National Institute Covid-19 Precautions

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UPDATE: COVID-19 Policies at ALSC 2022 National Institute

  • Masks will be required in all ALSC-contracted spaces, including program session rooms, the exhibit and bookstore room, and all offsite events. Masks should be worn at all times, unless actively eating or drinking, or when presenting and distanced from other presenters and the audience.

  • ALSC recognizing the difficulty in social distancing at these events. We ask that attendees allow for social distancing when possible and respect other attendees' articulated boundaries in interacting. (Ask before you go in for that hug from the colleague you haven't seen for three years!)

  • As a small conference, ALSC does not have the resources to hold all attendees' private medical data in a HIPPA-approved manner and, as such, cannot require vaccination as part of registration and/or attendance. We recognize the best way to keep ourselves and our fellow attendees safe is to be vaccinated and boosted, and strongly encourage all attendees to be up-to-date on Covid-19 vaccines prior to attending.

All ALSC 2022 National Institute attendees acknowledge and agree that they are attending National Institute voluntarily and at their own risk, and release and waive any claim they might have against ALSC, ALA, and its officers, directors, employees, and agents for any and all liability or responsibility for any illness, damages, or injury whatsoever that they may incur in connection with their attendance at National Institute, including, without limitation, as a result of exposure to COVID-19 or the manner in which National Institute is conducted.

We are hopeful that, this fall, we will be on the other side of the pandemic; however, we acknowledge we all had similar hopes this time last year. Recognizing the ever-changing nature and outlook of the Covid-19 pandemic, ALSC will refine and set Institute policies and procedures regarding the pandemic after Annual Conference 2022 and as we grow closer to Institute dates; ALSC will take all necessary and reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of our attendees. These precautions may include (though may not be limited to) mandatory masking at indoor events and color-coded nametags indicating an attendee's preferred distancing from others. Please continue to check back for updated information on National Institute Covid-19 precautions.

Due to the intimate nature of the event and the desire to keep costs as low as possible for our registrants, ALSC does not have a virtual component to National Institute. A one-off program or presentation may be recorded and made available through outside funding, such as Endowment support, but overwhelmingly programs and presentations are not recorded.

For those who are unable or unwilling to travel to the 2022 National Institute, stay tuned! ALSC is looking forward to offering more virtual conference programming, much like the highly successful Virtual Institute 2020 and A Celebration of Illustration!, in 2023 - more information to come!