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2020 WLA Conference

When: October 5–10, 2020
Where: Now online!

Thank you to everyone who made #WLA2020 so successful! We had over 1,400 attendees join us from across Washington and beyond.

Did you miss the chance to attend live sessions? Never fear – you can still take advantage of the great learning and networking opportunities through our extended-access virtual conference platform! 

All of these great features will be available through December 31 for registrants:

  • Recordings of every conference session available for on-demand viewing, including keynotes
  • Downloadable handouts, slide decks, and resource guides from conference presenters
  • Contact information and downloadable materials from exhibitors
  • Community forums to continue to connect with your peers

Conference highlights include:

  • Keynotes – Hear from Wanda K. Brown, 2019-20 ALA President; CiKeithia Pugh of Equity Matters; Chris Coward and Jevin West of the UW Center for an Informed Public; and a youth author panel!
  • Professional Development – Access 65 sessions from experts and innovators in academic, public, school, and special libraries throughout Washington.
  • Recordings – Unsure if you can fit in the conference to your workday? All registrants receive access to all session and keynote recordings through December 31, 2020!
  • WLA After Dark – Participate in evening breakout sessions that are more irreverent, fun, or provocative than our standard conference fare. All sessions are BYOB, obviously.
  • After School Sessions – School librarians can attend these afternoon programs that are hyper-focused on school libraries. School-relevant programs are still scheduled throughout the conference.
  • Exhibit Hall – Explore a bustling virtual exhibit hall where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more.
  • Networking Coffee Breaks – Grab your beverage of choice and join meetups, hangouts, and topic-specific discussions—or schedule your own!
  • Academic Poster Sessions – Check out the incredible work that our colleagues in academic libraries are doing across the state. Check out more information to submit a proposal.
  • Community Bulletin Board – Share ideas, network, and engage in conversation with other conference attendees.
  • User-Friendly Platform – Navigate the conference with ease through Whova, our user-friendly conference platform. Make use of the desktop and mobile apps to participate at home, at work, or on the go.
  • Accessible Price – Get full conference access for $50 for WLA members, $35 for WLA Student/Friend/Trustee/Retired/Unemployed Members, and $65 for non-members.
  • Organizational Rates – Purchase an Organizational Rate pass to allow staff from all levels, roles, and career stages to attend for a flat fee!

The conference theme is 2020 Vision: Looking to the Future. Libraries of all types are facing challenges as we head into the future. While we need to hold these challenges firmly in our field of focus, we simultaneously need to be scanning the horizon for new opportunities. There are oceans of possibilities surrounding inventive and important programs. New methods of reaching our constituents. Changes to our physical spaces. Changes in funding. Incorporating new technology. And so on. By reflecting on our collective past and remembering that libraries have always faced change head on, let’s come together to share our clearest visions for the future!


Conference Platform

The 2020 WLA Conference will be held online using the award-winning event app Whova! Forming new connections is one of the best parts of a WLA conference, and we wanted to choose a conference platform that makes it easy to network, collaborate, and socialize. The app features:

  • Live programs – Participate in sessions and keynotes, all of which will be live
  • Program recordings – Get access to all session and keynote recordings through December 31, 2020
  • Community bulletin board  Engage in active conversations with colleagues
  • Meetups  Attend a virtual social meetup or schedule your own
  • Networking – Exchange business cards, search the attendee database, and send messages
  • Exhibitors – Discover new vendors, interact with them in live streams and chats, win raffle prizes, and leave with coupons and giveaways
  • Agenda – Easily search and filter sessions to build your own conference agenda
  • Desktop & mobile apps – Participate at home, at work, or on the go

Conference Bookseller

Our online conference bookseller is Bookshop.org! On our WLA Bookshop storefront, you can find further reading recommendations submitted by our session presenters. Books will continue to be added, so check back soon! WLA earns 10% for each sale, with a matching 10% to support independent bookstores across the country.