Program Committee Annual Report 2021

submitted by Peter Shirts

Current Roster

  • Peter Shirts, Chair, 2022 (member, 2023)
  • Sonia Archer-Capuzzo, Education Committee Representative, ex-officio, 2022
  • Bonnie Finn, Student/Early Career member, 2022
  • Andrew Justice, Convention Manager, ex-officio, 2022
  • Kevin S. Kishimoto, MOUG Representative, ex-officio, 2022
  • Sara Outhier, member, 2024
  • Carlos Peña, member, 2024
  • Kristina Shanton, member, 2023
  • Rachel Smiley, member, 2024
  • Diane Steinhaus, Board Liaison, ex-officio, 2022
  • Veronica Wells, member, 2024

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  • Online 2021 joint MLA/TLA meeting
    • With the Convention Managers, we planned and executed a successful online meeting with similar programming options to previous years.
  • Flexible and Inclusive Programming
    • For MLA 2022, we included statements in the Call For Proposals to encourage diverse proposals, including allowing proposals from outside the community and language encouraging submissions from those underrepresented and/or marginalized in library work and in society as a whole. We specifically requested proposals on DEIA and Critical Librarianship. We also allowed remote presentations.
    • In a move for more transparency, committee member applications were solicited to the MLA membership, instead of appointed directly by the board. Evaluation of proposals was again through blind review, though allowing exceptions where the identity of presenters was important to the proposal. Acceptance emails were sent out in mid-July.
  • Community Choice Programming
    • A Call for Proposals for a 2022 Community Choice session was released in late August, 2021.

List of Future Goals

  • Put on and evaluate March 2022 Hybrid Meeting
    • Supports objective 1 of Technology to improve and sustain information technology infrastructure in order to better support MLA members.
    • Members of the Program Committee participated in the 2022 Hybrid Task Force, which developed a plan for how to create a hybrid option for an in-person meeting in 2022, including providing increased streaming access, moving the interest group and committee meetings fully online, and de-coupling the pre-conference from the conference. The Program Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the new format with regard to the program and determine how it can be altered or improved for future conferences.
  • Organize another joint annual meeting with TLA (Theatre Library Association) in St. Louis, Missouri, 2023
    • Supports objective 3 of Organizational Excellence to pursue joint ventures with other organizations.
    • Building on the success of the 2021 TLA/MLA program, the Program Committee is planning another joint conference with TLA, and we plan to better solicit and incorporate performing arts-related content in the program, especially content outside of academic music libraries.