Thursday, July 03, 2025

CFP: Well-Being in Higher Education: The Library's Evolving Role (2025 FACRL Virtual Conference - October 24, 2025)

Well-Being in Higher Education: The Library's Evolving Role

The Florida Chapter of ACRL (FACRL) is seeking proposals for presentations and poster sessions for the 2025 FACRL Virtual Annual Conference, held online on Friday, October 24, 2025.

“Being mentally resilient is integral to academic success” —Stephanie Rollins, director of library services at Air University in Montgomery, Alabama.

Over the past decade, mental health support in academic libraries has evolved into a creative, focused, and expansive initiative. Leading the way, educational institutions are consistently innovating to address campus needs by implementing targeted tools, dedicating roles and spaces to promote well-being, and investing in specialized programs and services tailored to their students and faculty. This year's call for proposals invites librarians and library staff to showcase their innovative projects, strategies, and ideas that uplift and enhance campus well-being.

What innovative projects have you implemented to enhance your academic campus's well-being? What steps can we take to prevent personal and professional burnout? What can we do to promote work/life balance? What spaces, resources, collections, activities, groups, or services do you provide to support wellness for your students, faculty, and staff? What wellness programs or immersive tools have you introduced to help others in their journey toward improved overall well-being? What practices have you implemented to leverage librarian expertise and enhance services and resources for a more positive patron experience?

We welcome submissions from library staff, students, and faculty.

Topics might include but are not limited to:


  • Innovative ways to promote wellness.
  • Promoting support services and networks.
  • Student engagement activities.
  • Building relevant collections.
  • Librarians as champions for their students and faculty.
  • Flexible work schedules, e.g., remote work, flex time, compressed schedules, etc.
  • Innovative spaces, e.g., quiet rooms, comfortable seating, low sensory lighting, serenity, and meditation rooms.
  • Stress-less activities for students, e.g., therapy dogs, free massages, coloring, and puzzle stations.
  • Physical and mental well-being activities and other immersive tools that promote resilience and mental strength, e.g., yoga for the mind and body, relaxation techniques.
  • Slow Librarianship: A captivating approach that harnesses the expertise of librarians to elevate services and resources, ensuring a genuinely enriching experience for patrons. It's all about fostering a positive connection and creating a welcoming environment where knowledge blooms and exploration flourishes!

Do you have an idea for a timely topic outside this year's theme? Please feel free to submit it for consideration! Don't see a trend of interest but have best practices to share? No problem. Submit your proposal anyway.

Proposals for presentations, posters, and lightning round presentations can be submitted beginning Monday, May 19, 2025 using the online submission form. Rolling reviews and decisions will occur as proposals are received. The final deadline to submit is Friday, July 11, 2025. Presenters will receive complimentary registration to the virtual conference.

Presentations should be 45 minutes long, including the time provided for questions. Posters will be shared during a virtual poster session at the conference. Lightning round presentations are 5 minutes in length. Please follow this link to the rubric used to score all proposals. Acceptance emails will be sent on or before Friday, August 15, 2025

Presentations of superior quality may be considered for future publication in The Reference Librarian, a major refereed journal published by Taylor and Francis. Consider reviewing the Instructions for Authors to learn about the expectations of content and writing for this peer-reviewed journal, which utilizes APA 7th edition style. Please contact editor Lauri Rebar (Lrebar@fau.edu) with any questions. New and established authors are welcome!

Inquiries may be sent to the FACRL President, Leah Plocharczyk (lplochar@fau.edu)

Thursday, June 19, 2025

CFP: Power Up 2026: A Leadership Conference for Youth Services Managers & Staff (Hybird - March 26-27, 2026 - Madison, Wisconsin)

Power Up 2026 - A Leadership Conference for Youth Services Managers & Staff

Deadline to submit: August 10

March 26-27, 2026 | Hybrid Conference


The Power Up planning committee wants your program proposals for Power Up 2026 to be held March 26-27, 2026, in Madison, WI. Topics could include, by are not limited to strategic planning, leadership styles & strategies, advocacy, intellectual freedom, mentorship, staff morale and retention, culturally relevant programing & collection, managing change, program assessment, innovative or experimental programming, and playful & connected learning. 

Conference sessions can take one of several formats, and you are welcome to submit multiple proposals!
  • Lecture presentation: 45-minute presentation + 15 min Q&A
  • Panel Discussion: 2-4 presenters focused on one big topic and sharing their experience
  • Workshop presentation: One-hour hands-on learning experience
  • Programming lightning talk: 5-8 minute mini presentation on or about a successful program
  • Roundtable discussion: Lead an in-depth full-group discussion on a topic of your choice. No need to prepare a presentation—just shepherd good conversation!

