IRRT Papers & Projects Session
ADVANCED CALL FOR PROPOSALS
at ALA Annual 2023
The American Library Association's International
Relations Round Table (IRRT) Papers and Projects Committee invites proposals for a
presentation at the 2023 American Library Association Annual Conference,
scheduled to take place in Chicago, IL from June 22-27, 2023.
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 2023
International Papers and Projects theme is Finding a New Normal:
Library Policies and Practices.
The world
continues to navigate the changing landscape shaped by three years of living
with the pandemic, political upheaval, and environmental crisis. Organizations must
find balance among traditional, pre-pandemic policies and practices,
pandemic-related policies and practices that changed how and where libraries
provide service, and the “new normal” of returning to more traditional policies
and practices while the pandemic continues. At the same time, organizations
must take special care in how they support and validate their employees as well
as take strides in leading inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility
efforts in their communities.
The aim of this session is to explore the role of
library policies and practices that balance the needs of the organization, the
needs of the employee, and the need of the patrons. The balance between policy
and practice may also be a delicate framework of expectations and understanding
new to the landscape of leadership as libraries seek a new normal. This session
hopes to showcase the considerations of developing policies to
1.
sustain collections and services,
2.
provide for employees, and
3.
lead inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility practices
as well as
4.
methods of implementation,
5.
successes and failures, and
6.
revisions after implementation.
This session seeks stories of challenges, successes,
and failures of getting buy-in and communicating change to library employees
and patrons. We are looking for speakers to share on international and U.S. library projects and issues relating to how they have
managed this process and what they have learned from it.
Possible
questions related to this theme may include, but are not limited to:
1.
How
have “post-Covid” policies and practices affected librarians psychologically
and physically?
2.
How
can we most effectively support librarians in their workplaces, as library
policies and practices adapt so that they can continue to provide services to
the community?
3.
How
are library administrations creating new policies to transition libraries into
a post-Covid era? What practices do employees take to implement them?
4.
What
obstacles are libraries facing in creating policies and practices to keep
buildings open during times of labor shortages, demands for improved EDI
focuses, and calls for greater social justice efforts in their organizations?
5.
How
have your library’s policies impacted the kind of back-to-work model that your
institution has adopted in the post-pandemic era? (in-person, hybrid, fully
remote work). What factors influenced these decisions?
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 and practice.
International submissions
will be given priority, but submissions from the U.S. will be considered as
well, especially if they may be of interest to the international community. To
ensure representation from around the world, the IRRT Papers and Projects Committee
aims to accept one presentation per country though exceptions may apply.
ADVANCED CALL CONDITIONS
This
call for proposals has been released in advance of program acceptance by ALA in
hopes that interested international applicants will have more time to seek
funding and visa approvals for conference travel. ALA accepts programs between
December and January. If ALA denies the IRRT Paper and Projects Session
program, the Committee will organize a webinar with selected speakers.
ALTERNATIVE PARTICIPATION METHOD OPTION
DUE
TO COVID-19
Considering the uncertainty of COVID-19
and its impacts on international travel, we want to ensure the inclusivity of
diverse experiences and wide-ranging perspectives on the challenges of policy and
practices that our international community 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
and practice information can be shared widely in a public setting and the
speakers are comfortable and able to address aspects of the policy and practice.
There are two submission types for this conference:
Proposals for In-Person Conference Sessions
Proposals for in-person
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 practices, and the situation requiring
policy and practice change,
§
describe how the
policy and practice relates to one or more of the suggested possible questions or the
vision of the session,
§
describe how the
policy was drafted, what stakeholders were involved, how it was implemented, and
what practices resulted from it,
§
describe how the
library addressed the situation through leadership or advocacy in relation to
the policy and practice
§
discuss the
impact of the policy and practice on the library, employees, community, and its
effect on the situation, and
§
address overall
if the policy and practice was successful in relation to the situation or if the
policy or practice 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 brea.henson@unt.edu, and mfenton@library.in.gov.
Proposals for Introduction Video Clips
If you are interested in sending a video
clip, please include:
1.
Type of policy
change
2.
A statement (250-500
words)
A good statement of interest will
§
include a summary
of the policy and practice, and
§
describe how the
policy and practice relates to the suggested possible questions 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 brea.henson@unt.edu, and mfenton@library.in.gov.
The deadline for submitting proposals
is February 28, 2023.
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:
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 2023 is going to be
an in-person conference, we are looking for proposals and panelists who are
comfortable traveling to Chicago, IL to present.
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 will post the video
for public viewing on its platforms.
SELECTION
PROCESS
Up to four in-person
proposals will be selected to present at the ALA Annual in June 2023. 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 2023.
We would like to invite you to view
previous presentation titles listed on IRRT's International
Papers and Projects Session Committee website.
