2009 Conference: At a Glance 

Refresh • Renew • Sustain in beautiful downtown Springfield!

The MLA Annual Conference just keeps getting better and better. This year's conference will be held at the MassMutual center in downtown Springfield. This light, bright space will give attendees a beautiful view of the park, along with wonderful conference sessions.

Tuesday will feature MLA Advocacy Institute: Making the Case for Libraries in Tough Times!
This pre-conference will focus on advocating for libraries and will feature a day jam packed with practical sessions and vibrant discussions.

Friday will feature a special Graphic Novel Pavillion in the exhibit hall as part of our graphic novel track throughout the day.

In between the conference will offer a wide variety of programs accross a wide range of topics. A few of the programs scheduled to appear are:

• Serving Children with Asperger's Syndrome and Other Special Needs: A View from Within
• Hosting a Successful Author Event at your Library
• Focusing on the Big Picture: Using Community Needs Assessments to Enhance Reference Services
• Public Workstation Sanity: A Presentation and Panel Discussion on Approaches to Managing Time and Patrons at Public Workstations in the Library
• “Next Generation” Cataloging and Metadata Creation Pilot
• MASSCat: Masssachusetts' Open Source ILS Initiative
• 21 Examples of 21st Century Libraries, and more...

The full program will be availble in early 2009.

This year’s conference features the return of the popular career center, round three of MLA’s incredibly fun Trivia/Auction fundraiser led by ALA Executive Director Keith Fiels, the book cart drill team state chamionship, and the return of MLA’s Technology Petting Zoo in the Exhibit Hall!