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Editor’s Introduction

EVERY YEAR, ATLA MEMBERS GATHER to attend and participate in 
the annual conference, and this is documented in the Summary of 
Proceedings. For many, the conference dates are penciled into their 
calendar years in advance. It is a time to see friends, visit a new city, 
get out of their library for some time away, and even learn something 
new.  But the 2020 conference was like nothing we have ever expe-
rienced before in the history of Atla. The COVID-19 pandemic was 
raging, forcing everyone into some form of isolation and stopping 
in-person events for several months. So, what is an annual confer-
ence to do? Like so many events during the time of COVID, Atla’s 2020 
conference went virtual.

The year 2020 will be marked as the year of going virtual. From 
graduations and other celebrations to the more routine events like 
family gatherings and church services, people turned to virtual 
platforms, most notably Zoom, to stay in touch and carry on with 
the events of life. But the turn toward events on a virtual platform 
was not easy or simple to accomplish. Just like face-to-face confer-
ences, the logistics of putting on a virtual conference were immense. 
Suddenly each “Zoom room” needed a moderator and tech support. 
Atla needed to find a new way to interact with vendors, present the 
poster sessions, create a schedule for all the papers, and that is just 
the beginning of the to-do list. Instead of meeting friends in Detroit, 
where the conference was supposed to be held, attendees waved at 
each other from boxes on a screen and used the chat feature to type 
a greeting. Atla did an admirable job of putting on an annual confer-
ence despite the constraints and hiccups of the virtual environment.

With the first-ever virtual Atla Annual as a backdrop, the 2020 
edition of the Summary of Proceedings showcases several interesting 
topics. In keeping with Atla’s identity as “Collectors & Connectors in 
Religion and Theology,” some of the contributions focus on build-



ii  AT L A 2020 PROCEEDINGS

ing and balancing library collections. Others focus on the “connec-
tors” theme by highlighting the instructional and curricular focus of 
library work. Given the trying times the 2020 conference was held 
under, one of the papers was reimagined in light of the COVID-19 
pandemic. Finally, the balance of the papers contribute to the ongo-
ing discussion of theological librarianship as a profession and a 
vocation. The Summary of Proceedings collects the wisdom shared 
at the annual conference and may also inspire you to find new ways 
to connect that wisdom to your work.

Although the 2020 Atla Annual was held in a virtual format and 
required all of us to find different ways to connect, I continue to 
marvel at the creativity and dedication of Atla members as repre-
sented in the Summary of Proceedings. For those sessions you didn’t 
get to attend in person, I hope you enjoy reading the papers, panel 
discussions, presentations, and meeting summaries to glean the fresh 
ideas drawn from the experiences of Atla members. It has been my 
pleasure to edit this volume and I hope the 2021 Atla Annual can be 
a time when we can reunite in person.

Kris Veldheer
Editor-in-Chief