2023 Annual Conference

Don't Forget to Register! OK-ACRL Conference 2023

Register Now for the OK-ACRL 2023 Annual Conference

The in-person conference will be held on Friday, November 10, 2023 at the Edmon Low Library on Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Register by October 31 to receive a free parking pass and to be entered into a drawing to win a copy of our keynote speaker’s book, On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US.

You don’t want to miss this year’s conference, with a keynote speech by James LaRue, former Executive Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, on Defending the Freedom to Read. He will discuss the four reasons library resources are challenged, what tactics are used to impose censorship today, and why public engagement is essential to challenge resolution.

Download the Full Program Here!

In addition there will be 14 presentations on a wide range of topics, including from what librarians need to know about AI tools, teaching information literacy across generations, teaching mindmapping & pathfinding techniques, marketing makerspaces, understanding challenges makerspaces faced during the pandemic, analyzing parents’ perspectives on children’s digital media use, promoting community and trust in media literacy instruction, teaching privacy literacy to undergraduates, understanding inclusive metadata, sharing perspectives on parallels and divergences between data librarians and researchers they serve, recruiting non-MLS librarians, partnering with institutional research offices, exploring and assessing the ACRL Framework, and much more! 

Don’t miss out on our free virtual preconference sessions during the week of the conference: Register for these talks using the same form linked above.

An Academic Librarian Careers Panel on Monday, November 6 will include eight academic librarians from across the state engaging in a conversation about career pathways, specializations, challenges, advice, mentorship, and more

A Virtual Lightning Talks session on Wednesday, November 8 will be an exciting hour of six dynamic presentations covering a range of topics, including open access federal datasets, redefining library spaces to support digital literacy, adapting Genius Hour to support library instruction, navigating the Tribal Treaties database, getting started with Accessibility and introducing ALA’s Libraries Transform Communities guide, and Oral History and ListenOK.

About the Conference

This year we are thrilled to come back together in person for the first time since 2019, at the beautiful Edmon Low Library in Stillwater, OK. 

Academic library workers and information professionals have continuously evolved their pedagogical methods and expanded their services to embrace a broad spectrum of literacies essential for nurturing well-informed and critically engaged citizens in the digital age. This year’s theme, “Emerging Literacies: New Frontiers in Supporting 21st Century Learners” will offer a venue for discussing ideas for supporting all library users in navigating a complex and interconnected information landscape. The demand for these skills is underscored by the proliferation of digital platforms and social media that facilitate dissemination of misinformation, the onset of the “data deluge” necessitating advanced computational skills, the continuing challenge of broadening access to information, an escalating number of book challenges in recent years, and much more. 

For questions about registration, payment, or accommodations for disability, please contact OK-ACRL President Clarke Iakovakis at clarke.iakovakis@okstate.edu or by phone at 405-744-9743, or OK-ACRL Web Manager Karl G. Siewert at webmanager@okacrl.org, or . See our Accommodation Statement.

We strongly encourage you to reserve a hotel room as soon as possible, as there are several sporting events happening in Stillwater during the week of the conference.

OK-ACRL is one of the 42 chapters of the Association of College and Research Libraries. The chapter was established in 1982 and incorporated in 2000 with the following goals: to provide opportunities for professional growth and communication among academic and research librarians; to encourage the exchange of ideas and information relating to library development; and to enhance library service to all users of academic and research libraries in the state. Every year since 1999, the Board has organized an Annual Conference to bring together library workers from across the state and region to share their expertise, exchange information, and build our community.

Keynote Talk by James LaRue: Defending the Freedom to Read

Headshot of James LaRue

Author of The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges and On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US,”  James LaRue has dealt with over 1,200 challenges in his career as a public library director and former Executive Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. This talk will focus on the four reasons library resources are challenged, what tactics are used to impose censorship today, and why public engagement is essential to challenge resolution.

James LaRue is the director of the Garfield County (Colorado) Public Library District. He has been a public library director for many years, as well as a weekly newspaper columnist and cable TV host. From January of 2016 to November of 2018, he was director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. He has written, spoken, and consulted extensively on intellectual freedom issues, leadership and organizational development, community engagement, and the future of libraries.

Thanks to our sponsors, Symplectic, Gale, Baker and Taylor, and OU SLIS