Submit your idea by August 10th, 2025.

Selected presentation, workshop, and panel sessions will receive one complimentary conference registration. Selected lightning talk and roundtable presenters will receive a discounted conference rate. 

For full details visit the conference website: go.wisc.edu/882gy2 

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Questions? Email ce-info@ischool.wisc.edu 

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

CFP: UKSG Forum 2025 (United Kingdom Serials Group) - December 3rd, 2025 (Brighton, UK)

The popular UKSG Forum will be held in Brighton on Wednesday 3rd December 2025.  In addition, we are also pleased to announce that the call for topics is now open for submissions. 

 

We encourage all interested individuals to submit their proposals here. This is an excellent opportunity to share your insights with an engaged and diverse audience. The UKSG Forum provides a friendly and inclusive space where experienced and first-time speakers representing the different segments of the sector are welcome to showcase their area of expertise and/or interests.

 

Areas of interest

 

We seek developed proposals from those who wish to deliver or co-deliver for presentations, lightning talks and posters. These proposals ultimately form the core of our programme. Some examples of topics for proposals are, but not limited to:

  • Electronic resource life cycle and management
  • Collection analysis, assessment, and development in Academic and FE libraries
  • Licensing and legal framework of content
  • Ethical Issues in Technical Services
  • Standards, initiatives, and best practices
  • Scholarly communication, including copyright, data management, and assessment.
  • Institutional repositories, publishing, digital preservation, open educational resources, and open access
  • Building relationships between libraries, vendors, publishers, standards groups, and others in the information community.
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion in relation to libraries and publishers
  • Professional development
  • Content platforms, Digital Resources and AI
  • Financial and environmental sustainability

 

We particularly welcome first-time presenters and those seeking to build their experience presenting and will provide support and mentorship for those who would find it beneficial.  We accept ideas for full-length (20 - 30 minute) presentations, lightning talks (5 - 15 minutes) along with poster sessions.

 

The event will be free to attend for all those working within a UKSG membership institution – you can check whether your institution is a member here (a small nominal charge will be made for non-members), bookings for delegates will open later in the year.  You do not have to be a member to be a speaker (but we would encourage you to join!) 

 

How to submit your ideas

 

The submission link is here, please complete the short form before the deadline of Friday 20th June after which our programme committee will convene and review all submissions.  If you need any assistance with any aspect of your submission, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Sponsorship/Exhibiting Opportunities

 

There will be a limited opportunity for organisations to sponsor the event or a book tabletop booth.  Both options provide an excellent platform to showcase your products, services, and initiatives to a highly engaged audience.   More details are available here

 

We look forward to receiving your innovative proposals and anticipate an extraordinary forum filled with enlightening discussions, interesting presentations, and networking opportunities, we would be grateful if you would share this email to your own networks.

 

Many thanks in advance! 

 

 

The Forum programme committee 

Thursday, June 12, 2025

CFP: Copyeditors for EBLIP (Evidence Based Library and Information Practice) #OpenAccess

CFP: Copyeditors for EBLIP (Evidence Based Library and Information Practice)

 

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) is looking for two new copyeditors to join our copyediting team. Ideally, candidates will be in place by July 2025, in time to begin work on the September issue.

 

The role of Copyeditors is to:

  • Copyedit manuscripts to improve overall grammar, syntax, and spelling
  • Utilize EBLIP copyediting guidelines alongside APA style guidelines
  • Verify citations and references to the extent possible with available bibliographic resources
  • Improve the consistency of formatting and style (as necessary)
  • Communicate with the Lead Copyeditor regarding circumstances that might require temporary absences from editing availability
  • Communicate with the Lead Copyeditor and Editor regarding concerns about manuscripts that cannot be resolved using the guidelines
  • Respond to Editors in a timely manner to accept or reject copyediting requests
  • Meet copyediting deadlines set by Editors

 

The ideal candidate will have copyediting or other detail-oriented editing experience and will possess a working knowledge of APA style and an interest in evidence based practice. The position requires dedicated time to ensure that EBLIP publishing deadlines are met, and it is therefore essential that interested persons make sure that they have available time to devote to this position prior to applying. The estimated workload is approximately 5 to 10 hours per issue, and much of this work falls over a one-month period, on a quarterly basis, prior to the publication of each issue.


Interested persons should send a resume/CV and cover letter, indicating areas of strength they would bring to the role, as a single PDF file to Melissa Moreau, Lead Copyeditor, at melissa.moreau@mcgill.ca by July 7, 2025. 


