PLA Conference Information and Deadlines

 

Registration for the PLA 2026 conference is now open.  The conference will be in Minneapolis from April 1-3, 2026.  Please note that these dates overlap with both Good Friday and Passover.  

https://www.placonference.org/registration

The application deadlines are 

      PLA members January 2, 2026.

      ALA members and non-members  February 6, 2026.

Staff interested in attending the virtual PLA events should apply by February 13, 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact SD&T for assistance.  

ALA's LibLearnX 2024 will be in Phoenix in January

 

EPFL's Registration deadline is November 15

LibLearnX is where library professionals at all levels can take part in a conference experience that will provide ultimate learning benefits. Attendees will participate in hands-on workshops, bite-size sessions, and other formats designed to match preferred learning styles with an emphasis on experiential learning.

Be inspired and motivated by thought-leaders, authors, and subject matter experts, and celebrate your colleagues and favorite authors at the Award ceremonies.

Upcoming Conference dates and deadlines

 

Instructions for funding applications are on the Vine on the Forms page of the SD&T blog.  If you have questions, please contact SD&T.

LibLearnX     January 19-22, 2024 in Baltimore

registration opens 10/16

deadline to EPFL staff to complete requests is November 24, 2024

Computers in Libraries      March 12-14, 2024 in Arlington, VA

registration is open

deadline to EPFL staff to complete requests is February 2, 2024

PLA     April 3-5, 2024 in Columbus, OH

registration opens 10/11

deadline to EPFL staff to complete requests is February 16, 2024

PLA members please apply by January 1, 2024 to get early discount

Computers in Libraries deadline for applications is February 17

Registration is now open for the Computers in Libraries conference in March 2023.  

The deadline for submitting your funding requests will be February 17, 2024.  

Please request $330 per night for your hotel, as the website price does not include taxes and fees.

If you have any questions, please contact SD&T.

REGISTER Workshops Venue  Agenda Check Out This Year’s Conference Program! Computers in Libraries caters to all interests and all levels of knowledge. The 2023 conference program offers five simultaneous tracks plus many preconference workshops, networking opportunities, and an extensive exhibit hall. Speakers are knowledgeable, authoritative, and focus on practical applications, “how to” solutions, and case studies as well as technical and managerial issues. Click here to see specific speaker and session information. Sessions include: Impactful Curated Intelligence: Tips & Tools Understanding Websites & Prioritizing Changes Impact of Industry Consolidation for Libraries Designing Future Libraries Connecting Patrons & Collections With Machine Learning Technology Open Source Software for Libraries Finding Our Way With UX Design: By Compass & Heading Beyond Going Green: Community Sustainability Initiatives Library Opportunities: Robotics & Virtual Reality Inspiring the Next Generation: Teaching TechGirlz Measuring Effectiveness in Libraries Change, Innovation, & Libraries Data Librarians in Action Creative Spaces in Academic Libraries Preserving Patron Privacy in Public Libraries And more!

A Quick Guide to MLA funding for this year

 If you are requesting funds to attend the MLA/DLA annual conference this year, here is some information you will need.

The correct hotel amount is $210.30 per night.  This total will not be reflected in your original reservation information, but it includes the resort fees and omits the relevant taxes.  We will provide the hotel with the names of the staff who are attending and they will ensure that the tax free information is applied to your final bill. 

The food allowance is at the usual rate:  $25 for travel days and $50 for full conference days.

The library will pay for one conference food event on Thursday, either the Author Award Luncheon or the Keynote dinner, in addition to the usual food allowance.  

If you wish to attend one of the pre-conference events, you should include a separate justification for this expense in your goals and intentions statement.  How will the library benefit from your participation?

Send a completed registration form with your request, but do not include any personal details in the payment section (e.g. credit card numbers for your hotel deposit ).  Your registration will be paid directly to MLA and then you will be able to make your hotel reservations.

Please indicate which sessions you plan to attend as part of your goals statement, and also if you are serving on a committee related to the conference and/or if you are presenting at the conference.

Please include your home address on the goals statement if it is different from the address on your registration form.  Please include your MLA number if you are a member.

Just a reminder -- your completed forms are due prior to March 11.

Thank you, and please call us if you have any questions.

Funding for MLA is supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act Administered by the Maryland State Library.

PLA Conference Funding Deadline is January 1, 2022

If you wish to attend the PLA conference in March, your signed/approved funding request needs to be received by SD&T before January 1, 2022. 

