CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
The 2018 RBMS Conference Planning Committee is accepting proposals for panel sessions, participant-driven sessions, and posters for the RBMS Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 19 - 22, 2018. The conference theme Convergence is inspired by the conference’s location, New Orleans, which is a hotbed of convergences from dishes as delightful as gumbo to a storm as destructive as Hurricane Katrina to mansions as hauntingly beautiful as those on St. Charles Avenue. This conference reflects the idea of convergences and speaks directly to our field’s preparedness for increasing environmental vulnerabilities in our facilities; our readiness for the inclusion of a diversity of people and cultures in our collections, outreach and leadership positions; and, finally, our willingness to democratize all of our materials, including but not limited to rare books, archival and digital records, films, maps, and photographs.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES:
Panel Sessions are due Friday, November 10, 2017.
Participant-Driven Sessions are due Friday, November 10, 2017.
Posters are due Friday, January 5, 2018.
Seminars deadline has passed. Note: Seminars are reviewed and submitted separately from the aforementioned formats.
No proposals will be accepted after the deadline.
To submit a proposal, please note the following.
PROPOSAL EVALUATION:
Each proposal will be evaluated on the strength of the 300-word abstract, the diversity of the speakers and their experiences, the proposal’s relationship to the program theme, and the completeness of the proposal. Session proposals should incorporate one or more of the following:
-Preparedness for disaster (planning, emergency response, etc.)
-Inclusion of diversity in all levels of our organization
-Democratization of the historical record
-Inclusion of diverse perspectives and initiatives
-Statement of potential impact on the field and practice of special collections and archives.
-Relevance of the topic for RBMS members and other interested attendees.
SESSION FORMATS:
Panel session
You and a few of your colleagues have put together your individual research/work into a cohesive panel of typically 3-4 speakers (flexibility on speaker count will depend on the allotted times for sessions which are typically 1.5 hours). You may also submit an individual paper that, if accepted, will be placed by conference organizers into a cohesive panel of 3-4 speakers.
Participant-driven session
You (or you and a cohort) have an idea for a session that would require the majority of the time be devoted to audience member participation, which will drive the momentum of the proposed idea or topic of interest. The goal for this session is that the audience contributes to the topic that is facilitated by the proposer(s) in some fashion.
Poster
You share your project, ideas, or other types of thematic-related topics in a poster format. These are ideal for concentrated research and/or sharing new approaches to your work. Posters are showcased during targeted times throughout the conference.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS.
Please forward any questions you may have about submitting proposals, the suitability of topics, etc. to RBMS2018proposals@gmail.com.