Tuesday, April 30, 2019

CFP: Louisiana Virtual Academic Library Conference (November 7th, 2019)

Call for Proposals: Louisiana Virtual Academic Library Conference

The LLA Academic Section and ACRL-LA are partnering to host an engaging, affordable, and accessible virtual conference on Thursday, November 7, 2019. No travel budget required!

Submit your proposal relating to library archives, instruction, public services, technical services, leadership, management, and more. All proposals of keen interest to academic librarians are welcome, although preference may be given to Louisiana-based institutions, individuals, and themes. Most sessions will last 50 minutes and time for discussion should be factored into planning. Welcome formats include workshops, panel and group discussions of key issues, academic paper presentations, and 10-minute lightning talks.

Be an information pioneer and submit your proposal at http://bit.ly/lavirtualacademic by midnight on July 1. The conference committee will review all submissions and contact those accepted to be part of the conference by August 1st.

If you have questions, please contact Heather Plaisance (hcplaisance@louisiana.edu) or Jennifer Hamilton (jen@louisiana.edu).

Monday, April 29, 2019

Call for Chapters – Teaching with Archives & Special Collections Cookbook (ACRL Publications)

CALL FOR “RECIPES” (CHAPTER PROPOSALS)
The Teaching with Archives & Special Collections Cookbook is seeking recipes!
We are now accepting recipe proposals detailing lesson plans or projects that demonstrate the integration of archives and special collections material into the classroom. We are seeking practical guides that provide an entry point to teaching with primary sources for information professionals new to teaching and learning with archives and special collections, including archivists, special collections librarians, and instruction librarians. Additionally, we seek innovative proposals that will serve as a resource for those experienced with teaching with primary sources and archives by providing a repository of ideas for when their lesson plans need to be refreshed and updated.

Recipes will include the following:
Recipes will follow the ACRL Cookbook format. Your 600- to 800-word submission must describe a successful lesson plan or activity using archives and special collections material. Please also include:
·              Recipe name (a.k.a. your “chapter” title)
·              Your name, university or other affiliation
·              Your email address, if you would like it included with your recipe (optional)
·              Potential cookbook category, section, and part (see below)

Submission information and due dates:
Email your draft recipes to jmp48@psu.edu by July 16, 2019
Notifications will be sent out in August 2019
Final recipes will be due on October 5, 2019

Cookbook Outline:
1.       Meal Prep: Teaching Archival Literacy 
Lessons that prepare students for the situated and unique aspects of doing research in archives and special collections libraries. 

2.       Good Orderer: Teaching Search & Discovery in Archives & Special Collections 
Lessons that help students make use of archival search and discovery tools, such as finding aids. 

3.       Food Critics: Teaching Primary Source Literacy 
 Lessons that support student analysis of primary sources. 

4.       Something from the Cart: Exhibitions as Teaching & Learning  
Lessons that utilize the exhibition of primary sources as a teaching and learning tool. 

5.       Community Picnics: K-12 & Non-course-related Instruction
      Lessons for K-12 & community audiences. 

6.       Takeout: Teaching with Digital Collections 
Lessons that utilize digital collections to teach primary sources literacy outside of archives and special collections libraries’ physical spaces. 

Email jmp48@psu.edu with any questions. Please refer to The Embedded Librarians Cookbook (ACRL 2014), The First Year Experience Library Cookbook (ACRL 2017), and The Library Assessment Cookbook (ACRL 2017) for examples of format and tone. We are willing to be flexible with length, wording, style, and topics.  Creativity encouraged! We look forward to your proposals!

Editor:
Julie M. Porterfield, Instruction & Outreach Archivist, Penn State University Libraries

Call for Reporter: Against the Grain - Library Journal's Design Institute on May 3rd in Columbia, SC


Are you planning to attend Library Journal's Design Institute on May 3rd in Columbia, SC? Against the Grain plans to feature an attendee report in an upcoming publication. If you would be interested in writing a brief summary of your experience and takeaways, please contact me at courtney.mcallister@yale.edu 

Thank you for your consideration!

