Submit a Proposal for Core Forum 2026 in Louisville

Join Core Forum 2026 at The Galt House for an incredible opportunity to
celebrate the diverse and interconnected library work of you, our Core
members. From November 18-20, 2026 we’ll engage the collective expertise of
presenters and participants, facilitating thought-provoking conversations
over two days of presentations, table-top exhibits, and poster sessions.
Core Forum provides a place to build and foster relationships with
colleagues through exciting networking activities.

Consider submitting a proposal for a thought-provoking and highly-relevant
to practitioners presentation in the following areas:

   -

   Access and Equity
   -

   Buildings and Operations
   -

   Leadership and Management
   -

   Metadata and Collections
   -

   Technology
   -

   Preservation


Presentation Opportunities

SESSION - Concurrent sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday.
Presentations will be 45 minutes in length with 15 minutes for introduction
and Q&A. Presenters are required to present in-person and register at the
discounted presenter rate.

PRECONFERENCE - Half-day afternoon preconferences (3-4 hours) and all day
tours (off-site venue) will be held on Wednesday. Presenters are required
to present in-person.

POSTER - Poster sessions provide the opportunity to share work, research,
and ideas across the Forum’s content areas identified in the bulleted list
above. Print posters will be displayed throughout the Forum, with special
time reserved during Friday morning for participants to ask questions and
engage presenters.

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

   -

   Relevance to the Forum’s program tracks and audience
   -

   Opportunities for learning and applicability to current library trends
   -

   Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion


We encourage diversity in presenters from a wide range of backgrounds,
libraries, and experiences, and deliberately seek and encourage submissions
from underrepresented groups, such as Indigenous peoples, women, people of
color, the LGBTQA+ community, and people with disabilities. We also
strongly encourage submissions with presenters from public, school, and
special libraries.

Vendors wishing to submit a proposal should partner with a library
representative who is evaluating/using the product or service.

Presenters will submit final presentation slides and/or electronic content
(video, audio, etc.) 10 days prior to the event for accessibility reviewing
and to be made available online following the event. Presenters will be
able to register at a discounted rate and participate in the Forum as
attendees.

Questions about submitting a proposal? Attend the "All About Core Forum"
webinar session, on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, from 2:30pm - 3:30pm.
Register
for the webinar here
<https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/8B240jNzTzmG65wpVfCJAA>.

Ready to submit your proposal? Complete the Proposal Form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSen0rb_JP-j4BgUQZFsjxaluOZ7jBJr8oy6Dzz39Dd5y0wUSg/viewform?usp=header>
before the Sunday, March 8, 2026 deadline. To preview the 2026 Core Forum
proposal questions before starting the form, please download the questions
here.
<https://coreforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Core-Forum-Proposal-Form-Questions.pdf>

Questions can be sent to the Forum Planning Co-Chairs or Core Staff:

Kevin Lightfoot,  Core Forum Planning Committee Co-Chair,
klightfoot_at_mclennan.edu

Holly Sealine, Core Forum Planning Committee Co-Chair,
sealine_at_johnstonlibrary.org

Julie Reese, Core Executive Director, jreese_at_ala.org
Tom Ferren, Core Deputy Executive Director of Learning & Events,
tferren_at_ala.org

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Amy Swartz
Head of Library Technology
Li Lu Law Library
Columbia Law School