**Please note that Evidence Based Library and Information Practice is a non-profit, open access journal, and all positions are voluntary and unpaid.

 

About the journal:

Published quarterly and hosted by the University of Alberta, this peer-reviewed, open access journal is targeted at all library and information professionals interested in an evidence based model of practice. By facilitating access to librarianship research via original research articles and evidence summaries of relevant research from the library literature, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice enables librarians to practice their profession in an evidence based manner. Please visit the Evidence Based Library and Information Practice website for further information about the journal.

Wednesday, June 04, 2025

Midwest Business Librarian Summit: Lightning Talk Proposals Due June 13 (Conference - July 9th, 2025 - Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana)

The 2025 Midwest Business Librarian Summit is scheduled to occur in person on Wed, July 9th, at Purdue University! This is an IN-PERSON event held at the Purdue University West Lafayette, IN, campus.

Are you a business librarian or liaison, or someone who wants to know more about business librarianship? Join us for a day-long summit to discuss what we are all working on, what resources we love, teaching strategies, and more! MBLS is structured but informal, with ample time to get to know one another. The summit is FREE and will include on-campus parking at Purdue. This event is open to anyone with an interest in business librarianship, not just those located here in the Midwest. This year, we are excited to welcome Kenny Wilson, Purdue University Director of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, as our keynote speaker! Visit https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/MBLS for details.


REGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a8LwuonhjOKX15Q

CALL FOR LIGHTNING TALKS
Can you talk for just 5 minutes about what you've been doing as a business librarian? We're asking those registered for MBLS to apply to present a lightning talk! It could be an interesting project, a workflow improvement, a negotiation strategy, a resource discovery, an innovative approach to your job, or something completely different. As long as it relates to business librarianship, we at MBLS want to hear about it. You only need your title and abstract at this point in the process.

Lightning Presentation Call-Out Schedule:
  • June 13 - Abstract Submission Deadline
  • June 20- Acceptance Announcement
  • June 27 - Slides Due
  • July 9 - MBLS Presentations (in person)

SUBMIT YOUR LIGHTNING TALK IDEA HERE: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/ir_submit.cgi?context=mbls

We hope to see you there!

Zoeanna Mayhook
On behalf of the MBLS Planning Committee (Annette Bochenek, Neal Baker, Willow Fuchs, Zoe Mayhook, Marydee Ojala)

CFP: Defend Research, Defend Open Access - 2025 SJSU Open Access Conference (Virtual - October 21st, 2025)

SJSU Biennial Open Access Conference 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Library, San José State University

October 21, 2025, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM PDT

This will be a virtual conference and registration will be free.

Submit your proposal by July 15, 2025 at 5 PM PDT.


The SJSU King Library OA25 Conference Planning Committee is pleased to announce the theme of this year's biennial Open Access Conference: Defend Research, Defend Open Access


Around the world, government funding provides critical resources to support research and scholarship. Similarly, government open access policies like those in the United States, the European Union, Mexico, and Japan have reshaped scholarly communication to ensure immediate open access to publicly funded research. 


But what happens when governments turn against research? How can research and scholarly communication communities respond to censorship of academic research and to the dismantling of funding agencies and other research infrastructure? How can institutions and libraries maintain a commitment to open access in the face of challenging political and budgetary climates?


This conference aims to build on the Declaration To Defend Research Against U.S. Government Censorship and to provide researchers, librarians, publishers, research administrators, and concerned citizens a chance to share their experiences and strategies in addressing and countering government censorship in the research process. We especially invite participants from outside the United States to share their perspectives and experience in navigating the impacts of political change on the research process.


Topics may include but are not limited to: 

  • Impact of disrupted research agendas, including policy and social impacts as well as impacts on individual researchers;

  • Disappearing data and its effect on teaching and/or research;

  • Data rescue projects or research on the scope of disappearing data and web content;

  • Preservation of open content;

  • Labor issues related to Open Access, including invisible labor, power dynamics within academia, and sustainability of current practices;

  • Strategies for organization and action in response to changes in the research environment;

  • Case studies of Open Access initiatives;

  • Minimal computing and other ways of reimagining infrastructure for scholarship; and

  • Open Access in politically repressive or underfunded research environments.


We invite proposals for 20 or 40 minute sessions. Submit your proposal via our Google Form by July 15, 2025 at 5 PM PDT. If you have any questions, please contact Dawn Hackman, Health Sciences and Scholarly Communications Librarian, San José State University Library, at dawn.hackman@sjsu.edu.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

CFP: Digital Literacy Leadership in Academic Libraries

We are excited to invite chapter proposals for Digital Literacy Leadership in Academic Libraries, an open access, edited volume from Virginia Tech Publishing. Submit your proposal via the proposal form by Friday, June 27. Please reach out to Julia Feerrar (feerrar@vt.edu) with any questions. 


