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Conference
Denise McFarlin, Atla Staff Liaison
Erica Durham, Chair

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Erica Durham, Columbia Theological Seminary, Chair
• Cindy Aalders, Regent College
• Robert Burgess, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Christopher Spilker, Sacred Heart Major Seminary
• Vance Thomas, Central Baptist Theological Seminary
• Kris Veldheer, Catholic Theological Union
• Megan Welsh, University of Colorado Boulder
• Gillian Harrison Cain, Atla Director of Member Programs
• Denise McFarlin, Atla Staff Liaison

REPORT ON ATLA ANNUAL 2020 

The Familiar
by Denise McFarlin

The Conference Committee met in Detroit, Michigan, to plan and 
select the proposal sessions that would be presented at Atla Annual 
2020. Our annual gathering for the Fall Planning Committee Meet-
ing was held in October 2019.  Of course, we made all the necessary 
decisions that allowed us to implement a compelling conference 

COMMITTEE &  
TASK FORCE REPORTS



2  A NNUA L Y E A RBOOK

experience. We toured and marveled at the glorious restoration of 
the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel function space; we selected 55 concur-
rent sessions; we devised a great plan for updating the proposal 
submission process; we discussed the potential for future webi-
nars to further highlight and expand on sessions that would be of 
global interest to those unable to attend; we also did a brief walk 
to explore downtown Detroit and were delighted to see numerous 
restaurants and other attractions that would appeal to all attendees. 
Did we mention that, for the first time in history, the North American 
International Auto Show was being held in June in Detroit (which 
included the dates of our conference), literally steps from where 
we were meeting? We determined that, for any follow-up activities, 
we would meet via a conference call (Zoom had not become ubiqui-
tous) to discuss any last-minute updates regarding Atla Annual. We 
returned to our respective cities feeling good about the plans we had 
devised. We were prepared and ready. Instead . . .

We watched and saw the familiar change daily; we all watched 
and felt the realization of being in a pandemic of COVID-19; we 
watched as others made the pivot (the second most ubiquitous word), 
and we made the pivot to . . .

The New Familiar
by Erica Durham

We went from Detroit, Michigan, to homes, offices, and couches in 
Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia, Kenya, Germany, Austria, Fiji, 
Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. We 
went from chatting with colleagues over delicious snacks to eating 
lunch with our microphones muted while listening to speakers. We 
went from using Yelp to find an excellent restaurant to using Sched 
to find the next Zoom room. And we did it with the resilience and 
good nature so commonly found amongst theological librarians!

Four hundred thirty-four inquiring minds, devoted Association 
members, and first-time attendees gathered for thirty-nine concur-
rent sessions over three days. What a whirlwind!

So many aspects of the conference were already big changes 
for us: trying to remember to say Atla instead of “A-T-L-A,” Sched 
instead of “SKEDG” (or am I the only person who can’t seem to get 
that straight?), and operating in the Central Time Zone while living 
in India Standard Time. But so many things were familiar: familiar 
names, familiar hands being raised, familiar faces welcoming us to 
sessions, and familiar exhaustion at the end of each day.



Committee &  Task Force Reports  3

Presenters did a wonderful job condensing forty-five-minute 
sessions into thirty minutes, turning discussion groups into virtual 
shared experiences, and transforming engaging face-to-face poster 
sessions into high-level online content. Two plenary speakers shared 
practical strategies for increasing hospitality and inclusion and the 
promise of transformation through deliberate, intensive, interfaith 
work.

We are thankful for the four sponsors of the conference (Atla 
Products, EBSCO, Digitalia, and OCLC). We were enriched by the 
participation from members of the Association of Jewish Librar-
ies, the Catholic Library Association, and the Catholic Research 
Resources Alliance. Can you believe that two institutions brought ten 
staff members to the conference? Or that fourteen vendors worked 
hard to adapt to the online format and bring us new and exciting 
products?

It was truly a high-quality conference. On behalf of the Confer-
ence Committee, I offer our heartfelt praise and thanks for the amaz-
ing Atla staff who are the epitome of professionalism, adaptability, 
and creativity and are so, so kind and helpful too!

We also thank all session presenters, session hosts, exhibitors, 
and speakers. We will see you again next year in some way, shape, 
or “format!”


