Secure Your Seat for LAFCON 2027 Before Early Bird Rates End Oct 15!

If you want to know where the library ecosystem is heading—and how to protect your funding, staff, and collections in a volatile political climate—LAFCON 2027 is your must-attend event.

Think of LAFCON as the "State of the Union for Libraries." Hosted online by EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary Institute from January 13–15, 2027, this isn't a traditional library conference focused on internal operations. LAFCON is a high-octane, strategic winter institute designed to give you direct access to the EveryLibrary team, campaign consultants, political operatives, First Amendment attorneys, media strategists, and grassroots organizers.

Register today! Rates go up on Oct 15th!

You’ll get an insider look at what’s really happening on the policy, financial, and legislative fronts—from property tax rollbacks and statehouse battles to modern referendum mechanics and ballot measure strategy.

Who Should Attend LAFCON 2027?

Because 98% of library funding is politically determined, LAFCON is built specifically for the full ecosystem of library decision-makers and supporters:

• Library Directors, Deans & Executive Administrators building institutional strategy and municipal budget defenses.
• Library Staff & Frontline Workers navigating community polarization, collection challenges, and patron advocacy.
• Trustees & Board Commissioners looking for legal clarity, governance best practices, and board-level crisis management.
• Friends of the Library Groups & Library Foundations seeking to maximize donor support, major gifts, and nonpartisan election-year advocacy.
• State Library Association Leaders & Policy Committees coordinating statewide advocacy roadshows and legislative alerts.

What’s on the Horizon for 2027? (Sneak Peek!)

Official 2027 speaker announcements are landing very soon! Here is a broad look at the critical, high-impact themes currently being fleshed out for this year's program:

• Countering Disinformation & Defending Public Trust: Strategies to combat coordinated attacks on public institutions and municipal library funding.
•  Power Mapping & Nonviolent Coalition Building: Identifying key local decision-makers and building broad community coalitions beyond traditional advocate circles.
• Digital Defense & Rapid-Response Crisis Comms: Personal exposure audits, account hardening, and crisis decision trees to protect workers and boards from harassment.
• Legal & Compliance Boundaries: Masterclasses on 501(c)(3) vs. 501(c)(4) lobbying rules, ballot measure mechanics, and First Amendment defense.
• Civic News & Influencer Partnerships: Partnering with local journalists, digital creators, and community organizers to drive referendum turnout.

Standing on the Shoulders of Advocacy Giants

LAFCON has a proven track record of bringing elite, cross-industry experts directly to the library sector. Here is a look back at just a few of the powerhouse past speakers and sessions featured on our stage:

• Kelly Jensen (Editor at Book Riot): "Empowered Against Book Bans" — Tactical frameworks for tracking censorship trends and empowering local communities against collection challenges.
•  Holly Bartecki (EVP at Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications): "Crisis Communications—Smart Strategies for Tough Times" — Battle-tested PR protocols for handling hostile media cycles and high-stakes board meetings.
• Sam Daley-Harris (Founder of RESULTS & Civic Courage; Author of "Reclaiming Our Democracy"): "Transformational Advocacy" — Shifting advocates from passive "transactional" outreach to deep, high-impact "transformational" civic engagement.
• Bud Jackson (Strategic Communications & Media Consultant, Jackson Group Media): "Intro to Integrated Ad Campaigns for Advocacy" — How political ad strategies, targeted digital media, and voter segmentation can win library levies.
• Allison Ehrich Bernstein (Communications Specialist & Speechwriter, Allative Communications; former U.S. State Dept): "Leading With Your Mission: From Good Messaging to Great Rhetoric" — Elevating standard library communications into persuasive, policy-moving rhetoric.

(Plus past sessions from leaders like Caitlin Donnelly on voter engagement, Abby Levin on C3 activism, Gail Perry on major gift fundraising, and John Rowley on digital campaign principles!)

Don't Wait — Early Bird Rates End October 15th!

Get full access to all 3 days of live keynotes, panel breakdowns, pre-recorded tactical briefings, and state-specific collaboration rooms—plus 3 full months of post-conference access on Whova!

• Early Bird Rate: $299 (Save $50 when you register by October 15!)
• Regular Rate: $349 (Starting October 16)
• Student / Retiree Rate: $99
• Bringing a Team or Board? Group block discounts save 20% to 40% off for packages of 25–100 seats!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR LAFCON 2027 NOW

Stay tuned—we'll announce our first wave of 2027 Keynotes and Sessions soon!