Call for Proposals for the Manitoba Libraries Conference, May 18 & 19, 2023
We are excited to invite your submission of proposals for the 2023 Manitoba Library Association’s Virtual Conference, May 18 & 19, 2023.
This year’s conference theme is Access and Accessibility. We hope that this theme will inspire recognition, conversation, practicable tips and understanding around access and accessibility in libraries, with specific attention to the Accessibility for Manitobans Act and Accessibility Standard for Information and Communications, as well as topics addressing access and accessibility broadly – in keeping with MLA’s commitments to equity, diversity and inclusion as a key pillar in our programming.
We are seeking proposals for:
- Long Presentation (35-45 minutes, 15-25 minutes for Q&A)
- Short Presentation (15-20 minutes, 10 minutes for Q&A)
- “Lightning Talks” (5-7 minutes)
- Panels (35-45 minutes, 15-25 minutes for Q&A)
- Workshops (Interactive, 2 hours or longer)
- or, other creative ideas you have – what would you like to see at the conference?
Recognizing that access and accessibility may set forth an array of applications and implications, we encourage our diverse library community to share ideas, research, and initiatives that fit this theme, however it applies to you.
We hope to showcase a range of sessions that will appeal to libraries of all types and sizes in all sectors (academic, public, school, special). All proposals will be reviewed and considered by the Program Committee. The Committee will review proposals for relevance to: conference theme (Access and Accessibility); MLA’s guiding values (collaboration and partnerships, inclusivity and acceptance, communication, community, open mindedness); and MLA’s programming priorities for equity, diversity, and inclusion and library service excellence. Proposals should not be commercial or sales-focused in nature.
In keeping with the conference theme, we ask that presentations and lightning talks be recorded in advance along with closed captioning, slides, and transcripts (instructions will be provided on how to best produce these). This may not be possible for panels or workshops. All speakers should be available for live Q&A during their conference timeslot.
The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2023.
Questions? Please email: conference@mla.mb.ca