Library Instruction West 2026: Call for Host Proposals!

Library Instruction West (LIW), was first held in June, 1994 at Willamette University. The goal was to provide a library user education conference in the West, and it has become a resounding success. The conference has run every two years with an independent host institution(s) throughout the western US and Canada and has earned a reputation for being "not too big" and "not too small", but just the right size for networking, professional development and discovery.

In 2020, the conference was hosted by the University of Washington, Seattle and was disrupted by the pandemic shut-down.  A group of enthusiastic former conference chairs is now taking on the role of getting the conference up and running again.

Are you interested in being a host for an upcoming conference?  Here's some important information and tips to applicants:

• Support from your institution/organization is essential. This includes administrative support from your director/dean; staff support; available facilities; support for accounting, website hosting, and design of conference materials. Your organization will be the fiscal agent for the conference.
• LIW is a grassroots conference. It is run by the conference hosts with no formal structure, dues, or governance. The money to run the conference comes from registration fees. You will be learning how to organize a conference as you organize the conference! You can call on previous hosts for tips and enthusiasm, but you will be doing a lot of work!
• Registration fees should be kept reasonable, less than $250/person, including conference meals (but not lodging).
• Attendance ranges from 175-250 people.
• When choosing dates, think about other regional and national conferences and their locations (check dates for ALA Annual, for example), large events held in your town (especially if they will take up hotel rooms), and your campus schedule. It might be easier to host the conference during intersession or summer session.
• Think about a potential planning committee (who on your library’s staff will be involved?) and your team’s experience/ability to host a large event.
• Lodging: it is essential to have hotels or residences nearby. You don’t have to use on-campus residence halls, but this does go a long way towards keeping costs low for attendees.
• Transportation: access to your location (nearby airports, public transit to get around your city/town, etc.) is a key factor.
• The possibility for activities or excursions for attendees outside of sessions is a plus.
• Any additional money left over from the conference usually goes to the next conference team.

The LIW 2026 Restart Committee will be more than happy to help with any questions you may have about hosting. We strongly encourage any potential hosts to email Dale Larsen (dale.larsen@utah.edu) or other previous hosts for more information about the responsibilities involved. It’s a lot of fun and a lot of work! 

Address the following questions:

1. Proposed host & location (name of organization, location)
2. Proposed dates (generally held in the summer)
3. Proposed themes (this is not set in stone, but we want to get an idea of your thinking)
4. Describe your available institutional support (i.e. approval from provost or president, library administration support, willingness of campus to provide space)
5. Please describe financial arrangements
6. Please briefly discuss affordability (an approximate range for registration costs)
7. Describe your potential planning committee (Who on your library’s staff will be involved? Who will serve as conference chair or co-chairs?)
8. Describe the campus or nearby facilities available for hosting conference sessions (generally, you will need one large space for the keynote and several smaller spaces for concurrent sessions; you will also need a space for meals)
9. Briefly describe housing options for attendees, both on-campus (if available) and off-campus
10. Briefly describe transportation access to your location (nearby airports, public transportation to your campus and around your town or city)
11. Please describe some possible activities that might be available to conference attendees
12. Contact information (names & email addresses for proposers)

2020, University of Washington, Seattle (Madison Sullivan & Zoe Fisher, chairs) [conference cancelled due to global Covid-19 pandemic lock-down]

2018, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado – “The Confluence of Inspiration and Adventure”

2016: University of Utah in collaboration with Westminster College and Utah State University, Salt Lake City, Utah - "Learning Elevated"

2014: Portland State University, Portland, Oregon - "Sustainable Library Instruction"

2013 conference renamed Library Instruction West (was LOEX of the West)

2012: Woodbury University, Burbank, California - "Creative Landscapes: Information Literacy for All Terrains"

2010: Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta - "Crossing Borders, Expanding Frontiers"

2008: University of Nevada, Las Vegas - "Hit the Jackpot: Successful Experimentation and Innovation in Instruction"

2006: University of Hawaii, Kohala (Kona) Coast of Hawaii's Big Island - "Information Literacy for a Lifetime"

2004: Boise State University, Boise, Idaho - "Teaching the Treasures: Connecting Students, Information Skills and Resources"

2002: University of Oregon, Eugene - "Expanded Conversations: Collaborating for Student Learning"

2000: Montana State University, Bozeman - "Creativity and the Art of Library Instruction"

1998: Southern Utah University, Cedar City - "Library Instruction for the 21st Century"

1996: University of Washington, Seattle - "Collaboration and Instructional Design in a Virtual Environment"

1994: Willamette University, Salem, Oregon - "Cultivating the Electronic Landscape: Teaching and Learning in a Climate of Constant Change"