![]() MLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE HOME | MLA 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE HOME | FEATURED SPEAKERS | BREAKOUT SESSIONS | SPECIAL EVENTS | LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT | MLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE HISTORY MLA 2022 Annual Conference Featured Speakers
Opening Keynote with The Civility Project: Bridging the Divide: Civility in a Time of Unrest
“It never occurred to us that we couldn’t be friends because we disagree,” says Nolan. “We’ve never avoided conversation, we never pulled punches, we sort of enjoyed the mix-up.” Americans used to engage in civil conversation with people of opposing viewpoints – enjoying the banter and debate. Today, many Americans believe they can’t be friends with people whose politics are different. The Civility Project seeks to bring people of opposing viewpoints together for healthy disagreement, personal interactions and constructive conversations. “If we reach the point where we dehumanize the people we disagree with, anything is possible,” Stephen says. “We must step back and learn to talk to people as people, rather than political adversaries." Nolan Finley began his newspaper career as a copy boy at The Detroit News while a senior in college. After a brief stint with the Jackson Citizen Patriot, he returned to The News as a reporter, covering the administration of Mayor Coleman A. Young. He’s been the newspaper’s City Editor, Business Editor, Politics Editor and Deputy Managing Editor. In 2000, he was named Editorial Page Editor, where he directs the expression of the newspaper’s editorial position on various national and local issues and writes a column in the Sunday newspaper. He graduated from both Schoolcraft College and Wayne State University and in 2012 was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. Finley is co-host of One Detroit on Detroit Public Television.
Thursday All-Conference Session with Angela Hursh: How Will They Know? Make Sure Your Library’s Efforts to Bridge the Divide Get Noticed!The work that your library does to make information, services, and technology accessible to everyone is extraordinary. But all that work is for naught if your community doesn’t know they can take advantage of it! This talk is packed with practical tips to successfully promote your library’s collection, services, and programs, even when you face staff and budget shortfalls. You’ll learn how to maximize digital platforms and reach community members who don’t have (or don’t want) internet access. And you’ll leave with a plan to work smarter by putting your time and available resources to the best use.
Session Materials:
Friday Closing Keynote with Kent Oliver: Intellectual Freedom in a Time of Partisanship
Hailing from Topeka, Kansas, Kent has also managed libraries in Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio. He was Executive Director of the Stark County District Library in Canton, Ohio, which won a 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Kent is a three-time President of the Freedom to Read Foundation and has chaired the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the American Library Association (ALA). He received the Stark County Ohio Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award for Defense of the First Amendment. His writings on intellectual freedom and defense of the First Amendment have been published in Forbes, The Costco Connection, The Tennessean, and more. Kent belongs to the Rotary Club of Nashville and serves on the advisory board for Southern Word. He is the incoming chair for Alignment Nashville which supports the education initiatives of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. In 2013, the Nashville Adult Literacy Council named him a Robert Chandler Ambassador. Kent lives in Nashville, Tennessee. |