About the Book

Libraries have an important leadership role to play in helping learners navigate and participate in our digital society. Taking a leadership-as-practice approach, this edited volume explores digital literacy leadership around three major activities: framing or defining what digital literacy is and can be; building learning experiences into programs and initiatives; and pushing beyond disciplinary or institutional boundaries to forge partnerships, advocate for change, and make new connections. While many books have addressed how to teach digital literacy knowledge and skills, this volume steps back into the bigger picture of structuring programs, leading campus conversations, and identifying what it means for these initiatives to be library-led. 

Sections and Chapter Topics

Part I: Framing digital literacy/ies (reflective and philosophical essays)

  • What digital literacy is and why it matters, navigating digital literacy definitions and frameworks

  • Negotiating relationships between multiple literacies (e.g. information, media, data, artificial intelligence)

  • Philosophies or paradigms that influence digital literacy programs and pedagogies (e.g. critical literacies, connected learning)

  • Values and priorities that inform digital literacy initiatives


Part II: Building digital literacy programs or initiatives (case studies)

  • Creative approaches to digital literacy program structure or content, including online and in-person learning

  • Marketing campaigns or other educational initiatives 

  • Building new spaces and services

  • Rethinking existing instruction programs to feature digital literacy


Part III: Expanding digital literacy leadership (case studies)

  • Building community partnerships

  • Staff and faculty development

  • Advocacy and civic engagement

  • Experiential learning and developing learners as leaders, including internships and fellowships


This is not a final or exhaustive list! We also welcome proposals on any topics that you feel fit within digital literacy leadership in academic libraries. Reach out to Julia Feerrar (feerrar@vt.edu)  to discuss your idea or attend a drop-in working session for prospective authors:


Defining Digital Literacy Leadership

This volume will frame library leadership for digital literacy as uniquely multifaceted and, at its core, human-centered. Library leadership is vital to building digital literacy education that explores the human questions right along with the technical ones. To that end, this book will approach digital literacy as comprehensive and continuously in flux. Drawing on the Virginia Tech digital literacy framework, we will define digital literacy as an overlapping set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that help learners navigate and participate in our digital world. 

Submit Your Proposal

Please use the proposal form to submit your chapter proposal by Friday, June 27. The proposal should include all contributing authors and their institutions, a working title, tentative book section, and a 200-500 word description of your proposed chapter. We welcome both reflective essays and practical case studies. Join us for an optional prospective author working session to share your ideas and get feedback:


Final chapters should be between 3,000 – 5,000 words and first drafts of completed manuscripts will be due in late October or early November. The expected final publication date is Winter 2027. Please reach out to Julia Feerrar (feerrar@vt.edu) with any questions.

Wednesday, May 07, 2025

CFP: South Carolina Library Association Annual Conference (October 27-30 - Columbia, South Carolina) - The Power of Us: Libraries in Action

The South Carolina Library Association is soliciting session proposals for this year’s conference.  Our conference theme is The Power of Us: Libraries in Action.

Conference URL: https://www.scla.org/conference

“The Power of Us: Libraries in Action” celebrates the transformative role of libraries as dynamic centers of community engagement, learning and innovation. This theme recognizes that the true power of libraries lies not just in their collections, but in the collective action of library workers, patrons, students and communities working together to create positive experiences for library users. The South Carolina Library Association is committed to providing a platform for many voices and perspectives that support libraries. 

 

The conference will be held October 27-30, 2025, at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, South Carolina. 

 

*Pre-conference sessions will take place at Richland County Public Library in Columbia on October 27. 2025. 


We welcome proposals that:

  • Highlight successful partnerships between libraries and local organizations
  • Demonstrate the impact of libraries on literacy, education, and/or workforce development
  • Showcase innovative programs and services that respond to student and community needs
  • Share strategies for advocacy and community engagement
  • Present solutions to contemporary challenges facing South Carolina libraries
  • Feature technological innovations and digital initiatives
  • Address professional development and leadership in libraries
  • And more!

 

Submit your session proposal today!

https://forms.gle/TEMXTMqWPrq7C1Yk6 Submissions close June 1, 2025.


Please direct questions to Conference Chair, Dr. Cromartie at scla1stvp@gmail.com

 


MLA 2025 Annual Conference Call for Proposals (Michigan Library Association) - October 29-31, 2025 Lansing, Michigan

CFP URL: https://www.milibraries.org/call-for-proposals

MLA 2025 Annual Conference Call for Proposals (Michigan Library Association) - October 29-31, 2025 Lansing, Michigan


Submissions are welcome through Friday, May 16, 2025.

