Dear CEAL Colleagues,
Happy Lunar New Year of the Ox!
Thanks to the hard work of CEAL Executive Board members, committees, task forces, and program organizers, I am very proud to present you with the rich program of the Virtual 2021 CEAL Annual Meeting. Please find the detailed program for this free event at https://www.eastasianlib.org/newsite/meetings/#meeting-schedule. The Annual Meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Some sessions may be recorded for later viewing.
Although it will be a virtual event due to COVID-19, we hope that the 2021 CEAL Annual Meeting will bring us together (even when we are apart).
As announced in October 2020, the theme of the Virtual CEAL Annual Meeting for this year and next year is “Beyond the Traditional”. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief how library area studies are unevenly prepared to deal with the problems of the future. The new operational and budgetary landscape has promoted concerns in every area of our profession. “Beyond the Traditional” refers to how conventional practices and print materials are useful tools that now require innovative approaches. How are hiring freezes and budget cuts affecting collection development and maintenance? How can institutions circulate knowledge via non-traditional means? How have the role and responsibilities of library professionals shifted during the pandemic, and how will they continue to evolve? And how are institutions sharing their expertise in order to cope with this “new normal”? These are among the questions that the CEAL community is responsible for exploring. We believe that further exploration should be informed by two principles: 1) that collaboration among libraries and their professional associations, organizations, and institutions is paramount to the continued circulation, access, and development of knowledge; and 2) that collections remain diverse so as to cater to the unique needs of the East Asian Studies community.
Our CEAL Executive Board members, committees, task forces, and program organizers have prepared their programs in line with the above theme in order to generate engaging discussions and explore innovative solutions together.
As president of CEAL, I warmly invite you all to attend the Virtual 2021 CEAL Annual Meeting on March 18 and 19, as well as the CEAL Pre-conference on March 16 and 17.
The Registration form will be sent by the CEAL Secretary, Yao Chen in early March. Once you register, you will receive a link to the Program Agenda with Zoom information. Stay tuned for registration information.
I look forward to meeting you all virtually.
Thank you!
Hana Kim
President
Council on East Asian Libraries (2020-2022)
