(via Selena Chau—University of California, Santa Barbara)
We’re excited to announce the call for proposals for Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge 2026. This is our small, informal, and stimulating gathering in a convivial and glorious Pacific Northwest setting (one hour east of Portland, OR, on the slope of Mt. Hood), focused on the methods and innovation of building and managing library collections. This 2026 meeting will take place from Sunday, May 17, to Wednesday, May 20.
What is The Acquisitions Institute?
- Since 2000, the preeminent conference located in Western North America on acquisitions and collection development, held at Timberline Lodge.
- A three-day conference focusing on the methods and innovation of building and managing library collections.
- A small (capped at 80 attendees), informal and stimulating gathering in a convivial and glorious Pacific Northwest setting.
For what topics are we looking?
The planning committee is seeking submissions on all aspects of library acquisitions and collection management. Presenters are encouraged to engage the audience in discussion, whether the presentation leans more toward the practical “here’s what we did” sessions or toward the more abstract “here’s what we think” sessions. The committee may also seek to achieve balance in the program by bringing individual proposals together to form panels, or by recommending that a proposal be converted to a table talk. We invite you to indicate whether or not you’d be interested in these opportunities on the submission proposal form (see below).
Topics of potential interest (in no particular order):
- Assessment tools, methods, and projects (e.g., linking collections with learning outcomes; usage studies)
- Government, special, and academic library perspectives in acquisitions and collection development
- Effective management of collections with constrained resources
- Diversity, inclusion, representation, and social justice in acquisitions and collections
- Innovative vendor-librarian relationships or partnerships
- Using data visualization techniques to tell our stories (e.g., budget, collections, staff successes, etc.)
- Data curation, including Big Data, and management and other new roles for subject and technical services librarians
The deadline to submit a proposal is Tuesday, December 30, with a maximum of three presenters per proposal.
Important Dates
Fri., 12/30/25: Proposals due
Mon., 1/19/26: Review of proposals complete, and presenters notified
Fri., 1/23/26: Presenters confirm commitment to present
Early February: Registration scheduled to open
Please direct any questions to planning@acquisitionsinstitute.org.