Speaking & Professional Development



Stony Evans is available for professional development sessions, conference presentations, keynotes, and workshops for school librarians and educators.

📬 To inquire about availability: stony12270@gmail.com

About Stony as a Presenter

With over 26 years in Arkansas public education, Stony Evans brings a rare combination of practitioner credibility and national speaking experience to every session. A co-author of Hacking School Libraries, former monthly columnist for School Library Connection magazine, and Army National Guard Band Commander, Stony's work was featured by the American Library Association's AL Direct newsletter in May 2026 reaching approximately 50,000 library professionals nationwide.

Stony is currently the Library Media Specialist at Malvern Middle School, which means every session he leads is grounded in what's actually happening in a school library right now, not theory, not research from a distance, but real practice with real students.


Current Session Topics

AI Literacy in the School Library and Using AI for Literacy Character Emulation
How do we teach students to use AI ethically and critically? This session documents a collaborative AI ethics lesson developed with a classroom teacher — complete with station activities, handouts, and student outcomes. 
A documented session using Google Gemini to emulate a literary character (Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders) so students can interview and evaluate the AI's performance. Applicable to any novel in any curriculum. Includes student evaluation rubric and facilitation guide. Attendees leave with replicable materials ready to use Monday morning.
Available as: 1 hour session or extended workshop with planning time

Library Advocacy That Works: The Annual Report and Beyond
Superintendents are like CEOs and they need evidence of efficient use of funding and personnel. This session covers practical library advocacy tools including Canva-based annual reports, circulation documentation, and how to tell your library's story to administrators who hold the budget. Includes editable Canva template for attendees.
Available as: 1 hour or in combination with other session topics

The Future Ready Library: Collaboration, Community, and Student Voice
A broad overview of library best practices grounded in twelve years of documented practice — teacher collaboration frameworks, community building through flexible scheduling, student voice documentation, and the intersection of technology and human connection. This session draws on Stony's blog archive of 178+ documented library experiences.
Available as: half day or full day workshop or conference keynote

Your Story Is Worth Telling
A keynote for library professionals about resilience, purpose, and the courage to return to the work that matters. Drawing on five years of Army National Guard command, public library administration, and a return to school librarianship, this session reminds practitioners why what they do matters — with evidence from students to prove it.
Available as: keynote address (45–60 minutes)


What Attendees Receive

I share my current and past best practices so attendees can implement immediately rather than starting from scratch. Where applicable I share digital resources, frameworks, and templates. 


Recognition & Credentials

Blog post featured in American Libraries AL Direct newsletter, May 2026


Co-author, Hacking School Libraries (Times 10 Publications)


Monthly columnist, School Library Connection magazine, 2015–2020


Commander, 106th Army Band, Arkansas Army National Guard


Guest Speaker, Rutgers University School Library Management Program (multiple sessions)


Keynote Speaker, Grant Wood AEA Leveraging Librarian Leadership Workshop, Iowa, 2018


Presenter, ISTE Conference, San Antonio, Texas, 2017


Presenter, Computers in Libraries Conference, Washington D.C., 2017


Keynote Speaker, Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference, 2017


Keynote Speaker, Arkansas Association of School Librarians Conference, 2013




Presentation History

2026

  • University of Central Arkansas, Teaching & Learning in the SLMC, Guest Speaker, February 2026

2025

  • University of Central Arkansas, Teaching & Learning in the SLMC, Guest Speaker, October 2025

2022

  • Arkansas Library Association Conference, Fort Smith, Targeting the Library Experience, Keynote Speaker

2018

  • Wilbur D. Mills Cooperative, Beebe — Future Ready Library Buffet
  • OUR Cooperative, Harrison — Future Ready Library Buffet
  • Arch Ford Education Cooperative, Plumerville — Future Ready Library Buffet
  • Grant Wood AEA, Cedar Rapids, Iowa — Leveraging Librarian Leadership Workshop, Keynote Speaker

2017

  • Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators Conference, Little Rock
  • ISTE Conference, San Antonio, Texas — Game Design as a Catalyst for Learning
  • Hot Springs Technology Institute — Code Name: Collaborate, Featured Speaker
  • DeQueen-Mena Education Service Cooperative — Future Ready Library Buffet
  • University of Central Arkansas — Guest Speaker
  • Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference — Keynote Speaker
  • Computers in Libraries Conference, Washington D.C. — Game Design as a Catalyst for Learning
  • Rutgers University — School Library Management, Guest Speaker (February)

2016

  • North Carolina School Library Media Association Conference — Get Connected!, Guest Speaker
  • Rutgers University — School Library Management, Guest Speaker (October)
  • TL Virtual Cafe — Future Ready Librarians Webinar, Guest Speaker
  • University of Central Arkansas — Guest Speaker
  • Arkansas Association of School Librarians Conference
  • Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert US Forum, Denver, Colorado
  • Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference

2015

  • Arkansas Association of School Librarians Conference
  • Hot Springs Technology Institute — Student Led 3D Printing
  • Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference

2014

  • High Schools That Work Conference, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference

2013

  • Ouachita Baptist University — Technology Integration for Music Majors
  • Arkansas Association of School Librarians Conference — Keynote Speaker
  • Hot Springs Technology Institute
  • Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference

2012

  • Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference


📬 Ready to discuss bringing a session to your cooperative, conference, or school?
Contact Stony at stony12270@gmail.com

Stony is based in Saline County, Arkansas and is available for in-person sessions throughout Arkansas and surrounding states, as well as virtual presentations nationwide.

Popular posts from this blog

What They Remember

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Complete transparency: my first year back in a school library was a challenge. After five years balancing roles as an Army National Guard Company Commander and a public library administrator, I had forgotten the sheer pace of the K-12 world. I traded administrative meetings for constant foot traffic and a 30-minute lunch crammed somewhere between checkout lines. But as the final weeks of the year arrived and the shelves began to fill back up for summer, I decided to try something new. I wanted to see the year through the lens of a student. How did the library impact them? What would they remember? The best way to find out is to ask! Field Day provided all-day traffic to the school library The Simple Prompt During Field Day, I rolled out a long sheet of bulletin board paper and wrote one simple question: "What will you remember most about the library from this school year?" I left out markers and let the students respond—some signed their names, others stayed anonymous. The f...
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