Grove at the 2026 Public Library Association Conference

March 05, 2026 07:48 AM - By Jordan Fields

Grove for Libraries will be attending the 2026 Public Library Association Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from March 31 to April 3.

Co-founders Mark Noble and Jordan Fields will be available to meet with libraries to discuss how open source software can support your needs and goals now and into the future.

Grove will also host a community discussion titled "Building the Future of Demand, Discovery, and Collection Development" on April 2nd from 10:00 to 10:45 in the Minneapolis Convention Center. Read more below and register for the session to receive the exact location and additional information.

Building the Future of Demand, Discovery, and Collection Development

Discovery layers sit at the crossroads of patron interest, browsing, and library purchasing, but the data that could connect those pieces often lives in separate places. In this 45-minute interactive session, we will dig into how those connections work today and where they could be improved to increase patron use of the library and reduce staff time. The conversation will center on open-source Aspen Discovery, Grove’s Loral for Libraries content enrichment, and Ingram’s iPage acquisitions and collection management platform, but no prior experience with these tools is required.

From the patron side, we will discuss how richer series and bibliographic data can help readers stay immersed in the stories they love and discover new ones along the way, without running into frustrating dead ends. We will also explore how demand-driven purchasing might continue to evolve for public libraries and what it could mean to let community interest play a more visible role in shaping collections.

From the library professional's perspective, the session will focus on real-world workflow questions. These include instances where friction occurs between when a patron requests a title and when it is ordered within iPage. We’ll explore how materials request processes might be streamlined through better integration between Aspen Discovery and iPage, as well as other ways Discovery can improve your selection and purchasing decisions.

This session is designed as an open, collaborative conversation rather than a presentation with a single answer. The discussion will focus on what is working, what feels clunky, and what might be possible as discovery, enrichment, and acquisitions systems continue to evolve alongside patron expectations and library practice.

Meet with Grove at PLA

We love seeing you in person!

Grove co-founders Mark Noble and Jordan Fields will be available to meet with library leaders and staff to discuss open-source software solutions for libraries. From evaluating discovery layers and improving the patron experience, to meeting patron needs in a quickly changing world, they’re happy to discuss what’s working, what’s challenging, and how different approaches might fit your library’s priorities. Contact jordan.fields@groveforlibraries.com to arrange a time.

Jordan Fields

Co-Founder