2011 Articles

A History of the Conference and Its Future in Theological Librarianship

Elia, Anthony J.

The purpose of this short paper today is to examine the meaning of “the conference,” including how conferences have evolved. Specifically of concern is how the idea of ATLA’s conferences have developed and changed over the years, and how new modes of thinking about and approaching conferences may lead us to a new generation of “coming together for a purpose.” The fact that in the past decade the term “conference” as a noun has become a verb “to conference,” with gerundic variations such as “conferencing,” shows that the meaning and expression of “the conference” are in the midst of evolution and radical revisioning.