(via the Illinois Library Association)
In 2022, we will convene in Rosemont, Illinois (Tuesday, October 18 – Thursday, October 20), for the first in-person ILA Annual Conference in over two years. This year’s theme–“At the Heart of It”–focuses on what brings us together and how we can remove barriers to collaboration. Therefore, we highly encourage you to widen the scope of your presentation by bringing libraries of different types or sizes together.
We recognize the struggles and separation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic; and through this collective experience, we sought focus and clarity in our personal, professional, and organizational identities. How do we recognize value within ourselves and each other? How do we connect with our communities and make sense of the world around us? Our theme is a celebration of coming together and renewing connections to find purpose within ourselves, our organizations, and our communities.
We are asking presenters to take a different approach to developing program proposals and to go beyond reporting on initiatives in your library. Preference will be given to proposals that focus on the processes of developing programs, implementation, and measuring impact. The following list of questions are presented as encouragement and not a definitive list:
- Why did you choose to implement the initiative?
- How did you navigate the planning phase?
- What were the intended outcomes and were you able to meet them?
- What obstacles did you face and how did you manage to overcome them?
- How can this be scaled for larger or smaller libraries?
- How has the initiative impacted your patrons and/or staff?
The submission deadline is Monday, April 4. For more information, and to submit a proposal, please go here. The page for the Conference Program Committee is here.