Atla Annual FAQs

General Conference Questions

• When is the conference?

• Where is the conference held?

• Where can I make hotel reservations?

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

• What is Atla’s Photo Policy?

• What is the COVID-19 Protocol Statement?

• How do I request an Invitation Letter?

• What are the dates and locations for future conferences?

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?

• How do I change Sched to reflect my local timezone? 

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

• What platform will the conference be hosted on?

• Will there be opportunities to network?

• 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?

• Do you have an example of the proposal form?

• How do you select proposals?

• What is the 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?

Vendor Questions

• Where can I find information on Exhibiting or Sponsoring Atla Annual? 

• Can I host a Vendor Session?

• What is Vendor Day?

General Conference Questions

When is the conference?

We are planning a hybrid conference in Baltimore, Maryland, and online, June 15-18, with an Online Vendor Day on June 8.

Where is the conference held?

The in-person conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore.

Hyatt Regency Baltimore
300 Light Street
Baltimore, Maryland, 21202

We will also have a virtual platform for online attendees, which can be accessed via Sched.

Where can I make hotel reservations?

Hyatt Regency Baltimore (300 Light Street) is the official conference hotel. Book your hotel room using our conference block link. Space in the conference block is limited, so book your room by Sunday, May 15.

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

Sign up for alerts to be notified when any news is posted to our website.

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.

What is the COVID-19 Protocol Statement?

Atla Annual provides members a valuable and important opportunity to come together as a community to network and learn. It also offers attendees the chance to meet and explore solutions with vendors and other partners. Members and other contributors invest significant time and energy in creating content for the conference and we want to ensure their work is shared. 

As we plan to gather again in person during this worldwide pandemic, Atla wants to provide and inform our attendees of our protocols to help you govern yourself at our conference. These protocols are guided by our core value of hospitality, inclusion, and diversity.  

Atla requests all individuals attending in person either be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination per CDC guidelines, or have tested negative within 1 day of arriving at the conference venue, or wear a mask while attending the conference. During conference registration check-in, attendees will be required to self-certify they do not have symptoms, have not recently been diagnosed with or had direct contact with a known or suspected COVID-19 case, and will comply with the conference’s safety policies and procedures including wearing face coverings, physical distancing guidelines, and other requirements as warranted.  

The event will follow venue (Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor), city of Baltimore (Department of Health Baltimore City), state of Maryland (Department of Health State of Maryland), any federal requirements and regulations, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on masking, distancing, and health related matters. Sanitation protocols will be implemented to ensure a safe environment for hosting the conference. 

By registering to attend Atla Annual 2022 in person, you understand and recognize the risk of contracting COVID-19 (by traveling or attending) and are releasing Atla, its Board of Directors and Atla Staff from any liability, harm or inherent risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Please check the Atla Annual FAQ for updates as we get closer to Atla Annual 2022.

How do I request an Invitation Letter?

Please fill out this application. If approved, you will receive a letter within five business days.

What are the dates and locations for future conferences?

We have future events posted on our Events listing page, which can you view at this link.

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-Person Experience

Online Experience

One day passes for in-person conference registration may not be combined. Pre-conference sessions may have additional fees.

Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your conference registration for a full refund until Wednesday, June 1, 2022. After June 1, 2022, refunds are subject to a $50 processing fee.

Consider joining Atla for the member rate!

Where can I access the conference schedule?

View the schedule on Sched: https://atlaannual2022.sched.com/

Will there be pre-conference sessions?

Yes! View them on Sched.

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

1. Register by going to our Events page and signing into your My Atla account.
2. You will be asked if you would like to register yourself or register a colleague. Follow the instructions on the screen. By registering for a colleague, you accept all policies and protocols on behalf of your colleague. 

Don’t see their name on your institution’s roster? You may need to update your roster before registering your staff in the My Atla web portal. 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?

We don’t have a conference schedule for Atla Annual 2022 just yet, but check out last year’s: https://atlaannual2022.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.

How do I change Sched to reflect my local timezone?

When viewing the main page of the event on Sched, the right hand side of the screen will give you the option to change the timezone, as well as filter your views. Please note that the default timezone setting is Eastern Standard Time.

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://atlaannual2022.sched.com/ to view Sched.

What platform will the conference be hosted on?

The online components of the conference will be hosted on Zoom.