All the best,

Courtney McAllister
Electronic Resources Librarian
Lillian Goldman Law Library
Yale University
Phone: 203-436-1296

Friday, April 26, 2019

LLAMA Innovation Incubator Call for Presenters

The LLAMA Innovation Incubator is hosting three webinars in the Fall (September-November with exact dates TBD), and we are looking for presenters who can also help us shape each webinar. Each webinar is on a different topic related to innovation, and all will include elements of diversity, equity, and inclusion as they relate to this work:

1.       Understanding Innovation
    1. Participants will analyze the basic elements of innovative thinking and culture from an individual perspective
    2. Participants will discuss how DEI is an underlying lens to bring different perspectives and voices as part of the innovation process
2.       Influencing organizational culture to embrace innovation
a.       Participants will examine the elements that have to be in place within an organization to enable innovation
b.       Participants will create a model for how to determine their stakeholders and networks of influence
c.       Participants will explore the link between change management and innovation
3.       Assessing innovation
a.       Participants will explore alternative ways to assess innovation success
b.       Participants will develop a framework for storytelling

If you are interested in presenting, please fill out this Google form by Wednesday, May 3rd. Please let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to hearing from you!


Cinthya Ippoliti (on behalf of the committee)


Cinthya Ippoliti
University Librarian and Director, Auraria Library

Sunday, April 21, 2019

CFP: “Perspectives on the Framework“ for College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News and ACRL’s Student Learning and Information Literacy (SLILC) Committee invite proposals for the publication’s “Perspectives on the Framework” column. This bimonthly column provides a forum for librarians to share implementations, best practices, critiques, explorations, and other perspectives developed from and in conversation with the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The goal of the column is twofold: to discuss practical tools and takeaways as well as the theoretical content influencing our praxis. Each column will focus on different topics of interest to academic librarians whose responsibilities are in instruction, information literacy, assessment, and other related work.

This column is managed and edited by a subcommittee of the ACRL Student Learning and Information Literacy Committee. Authors should submit 100-word proposals for columns by April 19, 2019 to crlnframework@gmail.com.

Past columns may be found on College & Research Libraries News archive.

College & Research Libraries News: Instructions for Authors may be found here.

“Perspectives on the Framework” SLILC Editorial Committee:
Smita Avasthi, Joi Jackson, Ray Pun and Donna Witek

CFP: ACRL Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group ALA Annual 2019

Call for Proposals - ACRL Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group ALA Annual 2019


You are invited to submit a proposal for the ACRL Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group, ALA Annual 2019.

The ACRL Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group meeting will be held on Saturday, June 22nd, 2019 from 10:30 am - 11:30 am at the Marriott Marquis in Washington DC  (Headquarter Hotel) - 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW. We will meet in the Cherry Blossom room.

The ACRL Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group welcomes proposals which address information literacy and outreach to international students. The presentations will be lightening talk format for 10 minutes followed by 15 minutes Q & A at the conclusion of all of the presentations. Lightning talks will be selected via a competitive blind review process.  

Proposals are due May 7, 2019. 

SELECTION CRITERIA 
Proposals will be evaluated based on the extent to which they: 
1. Measure or investigate issues of high interest to librarians, especially those working with international students. 
2. Represent innovative, original research.
3. Show evidence of carefully planned research design/program and thoughtful analysis. 
4. Clearly identify what stage of the project has been completed and estimate a timeline for the remainder of the project.

Note: Research that has been previously published or accepted for publication will not be considered. 

If you have questions, please email Leila Rod-Welch, Convenor of ACRL Academic Library Services to International Students Interest Group, at leila.rod-welch@uni.edu

CFP: Charleston Conference (November 4-8, 2019) @chsconf

Submit your proposal now for the 39th Annual Charleston Conference
November 4 - 8, 2019
"The time has come... to talk of many things!"


Do you have ideas, challenges, solutions, or information to share? We’re seeking proposals on topics related to collection development and acquisitions, including, but not limited to, the following threads:

  • Analytics
  • Collections
  • Library Services
  • Management
  • Scholarly Communication
  • Technology
  • Up & Coming - For those new to the profession.



The Charleston Conference wishes to provide opportunities for everyone to be heard. We encourage proposals that include representation from the different viewpoints and stakeholders in the scholarly communications process, so please consider the diversity of your panel. Also, please note that conference sessions are meant for librarians, publishers, and vendors to discuss issues of interest to them all. They are not an opportunity for marketing products or services.

