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2020 ARSL Conference Keynotes & Events

The 2020 ARSL Conference will have four days packed full of engaging keynotes and events. Check back soon for some exciting keynote reveals!

All times are listed in Pacific Time (PT). Convert to your timezone. Schedule is subject to change.

Monday, September 28

Opening Keynote with William Ottens | 9:00–10:00 AM
William Ottenscreator of the hilarious blog Librarian Problems and the author of the forthcoming book Librarian Talesenjoys research assistance, teaching computer classes, helping patrons find their next great read, and long walks through the stacks. He worked for three years at the Lawrence Public Library (which is a pretty hip place to work, even in Kansas), then as director at the Oskaloosa Public Library in Oskaloosa, Iowawhere his problems grew exponentially. He is now the Cataloging & Collection Development Coordinator back at LPLwhere all his problems began! Hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly of his experience working behind service desks and in the stacks.

Break with Exhibitors | 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
Enjoy your break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more!


Tuesday, September 29

Break with Exhibitors | 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
Enjoy your break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more!

Keynote with Cassandra Campbell | 12:15–1:15 PM
Cassandra Campbell is a prolific audiobook narrator with over 800 titles to date. She had won 5 Audie Awards, most recently as part of the cast of Charlotte’s Web with Meryl Streep and George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo. She is in the inaugural class of Audible’s Narrator Hall of Fame and has consistently been an Audiofile Magazine Best Narrator and Best Voice.


Wednesday, September 30

Break with Exhibitors | 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
Enjoy your break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more!

Author Panel with Nadine Matheson, Joe Ide, Melanie Benjamin | 12:15–1:15 PM

Moderator Donna Seaman is the Adult Books Editor at Booklist.

Nadine Matheson has always been passionate about writing and storytelling. She was born and lives in London and is a Criminal Solicitor. In 2016, she won the City University Crime Writing Competition and completed the Creative Writing (Crime/Thriller Novels) MA at City University of London with Distinction in 2018. Her next novel, The Jigsaw Man, will be published in March 2021.
 
Joe Ide is of Japanese American descent. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Joe's favorite books were the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. The idea that a person could face the world and vanquish his enemies with just his intelligence fascinated him. Joe went on to earn a graduate degree and had several careers before writing his debut novel, IQ, inspired by his early experiences and his love of Sherlock Holmes. Joe lives in Santa Monica, California. His next novel, Smoke, will be published in February 2021.
 
Melanie Benjamin is the New York Times bestselling author of Mistress of the RitzThe Girls in the Picture, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator's Wife, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and Alice I Have Been. Her novels have been translated in over fifteen languages, featured in national magazines such as Good Housekeeping, People, and Entertainment Weekly, and optioned for film. Benjamin lives in Chicago with her husband. She puts her theatrical training to good use through her membership with the Authors Unbound Speakers Bureau. Her next novel, The Children’s Blizzard, will be published in January 2021.

ARSL Business Meeting | 1:30–2:30 PM
Join us for the annual ARSL Business Meeting to meet our incoming 2021 Board Members and hear committee reports.


Thursday, October 1

Break with Exhibitors | 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
Enjoy your break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more!


Friday, October 2

Break with Exhibitors | 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
Enjoy your break in our Exhibit Hall, where our vendors will be hosting live-streams, raffles, Q&As, giveaways, and more!

Closing Keynote: Nancy Pearl in Conversation with ARSL Director, Kate Laughlin | 12:15–1:15 PM
Nancy Pearl is a best-selling author, librarian, and literary critic, but first and foremost, she is a reader and has spent her life promoting reading as one of the most beneficial and joyful experiences anyone can have. She can be found on NPR’s Morning Edition and KWGS-FM in Tulsa, Oklahoma talking about her favorite books. Her monthly television show on the Seattle Channel, Book Lust with Nancy Pearl, features interviews with authors, poets, and other literary figures. Among her many honors are the 2011 Librarian of the Year Award from Library Journal and the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. Nancy is the creator of the internationally recognized program If All of Seattle Read the Same Book, and was the inspiration for the Archee McPhee "Librarian Action Figure."