IUG will not call potential attendees about registration by telephone. Any potential calls are phishing/spam attempts.

Registration Important Dates:

• Register for this event
• Early Bird rate extended! Register by February 6th!

Registration Rates:

• Early Bird: $475 
• Regular: $575 (February 7 - March 31, 2026)
• Late/on-site: $800 (April 1 - April 12, 2026)
• Pre-conference: Six (6) $100 full-day sessions, one (1) $50 half day session, and the Hackathon is free. 
• Single Day:
  • Monday: $325 ($375 starting April 1)
  • Tuesday: $325 ($375 starting April 1)
  • Wednesday: $250 ($300 starting April 1)

Available Discounts:

• Presenter rate: $375
  • If you are a presenter whose presentation was accepted, check your email for a discount code BEFORE you begin registration
• Groups of 6 or more
  • For Main Conference April 13-15 registration
    • Per person discount of $80
    • You must register all members at the SAME TIME.
    • Enter the discount code MCGROUP at the bottom of the CONTACT page.
  • For any Single Day registration
    • Per person discount of $50
    • You must register all members at the SAME TIME.
    • Enter the discount code SDGROUP at the bottom of the CONTACT page.
  • If you are registering a group and have other discounts to apply, please email: Kathy@innovativeusers.org

Cancellation Policy:

• Use this form for cancellation requests and refunds.
  • No phone or voicemail cancellations accepted
• $75.00 cancellation fee for refunds requested by March 31, 2026.
• AFTER March 31, 2026, refunds are 50% of total registration fee.
• All refunds processed within 20 days post-conference.

Pre-conference sessions are half-day and full-day sessions occurring on Sunday, April 12. Pre-conferences are charged separately.

Innovative Sessions

The IUG Hackathon

Presenter: Gabrielle Gosselin

(Full-Day Session: Free)

An opportunity for individuals and teams to improve the system by building their own hack for prizes and bragging rights!

Open to individuals and teams working on a hack for either Polaris or Sierra.  The hack can solve any problem.  Hackers will have 24 hours to design and build their hack and a presentation explaining the problem being solved as well as the solution.  Resources will be available during the pre-conference day to assist.

Presentations of the hacks will be made and awards given out during a happy hour at the end of Day One of the conference.

Sign-up and show-off your best cyber skills!

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Accessibility Learning Lab & Workshop

Presenter: Ruth Starr

(Full-Day Session: $100)

Accessibility isn't just about compliance -- it's about designing every library experience so all patrons can fully participate, both in person and online.  As new ADA Title II requirements take effect in April 2026, this learning lab provides practical strategies on how to further accessibility throughout library programs, services, and digital offerings.

Drawing on real-world examples, guided discussions, and focused training, participants will learn practical strategies for building organizational capacity and integrating inclusive practices into everyday workflows.  This session will highlight how meaningful progress can be achieved through collaboration and planning -- often without significant new costs.

Attendees will leave with actionable tools and skills to further accessibility across their organizations.

This workshop is suitable for all library types and staff roles, whether you are just beginning your accessibility journey or seeking to advance an existing program.

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Understand the standards
• Evaluate your current accessibility
• Implement practical solutions
• Measure your accessibility impact

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Polaris Academy: Web Based System Administration Skills Refresher & Accelerator

Presenter: Michelle Ralston

(Full-Day Session: $100)

Do any of these sound familiar?

- Your library has been using Polaris for years.

- You are the new Polaris administrator.

- You've always done it this way, but what were the other ways you could do it?

- All of the above!

The Polaris Academy offers a day long refresher course focused on 3 key areas of Polaris Web based administration and use:

• Technical Services Workflows
• System Administration
• Understanding and using the Polaris API (PAPI)

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Sierra Academy:  Technical Services -  a Deep Look on Cataloging and Serials Workflows Skills Refresher & Accelerator

Presenter: Michael McClellan

(Full-Day Session: $100)

Do any of these sound familiar?

• Your library has been using Sierra for years.
• You are the new Sierra technical services administrator.
• You've always done it this way, but what were the other ways you could do it?
• All of the above!

