Due to unforeseen circumstances, conferences worldwide were postponed and held virtually in 2020 and 2021.  While they did not provide the opportunity to meet librarians, library staff or other students in person, these virtual conferences allowed for more conference attendance during the year, as well as the ability to consume more content available through the conferences.  The conferences also provided an excellent work-from-home option.

Oklahoma Learning Innovation Summit (OLIS) 
The The Online Consortium of Oklahoma (OCO) held the OK Learning Innovation Summit was held March 30-April 10 in 2020, hosted by the Council for Online Learning Excellence (COLE).  The summit had the benefit of being planned virtually before the pandemic.  Unlike other conferences, which were all-day events held over several days in a row, OLIS was held over a two-week period, with only one to two sessions a day.  I found that this allowed for better retention of material and less stress from sitting in the same spot all day, and lower stakes for those running the conference when technical issues arose.  One of the enduring concepts I learned from OLIS was Cia Verschelden’s presentation on the depletion and recovery of cognitive bandwidth, or the effect of stress on student learning and achievement, which would become a frequent consideration in class discussions and student employment. 

Texas Library Association (TLA or TxLA), 2020
The Texas Library Association was initially held over two live days in April 2020, with several pre-recorded sessions available online.  Over the summer, however, TLA held monthly "Summer of Learning" events, which included a day of live events and additional pre-recorded sessions added to the on-demand list (including a pre-recorded presentation of my contributed paper).  I was able to attend more sessions through TLA’s learning management system than any other online conference, making this conference the most cost-effective one I’ve ever attended.  

Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) 2020
OLA was held over three days at the end of July, and I recorded a live presentation on the last day.  Afterward, I was able to listen to pre-recorded sessions--including one featuring OKIE SLIS colleague Shalla Strider--as we set up the Fine Arts Library to be open with safety restrictions during the pandemic.  

American Library Association (ALA) 2020
The remote work environment provided me the opportunity to attend ALA 2020, which I may not have been able to attend in-person without substantial financial support.  Although ALA's conference had some technical issues (initial trouble with logging patrons into the event, and several "live" events were canceled without warning), I was able to attend several sessions exploring inclusion, equity, and intellectual freedom that contributed to my goal to identify and address bias (1C).

OLA University and College Division Workshop 2021 (OLA-UCD 2021)
OLA’s UCD workshop, “Fixing a Hole with Open Educational Resources”, was also virtual in 2021.  Presentations included my former colleague Ann Raia, current colleague Joey Albin, and Norman High School classmate Sarah Engel.