Our call for preconference workshops and seminars is also still open through April 26. https://charlestonlibraryconference.com/call-preconferences/

2019 Conference Info:
  • Theme: "The time has come... to talk of many things!"
  • Preconferences/Seminars: Monday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 5
  • Vendor Showcase: Tuesday, November 5, 10:30 am - 6:00 pm
  • Main Conference: Wednesday, November 6 – Friday, November 8 
  • Vendor Showcase Exhibit registration will open on Monday, June 3.
  • Conference registration and hotel guest room blocks will open on Monday, June 10.
About the Conference:

The Charleston Conference is an informal annual gathering of librarians, publishers, electronic resource managers, consultants, and vendors of library materials in Charleston, SC, in November, to discuss issues of importance to them all. It is designed to be a collegial gathering of individuals from different areas who discuss the same issues in a friendly and highly informal environment. Presidents of companies discuss and debate with library directors, acquisitions librarians, reference librarians, serials librarians, collection development librarians, and many, many others. Begun in 1980, the Charleston Conference has grown from 20 participants in 1980 to almost 2,000 in 2016.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

CFP: OER and the Academic Library - Special Issue of Library Trends

Calls for Papers

Special issue information

Title: OER and the Academic Library
Editors: Elizabeth Dill, Mary Ann Cullen, and Christopher Shaffer
Abstract submission deadline: May 1, 2019
Publication date: November, 2020

Nature and scope of the issue

Open educational resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that reside in the public domain, or that have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation, and/or redistribution by others. Free-to-students materials that are not openly licensed, such as library resources, are often included in these programs. Academic libraries are able to function at the center and heart of OER initiatives (Young, 2018). These libraries are ideally positioned to support and lead implementation of the OER effort on college and university campuses.
The necessity for low-cost educational materials has reached a critical level. Textbook prices have increased at greater than three times the rate of inflation (Gaines, 2018; Perry, 2012) and the financial impact on students has been a driving force in the OER movement (Gaines, 2018; Senak, 2014, 2015, 2016). This financial impact is revealed in the lower rates at which different ethnicities earn college degrees (Colvard, Watson, & Park, 2018).
In advocating for OER, the NAACP states, “For too many years, too many children, particularly African American, other minorities, and underprivileged people from all groups have been subjected to lesser educational opportunities, leading to lesser opportunities for success in their personal and professional lives. A major contributing factor to the disparities continues to be the lack of appropriate instructional materials.”
The 2018 New Media Consortium Horizon Report references “proliferation of Open Educational Resources” as a midterm key trend. EDUCAUSE names OER as a 2019 top strategic technology. EdSurge declares 2017 OER’s breakthrough year as an essential teaching tool. SPARC reports that nearly one in 10 faculty across the nation are using OER. OER facilitate cost savings and have been demonstrated to increase students’ engagement and improve their learning (Weller et al., 2015). Colvard, Watson, & Park (2018) found that students are likely to have better performance when OER are used versus traditional texts.
This issue of Library Trends invites authors to explore and advance a broad range of topics and positions relevant to the creation, dissemination, use, and impact by critically addressing questions surrounding the advancing trend of OER.

Special note

Library Trends is a gold embargoed journal published by Johns Hopkins University Press. After two years the content is freely available in IDEALS, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s institutional repository. During those two years, authors are free to put a copy of the final version of the record PDF in their own repository and make it openly available. For this issue, the author agreement grants Library Trends license to publish. Authors are not required to transfer copyright. The agreement is available for review upon request.

List of potential topics

  • What role does advocacy play in OER?
  • How has information literacy been embedded within OER initiatives?
  • Describe the role of community in OER success. How can librarians successfully lead initiatives among  manage initiative-leading amongst numerous, significant stakeholders?
  • Characterize the role of labor and funding in OER creation. Is OER knowledge-production sustainable?
  • What innovative approaches have been used to involve students in OER creation?
  • How does one contend with corporatization/commercialization of OER? Can these the profit and nonprofit interests coexist? Can they commingle?
  • What is the value of OER information? How are assumptions of inferior quality overcome?
  • What discoverability issues exist in retrieving OER materials? How do you catalog OER effectively, so they can be overcome?
  • How does one effectively paint a picture of OER’s efficacy in terms of adoption rate, cost-savings, and student performance?
  • How is OER engagement measured and learning assessed?
  • What is OER's role in privilege, equity, inclusion, representation or diversity? How can OER transcend a white male content bias?
  • How do OER transcend open textbooks to open pedagogy?

