PLA at 2023 ALA Annual Conference
June 22–27, 2023
Chicago, IL
Registration is open! The 2023 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, taking place June 22–27 in Chicago, brings together thousands of librarians and library staff, educators, authors, publishers, friends of libraries, trustees, special guests, and exhibitors. ALA Annual will focus on cutting-edge trends, resources, and creative solutions for libraries of all kinds.
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President's Program
PLA Coffee Catch-up with President McCauley
Saturday, June 24, 2023
8:30 AM–10:00 AM Central
Hilton Chicago, Continental A
Join PLA President Dr. Maria McCauley to enjoy free coffee, learn about exciting opportunities from PLA, and hear from New York Times bestselling author Jean Kwok. This is a great time to catch up with your public library peers and be entered for a chance to win a free PLA 2024 Conference registration! All PLA members are encouraged to attend. No ticket required, but please RSVP via this link.
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.
Preconferences
Preconferences require a separately paid ticket. You can include them with your initial 2023 ALA Annual Conference registration, or add them later using the unique link in your email confirmation.
New Digital Tools for Capturing Learning Outcomes and Impact
Friday, June 23, 2023
9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Learn about and test a new IMLS-funded digital toolkit, designed to revolutionize the way librarians capture, assess, and report learning outcomes in hands-on programming. This preconference will share the design principle and process of this ongoing project, as well as the initial testing results. Participants will get a chance to try out the toolkit in real time and offer feedback to the design team.
Project Outcome: Data for Impact and Improvement
Friday, June 23, 2023
1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Are you interested in measuring learning outcomes to drive change, make data-informed decisions, and demonstrate the impact of programs and services at your library? Participate in this preconference to learn how to make the most of the free tools available from Project Outcome for public libraries.
Programs
Below is a list of programs to be offered by PLA at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference. Dates/times, descriptions, etc. are available in the ALA Annual Conference Scheduler. A full schedule of PLA meetings, programs, and other events at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference is also available in the ALA Annual Conference Scheduler.
- A Procrastinator's Guide to the 2023/2024 Solar Eclipses
- Accessible Digital Libraries: Navigating Library Reading Apps with Vision-Impaired Patrons
- Approaches to Collaborative Programming From Local to Statewide
- Collecting Stories from Underrepresented Communities: How to Co-Design a Community Archive at Your Public Library
- Conquering Cataloging: new perspectives with a new tool
- Culture In My Neighborhood: Bringing the Arts To Every Community and Every Library
- Data-Driven Planning and Advocacy for Public Libraries
- Designing Community-Responsive Mental Health Programs
- Diversi-TEAM: Building effective teams with diversity in mind
- Leadership by Design; A human-centered approach for library leaders
- Library of Things: Increasing Engagement & Digital Literacy to Empower Your Community
- Library Resilience from Coast to Coast: Lessons from Disaster Research to Engage Your Community and Empower Your Staff
- PLA Legal Issues in Public Libraries Forum
- Programming for Accessibility: Workshops, Graphic Design and 508 Compliance (Core co-sponsored by PLA)
- Reconsideration Committee: Strengthening our Response to Customer Challenges
- Reimagining School Readiness Toolkit for Libraries
- Scalable Media Labs: Building Your Own Public Library Media Space
- Security in Today's Libraries
- Socioeconomic Mixing: Creating Public Libraries Where Everyone Belongs
- Telehealth in Libraries: What You Need to Know
- The Data Storytelling Toolkit for Librarians
- Therapy Cards: Mental Health Resources at the Library
- Transforming Community: A Rural Librarians Story
- Transforming Public Libraries’ Approach to Digital Literacy: Tools for Success
- Trust the Kids: How Chicago Public Library Supports Youth Autonomy
- Understanding Community by the Numbers
- Wish there was an App for that? Build one! Learn the processes needed to create a custom application and take your library from wishing to the app stores.
Meetings & Other Events
A full schedule of PLA meetings, programs, and other events at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference is also available in the ALA Annual Conference Scheduler.