The first official event of the newly formed ALA Core Division will be the Core Virtual Forum on November 18 and 20. The exciting two-day program will take place on non-consecutive days, which will provide more flexibility for attendees and minimize Zoom fatigue.
Core is excited to have keynote speakers, Dr. Meredith Clark and Sofia Leung, opening up Forum each day. This is a unique opportunity for us to reflect after what will be a challenging year.
Dr. Clark’s talk will focus on how institutions have lost credibility but libraries stand in that trust gap and provide context in the moment; a panel discussion will follow.
Leung’s talk will explore some of the LIS values, structures, and characteristics that subtly and explicitly sustain a culture of white supremacy and how this can be dismantled through a suggested set of actions, followed by a discussion to engage attendees.
The Forum programming subcommittee received 80 session proposals and anticipates an acceptance rate of 15%. At least twelve dynamic and relevant sessions will take place over the two days of Forum.
The present-day challenges we all face are driving many library leaders to reassess priorities, explore innovative technology solutions, and address evolving staffing and workplace demands. As a group of information professionals, we can take on these challenges together and learn from each other.
Both the keynotes and all of the sessions selected embody our theme for this year, ”Intention and Serendipity: Exploration of Ideas through Purposeful and Chance Connections”. The Forum Planning committee decided on the theme and purpose for gathering, largely inspired by Priya Parker’s “The Art of Gathering.”
Early on, it was very important for the committee to recognize that this will be a safe place for us to learn from each other and pick up new ideas to take back to our libraries and information centers.
Since this is the first gathering of Core, we are especially excited about the social events that will bring us together and help us get to know each other:
- Online Opening Reception
- Core Happy Hour
- Virtual Game Night
Additionally, there will be an opportunity for attendees to gather in our Core Virtual Lounge, an informal place where active discussions can happen surrounding Core Virtual Forum events. This may include live, ad hoc BOFs (birds of a feather discussions) and Slack channel messaging.
As icing on the cake, we are anticipating scheduled entertainment breaks, such as a brief guided yoga session, as a way to relax and recharge between session sprints. Stay tuned for more announcements surrounding Core Virtual Forum.
Registration is open! Reserve your spot now
#CoreForum2020
