PLA programs and events at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference

CHICAGO — The Public Library Association (PLA) will host more than 20 programs, two preconferences, and a President’s Coffee Catch-up during the 2023 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, at the McCormick Place Convention Center and surrounding hotels in Chicago, Ill., June 22–27. Registration is open for the conference, which brings together thousands of librarians and library staff, educators, authors, publishers, friends of libraries, trustees, special guests, and exhibitors.

PLA programming offered during the conference will include sessions on customer challenges, digital literacy, solar eclipse programming, and mental health resources. In addition, PLA is hosting a “Day of Data,” consisting of two half-day preconferences focused on outcome data and library impact presented on Friday, June 23. These preconferences, titled New Digital Tools for Capturing Learning Outcomes and Impact and Project Outcome: Data for Impact and Improvement, are independent from one another and separate registration is required for each.

PLA President Dr. Maria McCauley invites public library peers to join her for a Coffee Catch-Up on Saturday, June 24, 8:30–10:00 a.m. Central. Enjoy free coffee, learn about exciting opportunities from PLA, and hear from New York Times bestselling author Jean Kwok. Attendees will be entered for a chance to win a free PLA 2024 Conference registration. All PLA members are encouraged to attend and no ticket is required.

Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of “The Leftover Woman” (coming October 10, 2023), “Searching for Sylvie Lee,” “Girl in Translation,” and “Mambo in Chinatown.” Her work has been published in twenty countries and taught in universities, colleges, and high schools across the world. Jean immigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn when she was five and worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. In between her undergraduate degree at Harvard and MFA in fiction at Columbia, she worked for three years as a professional ballroom dancer. Jean is trilingual—fluent in Dutch, Chinese, and English—and studied Latin for seven years. She divides her time between the Netherlands and New York City.

View the full list of programs to be offered by PLA at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference.

About the Public Library Association
The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 9,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or pla@ala.org.

About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.