Main Conference Day 1
Friday 20 March 2026
Keynote: Maria van Lieshout
Maria is a Dutch-American illustrator and graphic novelist. Her historical graphic novel Song of a Blackbird was Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and is a 2026 Michael L. Printz Honor Book among many other accolades.
Michael L. Printz Award Honor
National Book Award Longlist
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award (x2)
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Award
ALSC Notable Children’s Book
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
Publisher’s Weekly Best Young Adult Books
Kirkus Best Young Adult Books
The Horn Book Fanfare Best Fiction
School Library Journal Best Graphic Novels
Chicago Public Library Best Teen Graphic Novels
The Children’s Book Review Best YA Books
International Literacy Association Notable Book for a Global Society
Common Sense Media Teen Selection
Day 1 Programme
Presentation Descriptions
7:45 – 8:30 – 🎉 *Registration opens! Coffee and tea, sponsor exhibits open – ISA Main Entrance and Upper School Library
*Please be aware that this is also the arrival time of students and parents and allow for extra time.
8:30 – 9:00 – Welcome from ISA Libraries and housekeeping – Upper School Library
9:00 – 9:45 – Keynote by 2026 Printz Honor award-winning author Maria van Lieshout – Upper School Library
9:45 – 10:30 – Book signing with Maria van Lieshout sponsored by Every Page Counts coffee break with pastries, sponsor visits, pop-up bookshops open – Upper School Library
10:30 – 12:30 – Morning presentations – All – Upper School Library
Presentation Descriptions
10:30 – 11:00 –“Turning Pages, Building Bridges: The Power of Family Book Clubs” (Staci Fox, American School of London)
11:00 – 11:30 – “Maximizing Expert Resources and Author Visits Across the EC – 12 Community” (Lauren Boop and Eileen Kless, Carlucci International School of Lisbon)
11:30 – 12:00 – “Turning the Page: Reigniting Student Engagement with Reading” (Johanna Schooley, Oakhouse School)
12:00 – 12:30 – “Booklists, Who Needs Them?” (Katie Day, Tanglin Trust School, Nadine Bailey, American School of Dubai) – Upper School Library
12:30 – 13:30 – Lunch catered by the International School of Amsterdam Presentations: “Sora Consortiums: Best Practices” (Laura Figurski, OverDrive) – CDLT 1 & CDLT 2
13:30 – 15:30 – Afternoon presentations – All – Upper School Library
Presentation Descriptions
13:30 – 14:00 – “Creative Approaches to Wellness Developed and Delivered by Your School Librarian” (Michelle Andis, International School of Florence
14:00 – 14:30 – “Creating a Dynamic Student Librarian Program” (Kate Adams, International Sharing School Taguspark)
14:30 – 15:00 – “Creating a Human Library that Works for an International School” (Farin Mendis, International School of Prague)
15:00 – 15:30 – “Underused to Unmissable: Repositioning the Library as a Dynamic Learning Space for the Whole Community” (Ali Kennedy, TASIS The American School in England) – Upper School Library
15:30 – 16:00 – Coffee and tea break with Dutch stroopwafels, sponsor visits, and pop-up bookshops – Upper School Library
16:00 – 17:00 – ISA library tours hosted by Helle Kirstein, Nathalie Morrissey, and Kim Tyo-Dickerson, International School of Amsterdam (Netherlands) – Early Childhood, Lower School and Upper School Libraries
17:00 – 18:00 – Sponsor Showcase Borrel sponsored by PowerNotes , pop-up bookshops open – Upper School Library
18:00 – 19:30 – *Indonesian Rijsttafel dinner sponsored by Sora – George Jr’s
*What is an Indonesian Rijsttafel? Learn more via the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s Folklife Magazine article “What Is Rijsttafel? A Dish to Bridge Dutch and Indonesian Identities” by Gwenna Claproth
19:45 – Conference ends for Day 1
Main Conference Day 2
Saturday 21 March 2026
Day 2 Programme
Presentation Descriptions
8:00 – 8:30 – Coffee and tea, sponsor visits, pop-up bookshops – Upper School Library
8:30 – 10:30 – Library program break-out presentations & slams
Early Childhood and Lower School Library Presentations (Nursery – Grade 5/Year 6) – Lower School Library
Presentation Descriptions
8:30 – 8:45 – “Crowdsourcing and a Call to Action: Multilingual Collection Development for International Schools” (Helle Kirstein, International School of Amsterdam)
8:45 – 9:15 – “Loose Parts in the Library” (Alicia Baine, British School of Brussels)
9:15 – 9:45 – “Book Connections and Collaborations” (Rebecca Battistoni, Istanbul International Community School)
9:45 – 10:15 – “Ignite the Page: Building a Reading Culture from Elementary to Middle School” (Annie Harris, International Community School Addis Ababa)
10:15 – 10:30 – “Beat the Screen: Combined Print and Audio Solutions for Young Readers” (Nathalie Morrissey, International School of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Yaroslava Chernusenko, VOX Books) – hands-on session
Middle and High School Presentations (Grade 6/Year 7 – Grade 12/Year 13) – Upper School Library
Presentation Descriptions
8:30 – 9:00 – “Supporting Academic Integrity and Research Skills in the Age of AI” (Mary Lawson, International School of Amsterdam)
9:00 – 9:30 – “The Quandary of Navigating AI Ethics, Cognitive Debt, and the Future of Independent Thinking” (Heather Caveney, American Collegiate Institute)
9:30 – 9:45 – “Genrefy on the Fly” (Astrid Krediet, St. Catherine’s British School)
9:45 – 10:00 – “Crowdsourcing and a Call to Action: Multilingual Collection Development for International Schools” (Helle Kirstein, International School of Amsterdam)
10:15 – 10:30 – “How to Run a Parent Book Club” (Astrid Krediet, St. Catherine’s British School)
10:30 – 11:00 – Coffee break with pastries, sponsor visits, pop-up bookshops – Upper School Library
Hands on workshops – Upper School Library and CDLT 1
Presentation Descriptions
11:05 – 11:55 – Group 1 “Librarians Are Magic” (Aaron Tyo-Dickerson, International School of The Hague & MagicSchool AI Pioneer) – CDLT 1 / Group 2 “Designing a Research Process Students Can’t Skip” followed by “PowerNotes Demo” (Brenda Brusegard, PowerNotes Director of K-12 Engagement) – Upper School Library
11:55 – 12:05 – Switch workshops
12:05 – 13:00 – Group 2 “Librarians Are Magic” (Aaron Tyo-Dickerson, International School of The Hague & MagicSchool AI Pioneer) – CDLT 1/ Group 2 “Designing a Research Process Students Can’t Skip” followed by “PowerNotes Demo” (Brenda Brusegard, PowerNotes Director of K-12 Engagement) – Upper School Library
13:00 – 13:45 – Lunch sponsored by MagicSchool – sandwiches, salads, and dessert & catered by Small World Catering – George Jr’s
13:45 – 14:00 – 🏆 Drawing for door prizes! Thanks, farewell, and see you next year at ISLE! – Upper School Library
With thanks to our Gold sponsors:
