And They Were There — Reports of Meetings 2020 Charleston Conference Column Editors: Ramune K. Kubilius (Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) <r-kubilius@northwestern.edu> and Sever Bordeianu (Head, Print Resources Section, University Libraries, MSC05 3020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001; Phone: 505-277-2645; Fax: 505-277-9813) <sbordeia@unm.edu> Column Editor’s Note: Thanks to the Charleston Conference attendees who agreed to write brief reports that highlight and spotlight their 2020 Charleston Conference experience. Out of necessity, the conference moved from on-site to virtual, and all registrants were given the opportunity to view recordings, to re-visit sessions they saw “live,” or to visit sessions they missed. Without a doubt, with 173 total choices, there were more Charleston Conference sessions than there were volunteer reporters for Against the Grain, so the coverage is just a snapshot. For the 2020 conference, reporters were invited to share what drew them to various themes and sessions, or what they learned, rather than report on individual sessions as they’ve done for “And They Were There” reports in past years when conferences were on-site. There are many ways to learn more about the 2020 conference. Some presenters posted their slides and handouts in the online conference schedule. Please visit the conference site, https://www.charleston-hub.com/the-charleston-conference/, and link to selected videos, interviews, as well as to blog reports written by Charleston Conference blogger, Donald Hawkins, https://www.charleston-hub.com/category/blogs/chsconfnotes/. The 2020 Charleston Conference Proceedings will be published in 2021, in a new partnership with University of Michigan Press: https://www.press.umich.edu/. — RKK
KEYNOTES AND NEAPOLITAN SESSIONS Things I learned at four 2020 virtual Charleston Conference plenary sessions and one Neapolitan Reported by Ramune K. Kubilius (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) <r-kubilius@northwester.edu> When on-site, Charleston Conference keynote sessions are scheduled in non-conflicting timeslots, so all conference registrants can attend. They offer opportunities for each person to listen, think, absorb, and have personalized take-aways, and perhaps even pose a question at the mike. The 2020 virtual conference also offered additional benefits of the “chat” function (very lively even during the presentations), and opportunities for registrants to view recordings later, so no one needed to miss out. WEDNESDAY — Opening Keynote: Leading in a Age of Chaos and Change: Building a Community of Grace Without a doubt, the 2020 Charleston Conference was jump-started with the thought-provoking and timely plenary given by Earl Lewis. Attendees were invited to remember that in today’s world, each of us is asking how we can shape the world for the common good, and for that, we have to begin with an internal exam, but also — a “grace-filled community requires architects.” This session may have been the first time I heard the word “democrazy,” and it made perfect sense.
Against the Grain / June 2021
Schedule: https://2020charlestonconference.pathable.co/ meetings/virtual/QJhPmKK9PFp4nQPWG A report by conference blogger, Don Hawkins: https://www. charleston-hub.com/2020/11/opening-keynote-leading-in-a-ageof-chaos-and-change-building-a-community-of-grace/ THURSDAY — Do Librarians Matter and What Might Matter to Librarians? John Palfrey’s second morning keynote, among other things, complimented libraries and librarians, spotlighted a favorite decade old book, Henry Petroski’s “The Book on the Book Shelf,” and opined that the librarian’s role is not to guard data but to make discovery easier. Schedule: https://2020charlestonconference.pathable.co/ meetings/virtual/RyMSEeK6iDwbJcg6d A report by conference blogger, Don Hawkins: https:// www.charleston-hub.com/2020/11/day-2-keynote-do-librariansmatter-and-what-might-matter-to-librarians/ FRIDAY — Keynote Panel: The Long Arm of the Law The “Long Arm of the Law” session, as always, was a learning experience where one could hear lawyers share their legal expertise, also bringing their academic, scholarly publishing, and/or librarian credentials to the table. The sessions summarize and analyze laws, orders, and rulings (also including the disclaimer about not dispensing legal advice). A reminder from moderator Ann Okerson was that the session’s focus is: “serious legal topics for information professionals,” and Nancy S. Kirkpatrick and Pamela Samuelson took over the 11th year baton in 2020. Kirkpatrick overviewed EO 13950 (Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping), characterizing it as challenging to current best practices with an added layer of complexity and confusion. Since coming out, it has been challenged by ALA and even the corporate sector. She ended by recapping a few other lawsuits re: academic pay-discrimination, COVID-19, the election, and good news, too. Samuelson tackled intellectual property law as it relates to controlled digital lending (covered not for the first time at the conference), reviewing what it is, providing Internet Archive as an example, spotlighting position statements, and overviewing the publisher’s lawsuit. The focus especially was on what has been pertinent to libraries in the remote access challenges of the pandemic era. The session began and ended with bittersweet memorials to the session’s long-time “regular” legal expert, the entertaining Bill Hannay (who passed away Aug. 11, 2020), and Kenny Rogers (who passed away March 20, 2020), whose song originally inspired the session title. Schedule: https://2020charlestonconference.pathable.co/ meetings/virtual/hRinL54ACgtfbJQhh
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