Instructions for submission

The  editors for this special issue of Library Trends request that interested authors submit an abstract of 500 words, following Chicago format for parenthetical and reference list citations, by May 1, 2019. Abstracts should be sent to edill@troy.edu with the subject of “Library Trends: Abstract Submission - <author last name>.”
All submissions should follow the formatting requirements of the journal. Abstracts should include the author’s name, affiliation, and e-mail address. If more than one author is listed on the abstract, the editors will communicate with the first author only. The editors also request that the author(s) includes an informal biography explaining how her/his past and present research and/or professional experience informs her/his submission.
After review of the proposed abstracts, we will invite authors to submit full papers in early June, 2019. If you are not selected, you will also be notified at the same time. Full papers will be due to the editors by December 1, 2019; they will undergo a double-blind peer review.
The journal expects to publish the issue in November, 2020.

Timeline

May 1, 2019 Abstract submissions due
June 2019 Editors will notify author(s) whether  abstract is accepted
December 1, 2019 Manuscript drafts due
November 1, 2019 Rolling peer review begins
February 1, 2020 Rolling peer review ends
February 15, 2020 Manuscript decisions announced
March-April 15, 2020 Manuscript revision period
May 1, 2020 Final manuscripts due to editor for publication preparation
November 2020 Special issue published

Editors

Elizabeth Dill (MFA, MLIS) is an assistant professor and Director of Library Services at Troy University’s Dothan campus. A member of Troy’s Textbook Initiative Committee, she leads efforts to bring OER to the Dothan campus. The low-cost digital textbooks have saved Troy students over $294,200 University-wide. She is also an adjunct professor of theater, experienced in teaching with OER resources and incorporating open pedagogy in instruction. She can be reached at edill@troy.edu.
Mary Ann Cullen (MS Library Studies, MS Psychology) is an assistant professor and Associate Department Head at Georgia State University’s Alpharetta Campus. She has been involved in the open and affordable educational resources movement since 2013, when she participated in the adaptation of an OER text for Freshman Composition. Since then, she has assisted faculty with OER adoption and grants, presented on the Librarians’ roles in OERs at ACRL, the Distance Library Services Conference, and a Carterette Series webinar. She has been recognized as an Affordable Learning Georgia Featured Advocate. She can be reached at mcullen@gsu.edu.
Christopher Shaffer (MLIS, EdD) is a professor and Dean of Troy University Libraries. He is a member of Troy’s Textbook Initiative Committee, whose efforts to bring OER to the University’s students have saved over $294,200 University-wide. He has published in several peer reviewed journals and has considerable experience writing and implementing grants. In 2015 the Carnegie Corporation, American Library Association, New York Times, and the New York Public Library presented him the I Love My Librarian Award for his work in public outreach. He can be reached at shafferc@troy.edu.

