AASL opens proposals for 2021 national conference programming

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has launched a comprehensive call for proposals for its 2021 national conference. AASL invites proposals for concurrent sessions, research into practice sessions, and the IdeaLab best practice showcase to be presented Oct. 21-23, 2021, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Complete proposals must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. Central on Mon., February 1, 2021. More information is available at national.aasl.org/proposals.

AASL seeks proposals for:

• Sixty-minute-long concurrent sessions to be held on Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23. Proposals should include up to three learning objectives and address how the session supports the AASL “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.” Proposals should relate to one of the conference strands – Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage.
• Sixty-minute-long “Research into Practice” session proposals to be held on Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23. Proposals should focus on incorporating original, current research from the field into the practice setting. Previously presented or published research is permitted. Researchers wishing to present multiple papers or research covering a related topic or theme are asked to combine and submit a single session proposal as only seven proposals will be accepted.
• Small program presentations showcasing projects in school library program development to be presented as part of the IdeaLab on Thurs., Oct. 21. Proposals should focus on current research, projects, and best practices in the school library field.

The AASL National Conference Program Review Committee will conduct a blind review of all proposals, evaluating for clarity, originality, and timeliness. Programming decision e-mails will be sent on a rolling basis starting in early February 2021.

Submissions will be accepted only via online form. E-mail, mail, or fax submissions will not be accepted. All questions regarding programming at the AASL National Conference should be directed to aaslnational@ala.org.

The AASL National Conference is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. Those communicating about the national conference are encouraged to use the official hashtag, #AASL21.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.