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ALIA’s National 2024 Conference theme is Truth and Dare.

With this theme, we extend an invitation for First Nations Truth Telling, we showcase the battle against disinformation, and we dare ourselves to push our work forward to continue to bring vibrant, relevant services to library users and communities.

The conference will feature keynote speeches, workshops, presentations, lightning talks, and panel discussions specifically related to the following sub-themes:

• From Inclusion to Belonging: Presentations in this stream acknowledge that diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives that focus only on quotas often fall short of meeting the intended goal of creating an equitable workplace, cultural safety, or cohesive communities. We sometimes fail to recognise that just because someone is includedin our library as staff or library users, it doesn’t mean they feel they belong. We are excited to hear about how your library is changing behaviours to create a sense of belonging, and the outcomes of this change for the people you work with and serve. We welcome presentations from historically minoritised groups willing to challenge our thinking and share perspectives towards creating belonging.
• Raising Voices: This stream focusses on the role libraries play in elevating the voices of those who have been historically marginalised. We also welcome presentations addressing library advocacy and communications efforts, and our role in moving beyond neutrality to speak about the library’s role in supporting the SDGs, strengthening democratic principles of free speech and open access to information, and protecting human rights.
• Daring Greatly, Striving Valiantly: Sometimes we take risks, and those risks pay off; other times they blow up in our face. But it is often from the moments of failure or discomfort that we learn the most. In this stream, we are looking for brave and truthful presentations that showcase your daring to try new things, to innovate, to make new partnerships, to fail, and to learn from failure.
• Forging Future Libraries: From creating green libraries, to AI, to building sustainability through new partnerships, we continue to look for innovative ways to stay ahead of the curve and create value for the communities we serve. We look forward to receiving presentations that highlight a range of programs, services, partnerships, and operational approaches to ensuring your library meets your communities emerging needs.

We hope these themes inspire you and will lead to powerful sharing and learning from a wealth of knowledge and experience across our membership. ALIA is excited to welcome voices that have previously been underrepresented at our conferences.