Will there be opportunities to network?

Always. Stay tuned for more information. 

Will the sessions be recorded?

Sessions will be recorded and made available to conference registrants if all presenters in a session have agreed to do so.

What equipment do I need?

Online attendees will be able to access the full online program through any computer which supports Zoom meetings.

Will there be a Passport Program like before?

Always! Stay tuned for more information.

Can I participate in the conference on a mobile device?

Yes! Stay tuned for more information.

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? 

Yes! View Atla Annual 2022 programs.

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! Stay tuned for more information.

Presenter Questions

How do I submit a proposal?

We are no longer accepting proposals. Stay tuned for Atla Annual 2023!

Do you have an example of the proposal form?

Yes! View a PDF of the proposal form.

What are the types of sessions?

Business Meeting (45-minute Session)

• Denominational Group – A meeting of an Atla Denominational Group. All meetings of this type are held concurrently at a time to be assigned.
• Interest Group Meeting – A meeting of an Atla Interest Group. Groups will be given time slot options to select from in the Spring.
• Regional Group Meeting – A meeting of a Regional Group. Groups will be given time slot options to select from in the Spring.
• Other Meeting – A meeting of any other group, such as NACO, Reciprocal Borrowing, Atla Digital Library, Atla Open Press editorial boards, etc. Groups will be given time t options to select from in the Spring.

Conversation Group (75-minute Session) – Presenter(s) gives brief introductory remarks (5-10 minutes) and facilitates a discussion among participants. 

Exhibitor (45-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 (45-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 (75-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 (45-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. 

Poster – An informal session in which presenter(s) deliver(s) information that would be useful to the theological librarianship community.

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

• Full-Day (8 hours)
• Half-Day (4 hours)
• Quarter Day (2 hours)

Worship – Groups or individuals organize worship or other observance including identifying program and officiant and possibly a location other than the conference hotel. Atla staff will follow up in the Fall to discuss logistics and feasibility.

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 winter meeting.

Rubric

A copy of the scoring rubric the Conference Committee uses to evaluate proposals is provided below. 

• Contribution to Organizational Ends – Is the proposed session consistent with the organizational ends of Atla?
• Purpose and Session Type – Does the session description match the session type? Is there appropriate engagement for the session type?
• Currency, Timeliness, Appropriateness – Does the proposal address a recent and/or significant development or issue in theological librarianship?
• Quality of Proposal – Does the proposal represent accepted standards of professional communication (i.e., tone, grammar, spelling, etc.)?
• Audience Applicability – Does the proposal have a broad audience for librarians at institutions of different sizes and types?
• Attend – Would you attend or recommend attendance at this session?

Each category is scored on a scale of 1-4 (1=definitely not, 2=probably not, 3=probably, 4=definitely).

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 the 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 conference proposal timeline?

• October 2021 – Call for proposals
• November/December 2021 – Training webinars for proposal writing and the submission process
• January 23, 2022 – Deadline for submission of proposals – deadline extended
• Late January/Early February 2022 – Conference Committee meets to review and select proposals
• Mid- to Late February 2022 – 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? 

The Presenters’ Guide is available here: https://0-www-atla-com.librarycatalog.vts.edu/eventshome/atlannual/presenters-guide-atla-annual-2022/

Vendor Questions

Where can I find information on Exhibiting or Sponsoring Atla Annual? 

We have posted our Prospectus here: https://0-www-atla-com.librarycatalog.vts.edu/for-publishers/atla-annual/

Can I host a Vendor Session?

Contributing Sponsors, Major Sponsors, and Premier Sponsors will have the option for a concurrent session on either Thursday, June 16, or Friday, June 17. The time slot is 45-minute and in-person only. Subject to availability.

This session will be streamed for conference attendees and recording will be required. These sessions will be disseminated to all conference attendees, allowing attendees to catch up on what they missed.

Session description and speaker list are due by Monday, May 2, or earlier. More information will be provided closer to the date.

What is Vendor Day?

We will be hosting Vendor Day on Wednesday, June 8, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Central Time. This will be open to all Atla Annual attendees, online and in-person ticketholders. Sponsors and exhibitors who chose either the Online Only Experience Exhibitor Package or Combo Exhibitor Experience Package will have access to the event to meet with attendees. We will have an online passport program to encourage participation from attendees. Limit two representatives per organization.