It is with great pleasure that
Torrie and I can finally announce the updated plans for the upcoming Distance Library Services Conference.
DLS 2020 will be held virtually
November 3-4, 2020! While we may be going to a digital platform,
that doesn't mean that we will be missing out on many of the "extras" that conference attendance provides. We will have social events, networking opportunities, and unconference space for people to gather and collaborate, generate ideas, and/or simply chat.
In planning of the schedule, which will be posted as soon as possible, we are mindful of timezones and work-life balance. You can expect sessions and social events to take place from coffee to cocktails or club soda. The presenters will be offering a mix of
live and prerecorded sessions as well as poster presentations.
Registration
is open and is $90. We are using a conference platform, Whoova, to host the DLS 2020 events. You can expect an excellent spread of presentations and posters, and an active space for conversations which are almost more crucial now than ever before. The
website will be updated to reflect all of the changes to the conference.
We are also opening an additional
call for short presentations. We are seeking proposals for 15 minute talks focusing on how Distance Librarianship has been impacted over the past six months, or during other times of major upheaval and crises (i.e. Hurricane Katrina in 2005, or the 2017 Charlottesville,
VA demonstrations), and what innovative plans, ideas, actions have come from such scenarios. Were they successful or unsuccessful? Were the withstanding or have they evolved or faded over time? We will be hosting a block dedicated specifically to these talks.
The full Call for Proposals will open Monday, August 3, and will close
Monday, September 24, 2020.
We would like to thank everyone,
from the bottoms of our hearts, for the continued support and patience as we re-calibrated over the past several months. It seems that our field of distance librarianship is more important than ever before and we hope to welcome new people to the community
as we all find ourselves shifting to some form of remote engagement. The enthusiasm to continue this event virtually eased the decision making process for us, and we are so excited that DLS will still take place in 2020. We look forward to seeing everyone
in November! Please feel free to share this email widely as this conference
couldn't be more timely if it tried. If you have any questions, please
do not hesitate to reach out to us at any time: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask].
Sincerely,
DLS Conference Co-Chairs
Torrie Raish & Kat Phillips
