The 2022 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition will take place in Washington D.C., June 23-28. The American Library Association (ALA) is the most recognized and prestigious organization that provides resources for librarians and information professionals. It has existed for 140 years and is made up of 57,000 members. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
The first Annual Conference took place in New York City in 1853 and was attended by 80 men. This year will hopefully display the remarkable growth of this organization. According to the ALA, total attendance is usually approximately 25,000 including 18,000 paid registrants. It is the largest library-oriented tradeshow, giving place for about 800 exhibitors to participate.
For information about registering to attend the ALA Annual Conference including rates, visit https://2022.alaannual.org/registration. There are separate rates for members and non-members as well as discounted rates for students and retired people. It is simple to join the ALA, and membership is open year-round.
Hotel rooms in the area tend to run out of rooms early so it is advisable to make reservations as soon as possible. The reason for this is that the ALA requires meeting rooms as well as hotel rooms for its conference.
Unlike other conferences where there is a central point of contact for individuals or panels seeking to give presentations, at the ALA Conference, this process is completely decentralized.
"The Conference Program Coordinating Team – representing each division, the round tables, and the ALA Conference Committee – works with Conference Services on the selection of speakers for the opening and closing sessions, and the ‘auditorium’ or other special speaker series. Groups or individuals interested in speaking at the ALA Annual Conference need to work through the appropriate division, round table, or ALA committee," an ALA resource stated.
It is also possible to participate in the conference as a volunteer on one of its committees. This link will lead to the page sharing volunteering opportunities at the Conference: https://www.ala.org/aboutala/committees
According to the ALA, this year's Opening General Session will be a "lively, fireside conversation with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel." ALA President Patricia Wong will be the host of the interview. The Chairwoman has worked tirelessly to protect and preserve a free and open internet, create solutions to the digital divide, and advocate for consumers on the issues that are important.
For those who cannot attend the conference in person, ALA will have a Digital Experience this year. Already slotted to attend will be well-known authors and spokespersons.
"Authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan will present at the ALA Annual Conference Digital Experience! They will discuss their new book, Mad Honey, their soul-stirring new novel about what we choose to keep from our past and what we choose to leave behind," the ALA representatives describe.
More information about the Digital Experience can be found at https://2022.alaannual.org/digital-experience. Basically, it reads that specially chosen events will be streamed live from Washington D.C. to wherever the attendee is located via live stream. All that is required is an internet connection and appropriate software. This is a new addition to the conference.
At the conference, there will be many informative sessions on a variety of topics. At the time that this article was written, there were 661 sessions scheduled.