Be sure to include all needed information so your registration can be completed, especially your ALA membership number if you have one.

ALA Annual registration information

 ALA Conference Registration Opens March 1, 2021

If you wish to participate in the virtual conference, SD&T must receive your completed and signed funding requests by  

5 p.m. on Friday, April 8, 2021

Visit the ALA website to view registration rates and get more information about the virtual conference.  You can also register for email updates on this page.

https://2021.alaannual.org/registration/registration-rates

The conference program is not complete at this time, so try to be as specific as you can in your goals statement without this information.  What is your overall goal of participating?  What do you expect to learn?  What do you hope to do with the knowledge you receive?

Supervisor signatures can be provided by email if you are not currently working on site.  Contact SD&T if you have any questions.

MLA Conference Dates set for 2020

The MLA/DLA annual conference will be held from May 6-8, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Maryland.

The theme for this year is "Into the Roaring Twenties" and a full schedule of preconferences, keynote speakers, and breakout programs is scheduled.  

Watch for more information on the conference website https://www.mladlacon.com/

We'll be announcing the application deadlines as soon as the registration information is posted.

ALA Mid-Winter deadline is November 8

November 8 is the deadline for all Pratt staff who wish to request funding to attend the ALA Mid-Winter Conference in Philadelphia.  Please have your signed paperwork to us by that date so that we can meet the early bird deadline.

• Be sure to include your ALA membership number with your request, and your login and password  if you want us to complete your registration.

• If you are also a member of MLA, please include your MLA membership number, as we can get an additional discount for MLA members.

• The forms and instructions are available on the SD&T blog "Forms" page.  Download the forms you need and remember to save copies for yourself.

If you have any questions, please contact us and we'll be happy to walk you through the forms and/or the process.

ALA Annual Deadline 2018

The deadline to submit your paperwork for the ALA Annual Conference will Be February 9, 2018.

The conference will be in New Orleans, LA from June 21-26, 2918.

PLA and Computers in Libraries Conference Deadlines

If you want to request funding to attend these conferences, please make a note of the deadlines below.  Completed paperwork must be received by SD&T by these dates to receive funding.

PLA application deadline is Friday, December 1

Computers in Libraries application deadline is Friday, February 2

These dates are also on the SD&T calendar.

Goals and Intentions Statements - Guidelines and Suggestions

If you are going to request funding for a conference or outside learning event, you need to submit the "Request for Authorization for Leave and-or Expenses to Attend" form (354).  Along with this form, you must submit a "Goals and Intentions Statement," that explains why you want to attend this event.

Your statement may be brief, but should include the following:

1.)    What is the purpose/focus of the conference or training?  Who is the intended audience?  Put this in your own words and connect it to the library, don’t just copy and paste from the website (1-2 sentences are usually fine).  

2.)    Why do you wish to attend the event?   How is it relevant to your job and/or the library?  How will the library benefit from your attendance?  What skills/ideas do you expect to gain from attendance that will improve your job performance and/or customer service? (this section should be the longest and contain the most detail).  Avoid statements that would be true of any attendee at any conference (e.g. “at this conference I’ll represent the Pratt library”) and focus on why YOU should attend this particular event.

You might include:

• Experiences/information gained from prior years' attendance that you have used in your job.  If this is your first time attending you might include information you received from others who attended or what you expect to bring back from the event.
• Specific information/training offered at the event that you cannot receive elsewhere.
• Lists of specific sessions at the event which are relevant to your job, or which prompted your request to attend.
• If committee service is part of your request, you need clearly describe the committee and its goals, and explain how service on this committee benefits the library, the staff, or our customers. 
• If you are a member of the sponsoring organization, or have a membership that entitles you to a discount in registration or other fees, include this information and your membership number in your statement. 

Remember that the goal of this statement is to give the reasons why you wish to attend the conference and how the library staff or customers will benefit from your attendance.   Be specific.  

If you have any questions about your statement,

please contact Staff Development and Training before you submit your paperwork.

Return your books!

Copies, Copies, Copies

Just a friendly reminder, that you should keep copies of all paperwork you send to SD&T, especially conference requests.  These all go through several offices before they come to us, and somethings things get lost along the way.  If you need to recreate any paperwork it's easier to start from a copy then from nothing.

ALA and MLA annual conferences 2017 - EPFL deadlines for funding requests

Here are the deadlines for applying to the MLA or ALA annual conferences.

