General Conference Questions

• When is the conference?

• Where is the conference held?

• How do I keep up to date with news on Atla Annual?

• What is Atla’s Photo Policy?

Registration Questions

• How can I register to attend?

• What are the fees to attend the conference?

• Where can I access the conference schedule?

• Will there be pre-conference sessions?

• I’m an Affiliate or Institutional member representative. How do I register my staff? 

• I want to join Atla and register at the member rate. How do I do this?

Online Conference Experience Questions

• Where is the conference schedule?

• Why do I need to set up an account on Sched?

• How do I set up an account on Sched?

• What if I already have an account on Sched?

• Can I access the sessions on my mobile device from Sched?

• What platform will the conference be hosted on?

• Will the sessions be recorded?

• What equipment do I need?

• Will there be a Passport Program Game like before?

• Can I participate in the conference on a mobile device?

• What accessibility services are offered?

• What language will the conference be hosted in?

• I am presenting. Where is the Guide?

Member Benefit Questions

• Do you offer any grants or scholarships to attend Atla Annual?

• Will I have access to the Proceedings after the conference?

• Are groups meeting during the conference?

Presenter Questions

• How do I submit a proposal?

• What are the types of sessions?

• How do you select proposals?

• What is the new conference proposal timeline?

• What are the best practices for submitting a proposal?

• What are some resources for presenting online?

• I am a presenter. Where is the Guide?

General Conference Questions

When is the conference?

The online conference will be held over three days, beginning June 16-18, 2021. The conference will begin each day at 10 a.m. with most days ending at 4 p.m. CT.  It will open and close with timely and relevant plenary addresses, and Thursday’s schedule will feature the Vendor Virtual Social and the Atla Business Meeting & Association Update. Most of the educational sessions will be 30 minutes in length with panels remaining 50 minutes. Most sessions will take place in three concurrent Zoom rooms and most sessions will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing by Atla members and other conference registrants after the event. 

We understand that your attention will be divided among conference sessions, work-related duties, and your home life, so we’ve planned for 30-minute lunch breaks and 15-minute breaks between sessions. 

Where is the conference held?

Given public health concerns related to the pandemic, feedback from our member survey, and the increased volume of attendees at Atla Annual 2020 Online, the Conference Committee has decided Atla Annual 2021 will be held online. Learn more. 

We will be hosting our conference on Sched, using Zoom.

How do I keep up to date with news on Atla Annual?

Sign up for alerts to be notified when news is announced.

What is Atla’s Photo Policy?

Atla believes using photos of our members and colleagues in our print and web publications fosters a greater sense of community. There may be photography, audio, or video recording at the event. Photographs and recordings taken at the event may be used in future marketing, publicity, promotions, advertising, and training activities for Atla. By entering the event premises, you agree to allow Atla to use these photographs and recordings, which may include you, in all media formats worldwide. Atla will never post images with identifying information such as name, email address, or address. No special compensation is provided to any individual included in images taken at the event. Atla does not contact individuals to notify them if or when their images are used by Atla.

You may opt-out of inclusion by submitting the Media Opt-Out form. Once you have submitted a completed form, you should endeavor to alert photographers and videographers you see nearby to you at the event so you are not accidentally captured in crowd shots.

Fill out the Opt-Out Form.

Registration Questions

How can I register to attend?

1. If you are a member, log in to your My Atla account, visit our Events page, and follow the instructions on the screen.
2. If you are not a member, begin by creating an account on the My Atla web portal. After creating your account, visit our Events page and log in using your newly-created credentials and follow the instructions on the screen.

What are the fees to attend the conference?

In honor of our 75th Anniversary, event pricing is as follows: 

Cancellation policy: You may cancel your conference registration with a $25 processing fee until June 1, 2021. After June 1, 2021, no refunds will be issued.

Consider joining Atla for the member rate!

Where can I access the conference schedule?

The conference schedule can be found here: https://atlaannual2021online.sched.com/

Will there be pre-conference sessions?