The Sierra Academy offers a day long refresher course focused on two key areas of Sierra administration and use:

• Cataloging
• Serials

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Vega LX Academy: Discover, Vega Mobile, Vega Interact Voice & SMS, Vega Promote, Vega Program, and LX Starter Advanced Skills Course

Presenter: Jason Boland

(Full-Day Session: $100)

With the Introduction of the Vega Library Experience (LX) and its first module Vega Discover over 4 years ago, we have continued to roll out additional Vega LX modules and exciting new features for existing modules.  The Vega LX Academy will review those modules currently available, and the setup and configuration of advanced features such as the Discover Homepage, Kids and Themed catalogs, optimizing patron communication across email, voice and SMS channels, integration features between Vega LX modules and much more.

This is a great opportunity to review and refresh your knowledge so that you can fine tune and super charge your Vega LX implementation!

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User-led Sessions

SQL Basics for Polaris: Querying Data with the Polaris Find Tool

Presenter: Matt Hammermeister, Pinnacle Library Cooperative

(Full-Day Session: $100)

This hands-on workshop introduces SQL concepts specifically tailored to the Leap/Polaris Find Tool, helping users move beyond canned reports and pre-built searches to create their own customized queries. Designed for staff who regularly work with Polaris data, this session demystifies SQL by connecting basic theory with real-world examples from the Polaris database.

Participants will learn how data is structured in Polaris, how SQL statements are built, and how to use them directly within the Find Tool. Through guided exercises and examples, attendees will practice writing and refining queries to identify records, uncover data patterns, and find potential data-cleanup opportunities. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a clearer understanding of SQL fundamentals and the confidence to use it effectively within Leap.

No prior experience with SQL is required - just familiarity with using Leap/Polaris for everyday tasks.

Note: This is an all-day, hands-on workshop, with a lunch break in the middle of the day. Attendees should bring a laptop that has access to Leap or Polaris Client.  

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The Great ILS-Data Pre-Conference: Quick Lessons With Your Peers

(Afternoon Session - $50)

Ease your way into this year's conference with our all-star assortment of IUG experts who will present a full afternoon of activities for those looking to expand their library data toolbox. Through a series of mini-talks, some speed geeking and lively conversations, attendees will have opportunities to learn about a wide range of techniques for working with both Sierra and Polaris data.

Individual Sessions

• AMH Insights: Turning Log Files Into Actionable Data - Automated Materials Handling (AMH) systems generate valuable operational data, much of which resides in plain-text log files that are rarely analyzed beyond troubleshooting. This ILS-agnostic lightning talk introduces a practical approach for extracting insights directly from AMH logs to better understand item flow, bin utilization, and system behavior.

  Using TechLogic as an example, while keeping the methodology applicable to other AMH vendors, the session outlines how libraries can automate the collection of AMH log files from the system’s main application computer and deliver them to a centralized location for analysis using common automation tools such as PowerShell and WinSCP. By examining this data over time, libraries can identify heavily used bins, uncover patterns in items routed to Exceptions, and use volume-based evidence to inform bin redistribution, mapping adjustments, and operational tuning, independently of the ILS.

• DASHboard Confessional: Revealing the Secrets of Data Visualization - In this quick session we'll explore how to structure and manage data in order to create a variety of data visualizations and see plenty of examples of data dashboards that have been constructed for the Minuteman Library Network.

• Thousands of Tables and Four Farthings: Building a (De)Centralized Data System for Multiple Libraries

• From Create Lists to Action: Empowering Staff with API-Driven Micro-Projects

• I  Datasette: A Tool for Exploring and Publishing (Library) Data - Datasette is a free and open-source software platform designed by Simon Willison to make it easier to share and publish data. At the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library I have been using Datasette in a variety of ways to help explore and share Library data in useful and meaningful ways that I’ll demo here.

• Out Here in the Fields: Lessons Learned from a Different Database - You may not believe this, but there is an entire world of library management systems outside professional librarianship, each with their own databases and schemas that bring their own pros and cons. And get this: None of them use MARC. I mean, can you imagine?! Let’s take a quick walk through a project that manages bibliographic data in a completely different way, and what we can take away from that.

