Join APALA at ALA Annual 2026 in Chicago!
Join us at some or all of our exciting events at ALAAC26 in Chicago!
APALA ALA Annual 2026 Museum Visit
APALA invites you to join us at the Field Museum in Chicago’s Museum Campus. The Field Museum is home to 4.5+ billion years of natural history. This is a self-guided tour, so please feel free to explore until closing.
Location: Field Museum. 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
When: Friday, June 26. Meet outside the Field Museum at 12:45 p.m. We will enter as a group at 1 p.m.
Cost: FREE! Registration is required and limited to APALA members.
Getting to the Field Museum: It is an 8 minute drive from McCormick Place. Public transportation will take about 27 minutes, and walking will take 31 minutes.
If you are driving, there are nearby parking lots available.
Soldier Field North Garage
$27 for up to 4 hours, $32 for up to 12 hours. The North Garage (accessible via the main entrance on Museum Campus Drive) is open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Parked cars can leave after closing hours, but overnight parking is not allowed.
East Museum Lot
$32 for up to 12 hours. The East Museum Lot (located on the east side of the Field Museum) is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and is accessible via the main entrance on Museum Campus Drive. Parked cars can leave after closing hours, but overnight parking is not allowed.
Registration is now closed.
APALA and AILA Presidents’ Program: Supporting AANHPI and Indigenous library users and staff with disabilities
DATE: Saturday, June 27
TIME: 9:00-10:00am
LOCATION: McCormick Place, W 192 B
Melissa Cardenas-Dow (she/her/hers) – Social Sciences Librarian, CSU Sacramento
“Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities are often described as a ‘model minority’ — a narrative that erases disability, flattens diverse cultural realities, and silences those who need support the most. On the other hand, Indigenous people are highly stereotyped and frequently made invisible in modern society. Cultural stigma, language barriers, fear of disclosure, or systemic gaps in library practice all contribute to the unique forms of exclusion faced by AANHPI and Indigenous individuals with visible and invisible disabilities. These patterns also affect AANHPI and Indigenous library workers, whose disabilities frequently remain hidden or unsupported within their institutions. Libraries committed to fostering true belonging must intentionally address these intersectional barriers with cultural humility and through sustainable, structural change.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will:
Recognize cultural, linguistic, and systemic factors that shape disability experiences within AANHPI and Indigenous communities.
Identify signs of invisible disability barriers in library services, programming, hiring, and workplace culture.
Apply culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and disability-affirming practices to outreach and support.
Develop strategies to create psychologically safe, supportive environments for AANHPI and Indigenous staff with disabilities, empowering attendees to advance equity and inclusion at their home institutions.”
APALA Literature Awards Banquet
Tickets are now live for the 2026 APALA Literature Awards Banquet!
We are thrilled to invite you to the 2026 APALA Literature Awards Banquet. This annual banquet celebrates the authors, illustrators, creators, and storytellers whose works have been honored by the Asian Pacific American Awards for Literature. These storytellers help share the diverse experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pasifika communities, and shape our collective narrative through their creativity and craft.
Please join us for an evening of community care and joy, as we honor and celebrate the creators who are telling our stories and shaping our futures. Whether you’re an APALA member, a library practitioner, or a supporter of AANHPI literature, you are warmly invited to be part of this celebration!
*Note: Book signing will take place at the 2026 Literature Awards banquet as in 2024 and years prior.
DATE: Saturday, June 27, 2026
TIME: 6:00-9:00 pm Central
LOCATION: New Furama, 2828 S. Wentworth Ave. (1.4 miles, south of Chinatown Square)
APALA Membership & EB Retreat
DATE: Sunday, June 28, 2026
TIME: 9:00-12:00pm
LOCATION: Marriott Marquis, Room Architecture, 2121 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60616, US