The South Carolina Library Association is pleased to announce the lineup of keynote speakers for the 2015 SCLA Annual Conference which will take place on October 21-23, 2015, at the Marriott in downtown Columbia, SC.
The SCLA Annual Conference provides an opportunity for association members and library supporters from across the state to network as well as share knowledge of best practices and issues of importance to libraries. This year’s conference theme is “100 Years in the Making,” celebrating SCLA’s centennial anniversary (1915 – 2015).
“We are excited to welcome influential, nationally known keynote speakers who will be featured at events throughout the conference,” said SCLA President, Crystal Johnson. “This highlight event of the South Carolina Library Association is a can't-miss opportunity to reflect on and commemorate the last 100 years of evolution and innovation that has taken place in libraries across South Carolina."
This year’s confirmed speakers include:
Marjory Wentworth – Poet Laureate of SC and five-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Marjory is the author of four poetry collections, the children's book Shackles, and Taking a Stand: The Evolution of Human Rights (with Juan E. Mendez). Her latest collection of poetry is New and Selected Poems. She serves on the board of directors and is the current president of the Lowcountry Initiative for the Literary Arts, is on the board of directors of the Poetry Society of SC, teaches poetry in the Charleston County Schools’ Engaging Creative Minds Program, and is a faculty member at The Art Institute of Charleston.
Catherine Hakala-Ausperk – Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System (NEO-RLS) and the author of Be A Great Boss: One Year to Success, and Build a Great Team: One Year to Success—both published by ALA Editions. Catherine is a consultant and frequent speaker at national and state conferences, staff days, and workshops. She has a passion for supporting, coaching, and developing successful libraries, staff members, and leaders. She is a 30-year public library veteran and an adjunct faculty member of Kent State University’s School of Library and Information Science.
Wiley Cash - The New York Times best-selling author of A Land More Kind Than Home, and This Dark Road to Mercy. Wiley is currently working on his third novel. His stories have appeared in Crab Orchard Review, Roanoke Review, and The Carolina Quarterly, and his essays on Southern literature have appeared in American Literary Realism, The South Carolina Review, and other publications. He teaches in the Low-Residency MFA Program in Fiction and Nonfiction Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. A native of North Carolina, he and his wife live in Wilmington.
“Conference attendees will thoroughly enjoy hearing from these accomplished and engaging individuals,” said John Kennerly, chair of the 2015 Conference Planning Committee. “And I hope we will experience a record turnout for the conference and centennial celebration. It truly will be a memorable opportunity to participate in a marking of SCLA’s past and the continued ‘making’ of SCLA history.”
