You are interesting! You do unique things! Your perspective is valuable!!

We say this all the time, of course; and now we emphasize this message because we want to encourage you to go to the annual Minnesota Library Association meeting! And while you are there, it would be wonderful to hear about the work in your library – so let’s do it!

Even if you haven’t been to this conference before, or if you are from a small library, or you aren’t sure your program/material/idea is good – this is an opportunity to try something! I would be happy to work with you on your application – and I can tell you for certain that the committee of library people from around the state (people just like you) will be happy that you sent in a proposal.

We are all stronger across the profession when we hear from everyone. That includes you! The conference will be in St. Paul this fall, so if you want to avoid a hotel stay it’s not too far for almost any of our members to drive over for a day.

Even if you do not give a presentation, it’s good to go to conferences like this. Most of our members are alone, or only working with a small number of people. At this conference, there will be other people who do what you do. They face the same issues you do, so you might be able to give each other ideas and to answer questions for each other! And, the people who do to conference are usually the interesting people in the profession – the ones who are doing cool things. So, there will always be someone to hear, to learn from, and to enjoy just talking with!

Check out the podcast episode Linking Our Libraries #209 that we made a few years ago, with all kinds of information about attending conference and presenting at them.

And this is a bonus episode of Linking Our Libraries, from 2021. We interviewed Ann Walker Smalley, director at Metronet Library System, and Ann Hokanson, director at Traverse de Sioux – both of them sharing ideas about the then-upcoming MLA conference! While that conference is over, it’s a good look at some of the things you might consider as you are thinking about your own MLA attendance.

Submit Your 2023 MLA Conference Proposal!

Presenting a content-rich session individually or as part of a team is a wonderful way to share knowledge, experiences, and ideas. The conference is an opportunity to present innovative directions, exchange new ideas, best practices, lessons learned, stories of successful collaborations, solutions to issues and more. We encourage staff from all levels, library types, and sizes to submit a proposal.

Submit your proposal today!

Call for Proposals: Opens: March 22, 2023 Submission Deadline: April 28, 2023 Session Length: 50 minutes (appropriate for 1-3 speakers) Format: May include single or multiple speakers, panel discussions, case studies, interactive hands-on activities, demonstrations of projects, etc.