Call for Presenters at the Pennsylvania Library Association Conference!

February 21, 2021

Call for Presenters – Share Your Ideas, Knowledge & Experience at the Pennsylvania Library Association 2021 Conference!

The 2021 Pennsylvania Library Association Conference, Welcome, Neighbor! is scheduled to take place October 17 – 20, 2021 at the Pittsburgh-Monroeville Convention Center.*

The 2021 Program Committee is currently accepting proposals for sessions to take place during the conference, to include more than sixty educational sessions on topics of interest for the library community.

If you are an expert on a topic that you feel will be of interest to this group, we invite you to submit a session proposal!

The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 22, 2021.

Why Present?

The PaLA Annual Conference provides the library community a variety of continuing education, supplier resources and networking opportunities. The typical attendance of nearly 600 library practitioners includes approximately 75% from public libraries, 20% from academic libraries and the remaining 5% from corporate, medical, or government libraries or other affiliations in the library community.

PaLA Conference presenters are afforded the following benefits:

Establishment as an expert in the field.
The potential for future speaking engagements with a pending invitation to join PaLA’s speakers bureau. (Invitation based on favorable session evaluations)
Possible publication opportunities for your abstract or presentation.
Recognition of your presentation to be included in the conference registration brochure and in the final conference program book. Both publications will also be available on the PaLA website.
The satisfaction of sharing your expertise with the PA library community and improving library service in the Commonwealth.

Presenter Registration & Compensation

Session presenters must attend their session during the live, virtual event, whether or not the session is live or pre-recorded.
Please note that we value speakers who are members of the Pennsylvania library community, however unless funded by an outside source, we are not able to offer speaking fees or reimbursement of expenses for this group.*
With required registration for PA library professionals* on the day of their presentation,presenters can take part in networking opportunities and receive inspiration from other library leaders during conference sessions.
Discounted registration fee. (Nonmember presenters may register at the member rate.)

*Rule does not apply for out of state presenters or those working outside the library field.

Submission & Decision Timeline

Program proposals will be accepted through Monday, March 22, 2021.
Review and selection of submissions will take place March 23 – April 10.
Notification regarding acceptance will begin the week of April 19.
Presenter confirmation of program acceptance due by April 30.

Session Evaluation Criteria

The charge of the Conference Program Committee is to analyze, design and develop the educational content for PaLA’s Annual Conference. Such content must address the educational needs and interests of the Pennsylvania library community.

Session objectives are measurable, achievable and provides an opportunity for our members to grow as professionals.
Presenter appears qualified to lead the session.
Presenter is able to make a firm commitment to be available.
Speaker Fee (if requested) is within conference budget parameters.
For session proposals on similar topics, peer-to-peer presenters, who are PaLA members, are preferred over nonmembers.

We receive many more proposals than the program schedule can accommodate. Please do not be discouraged if your proposal is not selected. We do multiple events, and may be able to include your presentation as a poster session or at a regional chapter workshop.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021ProgSub

*The PaLA Board is monitoring CDC guidelines, as well as input from the Pennsylvania library community regarding an in-person event. Potential presenters are provided with the option to share their preference regarding an in-person or virtual presentation.