• Putting Privacy First: Making Due with Less Data - The Minuteman Library Network has historically taken a privacy first approach to its policies and data retention practices.  We only store a month of circ transaction data in Sierra, take great caution with the data we share with other vendors and refuse to use a number of standard features such as linked patrons.  Massachusetts is now on the verge of implementing a new data minimization focused privacy law that has had us looking at reducing data collection even further (do we really need patron addresses?  Yes, but we thought about it).  Come and hear how we are able to balance these considerations with our vast reporting needs and still manage to operate a successful consortia.

• Vega Kiosks

• Python Command Line Processing with argv[] and the argparse Module - Python’s argparse module makes it easy to write user-friendly command-line interfaces. The program defines what arguments it requires, and argparse will figure out how to parse those out of sys.argv. The argparse module automatically generates help and usage messages. The module will also issue errors when users give the program invalid arguments.
  
  In this session you'll see an example of this module in action and how it can be utilized in a Python program which places holds on the items/bibs in a review file, a program with numerous required and optional arguments.  

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Presenters

• Derek Brown, Director of IT; Rochester Hills Public Library

• Bob Gaydos, ILS Administrator; Stark Library

• Jeremy Goldstein, Data Curation Librarian; Minuteman Library Network

• Daniel Messer, Integrated Library Systems Administrator; Library Systems & Services

• Wes Osborn, Executive Director; Central Library Consortium

• Ray Voelker, Integrated Library Systems Administrator; Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

• Victor Zuniga, System Administrator; Poudre Libraries

Time to start planning your program! The preliminary conference schedule has arrived!

There's still time to submit a Birds of a Feather session! A Birds of a Feather session is an informal way to gather people for conversations around a common topic of interest. Send in your idea!

Download the IUG 2026 Presenter Slide Show Template (Coming soon) - Ensure your presentation includes the title slide featuring the conference logo.

Hotel block standard rate: $249 per night (pricing ends on March 20, 2026)

Attendees can now book their accommodations for the conference at a discounted IUG group rate through Marriott. Use the following link to reserve your room: Marriott Hotel Registration. Please note: Per hotel policy, you may book the "standard" room rate and request two doubles or a king in the "Requests" field before finalizing the reservation. The preference will be honored unless availability prevents it. To guarantee a room type, you will need to select the preferred option at the corresponding rate displayed on the booking page. 

Transport

To ensure a smooth journey to and around Chicago for the conference, consider the following transportation options:

• CTA Train and Bus System: The Chicago Transit Authority operates an extensive network of trains (known as the "L") and buses throughout the city. CTA trains cost $2.50 per ride and buses cost $2.25 per ride. Transfers between lines are free within 2 hours of your initial tap. You can pay using tap-to-pay credit cards, debit cards, or mobile phones directly at the turnstiles and on buses. Alternatively, you can purchase fare cards at any subway or "L" station, or download the Ventra app to load money and manage your fares. Google Maps and Apple Maps provide accurate real-time public transit directions and can help you locate nearby stations and track arrival times. More information about routes and schedules can be found here.
• Divvy Bikes and Scooters: For short trips or exploring the city at your own pace, bike and scooter rentals are available through the Divvy or Lyft apps. Divvy operates Chicago's bike-share system with hundreds of stations throughout the city, making it easy to pick up and drop off bikes near your destination.
• Rideshare Services: Uber and Lyft provide convenient door-to-door transportation throughout Chicago. Wait times and pricing vary by demand and time of day. Both services can be accessed through their respective mobile apps.
• Parking Options: Please note: Parking near the conference hotel will be extremely limited and traffic congestion can be significant, particularly during peak hours. It is strongly recommended to use public transportation, walk, or bike whenever possible. If you must drive, on-street parking can be paid for using credit cards at parking meters or through the ParkChicago app. For off-street parking, SpotHero is extremely useful for finding and reserving spaces in parking lots and garages throughout the city, often at discounted rates when booked in advance.

We can't wait to welcome you to Chicago for the conference! 

Know a vendor who is interested in exhibiting? Download the Exhibitor Prospectus
Additional information about Innovative's support of IUG 2026 (Coming soon).