[Koha] koha-US 2022 Conference Proposals

[Barbara Johnson]

Hello Koha community,


On February 16, koha-US members will receive an email with a link to vote on the koha-US 2022 Conference.  Voting is open to all koha-US members in good standing (i.e. who have paid their membership dues for 2022)


Voting starts: February 16
Voting ends: February 28
Who can vote: koha-US members who have paid their 2022 membership dues
Not a koha-US member? No worries – you can easily join here - https://koha-us.org/join/
How much are koha-US dues: It’s only $25 (and tax-deductible)


Here are the two proposals for the 2022 koha-US conference:


Option #1 - Lawrence, KS (+ online)   (map)<https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lawrence+Public+Library,+707+Vermont+St,+Lawrence,+KS+66044/@38.9708122,-95.2726476,13z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m5!1m1!1s0x87bf6f4337d4023b:0xd76dfc1977b1d6df!2m2!1d-95.2377222!2d38.9708335!1m0>

Dates: September 20-23 (Tuesday-Friday)

Host: Northeast Kansas Library System (conference will be held at Lawrence Public Library)

Notes: This conference would be a hybrid conference like the 2021 conference in McKinney, TX.  Live presentations in Lawrence would be streamed via YouTube Live.


Air travel:

Nearby Airports: Lawrence is about 1 hour from Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri

Major Airlines: Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airline, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines


Transportation options from airport to lodging:

Rental car; taxi; Uber; Lyft; Super Shuttle Express; and NEKLS volunteers may be available to transport people from the Kansas City Airport to Lawrence.  No hotels currently operate shuttles between Kansas City International and Lawrence.


Available lodging:

-- NEKLS will work with the Lawrence Visitors Bureau to arrange blocks of rooms at either the Eldridge, TownePlace, or SpringHill

-- KU Football is playing Duke on September 24, so we will endeavor to work out blocks of rooms as quickly as possible if selected for the conference so that the conference rooms will be less likely to interfere with college football hotel reservations.

  *   Eldridge Hotel (historic hotel 1 block from the library) $$$
  *   TownePlace Suites by Marriott Lawrence (3-4 blocks from the library) $$
  *   SpringHill Suites by Marriott Lawrence (3-4 blocks from the library) $$
  *   DoubleTree by Hilton (1 mile from the library) $
  *   The Oread Hotel (1 mile from the library) $$$
  *   Comfort Inn & Suites (1 mile from the library) $
  *   Days Inn by Wyndham KU Lawrence (1 mile from the library) $
  *   Country Inn & Suites by Radisson (2 miles from the library) $$

Local restaurants:  Lawrence Public Library is 1 block west of Massachusetts Avenue in Lawrence. There are many restaurants near the library. Check out this link for more info - https://www.explorelawrence.com/restaurants/?view=grid&sort=qualityScore&bounds=false&filter_regions%5B0%5D=2

Attractions/local libraries:

  *   Lawrence Public Library
  *   KU Libraries including the Spencer Research Library (Open M-F 9-5)
  *   Quayle Bible Collection at Baker University
  *   We are near Emporia University which has a robust MLS program

COVID considerations: In Kansas the power to institute a mask mandate is delegated to local county and city health departments. The Lawrence/Douglas Joint County Health Department currently has a mask mandate in place, but we don't know what will happen in September.  It is likely that if there is another COVID surge, there will be an indoor mask mandate for public areas in September.

Weather/Environment: Tornado season should be over by September. September in Kansas is usually warm and mild without being super-hot and humid like it can be in August. It is unusual to have smoke from forest fires in Kansas, particularly in September.

Destinations


Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas, is the home of the University of Kansas. The Lawrence Visitor Center can be found at https://www.explorelawrence.com/plan-your-visit/visitors-center/

Destinations in the Lawrence area include:

  *   Spencer Museum of Art : https://www.spencerart.ku.edu/
  *   Allen Fieldhouse : https://kuathletics.com/facilities/allen-fieldhouse/
  *   Booth Family Hall of Athletics : https://kuathletics.com/facilities/the-booth-family-hall-of-athletics/
  *   KU Natural History Museum : https://biodiversity.ku.edu/
  *   Baker Wetlands : https://www.bakeru.edu/history-traditions/the-wetlands/
  *   Grover Barn : https://guardiansofgroverbarn.com/
  *   Black Jack Battlefield : https://www.blackjackbattlefield.org/
  *   Watkins Museum of History : https://www.watkinsmuseum.org/
  *   Lied Center of Kansas : https://lied.ku.edu/

Kansas City, Missouri

Lawrence is about a 45 minute drive from Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Visitors bureau can be found at https://www.visitkc.com/

Destinations in the Kansas City area include:

  *   National World War I Museum : https://www.theworldwar.org/
  *   American Jazz Museum : https://americanjazzmuseum.org/
  *   Negro Leagues Baseball Museum : https://www.nlbm.com/
  *   Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art : https://www.nelson-atkins.org/
  *   Kansas City Zoo : https://www.kansascityzoo.org/

The Kansas City Royals are scheduled to play the Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Mariners at home during this week if anyone is interested in going to a baseball game.


Destinations that are further away include:

  *   Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home : https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/
  *   Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum : https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/
  *   Oz Museum: https://ozmuseum.com/

Why is your location the best choice for this conference?

We are centrally located in the USA. We are in Kansas where there are over 150 Koha libraries. Lawrence is the home of the University of Kansas and we could help arrange trips to the Allen Fieldhouse at KU if anyone is interested in the history of college basketball.

Lawrence is also home of some of the first skirmishes in what eventually became the Civil War. We could help arrange trips to the Grover Barn (a stop on the Underground Railroad), or the Black Jack battlefield near Baldwin City, Kansas, where John Brown and some Kansas Free-State Abolitionists fought in a Bleeding Kansas battle with pro-slavery forces from Missouri.

We could also help arrange outings to the American Jazz Museum or the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City. The Kansas City Royals are scheduled to play home games against the Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Mariners during this same week in September of 2022 and we could probably help arrange trips to Kauffman Stadium if anyone is interested. There's a lot going on in and around Lawrence.

Option #2 - 100% Online Conference
Dates: September 13-16 (Tuesday-Friday)
Host: koha-US
Notes: Presented fully online via YouTube Live (similar to the 2020 Conference)

Regards,
Barbara Glassford Johnson
koha-US President - 2022

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