References

2018 NMC Horizon Report. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://library.educause.edu/resources/2018/8/2018-nmc-horizon-report.
Brooks, D.C., and McCormack, M. (2019, January 28). Higher Education’s 2019 Trend Watch & Top Strategic Technologies. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved from https://library.educause.edu/resources/2019/1/higher-educations-2019-trend-watch-and-top-10-strategic-technologies.
Can OER Save Students $1 Billion? (2018, August 21). Retrieved from https://sparcopen.org/news/2018/can-oer-save-students-1-billion/.
Colvard, N. B., Watson, C. E., & Park, H. (2018). The impact of open educational resources on various student success metrics. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 30(2), 262-276.
Gaines, A. (2018). Capitalism and the cost of textbooks: The possibilities of open source materials. In K. Haltinner and L. Hormel (Eds.), Teaching economic inequality and capitalism in contemporary America (pp. 257-266). Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1007/987-3-319-71141-6_22
NAACP: On Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from https://www.naacp.org/campaigns/open-education-resources-equity-opportunities/
Perry, M. J. (2012). The college textbook bubble and how the “open educational resources” movement is going up against the textbook cartel. Retrieved from http://www.aci.org/publication/the -college-textbook-bubble-and-how-the-open-educational-resources-movment-is-going-up-agianst-the-textbook-cartel/.
Senak, E. (2014). Fixing the broken textbook market: How students respond to high textbook costs and demand alternatives. Washington, DC: Student PIRGS. Retrieved from http://www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/fixing-broken-tgextbook-market.
Senak, E. (2015). Open textbooks: The billion dollar solution. Washington, DC: Student PIRGS. Retrieved from http://studentpirgs.org/reports/sp/open-textbook-billion-dollar-solution.
Senak, E. (2016). Covering the cost: Why we can no longer afford to ignore high textbook prices. Washington, DC: Student PIRGS. Retrieved from http://www.uspirg.org/report/usp/covering-cost.
Silagadze, M. (2018, March 13). OER Had Its Breakthrough in 2017. Next Year, It Will Become an Essential Teaching Tool - EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-28-oer-had-its-breakthrough-in-2017-next-year-it-will-become-an-essential-teaching-tool.
Weller, M., de los Arcos, B., Farrow, R., Pitt, B., & McAndrew, P. (2015). The impact of OER on teaching and learning practice. Open Praxis, 7(4), 351-361.
Young, J. R. (2018). As campuses mover to embrace OER, college libraries become key players. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-04-as-campuses-move-to-embrace-oer-college-libraries-become-key-players.

Monday, April 15, 2019

CFP: “Perspectives on the Framework“ for College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News and ACRL’s Student Learning and Information Literacy (SLILC) Committee invite proposals for the publication’s “Perspectives on the Framework” column. This bimonthly column provides a forum for librarians to share implementations, best practices, critiques, explorations, and other perspectives developed from and in conversation with the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The goal of the column is twofold: to discuss practical tools and takeaways as well as the theoretical content influencing our praxis. Each column will focus on different topics of interest to academic librarians whose responsibilities are in instruction, information literacy, assessment, and other related work.

This column is managed and edited by a subcommittee of the ACRL Student Learning and Information Literacy Committee. Authors should submit 100-word proposals for columns by April 19, 2019 to crlnframework@gmail.com.

Past columns may be found on College & Research Libraries News archive.

College & Research Libraries News: Instructions for Authors may be found here.

“Perspectives on the Framework” SLILC Editorial Committee:
Smita Avasthi, Joi Jackson, Ray Pun and Donna Witek

Call for Chapters: Makerspaces for Adults: Best Practices and Great Projects

We would like to invite you to submit a chapter proposal for our upcoming publication, Makerspaces for Adults: Best Practices and Great Projects. This edited collection has been accepted for publication by Rowman & Littlefield.

Overview
This book highlights how to integrate your makerspace within university and public libraries and the wider community. Discover how you can connect your makerspace with service learning to support different groups, take your makerspace tools to various points of need through community partnerships, and build relationships with faculty, students, and patrons through makerspace projects. Intended for academic and public librarians, faculty, and staff who would like to implement more making into their classes and build productive collaborations, this book includes sections that cover theory, best practices, and project ideas that provide a clear guide on how to develop and implement your makerspace within the curriculum and make connections with outside partners.

The book will be broken down into 4 main parts:
  • Part I: Service Learning - Using makerspace programs to help the community
  • Part II: Academic Connections - How the makerspace can be used in an academic library. How professors can use the makerspace with class projects.
  • Part III: Public Library Makers - Public library programs focused on adult makers
  • Part IV: Community Outreach - Programs outside of the makerspace using makerspace materials.

Each part will consist of two sections:
The first section will include chapters that cover theory and best practices and should be about 3,500 words (10 double-spaced pages in 12-point type). The second section will share 3-5 projects with detailed instructions and images. Each project will consist of about 1,800 words (6 double-spaced pages in 12-point type) and include at least one photograph of the project. Projects may also feature figures and tables that help explain or support readers in implementation. You are welcome to submit multiple abstracts for chapters and/or projects.

