This is another LONG email - my apologies!  

It is with much sadness that I inform you our 2020 Annual Conference is cancelled.  The Knoxville Convention Center informed TLA early last week that our rescheduled dates were now included in their mandatory shut down period and we would need to reschedule.  In working with the Convention Center and the Conference Hotel, it became obvious to us all the best option for our group was to cancel as June and July get into Summer Reading, August and September are back to school and October would put us competing with Tenn-Share and TASL for conference attendees.

The Holiday Inn Worlds Fair indicate they have canceled all reservations that were in our booking group.  To be safe, I would call and make sure your reservation is cancelled.  Be prepared to wait a while on the phone - they have laid off most of their staff due to travel cancellations.

The silver lining to this cloud is because we are unable to meet due to the Convention Center's internal policies, TLA is not responsible for any cancellation fees. Therefore, TLA is waiving our no conference refunds policy and will give refunds for anyone who requests them.  Keep in mind, membership dues are not refundable, only conference registrations.  If you do not want a refund, do not request one and know that TLA appreciates your generous support during these difficult times.

To request a refund, just send me an email that lets me know:

Your Name

How much you/your institution paid

If you paid by check or credit card

Who the check should be made payable to, you or your institution

An address where the refund should be mailed

There are many of you who have coworkers that registered from the same institution and the institution paid your registration.  If you could get together and request one refund, that will speed things along. Please keep in mind I am one person with a laptop and a printer.  It will take me some time to get these processed.  I will do my very best, but I have a day job and a family too, so you may have to get in line. 

I feel I need to tell you just how hard this Conference Planning Committee worked to make this event happen.  It was going to be glorious!  They are all very brokenhearted right now, and have every right to be. With all of that in mind, I am happy to announce that after our 2021 Conference meets in Memphis, the 2022 Conference will be in Knoxville and the committee members who served us so diligently this year will be asked to stick around and show us what they had in store.  I am hoping they all agree.

Thank you all so much for your patience and endurance as we worked through these hard decisions.  I have heard the words "uncharted waters" so much that I am sick of them, so instead, I will say that our conference three day tour did not go as planned. But of all the colleagues in the world that I could have been marooned with, you would be my choice, every single time. I would choose you because as crazy as things are right now, I am inspired every day by you and the creative ways you are finding to serve your patrons, students and communities.  The world needs us now more that ever.  Continue being the   light.

Be well,

Cathy