If you are interested in attending the MLA/DLA conference from May 10 - 12, 2017 at the Hyatt-Chesapeake in Cambridge, MD, your completed paperwork must in the SD&T office by Friday, February 3, 2017.

If you wish to attend the ALA annual conference from June 22-27, 2017 in Chicago, IL, your completed paperwork must in the SD&T office by Friday, February 10, 2017.

All paperwork must be original, signed, and complete to be considered "on time," and on the SD&T Coordinator's desk by the end of the day on the date listed above.  Any late or incomplete paperwork will receive limited or no funding for the event.

Registration and other information is not yet available for these conferences, but we wanted to put the deadlines out now.  We will provide reminders and further information as the information becomes available.

Guidelines for Goals and Intentions Statements

If you are going to request funding for a conference or outside learning event, you need to submit the "Request for Authorization for Leave and-or Expenses to Attend" form (354).  Along with this form, you must submit a "Goals and Intentions Statement," that explains why you want to attend this event.

Your statement may be brief, but should include the following:

1.)    What is the purpose/focus of the conference or training?  Who is the intended audience?  Put this in your own words and connect it to the library, don’t just copy and paste from the website (1-2 sentences are usually fine).  

2.)    Why do you wish to attend the event?   How is it relevant to your job and/or the library?  How will the library benefit from your attendance?  What skills/ideas do you expect to gain from attendance that will improve your job performance and/or customer service? (this section should be the longest and contain the most detail).  Avoid statements that would be true of any attendee at any conference (e.g. “at this conference I’ll represent the Pratt library”) and focus on why YOU should attend this particular event.

You might include:

• Experiences/information gained from prior years' attendance that you have used in your job.  If this is your first time attending you might include information you received from others who attended or what you expect to bring back from the event.
• Specific information/training offered at the event that you cannot receive elsewhere.
• Lists of specific sessions at the event which are relevant to your job, or which prompted your request to attend.
• If committee service is part of your request, you need clearly describe the committee and its goals, and explain how service on this committee benefits the library, the staff, or our customers. 
• If you are a member of the sponsoring organization, or have a membership that entitles you to a discount in registration or other fees, include this information and your membership number in your statement. 

Remember that the goal of this statement is to give the reasons why you wish to attend the conference and how the library staff or customers will benefit from your attendance.   Be specific.  

If you have any questions about your statement,

please contact Staff Development and Training before you submit your paperwork.

Why is Professional Development Important for Librarians and Library Associates?

The continuing education requirement for public librarians and library associates in the state of Maryland is part of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) under Title 13A.05.04.02, and is the process is the responsibility of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).  Certification is required not only for employment as a librarian/library associate in Maryland, but also for participation in the retirement system.

So this tells us the technical “why,” but not the actual “why” of library professional development.  Often, staff are so focused on the numbers (hours, due dates) that they forget why the requirement is there in the first place.  Professional development and continuing education are crucial to improving library related skills and to the development of the staff member as a professional:  

Education for the contemporary professional no longer ends with diploma, if it ever did. It has been recognized that continuing education strengthens not only knowledge and skills necessary for competent performance but also values and attitudes necessary for the service orientation of a profession.[1]

The ever-changing role of the library requires that the staff also be ever-changing, and ever-improving.  Some estimates show that human knowledge is doubling every 13 months[2], and between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the US[3].  The need to learn new technologies, stay relevant, and restructure services based on the needs of our customers requires ongoing professional development. 

Instead of fixating on the number of hours needed, librarians and library associates should focus on gaining knowledge, updating skills, remaining “abreast of trends and developments in the field”[4], and improving both technical and inter-personal skills.  By recognizing that training and development is a “crucial element in ensuring positive user experiences within libraries,”[5]  staff can explore learning as a means of becoming better professionals.  We don’t take classes to get hours; we get hours to remind us that we need to take classes!  

Of course, we have the yearly Full Record reports and SD&T staff to help ensure that you stay on track with your hours, but if our librarians and library associates are constantly improving skills and pursuing educational opportunities, then the 90 hour requirement should take care of itself. 

---

[1] Hurych, J. quoted in http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/200-cooke-en.pdf

[2] Schilling, David Russell http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/

[3] Morgan, Nick.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2013/01/08/thinking-of-self-publishing-your-book-in-2013-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

[4] Cooke, Nicole A. http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/200-cooke-en.pdf

[5] Lockhart, Janine and Sulaiman Majal http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=iatul