2023 OLA Conference: Rekindle | Rejuvenate | Reimagine
Join your colleagues in beautiful Bend, Oregon for four days of workshops, presentations and networking. Some elements of the conference will available virtually and there will be some virtual-only sessions for those who can’t make it to Bend!
The conference theme is Rekindle | Rejuvenate | Reimagine. We are looking to both acknowledge the challenges of the last three years and also find fuel to help us move forward as we deliver library services in a changed world.
Dates: April 19 – 22, 2023
Location: Riverhouse on the Deschutes Hotel & Convention Center in Bend, Oregon.
Conference Highlights
Besides many, many good program sessions, here are other conference highlights you will want to consider attending.
Keynote Address, Thursday, April 20, 8:30 AM
Derek Beres
Keynote talk title:
Conspirituality: What conspiracy theories in the wellness industry can teach us about combating misinformation
Derek Beres is a multi-faceted author & media expert based in Portland, Oregon. He is a Staff Writer at Freethink Media & co-host of the Conspirituality podcast. He is the co-author of Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Public Health Threat (Public Affairs / Random House Canada, June 2023), and is currently writing a book on male body dysmorphia. Derek’s work has been featured in the NY Times, LA Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Rolling Stone, as well as on Good Morning America, The Daily Show, and PBS Newshour.
Virtual Bingo with Poison Waters, Thursday, April 20, 7:00 PM
Poison Waters is not just a personality. Poison is an experience!! Whether dressed as Poison Waters or her alter ego Kevin Cook, they are both captivating and one of a kind! For over three decades Poison has been having tons of FUN entertaining from countless stages throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She has been coordinating, participating in and hosting an endless docket of benefits, revues and shows for various local, regional and national charities. During the Covid 19 global pandemic, Poison went virtual, bringing her Drag Queen Bingo, Drag Queen Storytime and event hosting to thousands of new fans all over the world. Whatever the title, event, cause or venue, one thing remains the same: the important bond between Poison Waters and her audience. She remains, “the smile on the face of Portland.” www.poisonwaters.com
President’s Reception, Friday, April 21, 8:00 PM
Join us for an evening of socializing, networking and fun! This is a great opportunity to unwind and get to know (in person!) your colleagues from around the State. Emceed by the fabulous Poison Waters, this rainbow-themed fiesta will feature music from proms throughout the years, a raffle, a no-host bar, and delicious snacks. We hope to see you there!
Wrap-up Lunch and Farewell, Saturday, April 22, 12:30 PM
Andy Mangels
Andy Mangels is the USA Today best-selling author and co-author of twenty-six fiction and nonfiction books — including Star Trek, Roswell, Iron Man, X-Files, Star Wars, and Young Adult tomes — and is an award-winning comic book anthology editor. As a pop culture historian, he has also contributed to international magazines and newspapers, and has scripted, directed, and produced over forty DVD documentaries and Special Features projects. In 2012, he was awarded the prestigious Inkpot Award for Achievement in the Comic Arts at Comic-Con International. He has written licensed material based on properties by Lucasfilm, Paramount, New Line Cinema, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Microsoft, Abrams-Gentile, and Platinum Studios. He was not only the first openly gay mainstream professional in the comic book world, but he was the editor of the award-winning Gay Comics anthology for eight years, and has hosted the Gays In Comics/Out In Comics panel at Comic-Con International since 1988. He is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. As a youth, he was more excited to go to the library than Disneyland.