Yes! There will be pre-conference sessions on Monday, June 14. These workshops will be included with conference registration. View the list of pre-conference sessions on the Atla Blog.

I’m an Affiliate or Institutional member representative. How do I register my staff? 

To register staff, the member representative will need to log into My Atla and select the Upcoming Events link at the top of the page. Open the Atla Annual 2021 Online event and click the Register button.  

You will be asked if you would like to register yourself or register a colleague. 

If the roster for your institution isn’t up to date in My Atla, you will need to update your roster before registering your staff. To update your library’s roster, log in to My Atla, visit the My Affiliations tab, select the ellipsis icon next to your primary affiliation, and select Manage My Roster to add or remove individuals. Only the member representative will be able to edit the library’s roster. 

I want to join Atla and register at the member rate. How do I do this?

To register at the member rate, you will first need to join Atla as an Individual or Student member. Once your membership order is complete and payment has been processed, visit the Upcoming Events tab in My Atla to continue with registration. The member pricing will be automatically applied.

Online Conference Experience Questions

Where is the conference schedule?

The schedule is posted here: https://atlaannual2021online.sched.com/

Only registered attendees will be able to create their schedules on Sched. Once registered for the conference, attendees will receive an email inviting them to create their account on Sched within one to two business days.

Why do I need to set up an account on Sched?

The official conference schedule is found on Sched and will be the space where registered attendees will find the Zoom links for your sessions during the week of the conference. It is required to sign up for Sched to access the Zoom links. If you are having trouble signing up for Sched, please contact us.

Also, attendees will be able to view other attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors on Sched.

How do I set up an account on Sched?

If you have attended previous conferences, you may have noticed this Sched experience is a bit different. Only registered attendees can set up and create their schedules on Sched, unlike before. Once you are done registering for the conference on My Atla, we will invite you to Sched to set up your account within one to two business days. An email from notifications@sched.com will be sent to your email, requesting you to activate your account.

What if I already have an account on Sched?

If you have an account you used before with Sched, we can add your preferred email. Contact us to make this change.

Can I access the sessions on my mobile device from Sched?

Yes, but the “Open Zoom” button and links are not currently supported on the Sched mobile app. Those buttons will only appear on the web version of Sched. Open your phone browser to https://atlaannual2021online.sched.com/ to view Sched.

What platform will the conference be hosted on?

The conference will be hosted on Zoom.

Will the sessions be recorded?

Most sessions will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing by Atla members and other conference registrants after the event. Even if you are unable to attend at the scheduled time, register so you will have access to recorded sessions. These will be available at a later date.

What equipment do I need?

• Required equipment: a mobile device or computer connected to the Internet.
• Not required: web camera and microphone. 

The majority of the conference sessions will be using Zoom webinars, so you will not need a web camera. The Vendor Virtual Social is a Zoom meeting, so you will have the option to be on video. It is not required. 

Will there be a Passport Program like before?

Yes! Be sure to add to your schedule, Vendor Virtual Social, on Thursday, June 17 from 12:45-1:45 pm as you may have a chance to win prizes by meeting with vendors. Once the Social is over, be sure to fill out the Passport Form (coming soon).

Can I participate in the conference on a mobile device?

Yes! The Zoom platform is mobile-friendly and you can participate in sessions from your phone, tablet, or other devices. Visit the Zoom Help Center for assistance checking your device connection and getting set up.  

What accessibility services are offered?

Transcripts will be provided for recorded sessions after the conference. 

What language will the conference be hosted in?

All conference events will be in English.

Member Benefit Questions

Do you offer any grants or scholarships to attend Atla Annual? 

We do! We are pleased to offer the Member Product Loyalty and Conference Grant Programs to support attendance at Atla Annual 2021 Online. The Member Product Loyalty Program recognizes and awards our current Institutional Members and Affiliate Candidate Libraries. The library’s member representative can select up to four staff members to receive discounted conference registration in $75 USD increments. Grants are available on a first-come, first-serve basis until all funds have been claimed.

