2026 HLA Conference: Full Schedule

9:00am HST

Tuesday November 10, 2026 9:00am - 9:55am HST

Two keynote presentations exploring artificial intelligence and its implications for information professionals.

https://2026hlaconference.weebly.com/keynotes.html

Speakers

Kelsey Amos

Purple Maiʻa Foundation

Tuesday November 10, 2026 9:00am - 9:55am HST
[Online] Track 1

Keynote

1:00pm HST

Fundraising & Budgets

Tuesday November 10, 2026 1:00pm - 1:55pm HST

[Online] Track 1

Two keynote presentations about fundraising, budgets, and sustaining Hawaiʻi’s information and cultural organizations.

https://2026hlaconference.weebly.com/keynotes.html

Speakers

Halena Kapuni-Reynolds

Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities

Tuesday November 10, 2026 1:00pm - 1:55pm HST
[Online] Track 1

Keynote

11:00am HST

Kahu I Ke Ahi: The Fires I Tend

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm HST

Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo

This talk is a reflection on the quiet, sometimes heavy, and often invisible work of carrying stories forward. In this keynote, Kauʻi Sai-Dudoit shares moments from her own journey—learning to listen deeply to ancestral voices, navigating the weight of kuleana, and finding purpose in the restoration of language, history, and identity. These are the fires she tends—not only for herself, but for her children and grandchildren, her community, and the generations still to come.

Speakers

Kauʻi Sai-Dudoit

Awaiaulu

Kauʻi Sai-Dudoit is a lifelong student of Hawaiʻi’s history and the Programs Director of Awaiaulu, where she has worked alongside Puakea Nogelmeier since 2011 to help guide major initiatives in Hawaiian-language resource development, historical preservation, and education. Formerly... Read More →

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm HST
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo 93 Banyan Dr, Hilo, HI 96720

Keynote

6:00pm HST

Leadership and Connection in Librarianship

Friday November 13, 2026 6:00pm - 6:20pm HST

Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo

https://2026hlaconference.weebly.com/keynotes.html

Speakers

Dr. Maria McCauley

President, American Library Association

Friday November 13, 2026 6:00pm - 6:20pm HST
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo 93 Banyan Dr, Hilo, HI 96720

Keynote

10:00am HST

Uilo: Braiding Identity and Meaning Through Poetry and Art

Saturday November 14, 2026 10:00am - 12:00pm HST

Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo

Uilo describes the eight strand braid used for the lei niho palaoa, the lei worn by aliʻi consisting of braided human hair and a curved sperm whale tooth pendant showing their high rank lineage. As with much of Hawaiian culture, we have had to adapt and change the way we practice since contact. In this keynote, the uilo will be used as both metaphor and practice of how we can weave our experiences to connect and build intentional community. It ultimately shows why we should continue to hold humanity at the center of everything we do.

In the workshop to follow, participants have the opportunity to learn the practice of haku kaula, or making rope, as a way to process and learn patience, perseverance, and even a kind of meditation. They will be able to make their own bracelet, anklet, or necklace with nylon cord and learn the 4, 6, and/or 8 strand braid. This practice acts as functional, aesthetic, and spiritual by allowing participants to learn a tactile, possibly new, skill, its connection to Hawaiian culture, and a beautiful piece they can wear or gift to someone they love.

Speakers

Leilani Portillo

Poet & Educator

leilani portillo (they/ʻo ia) is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi artist-educator and graduate student in English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. They teach HS English on Hawaiʻi island hoping to inspire the next generation of Kānaka to see the world differently, become more empathetic... Read More →

Saturday November 14, 2026 10:00am - 12:00pm HST
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo 93 Banyan Dr, Hilo, HI 96720

Keynote

2026 HLA Conference

9:00am HST

Sabrina Thomas

Kelsey Amos

1:00pm HST

Nainoa Mau

Michele Mitsumori

Halena Kapuni-Reynolds

11:00am HST

Kauʻi Sai-Dudoit

6:00pm HST

Dr. Maria McCauley

10:00am HST

Leilani Portillo

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