CLA 2021 Annual Conference
Renaissance: The Library Renewal
Call for Proposals
Deadline: November 6, 2020 - 5:00 PM PST

The CLA President and Board have determined that the 2021 CLA Annual Conference will move to virtual. Our online conference will be held May 11-14, 2021. While we will miss getting to see you all in person in Pasadena, with the uncertainty created by the pandemic, the entire Board agreed that this is the best direction to bring you an excellent CLA Conference. Planning a conference is a complex endeavor whether it is held online or in person, and requires countless hours of work. Your Conference Committee, Board, and small but mighty CLA Staff are creating a dynamic, fun, and enriching virtual conference experience. Additionally, we hope this will make our CLA Conference more accessible for all members to attend, considering the unpredictability and major changes to our lives during this time. We hope that you will attend the CLA Conference, support your colleagues and California Libraries, and take this opportunity to shape library services in our post-COVID world.

Who Should Propose a Program
Anyone and everyone!

We encourage new and seasoned professionals, students, paraprofessionals, librarians, administrators, library supporters, and library critics to apply. Invite your friends and colleagues! If you know non-library folks who can share something CLA needs to hear, encourage them to apply.

We particularly encourage submissions that prioritize the voices of people who belong to groups that have traditionally been marginalized, such as people who identify as: BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ, differently abled/disabled.

This year our theme is “Renaissance: The Library Renewal”.

Oh, there is one exception: program proposals promoting or selling products/services during sessions will not be accepted.

Funding
● CLA does not provide financial support for concurrent (regular), Ignite, Poster or Pre-Conference programming.
● Presenters are required to obtain a conference registration by the close of the Early Bird registration period in order to present at conference. Requests for an exception must be submitted in writing and will only be granted for those who will not be attending any conference programming or events other than their own program. Send requests via email to execdir@cla-net.org to the attention of the CLA Conference Co-Chairs Dolly Goyal and Nicole Pasini.
● Please do not let lack of funding keep you from proposing a program. CLA has a conference scholarship fund and application information will be released before registration opens.

Program Types
● Pre-Conference
Pre-conference programs are half-day to full-day workshops that provide a more in-depth look at a particular topic. These programs must provide more training and interaction than a concurrent program would. We are particularly looking for programs that fulfill one or more of the following:
○ Prioritize the voices of people who belong to groups that have been traditionally marginalized, such as people who identify as: BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ, differently abled/disabled. Authors who identify with these groups are especially encouraged to apply.
○ Are useful for staff at all levels and from a variety of library types
○ Focus on things you didn’t learn in library school, but instead learn on the job

● Concurrent Programming
Concurrent programs provide participants with an in-depth look at a topic and allow for some interaction (Q & A, etc). More granularly, program types may include but are not limited to: Panel Presentation (more than 1 person, no more than 4), Roundtable discussion, Workshop, Film with discussion, etc. Program proposals with extensive interactive elements will be prioritized for the livestream track. You may request 45, 60, or 90 minutes in length, although scheduling needs mean that we may not be able to accommodate your request. We are particularly looking for programs that fulfill one or more of the following:
○ Prioritize the voices of people who belong to groups that have been traditionally marginalized, such as people who identify as: BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ, differently abled/disabled. Authors who identify with these groups are especially encouraged to apply.
○ Appeal to/are presented by a broad range of participants - library workers, students, Friends and stakeholders, at multiple library types, and at various professional stages.
○ Would provide useful professional development for attendees to access during the conference and/or throughout the coming year.

● Poster Sessions
Virtual Posters will be available on demand, without audio or video content. This is a great space to share an idea and network with peers without the pressure of presenting.

● Ignite Sessions
Ignite presentations are 5 minutes long, timed, and use no more than 20 slides (auto-advance is optional at CLA conference). These micro-presentations are a great way to perfect your elevator pitch for a topic or program for which you hope to win followers. They are very friendly for new presenters who want to gain experience but are also a wonderful opportunity for seasoned speakers to practice persuasion (and timing). Ignite presentations will be grouped together to fill a longer program slot. We are requesting proposals for Ignite sessions and more information about the Ignite format is available here: http://www.ignitetalks.io/.

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