The 2024 Government Information Day Conference was held May 17^th at the Indiana State Library. The event was a hybrid conference, with sessions from the Indiana Authors Room available for in-person or virtual (via Zoom) attendance. The format of the conference consisted of three concurrent sessions, a keynote address, behind-the-scenes library tour, and two conflict free breaks for attendees to visit with exhibitors in the Great Hall. The conference was entirely free to attend, with boxed lunches provided by the state library, and a breakfast spread provided by conference sponsor INDIGO. Attendees were also able to park in the State Employee Parking Garage and get their tickets validated for free.

Conference figures:

There were 59 in-person attendees. There were 29 virtual attendees, from 10 states, for session 1 at 9:30 AM. There were 25 virtual attendees, from 8 different states, for session 2 at 1:30 PM. There were 46 virtual attendees, from 24 different states, for session 3 at 3:00 PM. The in-person attendance figures are nearly identical to those from 2022.

Feedback from conference:

Attendees were asked to complete a short conference satisfaction survey. The survey is ongoing, but complete results can be viewed here.

To date, there are 30 responses (majority in-person attendees from public libraries). Most heard about GID24 from INDIGO listserv, then Indiana library professionals listserv and co-workers second. The most popular reason for attending was interest in program sessions. 25 of the 26 responded attendees stated an opinion of “very or extremely satisfied” with the conference. All responded attendees stated that they would attend another GID conference in the future.

Conference highlights: the surveyed attendees listed the following as an aspect of the conference they enjoyed

• Legal Resources Roundtable Session
• Escape Rooms, the Library of Congress, and YOU! Session
• Indiana Legislative Oral History Initiative Session
• Behind the Scenes Library Tour
• Keynote Address
• Exhibitors
• Networking

Survey Comments:

• The hospitality and food were very appreciated
• Keep up the good work!
• Thank you so much for all of your work on making these conferences a great success!
• Thank you all for putting on a GREAT conference!
• The boxed lunches were great. It was the perfect amount for lunch and the food was good. I really appreciated having that available. Thank you.
• State Library staff were very helpful and the facilities were perfect for a conference of this size.

Conclusion:

The Indiana State Library and GID24 Planning Committee are pleased with the turnout and attendee satisfaction for the 2024 Government Information Day conference. Attendees enjoyed the sessions, exhibitors, tour, and food. The planning committee plans to re-examine the length of lunch if it is provided again and look at the possibility of organizing another topic roundtable. The next Government Information Day conference will be held May 2026.