2022 BC Library Conference

Date

April 19, 2022 10:00 - April 22, 2022 14:45

Location

Online

Details

Website: https://pheedloop.com/bcla2022/site/home/

Theme: Collective Restoration

Hashtag: #BCLAconf2022

The 2022 BC Library Conference is focused on coming together to examine and redefine libraries and library services in the context of a world that has radically changed in the past 2 years.

Our theme is Collective Restoration. Not restoration of libraries as they were in the past, but rather restoration of ourselves and our sector, to emerge refreshed and ready to meet the new challenges we face and the evolving needs of our communities.

We are inspired by the Swedish concept of fika, when everyone gathers for coffee and cake, dispenses with hierarchy, and talks together about work and non-work. Fika is more than just a coffee break – it fosters a sense of togetherness and understanding, building social capital. It is a small daily example of what researcher Terry Hartig calls “collective restoration”; his research makes the case that synchronous time off results in a happier and healthier community.

We are inspired by a quote from Robin Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: “Restoration is a powerful antidote to despair. Restoration offers concrete means by which humans can once again enter into positive, creative relationship with the more-than-human world, meeting responsibilities that are simultaneously material and spiritual.”