Proposal Submissions:
Please send an abstract to makerspacecommunitybook@gmail.com with the following information:

  • Name, current title, and institution 
  • Proposed chapter or project title. 
  • Please also include which part you feel your chapter would best fit. 
  • 300-500 word abstract of your proposed chapter

All proposals should be submitted by May 3, 2019.

We welcome proposals from librarians, library professionals, scholars, educators, and community members who work with makerspaces and/or develop programming for makerspace projects.

Contributors will be notified of acceptance by May 24, 2019.

If you have any questions about the book or proposals, please contact Jessie
Long and Jennifer Hicks at makerspacecommunitybook@gmail.com

LLAMA Innovation Incubator Call for Presenters

The LLAMA Innovation Incubator is hosting three webinars in the Fall (September-November with exact dates TBD), and we are looking for presenters who can also help us shape each webinar. Each webinar is on a different topic related to innovation, and all will include elements of diversity, equity, and inclusion as they relate to this work:

1.       Understanding Innovation
    1. Participants will analyze the basic elements of innovative thinking and culture from an individual perspective
    2. Participants will discuss how DEI is an underlying lens to bring different perspectives and voices as part of the innovation process
2.       Influencing organizational culture to embrace innovation
a.       Participants will examine the elements that have to be in place within an organization to enable innovation
b.       Participants will create a model for how to determine their stakeholders and networks of influence
c.       Participants will explore the link between change management and innovation
3.       Assessing innovation
a.       Participants will explore alternative ways to assess innovation success
b.       Participants will develop a framework for storytelling

If you are interested in presenting, please fill out this Google form by Wednesday, May 3rd. Please let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to hearing from you!


Cinthya Ippoliti (on behalf of the committee)

Friday, April 12, 2019

Call for Authors - Informed Librarian Online

The Informed Librarian Online seeks article writers --
        
                      The Informed Librarian Online https://www.informedlibrarian.com  is seeking librarians with something to say to author a one-time "Guest Forum" article for our service. We are looking for practical, helpful articles on an issue of interest to YOU (and our readers). Would you like to write a short article (about 1,000 words) for us?  Librarians from all around the world read the articles in The Informed Librarian Online. 

                 The Informed Librarian Online is a monthly compilation of the most recent tables of contents from over 300 titles - valuable domestic and foreign library and information-related journals, e-journals, magazines, e-magazines, newsletters and e-newsletters. This current awareness service helps keep you informed and abreast of all library trends. It is an easy, timesaving way to tame your professional reading tiger, and is very popular among all types of library and information professionals.
        
                 
As a small token of our appreciation, the article author would receive a complimentary one year Premium Membership in The Informed Librarian Online.  If you are interested in writing for The Informed Librarian Online, email aeis@optonline.net a brief description of your proposed subject matter.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

CFP: BitCurator Users Forum 2019: Communities of Practice (New Haven, CT October 2019)

Call for Proposals

BitCurator Users Forum 2019: Communities of Practice

The BitCurator Consortium (BCC) invites proposals for the 2019 BitCurator Users Forum, to be held October 24-25 at Yale University. An international, community-led organization with 42 member institutions, the BCC promotes and supports the application of digital forensics tools and practices in libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage organizations.

In previous years, the BitCurator Users Forum has focused on sharing strategies, approaches, and best practices for using digital forensics tools and methods within processing workflows in archives, libraries, and museums. While we still encourage proposals in these topic areas, this year we are seeking to expand the scope and discussions at the 2019 Users Forum to explore themes and concepts across organizations and fields of practice, such as collaboration, advocacy, ethics, and other areas. We particularly welcome participation from organizations and individuals working outside of academic and special collections libraries, as well as individuals working outside of the United States. See more details on our Call for Proposals page.

Please note that the BitCurator Users Forum is open to all. You don't need to be a BCC member to submit a proposal and/or attend the event.

The first day of the BitCurator Users Forum will feature an introduction to digital forensics workshop aimed at practitioners who are just getting started working with digital forensics tools and methods. This workshop will include an overview of digital forensics concepts, and will mostly focus on hands-on exercises and activities. Other programming on both days of the Forum will include a variety of sessions, from to participant-driven workshops to panel presentations.


