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Call for Core Preconference Proposals – ALA 2021 Annual Conference in Chicago, June 24-29, 2021

Call for Core Preconference Proposals – ALA 2021 Annual Conference in Chicago, June 24-29, 2021

Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, invites you to submit a virtual or in-person preconference proposal for the upcoming 2021 ALA Annual Conference. 

If ALA is unable to hold an in-person Annual Conference, Core staff will work with you to transition your proposal to a Virtual Event, if accepted.

The Core Program Committee welcomes topics that are of current and ongoing interest to the Core membership, including:

1. Access and Equity

o Advocacy in areas such as copyright, equity of access, open access, net neutrality, and privacy

o Preservation Week

o Equity, diversity, and inclusion, both within the division and the profession, as related to Core’s subject areas

2. Assessment

o Emphasizing the role of assessment in demonstrating the impacts of libraries or library services

o Assessment tools, methods, guidelines, standards, and policies and procedures

3. Leadership and Management

o Developing leaders at every level

o Best practices for inclusion by using an equity lens to examine leadership structures

o Leadership for talent management and human resources

4. Metadata and Collections

o Best practices and knowledge in work areas that support collections and discovery

o Best practices for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the development and description of collections

o Standards and best practices for selection, acquisition, description, access, and preservation of information resources

o Preservation of both print, media, and digital resources

5. Operations and Buildings

o Changing trends in organizational structures, services, staff operations, and facilities

o Best practices for inclusive practices and design

6. Technology

o Best practices for inclusive practices and design

o Emerging technologies and actionable plans for library services

o Bridging the technology related needs across all types of libraries and operational areas

Submission Process

  1. To propose an event, please submit an online proposal using the Core Preconference Proposal Submission Form.
  2. Anyone can submit a proposal, regardless of membership status.
  3. Submission Deadline: November 20, 2020
  4. Proposals will be reviewed by the Core Program Committee and proposal submitters will be contacted to discuss their submission.
  5. Final Decisions will be announced by December 2020.


Presentation Format Options

  1. *An In-person Preconference – a full day or half day interactive training workshop held at Annual. The number of presenters are limited to 3 for a full day event and 2 for a half day event.

  2. A virtual preconference – consists of two or three one-hour virtual sessions held a few weeks prior to Annual.

Questions & Comments

Please send any questions or comments about submitting a proposal to: