The 2019 ALA Annual Conference was held in Washington D.C. from June 20 to 25. This year, we set out with the intention of sharing some of our favorite takeaways from the conference for our July blog post — and the program ideas they've inspired now that we're back home.
Have you ever wished you could have just one hour to mingle with the best programming librarians, see samples of their finest events, and ask them how they did it? That’s exactly what attendees at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference got at Program Speed Dating with the Programming Librarian Interest Group.
With over 200+ educational sessions, 10+ speakers, 700+ authors and 550+ exhibitors, this year's ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition is the place to be this summer.
For the first time ever, LibLearnX is happening in person! Join library workers and advocates from around the world in New Orleans. Featured conference speakers include Ibram X.
In June 2022, ALA Annual Conference is back in person for the first time since 2019! The Walter E. Washington Convention Center will host headliners such as Tiffany Haddish, John Cho and Maria Hinojosa.
The 2021 ALA Annual Conference (June 23 — 29) is coming up! The online conference will offer educational programs, special author events and social networking opportunities. Headliners include Nikole Hannah-Jones, Isabel Wilkerson and President Barack Obama. Register now!
Join the ALA Public Programs Office and the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University for a one-day workshop to learn how your library can help adults in your community become eagle-eyed news consumers.
Media Literacy at Your Library Training will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 21, as part of the 2019 ALA Annual Conference (June 20 to 25).
In this intensive one-day preconference, participants will:
As the days get longer, the time you must wait until the ALA Annual Conference is getting shorter. While headliners like Michelle Obama and Viola Davis may be excitement enough, there will be plenty of can't-miss sessions related to programming, too.
Check out some of our favorites below. Have other suggestions? Share them in the comments.
* indicates the session is recommended for rural libraries
A lot of the 2018 PLA Conference for me was sharpening the tools I have in my toolbox to ensure I am standing on a firm foundation when designing and implementing programming. Can I speak to how the programs I am doing align with the mission of my library? How do I know that I am actually doing what my community wants? There is a lot of information I am still digesting and sorting through, but below are the top three lessons that I am working on putting into practice.
Update 1/9/18: This workshop is now open to library professionals from all library types! Space is limited; please register early. The workshop will include breakout sessions for academic and non-academic libraries. Questions? Contact ALA's Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org.
Public library workers are invited to apply for a $500 stipend to attend "Stand Up for Health: Health and Wellness Services for Your Community," a preconference workshop held at the Public Library Association (PLA) 2018 Conference in Philadelphia.
Public libraries that serve small and/or rural communities are invited to apply for a travel stipend to attend a one-day dialogue and deliberation pre-conference workshop at the 2018 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in New Orleans.
Our library created a mini-genealogy conference called Family History Day. The event, which took place on a single Saturday in October, combined our genealogy classes from previous years with new activities. This format allowed us to concentrate our staffing needs into one day and three spaces, rather than spreading the need for staffing throughout the month.