Submission Information

Deadlines
Submission Deadline: May 17, 2019
Acceptance Notification: June 14, 2019

Participant-focused session formats
Sessions facilitated by individuals or groups welcome. 60 minutes - 4 hours
Please submit a 250-word (maximum) abstract describing the session format and topic(s).

The Program Committee particularly encourages participant-focused session formats that incorporate interactivity. This can include any type of non-traditional session format, such as peer-to-peer learning sessions, collaborative working sessions, roundtables, etc.


Presentations
Individual or group submissions welcome. 30 - 60 minutes
Please submit a 250-word (maximum) abstract. If submitting as an solo speaker, individual panelists may be matched by the BCC Program Committee based on complementarity of subjects or overarching themes.

We encourage presentations to move beyond the case study and address pressing issues, best practices, opportunities for collaboration, visions, and expanded uses for digital forensics in libraries, archives, museums, and beyond. The Program Committee strongly encourages proposals from underrepresented groups, and/or those that feature the perspectives of a variety of roles, organizations, or fields. We particularly welcome alternative panel formats (pecha kucha, group discussions, or others) that will facilitate dialogue and enlarge participation.

Lightning Talks
1 presenter, 5-12 minutes
Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words.

Lightning talks are a great format for case studies, digital forensics “success stories” or “tragic tales,” and research updates.

Themes
The BCC Program Committee recognizes that the field of digital forensics is broad and diverse, and accepts proposals that focus on any related topic from any field. We particularly encourage proposals to consider areas of interest such as:

  • Integration and Collaboration
    • How have cross-departmental or intra-institutional projects helped to build, teach, or improve digital archives workflows and outcomes?
    • Are there examples of tools or systems that have been linked or leveraged to improve preservation outcomes? What areas of opportunity exist for future integrations?
    • What communities of practice exist around digital archives?
    • What challenges and opportunities are involved in cross-disciplinary digital archives collaborations?
  • Advocacy and Building Capacity
    • How are you building capacity through “in-reach” and cross-training?
    • How does your work with digital archiving connect to other forms of advocacy and organizing?
    • What does successful advocacy for digital archives, preservation, and forensics look like?
    • How can we better demonstrate the value of digital archives and digital forensic work?
    • How can staff at small or underfunded organizations advocate for the time, tools, and expertise to conduct digital archives work?

  • People and Policy
    • What training curricula exist for working with digital archives and forensics? Are existing options sufficient?
    • How do people come to work with digital archives, preservation, and forensics? What skills from past experience have proven valuable?
    • How do digital archivists learn on the job?
    • What policies impact the experiences of digital archives workers?
    • How can we balance the need to maintain existing infrastructure with innovation and responding to new technologies?

  • Ethics
    • How do privacy and security, donor relations, institutional risk tolerance, and other ethical issues affect your work with digital archives?
    • How do we address the fact that doing one’s work often means relying on tools and techniques that were originally developed for the law enforcement community?
    • How do we address the environmental impact of large digital archives while managing researcher’s expectations of immediate/online access to digital materials?

How to Submit
Submit proposals here.

How Proposals will be Evaluated
The BCC Program Committee will review all 2019 BitCurator Users Forum proposals. To see the criteria used to evaluate proposals, click here.

Eligibility & Requirements
We welcome proposals from archivists, librarians, digital forensics software and systems providers (vendors), scholars, students, and other individuals working with digital forensics on a regular basis, regardless of BCC membership or organization size. We particularly welcome submissions from individuals working outside of the United States and/or outside of academic and special collections libraries.

Presenters must register for and attend the conference. Presenters must also designate their permission in the submission form related to livestreaming their presentation during the event, making a recording of their presentation available online, and posting their presentation slides online.

BitCurator Consortium
The BitCurator Consortium (BCC) is an independent, community-led membership association that serves as the host and center of administrative, user and community support for the BitCurator environment. Its purpose is to support the curation of born-digital materials through the application of open-source digital forensics tools by institutions responsible for such materials.

Sam Meister
Preservation Communities Manager, Educopia Institute
sam@educopia.org
http://educopia.org
@samalanmeister