Planning Your Education Program Proposal
Share Your Idea at OLA Super Conference 2027
Have expertise, experience, a project, or an idea that could benefit the library community? We invite you to submit a proposal for the OLA Super Conference.
Before you begin, we recommend that you:
- Review how proposals are evaluated.
- Choose the learning format that best fits your content.
- Familiarize yourself with presenter expectations.
- Explore our submission resources and prepare your proposal.
Who Can Submit?
Anyone with an idea, experience, project, or area of expertise that would benefit the library community is encouraged to submit a proposal. We welcome submissions from people with a wide range of professional backgrounds, organization types, lived experiences, and career stages. Super Conference is strengthened by the diversity of perspectives represented across our library and information community.
Ready to Submit?
Not quite ready? Keep reading for information about eligibility, proposal evaluation, learning formats, and presenter expectations.
Key Dates
Proposal site opens: July 31, 2026
Proposal site closes: September 24, 2026
Proposal review begins: October 2, 2026
Preliminary Schedule Announced & Registration Opens: Week of November 9, 2026
How Proposals are Evaluated
-
- → Proposal Title & Description
- → Learning Objectives
- → Timeliness and Relevance
- → Inclusion of Perspectives
- → New Approaches & Driving Change
Tips for Success
Strong proposals clearly:
-
- → Identify who will benefit from attending.
- → Explain what attendees will learn.
- → Demonstrate how ideas can be applied in practice.
- → Connect to current opportunities or challenges in the library sector.
Review the Proposal Review Rubric before submitting your proposal.
Education Formats
Attendees at the OLA Super Conference have identified a preference for sessions that allow for active and applied learning opportunities. We have programmed a number of conference learning formats to give you a range of options as a speaker. Please choose the type that best suits your content, your learning objectives, and your personal style.
Conversations (45–75 minutes)
-
- → Peer-to-peer conversations on topics that are important and timely to the library community.
- → Led by 1–2 facilitators.
Shop Talk (15 minutes)
-
- → Bite-sized presentations on timely topics and tools.
- → Practical talks with tangible learning objectives that improve attendees’ everyday work and ability to complete or improve a task.
- → Shop Talks will be grouped based on subject matter and intended audience.
Learning Lab (45–75 minutes)
-
- → A standard conference session with active instruction and the goal of helping the audience understand a specific method, approach, or opportunity.
- → Not a show-and-tell session. This is an opportunity to demonstrate how another library system can learn from something you have done and apply it themselves.
Poster Presentation (includes 60-minute Q&A)
-
- → Poster presentations demonstrate a tangible activity, project, or concept. They do not need to follow formal research poster protocols but should be engaging, informative, and concise.
- → Presenters are responsible for their own printed poster. Poster board dimensions are 37″ × 70″. Presenters will also have the opportunity to upload a short audio track to the mobile app, giving context to their poster.
Pre-Conference Workshop (2–4 hours)
-
- → In-depth and interactive workshop.
- → Led in person by content expert(s).
Pre-Recorded Virtual Presentation for On-Demand Content Library (Flexible)
-
- → Recording will take place in Fall 2026.
- → Session will be available on demand on the conference platform for all attendees, including virtual attendees, allowing greater choice if livestreamed sessions are not of interest.
Presenter Information
Accepted presenters are responsible for arranging and covering their own travel and accommodation costs. Discounted speaker registration rates are available to accepted presenters and represent a savings of more than 50% regular registration fees.
OLA is committed to creating accessible learning experiences for presenters and attendees. A space within the proposal form allows applicants to identify accommodation requirements. If your needs change after submitting your proposal, please contact superconference@accessola.com or your Super Conference Planner.
All presenters, attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and guests are expected to follow the OLA Super Conference Code of Conduct.
Proposal Submission Resources
Need help before you submit?
-
- → Review the Proposal Review Rubric
- → Watch our proposal submission walkthrough video.
- → Download the step-by-step submission guide (PDF) here.
Ready to Submit?
Once you’ve reviewed the evaluation criteria and selected the learning format that best fits your idea, you’re ready to submit your proposal.
Need assistance? Contact superconference@accessola.com.
