The Library Collective is back with a 2020 theme so awesomely nerdy, you won’t want to miss it.
For The Collective 2020 gathering, we’re challenging librarians to “Roll for Initiative” (that’s right, D&D nerds!). While proposals need not make reference to Dungeons & Dragons or gaming, we hope this year’s session ideas will connect with the broader themes evoked by the title, including but not limited to storytelling, improvisation, role-playing, innovation, creativity, empathy-building, and the many other ways librarians are taking initiative in their libraries.
Forty-five years after its first publication, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is experiencing a wild resurgence in popularity. Acolytes will tell you about the team-building, problem-solving, empathy-building, and imagination-expanding benefits of the game, which they argue can lead to more connectivity, creativity, and compassion in individuals.
In tabletop games like D&D that are ruled by dice, a roll determines the success or failure of any action like attacks, spells, or gaining vital information about the fantasy world. “Roll for initiative” is the iconic phrase that kicks off every combat sequence. Rolling for initiative establishes who will go first in the fight but it can also be thought of more broadly as a means of taking action, stepping up, and bravely volunteering to solve a problem or move forward with the story that you and your quest-mates will tell. In this larger sense, we invite you to “roll for initiative” with your session proposals for the Collective 2020.
While proposals need not make reference to D&D or gaming, we hope this year’s session ideas will connect with the broader themes evoked by D&D and the theme’s title, including but not limited to storytelling, improvisation, role-playing, innovation, creativity, empathy-building, and the many other ways librarians are taking initiative in their libraries.
Our unique proposal and review process includes a public ideation and commenting phase followed by a blind peer review. Read more and submit your ideas, vote, or comment now until August 2!
P.S. Unlike your usual library conference suspects, our events are radically fun, interactive, inclusive, and affordable. Don’t believe us? Check out five years of data to back up our claim!
