Europe Conference.
We are happy to share that every conference participant will receive a print copy of Song of a Blackbird 🐦⬛ provided by our sponsor Every Page Counts – thank you Anna Garcia-Cosio for your support! Learn more about Every Page Counts and their services for international school libraries in our sponsor showcase.
ISLE 2025 Archive
View presentations from ISLE 2025, hosted at the American School in London.
Hosted in Europe, Global Reach!
We have international school librarians attending from three continents and over 25 countries…and registration is still open!
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Ethiopia
- France
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Singapore
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- UAE (United Arab Emirates)
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uzbekistan
Registration with EventBrite
Our theme: Meeting the Challenge!
- Artificial Intelligence
- Multilingual Libraries
- Translation
- Censorship
- Student Reading Engagement
- Whole School Reading Culture
- Equity and Inclusion
- Digital Distractions and the Attention Economy
- Information Literacy
- Funding and Resources
Pre-Conference Preview – “Song of a Blackbird 🐦⬛ Literary and Arts Tour”
Meeting the Challenge: Resistance
“Ultimately, Resistance is about putting the needs of another person ahead of your own, especially when that is inconvenient, difficult, or dangerous.”
