Spring Forward 2027

Session Formats

The Rollercoaster (Learn Together) (60 minutes)

• • These sessions are all about the group learning or doing something together via participant engagement, skill-building, or collaborative activities. The interactivity is the session, instead of being tacked on at the end. Participants should walk away from these with a practical skill or idea they can pursue. The session leader role is one of facilitation, not a sage on the stage. The best proposals include a clear description of engagement strategies that have an obvious tie-in to the content itself.  

The Carousel (Lead a Conversation) (60 minutes)

• • For this session format, guide a roundtable-style conversation on a topic in library work. While some introduction to the topic is expected, the bulk of the time should be for participants to share ideas and experiences. Conversations can be with the whole group, in breakout rooms, or using an online tool (Zoom chat, Padlet, Miro, etc.). An excellent proposal for this format will include a clear topic, example discussion questions, and method for facilitating the conversation (without it devolving into a venting session).

The Scrambler (Lightning Talks) (7-10 minutes)

• • Share an idea, a tool, or a success (or failure!) story in a shorter live session. No interactivity required.

A Secret Fourth Thing (negotiable)

• Have an idea for a live session that doesn’t fit one of these formats? Bring it on.

Asynchronous Content:

The Arcade (Written article, video, podcast, infographic, or other visually engaging content)

• Show us something cool you’ve done, and how others can do it too. 

Forward Libraries strives to bring workers from all types of libraries together to learn and grow with one another. We’re looking for proposals that are fun, engaging, and will leave our attendees ready to try out new things at their institutions, with a support system of new friends and colleagues behind them!

Some ideas to get those gears turning:

• What has worked really well for you that you’re dying to share with others?

• What problem have you solved? Is there one you’re still working on?

• What have you changed because “we’ve always done it that way” wasn’t a good enough reason anymore?

• What’s a cool project you’re proud of?

• What’s a lesson you had to learn the hard way?

• How do you build connections? 

• How do you advocate for yourself and your library?

• How do you help others succeed?

• How’d you get where you are in your career?

Build your dream attraction and take us on a ride!