The Conference Grant supports Individual and Student member’s attendance at Atla Annual. Grant recipients will receive a $75 USD coupon to apply toward full conference registration. Grants are available on a first-come, first-serve basis until all funds have been claimed.

Will I have access to the Proceedings after the conference?

Yes, the Atla Summary of Proceedings is an open access publication. Members may opt-in to receive a printed edition by selecting their choice in the My Atla web portal under Publication preferences. Learn more.

Are groups meeting during conference?

Yes! Groups will be meeting during and after the conference and will be included in Sched. More information will be posted soon.

Presenter Questions

How do I submit a proposal?

We are no longer accepting proposal submissions. Thank you for your interest and stay tuned for the call for Atla Annual 2022!

What are the types of sessions?

Conversation Group (50-minute Session) – Presenter(s) gives brief introductory remarks (5-10 minutes) and facilitates a discussion among participants. 

Exhibitor (30-minute Session) – Exhibitors present or demonstrate their products and services to conference attendees during a concurrent time slot. Sponsorship or additional fees may be required. 

Listen & Learn (30 or 50-minute Session) – The session leader(s) introduces a new product or idea, showcases best practices in an area of librarianship, and/or provides suggestions for practical application in attendees’ library settings — time for questions should be included. 

Panel Presentation (50-minute Session) – A panel presentation is a small group (a moderator and a maximum of three panelists) in which the individual participants interact and present differing viewpoints on a topic. The purpose of a panel presentation is to be able to hear a wide range of perspectives on a given topic and to hear support and reasons for those positions from a group of experts. 

Paper (30-minute Session) – Presenters give an executive summary of a paper that includes a research-based component. Presenters are encouraged to post their papers to the conference website one month prior to the conference to allow attendees to review the paper in advance of the presentation. At the conference, the presenter should designate a respondent to facilitate discussion. 

Pre-Conference Workshop – Workshop leaders operate in a classroom environment to deliver in-depth practical training on a specific topic. 

• ¼ day – 2 hours 

How do you select proposals?

Each year, the Conference Committee asks for proposals from members of Atla and the theological library community to build the conference schedule for the coming year.

Submissions are collected by Atla staff and forwarded to the committee for the initial review prior to the committee’s fall meeting.

During the meeting, committee members discuss each proposal in turn, noting the strengths of each proposal; the places where more clarification is needed to make the intent clearer to the committee and the eventual conference attendees; any similarities between proposals received that might warrant a joint presentation; and if there are additional topics not present that should be included (and if so, where we might find members able to present on these topics).

The committee then attempts to create a rough schedule for the conference. The final schedule aims to place topics of interest for the same general audience at different times when possible and to keep one person from making different presentations close together. The time period requested for each session is considered also as the committee develops the general timetable for each day.

Following the meeting, committee members contact each proposal submitter with information about the acceptance process, including requests for additional information or suggestions to consider joining forces with another member who has proposed a similar topic. The final schedule is built from these accepted proposals.

Overall, the goal of the conference committee is to ensure that topics proposed are in line with conference objectives, are clear and appropriate for the type of session and time slot selected, and represent a broad range of the interests of Atla Annual attendees. The committee welcomes sessions from both new and returning conference presenters.

As Atla members themselves, the committee shares an interest in making the Atla Annual as helpful and educational as possible.

What is the new conference proposal timeline?

• November 2020 – Call for proposals
• December 2020 – Webinars detailing best practices for submitting a successful proposal
• January 3, 2021 – Deadline for conference proposal submissions
• January/February 2021 – Conference committee reviews submissions
• March 2021 – Notification to proposal submitters

What are the best practices for submitting a proposal?

For tips on creating and submitting a compelling proposal, check out this video, and reach out to us if you have any other questions.

What are some resources for presenting online?

• Setting Up Your Computer For An Online Presentation (Video)
• Top 5 Tips For Creating Slides (Video)

I am a presenter. Where is the Guide? 

Stay tuned for the presenter’s guide!