The 2018 RBMS Conference Planning Committee is accepting proposals for panel sessions, participant-driven sessions, and posters. The conference theme Convergence is inspired by the conference’s location, New Orleans, which is a hotbed of convergences from dishes as delightful as gumbo to a storm as destructive as Hurricane Katrina to mansions as hauntingly beautiful as those on St. Charles Avenue. This conference reflects the idea of convergences and speaks directly to our field’s preparedness for increasing environmental vulnerabilities in our facilities; our readiness for the inclusion of a diversity of people and cultures in our collections, outreach and leadership positions; and, finally, our willingness to democratize all of our materials, including but not limited to rare books, archival and digital records, films, maps, and photographs.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES:
Panel Sessions are due Friday, November 10, 2017.
Participant-Driven Sessions are due Friday, November 10, 2017.
Posters are due Friday, January 19, 2018.
Seminars deadline has passed. Note: Seminars are reviewed and submitted separately from the aforementioned formats.
No proposals will be accepted after the deadline.
PROPOSAL EVALUATION:
Each proposal will be evaluated on the strength of the 300-word abstract, the diversity of the speakers and their experiences, the proposal’s relationship to the program theme, and the completeness of the proposal. Session proposals should incorporate one or more of the following:
-Preparedness for disaster (planning, emergency response, etc.)
-Inclusion of diversity in all levels of our organization
-Democratization of the historical record
-Inclusion of diverse perspectives and initiatives
-Statement of potential impact on the field and practice of special collections and archives.
-Relevance of the topic for RBMS members and other interested attendees.
SESSION FORMATS:
Panel session
You and a few of your colleagues have put together your individual research/work into a cohesive panel of typically 3-4 speakers (flexibility on speaker count will depend on the allotted times for sessions which are typically 1.5 hours). You may also submit an individual paper that, if accepted, will be placed by conference organizers into a cohesive panel of 3-4 speakers.
Participant-driven session
You (or you and a cohort) have an idea for a session that would require the majority of the time be devoted to audience member participation, which will drive the momentum of the proposed idea or topic of interest. The goal for this session is that the audience contributes to the topic that is facilitated by the proposer(s) in some fashion.
Poster
You share your project, ideas, or other types of thematic-related topics in a poster format. These are ideal for concentrated research and/or sharing new approaches to your work. Posters are showcased during targeted times throughout the conference.
Guidelines for Poster Presentations
The following guidelines and instructions pertain to poster presenters at Convergence: RBMS 2018 in New Orleans, LA, June 19-22, 2018.
Registration
Poster presenters are required to register for the conference. Registration can be completed here: http://conference.rbms.info/2018/registration/. Presenters that are not RBMS-members may register at the Presenter Rate. If you need assistance, contact Lisa Cruces or Tory Ondrla.
When and Where
All three Poster Sessions will be held in the Grand Ballroom A-C. Poster presenters are expected to be with their posters at their respectively assigned session.
Poster Session I & Beverage Break, Thursday, June 21, 2018, 10:00 am-10:45 am
Poster Session II & Beverage Break, Thursday, June 21, 2018, 3:15 pm-4:00 pm
Poster Session III & Beverage Break, Friday, June 22, 2018, 10:00 am-10:45 pm
We thank Atlas Systems for sponsoring our poster sessions and beverage breaks
Details
Setup and dismantling / removal of your poster are your responsibility. You may set up your poster in the Grand Ballroom A-C on the second floor of the Astor Crowne Plaza. Please note that the space will not be secured or monitored in between poster sessions. You must remove your poster at the end of your assigned session. Posters not dismantled by that time will be discarded by the conference staff.
Poster presenters are responsible for their own poster construction costs. However, the Conference Office will provide the following standard materials:
One piece of foam core, 30 inches high by 40 inches wide
One easel per poster presentation
Tape, binder clips, or ball head pins are recommended for affixing your materials to the foam core. Poster presenters are responsible for their own supplies.
You may display supplementary material that is relevant to your presentation (including business cards), but the Conference Office will not store or secure it for you and we are unable to provide tables for poster presentations. Tablets and laptops are permitted, but cannot be secured. No outlets or Internet connections beyond the hotel wi-fi will be available.
Poster Tips
Graphical elements should be emphasized when appropriate and possible. Graphs, charts, tables, photographs, and illustrations are particularly appropriate for a poster presentation.
Lettering should be simple, bold, and easily legible from a distance of 4 feet. Use no more than two or three fonts, and keep font sizes between 16 and 48 points.
Poster content should be divided into appropriate sections, such as: title, author(s) and affiliation(s), abstract, methods, results or data, and conclusion or summary. Headings above each poster section should indicate its contents and identify the appropriate sequence in which to view the poster. If necessary, use clearly visible numbers, letters, or arrows to assist the viewer.
Written material should be concise. Save nonessential but helpful or interesting secondary points for discussion with your viewers, or create and distribute an information sheet that expands on your topic.
Printed conclusions should permit viewers to focus on a concise statement of your central findings and should spark informal discussion (if applicable).
If you have any additional questions, contact Lisa Cruces at ecruces@uh.edu, Chair of Poster Sessions.
Please forward any questions you may have about submitting proposals, the suitability of topics, etc. to RBMS2018proposals@gmail.com.