This last week I had the opportunity to experience two very special conferences in two ways – the Library Assessment Conference was held virtually from November 1 to November 3. As co-chair, I was deeply involved in the planning for a positive experience – for presenters and attendees. A few days later, Temple Libraries hosted the Designing Libraries IX conference here in Philadelphia. Again, I also shared in planning the conference experience, as a member of the local committee and a moderator of two panels. After a very, very busy two weeks, I have a much richer understanding of the benefits and challenges of these conference formats for learning, sharing and networking.
As we started to plan the 2022 Library Assessment Conference, there was uncertainty about COVID, travel, and the risk of planning for an in-person conference many months into the future. Our Steering Committee believed that a virtual experience would be more inclusive and accessible to our targeted audience. Virtual conferences allow for lower registration fees, and of course, no expenses are incurred for travel. Participants are not taken away from regular work and home responsibilities and can elect a level of participation that suits their needs: turning video on or off, chatting and engaging in questions and answer sessions or not. These many benefits resulted in a high participation rate: 102 papers, posters, “challenge talks” and mini-workshops we called Assessment Accelerators, presented in both plenary and concurrent sessions, attracting over 550 attendees.
What was the user experience? For the Steering Committee, it was hectic, with a constant stream of messages over WhatsApp while managing the live conference. The Zoom events platform was clunky, and throughout the conference moderators battled frozen computer screens and Zoom crashes. Chat provided the primary vehicle for exchange among attendees, and this more ephemeral content is more difficult to capture, much less synthesize. The formal feedback has not yet been analyzed, but our expectation is that participants will report positive experiences with all the rich content, the lively interactions through chat – but definitely – an experience requiring the user’s attention and focus to take full advantage. And patience with technology.
The Designing Libraries conference was in person. Place DOES make a difference, and Philadelphia always delivers, in spite of no ticker-tape parade for the Phillies. The program was filled with experiences that took full advantage of being in person, from a welcome reception with live music, food and drinks, to tours of the Charles Library that wowed our attendees.
The in-person conference is not without its own constraints, however. Space limited us to 270 attendees, leaving many would-be participants disappointed. As a self-sustaining conference, most costs were supported by registration fees. In real life, people need food and transportation. Travel to the conference was impacted by flight cancellations, traffic jams held up bus tours, and myriad details, from lanyards to luggage kept us awake at night. But based on the level of interaction and engagement, it seemed our attendees were hungry for the type of connection facilitated by in-person experiences.
Whatever the format, a successful conference requires top-notch content, a program structure that flows, excellent technology support, and robust channels for participant interchange. Ideally, our conferences will capture the best of both formats – a seamless user experience that is accessible and inclusive to all.
If only those apple cider doughnuts could be transported through the web!