2020 WLA Keynotes & Events
Annual Fund the Future Run
The annual Fund the Future Run will go on—virtually! This run/walk will take place at your own speed and schedule and along your own local route. More details will be available soon. The $20 to participate in the Fund Run will go to WLA's Scholarship Fund to support the education and professional development of WLA members.
Monday, October 5
Coffee Meet & Greet | 9:00–9:45 AM
Make your own cup of coffee (or tea) and start meeting your fellow conference attendees! If you're a new WLA member or this is your first time attending a conference, WLA leadership, staff, and other active members. Learn a little bit about the association, how to make the most out of your conference attendance, and how you can get involved.
 Welcome Keynote: Taking the Lead | 10:00–11:00 PM
with 2019-2020 ALA President, Wanda K. Brown
As libraries grow and change, you may be pondering what the future holds for you and the library profession. You may ask yourself, what is your role in taking the lead? How will you ensure that your library is positioned as an indispensable community asset? What can YOU do to embrace your community and help move it forward? ALA Immediate Past-President, Wanda Kay Brown, shares her vision for the future of libraries and discusses how library staff can embrace and capitalize on the important role libraries play in their communities. Wanda will share her thoughts on how we may best prepare ourselves for the future and how this will not only benefit our libraries and the profession, but ourselves. During this inspirational keynote you’ll learn how library workers can adapt and thrive in this changing environment.
Exhibit Hall Grand Opening | 12:30–1:30 PM
Join us for the kick-off celebration of the 2020 WLA Exhibit Hall! Enjoy your lunch break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more. Represented in our hall will be book distributors and publishing houses, small presses, databases, libraries of all kinds, and much more. Get started on your WLA Exhibitor Passport to win prizes, and learn about the latest products and services from specialists and experienced vendors.
President's Happy Hour | 7:00–8:00 PM
Mix, mingle, and enjoy your own afternoon refreshments of choice with WLA's President Emily Keller, as well as other leaders, members, and notable names of WLA. All are welcome to attend this event to meet the faces of our organization.
Tuesday, October 6
 Keynote: Connecting EDI Efforts with Everything the Library Does | 10:00–11:00 AM
Connecting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts to your everyday work provides an opportunity to deeply examine practices and policies in your library system. What does leading for equity mean? How is this relevant for the communities you serve? Where do you start? Join WLA leadership and CiKeithia Pugh in conversation about EDI in libraries.
CiKeithia Pugh, Senior Associate, Equity Matters
Emily Keller, 2020 WLA Board President; Political Science & Public Policy Librarian, University of Washington Libraries
Danielle Miller, 2021 WLA Board President; Director, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library
Break with Exhibitors | 12:30–1:30 PM
Enjoy your lunch break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more.
Afternoon Coffee Chats | 2:30–3:00 PM
Grab your beverage of choice and join meetups, hangouts, and topic-specific discussions—or schedule your own!
Wednesday, October 7
Morning Coffee Chats | 10:30–11:00 AM
Grab your beverage of choice and join meetups, hangouts, and topic-specific discussions—or schedule your own!
Break with Exhibitors | 12:30–1:30 PM
Enjoy your lunch break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more.
Live Music from the Bushwick Book Club Seattle | 6:15–6:45 PM
Do you miss live music? Grab a refreshment and listen to the literary stylings of the Bushwick Book Club Seattle.
WLA After Dark | 7:00–7:45 PM
Join us for evening breakout sessions that are more irreverent, fun, or provocative than our standard conference fare. All sessions are BYOB, obviously.
Thursday, October 8
Breakfast with Exhibitors | 9:30–10:30 AM
Enjoy your breakfast in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more.
WLA Awards Lunch | 12:15–1:15 PM
Help us celebrate the WLA members who make the Washington library communities so special. WLA Merit Award winners will be announced soon, so be sure to check back!
Afternoon Coffee Chats | 2:30–3:30 PM
Grab your beverage of choice and join meetups, hangouts, and topic-specific discussions—or schedule your own!
Friday, October 9
Breakfast with Exhibitors | 9:30–10:30 AM
Enjoy your breakfast in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more.
 Lunch Panel: Finding Truth in an Infodemic | 12:15–1:15 PM
The Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington was launched in December of last year—a few months before COVID-19 closed the university. Its mission is to better understand and resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society, and improve democratic discourse. One of our core research areas of expertise is studying rumors and misinformation during crisis events. This presentation will dive into what we've learned and how you—and your communities—can help prevent the spread of misinformation.
Chris Coward, Co-founder, Center for an Informed Public; Senior Principal Research Scientist, UW Information School; Director, Technology & Social Change Group
Jevin West, Director, Center for an Informed Public; Associate Professor, UW Information School
Academic Poster Sessions | 2:30–3:30 PM
Check out the incredible work that our colleagues in academic libraries are doing across the state. Learn about their projects, achievements, and innovations while perusing virtual posters. Look out for a call for poster submissions soon!
Saturday, October 10
 Author Breakfast | 9:30–11:00 AM
Join WLA’s School Library Division and the Children and Young Adult Services Section (CAYAS) for a Book Award Breakfast! BYOB – Bring Your Own Breakfast, that is – and come celebrate our 2020 WLA Book Award Winners. WLA Book Award-Winning authors will join us to accept their awards and do a Q&A with attendees. This event is free to conference registrants!
Troy Cummings, author of Can I Be Your Dog? (2020 WCCPBA Winner)
Aron Nels Steinke, author of Mr. Wolf's Class (2020 OTTER Award Winner)
Elizabeth Rusch, author of Avalanche Dog Heroes: Piper and Friends Learn to Search the Snow (2020 Towner Award Winner)
Shannon Hale, author of Real Friends (2020 Sasquatch Award Winner)
LeUyen Pham, illustrator of Real Friends (2020 Sasquatch Award Winner)
Sponsored by WLA School Library Division & CAYAS (Children & Young Adult Services) Section
Break with Exhibitors | 12:30–1:30 PM
Enjoy your lunch break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more.
Live Music from the Bushwick Book Club Seattle | 6:15–6:45 PM
Do you miss live music? Grab a refreshment and listen to the literary stylings of the Bushwick Book Club Seattle.
WLA After Dark | 7:00–7:45 PM
Join us for evening breakout sessions that are more irreverent, fun, or provocative than our standard conference fare. All sessions are BYOB, obviously.
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