Our Annual AspenCat Conference (ACon) is IN PERSON this year and will be held on September 30th and October 1st, located at The Space in South Denver.
An in person conference allows for more content, a wider variety of topics, and interactions that cannot be recreated online. This remains a FREE event that is covered by membership fees.
ACon will focus on interactive elements, practical information, and how you’ll be able to bring all of that knowledge back to your library.
You can register at https://clicweb.info/2026AspenCatCon. The deadline for registration is Tuesday, September 22nd. Below you will find the agenda, hotel information, and information on travel stipends to help mitigate costs.
Agenda (More Details Coming Soon)
Day 1 (September 30th)
1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
The Space
12855 E Adam Aircraft Cir Englewood, CO 80112
12:30 – 1:00 Welcome and Registration
1:00 – 1:15 What can CLiC do for you? – Jim Duncan
1:15 – 1:30 AspenCat Bingo
1:30 – 1:45 Library Presentations
1:45 – 2:05 SWIFT: Fast Track, Long Haul– Marisa Wood
2:05 – 2:20 Break
2:20 – 3:35 Breakout Sessions (sessions will be repeated so attendees can choose 2 options)
a. Events Overview – Ben Wolfe
b. Quick Original Cataloging – Jon Frederick
c. How Circulation is Changing and What You Can Do About It – Anna Szczepanski
3:35 – 3:50 Library Presentations
3:50 – 4:25 Group Talk
4:25 – 4:30 Closing Remarks
5:00 Meet at Prost Biergarten
Optional Activity
There is an optional activity after the sessions on Wednesday, meet up at Prost Biergarten for Food and Drinks (Non alcoholic beverages available).
53 Centennial Boulevard Highlands Ranch 80129
Day 2 (October 1st)
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
The Space
12855 E Adam Aircraft Cir Englewood, CO 80112
8:15 – 8:30 Registration and Light Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45 State of the Union Catalog – Bob Bennhoff
8:45 – 9:00 Literary Character Speed Connections
9:00 – 9:45 Trends from Small & Rural Libraries – Anna Szczepanski and Christine Kreger
9:45 – 10:15 Library Presentations
10:15 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:35 Breakout Sessions (sessions will be repeated so attendees can choose 2 options)
a. Events (Building a Template) – Ben Wolfe
b. Reports Run Through – Bob Bennhoff
c. Hoopla Help – Kira Zimmerman
11:35 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 12:45 Rock, Scissors, Paper Tournament
12:45 – 1:30 Living Our Values: Exploring the Core Values of Librarianship – Polly Gallagher
1:30 – 1:45 Library Presentations
1:45 – 2:00 Break
2:00 – 2:40 Breakout Sessions (only 1 session)
a. Discover Layer Q and A – Ben Wolfe
b. Digging into Modification Logs – Bob Bennhoff
c. Koha Customization – Jon Frederick
2:40 – 2:55 Library Presentations
2:55 – 3:40 AI Luddite VS. AI Futurist – Bob Bennhoff and Jim Duncan
3:40 – 4:00 Closing Presentation and Farewell
Travel Stipend
Attendees driving over 50 miles to attend ACon are invited to apply for a travel stipend to help mitigate travel costs. The AspenCat team understands travel is expensive and are committed to helping those who do not live near the conference to attend. Anyone who accepts a stipend will be asked to do a short (5 minutes or less) presentation about something cool happening their library, whether it is AspenCat related or not. These presentations help make the conference a more fun and engaging space. Applications will be considered on a first come first serve basis until the stipend budget runs out.
Reimbursements
50 miles to 200 miles – $0.50 per mile (Capped at $150 total)
To apply please fill out this form.
Hotel Information
There are numerous nearby options to stay, this is an incomplete list of some of the closest.
Four points by Marriot – Room Discount Available
Hampton Inn – Denver Tech Center South
Holiday Inn & Suites – Centennial