CALL FOR PROPOSALS – ALA Annual 2022

The American Library Association's International Relations Round Table Papers and Projects Committee invites proposals for a presentation at the 2022 American Library Association Annual Conference, scheduled to take place in Washington DC from June 23-28, 2022.

Deadline for submitting proposals is extended to February 28, 2022.

 The International Papers and Projects Session provides librarians with an opportunity to exchange information about library services, collections and projects throughout the world. The program also serves to stimulate the interest of U.S. librarians in international library matters. The 2022 International Papers and Projects theme is Library Policies in a Time of Uncertainty and Controversy.

As the world continues to navigate the changing landscape shaped by two years of living with the pandemic, organizations must deal with uncertainty, make difficult policy decisions that are often further complicated by controversy and opposing viewpoints. The aim of this session is to explore the role of library policies in helping to provide guidance and clarity, providing a framework for the expectation of what needs to be done. Such policies can range from short term policies to ensure continued access to information, operational changes to ensure business continuity, to longer term strategic policies that have evolved or have been accelerated because of the pandemic. These can be related to collection development the type of services libraries need to provide, the communities they serve, and new areas of concern relating to human resources.

This session hopes to showcase the process of identifying areas in policy that need improvement, the steps taken to implement new policies in uncertain times, the challenges faced in getting buy-in, as well as in communicating change. We are looking for speakers to share on international and US library projects and issues relating to how they have managed this process and what they have learned from it.

Possible topics related to this theme may include-but are not limited to:

• The thought processes and implementation journey behind responsive operational policies that allowed the library to continue to serve its community
• Strategic policies that the library had reviewed, for example distribution of materials to be acquired, digital access policies, human resource needs etc.
• How the pandemic had accelerated the need to amend existing policy decisions and how the trajectory of these discussions evolved over time
• Information access policies to combat misinformation, but at the same time maintaining representation of diverse voices
• Difficult policy decisions that had to be made whether because it alienated specific groups or top-down mandates that were beyond the library's control
• Managing the demands and expectations of library users, what they expected the library to provide with changing conditions and what the library could provide
• Challenges relating to communicating policy related decisions, from getting staff buy-in to ensuring library users were aware of the changes, whether it was something new or a reversal of a temporary policy that library users have gotten used to due to a return to normalcy.

We encourage submissions that reflect the diverse approaches of the public sector, the academic environment, special libraries, or other types of information organizations. International library schools may also share how they are preparing their students to think about policy. International submissions will be given priority, but submissions from the US will be considered as well, especially if they may be of interest to the international community. To ensure representation from around the world, only one presentation per country will be selected.

Alternative Participation Method Option due to COVID-19

Considering the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the unknown status of international travel restrictions this summer, we want to ensure the inclusivity of diverse experiences and wide-ranging perspectives on the policy challenges that our international community has faced and continues to face. Thus, we are also welcoming proposals for short 5-minute interview-style videos, in addition to the traditional conference presentations. These videos will be played at the beginning of the conference session prior to the full-length presentations.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Proposals and presentations must be written and delivered in English, which is the working language of the program. By submitting a proposal, the presenters acknowledge that the policy information can be shared widely in a public setting and the speakers are comfortable and able to address aspects of the policy. There are two submission types for this conference:

                     I.        Proposals for In-Person Conference Session

Proposals for full conference sessions should include:

1. Title of the presentation
2. Abstract (500-800 words)

A good abstract will

• describe the library, its community, the policy, and situation requiring policy change,
• describe how the policy relates to the one or more of the suggested possible topics or the vision of the session,
• describe how the policy was drafted, what stakeholders were involved, how it was implemented,
• describe how the library addressed the situation through leadership or advocacy in relation to the policy,
• discuss the impact on the policy change on the library, community, and effect on situation, and
• address overall if the policy was successful in relation to the situation or the policy will be adapted or changed in the future.

3. Presenter's name, title, institutional affiliation, and full contact information (including a valid e-mail address)
4. A short biographical profile of each presenter (100 words each. If the program is accepted, biographies will be used in program advertising.)

Proposals should be submitted electronically (as a single Microsoft Word or PDF attachment) to the International Relations Office via email at intl@ala.org with copies to felicia.adrienne@gmail.com  and brea.henson@unt.edu.

                   II.        Proposals for Introduction Video Clips

If you are interested in sending video clip, please include:

1. Type of policy change
2. A statement (250-500 words)

A good state of interest will  

• include a summary of the policy, and
• describe how the policy relates to the suggested possible topics or vision of the program.

3. Presenter's name, title, institutional affiliation, and full contact information (including a valid e-mail address)
4. A short biographical profile of each presenter (100 words each)

Proposals should be submitted electronically (as a single Microsoft Word or PDF attachment) to the International Relations Office via email at intl@ala.org with copies to felicia.adrienne@gmail.com  and brea.henson@unt.edu.

Deadline for submitting proposals is February 28, 2022.

PRESENTATION FORMAT

Proposals and presentations/interviews must be written and delivered in English, which is the working language of the program. There are two submission types for this conference:

1. Format for In-Person Conference Session
   Each panel presentation is between 10-15 minutes. Applicants are encouraged to consider creative and effective presentations to connect attendees with the topic and to share information that will let attendees know how they could implement similar solutions/programs for their library communities. Slides will be edited and vented by the IRRT Paper and Project Committee. Since ALA has announced Annual 2022 is going to be an in-person conference, we are looking for proposals and panelists who are comfortable traveling to Washington, DC to present.

 

1. Format for Introduction Video Clips

If selected the IRRT Papers and Projects Committee will send the presenters a list of questions and schedule an interview over Zoom. This interview will be recorded, edited, and combined with other interviews to create an introduction video to be played at the beginning of the conference session. The IRRT Paper and Project Committee also post the video for public viewing on its platforms."

SELECTION PROCESS

Up to four proposals will be selected to present at the ALA Annual in June 2022. The IRRT Paper and Project Committee will aim to use as many interview clips in the video as they are able. The video will not exceed 10 minutes of content. Notification of acceptance for proposals and videos will be emailed in March 2022.

We would like to invite you to view previous presentation titles listed on IRRT's International Papers and Projects Session Committee website.

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BreaHenson
She/Her/Hers
Outreach and Instruction Librarian
University of North Texas
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