2007 Call for Proposals
2007 NSDL Annual Meeting: Advancing NSDL Networks
6-8 November 2007
Westin Arlington Hotel
Arlington, VA
Important Dates
Proposal Submission Opens: 17 April 2007
Proposal Submission Deadline Extended: 14 May 2007
Presenter Notification: Mid-June 2007
Check the Annual Meeting website for a complete list of deadlines.
The Annual Meeting Planning Committee solicits proposals for presentations to the 2007 NSDL Annual Meeting. Proposals are welcomed from both the NSDL community whose projects are currently or previously funded by the National Science Foundation and from individuals and groups not directly affiliated with an NSDL-funded project. The success of this annual event depends on the participation of the community and the quality and relevancy of the sessions. We encourage all projects to share their experiences and successes, and to raise issues that are of interest across NSDL.
Advancing NSDL Networks
The 2007 meeting theme reflects that from its inception, one of the many proof-of-concept ideas pursued during NSDL's development was the highly distributed effort of creating not just a digital library, but also the social and organizational structures that enable the library to meet the needs of various stakeholders. The concept has become a reality as partnerships have solidified into a network within NSDL and between NSDL and other organizations. The Planning Committee encourages proposals that address all aspects and nuances of technical and social networks, that demonstrate projects' achievements, and that highlight new ways networks advance and serve NSDL and its many audiences.
Notes on Session Lengths & Formats
When organizing sessions, projects are encouraged to collaborate with one another or with individuals or organizations not directly affiliated with an NSDL project. Due to space limitations, a dedicated room with laptops will not be available for crit labs. However, individual presentations, panels and workshops are possible. This year we are introducing a new session type, the lightning talk, described in detail below. Please read the suggestions about session ideas below, refer to the Proposal Submission Process FAQ, and as always, contact the Planning Committee with questions.
- 30 minutes: Project update and/or questions on specific issues that the community would want to know and/or be able to provide feedback about. Per the draft schedule overview, two or three 30 minute sessions will comprise an hour or 1.5 hour session block.
- 60 minutes: This time would support a panel presentation comprising several perspectives on an issue or an in-depth examination of one significant issue.
- 90 minutes: Feedback from standing committees indicated the need to have workshops on specific topics, such as integrating Fedora and evaluation. These longer sessions would support such workshops. Per the draft schedule overview, the morning of November 7 includes two 1.5 hour session blocks, potentially for back-to-back workshops on similar topics.
- Lightning talk: This new session type is borrowed from the computer
science and library science / technology communities. Like crit labs,
which were borrowed from the museum community, the Planning Committee
thinks this session can be adapted by the NSDL community to serve as yet
another way to share detailed project activities. Lightning talks are
5-minute presentation on any topic. The style is informal, focused,
informative, and can be as prepared or as spontaneous as the presenter
chooses. Some suggestions about what to say in 5 minutes:
- I did something in my project. It was a success. Here's how you could benefit.
- I did something in my project. It was a failure. Here's why.
- I want to do cool thing X. Does anyone want to help?
- Someone needs to do X.
- Here's a cool book / article / blog that everyone should see.
- What it's like to do X.
- Here's a useful technique that worked.
- Here's a technique I thought would be useful but didn't work.
- Comparison of X and Y.
- We should be paying more attention to X.
- Let's all do more of X / less of X.
- Wouldn't it be cool if X?
How to submit a lighting talk proposal: In the proposal submission form, indicate that you would like to give a 5-minute lightning talk by providing 1-2 sentences on the topic. You do not need to organize a whole session of lighting talks. The Planning Committee will organize the talks into a 60 or 90-minute session.
How to give a lighting talk: One presenter, your laptop (if necessary), 3 Power point slides or 1-2 URLs, a specific message, and a sense of humor.
Posters will follow a separate submission process, which will be available August 20. Look for further information about posters and general meeting information on the Annual Meeting website.
Proposal Information
For More Information, please contact: Sarah Giersch, NSDL Director of Development and Special Projects