ARLIS/NA 29th Annual Conference Thursday March 29 to Wednesday April 4, 2001

CONFERENCE PROGRAM PROPOSALS 

Guidelines & Criteria -- conference theme | money | deadlines | program co-chairs

What are the kinds of conference sessions?

There are four types of conference sessions:

1. Workshops, seminars, and symposia, in which a limited group of participants deals intensively with a designated topic, often involving hands-on participation and attention to individual concerns. For a more complete description, consult ARLIS/NA guidelines for workshops, seminars, and symposia available from ARLIS/NA headquarters or the Program Chair(s). Please note that workshops must pay for themselves and generate income for ARLIS/NA.
2. Panel sessions involve a group of individuals who give a paper or discuss a given topic, often by way of addressing preselected questions, and allowing for audience participation.
3. Ask ARLIS sessions in which anyone can participate in an open discussion on a given topic, without any prepared papers, guided by one or more discussion leaders who are knowledgeable about the subject.
4. Poster sessions are informal unsponsored presentations by an individual. They are an effective forum for exchanging information and a means to communicate ideas, research, and programs. See "Poster Session Guidelines" for more details.

Who may propose a session?

Most sessions (except poster sessions) are proposed by divisions, sections, committees, or round tables, but any member or chapter may propose a session.

What is the procedure?

A written proposal is required. Proposal forms are distributed at each conference for the next, and are available on the Web.

How is a session chosen?

The Planning Committee Chairs meet in late Spring to review all submissions and make a preliminary selection. Program chairs may consult other members of ARLIS/NA, and also study previous conference evaluations to see what types of sessions the membership wants. Later in the year the Planning Chairs meet with the Conference Planning Advisory Committee of the Executive Board to finalize the selections.

What factors are used in the selection process?

Factors which may be considered are:

• A topic directly germane to art librarianship and/or visual resources curatorship
• Wide appeal
• Caliber of the participants
• Theme of the conference
• The session meets the budgetary, scheduling, and physical constraints of the conference
• Co-sponsorship
• Input from members on evaluation forms and comments on sessions
• Ability of workshops to generate income for ARLIS/NA

What about proposals which are not chosen for this year's conference?

Some proposals may be considered more appropriate as a publication (see below), while others may not be selected due to time limitations or thematic conflicts. Proposers are encouraged to resubmit the session for a future conference.

Must all aspects of the session be finalized before submission?

Some proposals are more conceptual, such as "a session on Name Authority work with VR collections," while others are fully developed with lists of speakers and specific presentations. If a less complete session is chosen, the Program Chair(s) will work with the proposer to finalize it. It is important to note, however, that those proposals with at least tentative lists of speakers and topics to be addressed are generally viewed more favorably.

**Due to this year's unusually abbreviated submission schedule, priority will be given to those proposals which are fully developed.**

Is there always a conference theme?

There is not always a theme. If a theme is chosen, it will be announced before the preceding conference to allow members to discuss ideas for proposals at that conference. Session proposals which fit with the theme may be given priority.

The theme for ARLIS 2001 is 2001: An L.A. Odyssey.

Are any groups guaranteed a place on the program?

No group is guaranteed program time due to the limited time available.

What about money?

All proposals must include a budget for such expenses as photocopying, honoraria, etc. Only non-ARLIS/NA speakers are offered honoraria; travel expenses are not covered. Reasonable A-V needs will be covered by the general conference budget, and must be requested at the time the proposal is submitted. Be prudent in your requests, as funds are generally not sufficient to cover all requests.

Poster sessions are not eligible for funding or A-V equipment. Workshops must pay for themselves and generate income for ARLIS/NA. You will be notified about funding when your proposal is accepted.

What is co-sponsoring?

Co-sponsoring occurs when two or more groups agree to jointly sponsor a session which is of interest to a wide cross-section of members (e.g., "Access to Access: Library Building Accessibility" was co-sponsored by the Architecture Section, the Public Library Division, and the Space Planners Round Table, and a session on artists' books was co-sponsored by the Art & Design School Division and the Collection Development Committee at the 2000 conference). Sessions that are co-sponsored may be given preference.

What about publication?

ARLIS/NA maintains the right of first refusal for publishing articles generated by conference sessions. The summer issue of Art Documentation covers the annual conference and usually abstracts all programs (as of 1997, abstracts have appeared on the ARLIS/NA web site). Longer, more substantive articles derived from papers delivered at the annual conference can appear throughout the year in Art Documentation. Some proposals may be more suited to publication than to a session; please consider submitting these to the Publications Committee.

Deadlines for ARLIS/NA 2001: An L.A. Odyssey 

Program Co-Chairs:

proposal forms: for printing -- or -- online submission
last revised 3.29.00