Click here to view these guidelines as a PDF.

 

Submit a Proposal

 

The Michigan Library Association invites proposals for breakout sessions at the 2025 MLA Annual Conference to be presented in person, October 29-31, 2025, at the Lansing Center located in downtown Lansing. The Michigan Library Association Annual Conference is the premier professional development and networking event for Michigan library staff, students, and trustees.

We invite any of the above groups as well as subject matter experts and first-time and returning presenters to propose breakout sessions aligned with our theme of Library Kaleidoscope: Shifting Perspectives. By offering a range of sessions, attendees will be able to find new ways of looking at situations, programs, services, and more. What is possible when you rotate your kaleidoscope? What new combinations will you see?

Session Proposal Guidelines

Speakers must be able to present in-person at the conference hosted October 29-31, 2025 at the Lansing Center. Sessions may be placed anytime during the conference. Speakers are not required to attend the conference beyond their session.

Sessions are educational, generative, or inspirational in nature. Sales pitches of products or services will not be accepted.

MLA reserves the right to edit or combine session proposals before acceptance.

Contact information must be provided for all speakers.

You do not need to be an MLA member to submit.

Evaluation Criteria

The MLA Annual Conference workgroup will use the following criteria in assessing the viability of including a program in the schedule. The work group retains the right to reject, modify, or combine proposals.

  • Purpose:  Does the proposal clearly identify a goal and takeaways for the audience?
  • Audience:  Is the target audience clearly identified?
  • Practicality:  Is the topic appropriate for a conference breakout session in content and target audience?
  • Engagement:  Will the presentation and presenter(s) keep the audience’s focus and attention through clear speech, engaging visuals, useful and relatable content?
  • Timeliness/Relevance:  Is the topic of current interest, bringing new ideas and a fresh perspective to its intended audience and theme?
  • Qualifications:  Does the speaker(s) have sufficient or relevant experience to present on the proposed topic?
  • Theme Adherence: To what extent does the proposal fit with the theme of shifting perspectives?

Agreements and Selection Notification

MLA will contact each presenter in writing with the workgroup’s acceptance decision.

MLA will send all individual presenters a Presenter Agreement indicating the date, time, and details of their presentation. This must be confirmed by the presenters and returned to MLA.

Handouts

Handouts are strongly recommended for every session.

Handouts will be added to the event website and mobile app. Examples of handouts may be, but are not limited to: presenter contact information, a list of additional resources, a copy of presentation slides, or related worksheets.

Printed handouts are not distributed on-site by MLA. Presenters may provide hard copies of handouts if desired at their own cost. We also encourage providing access to handouts directly in your presentation via QR code.

Deadlines and Due Dates

  • Friday, May 16, 2025: Final day to submit proposals. This deadline is firm and will not be extended.
  • Friday, June 20, 2025: Selection notifications distributed via email from MLA to all presenters.
  • Friday, July 25, 2025: Presenter agreements due to MLA office.
  • Monday, October 13, 2025: Handouts due for MLA website and mobile app
  • Wednesday - Friday, October 29 - 31, 2025: MLA 2025 Annual Conference, Lansing Center

Program AV & Room Setup

All presentation rooms will be supplied with an HDMI cord, screen, and podium with microphone at no cost to the presenter.

MLA will have laptops on hand for use, but presenters are encouraged to bring their own device.

Wi-Fi internet will be in each presentation room however, MLA cannot guarantee the speed and dependability of the services at any given time.

Remote mouse devices/pointers are the responsibility of the presenter. If presenters choose to bring their own computer that does not connect to an HDMI cable, they will be responsible for providing their own connection cables or adapter.

Rooms are typically sat theatre style. MLA will take every effort to make sure the presentation rooms are set up according to the needs of the presentation.

Disclaimers

All speakers must agree to the following statements:

  • I understand I will not be reimbursed or compensated for presentation time, mileage, or any other expense related to my participation in the conference.
  • I agree to adhere to MLA's Code of Conduct.
  • I will be responsible for registering and paying for the conference if I plan on attending other sessions or events beyond my allotted presentation time.
  • I will be required to provide my own computer or tablet during the presentation time.

Questions

Please feel free to contact MLA’s Program and Event Director Amber Sheerin or Conference Chair Lisa Waskin with any questions you may have prior to your submission.

Amber Sheerin, Michigan Library Association: asheerin@milibraries.org

Lisa Waskin, Superior District Library: lwaskin@superiordistrictlibrary.org