With apologies for cross-posting - please note the forthcoming deadline of THIS THURSDAY 1ST JULY
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Call for Proposals: Papers, Sessions, and Workshops
  
The 2nd Joint Conference between the Visual Resources Association (VRA) and the Art Libraries Association of North America (ARLIS/NA) will be held in Minneapolis, MN from March 24-28, 2011.  Our conference theme is Collaboration: Building Bridges in the 21st Century. We are now soliciting proposals for 2011 program sessions, individual papers, and workshops that expand on our theme within the fields of libraries and visual resources.

Individuals and groups are invited to submit proposals that provoke critical exchange and debate as well as practical advice and solutions in relation to the broad thematic areas referred to further below. Submissions are encouraged that demonstrate collaboration between professionals representing the two organizations, support opportunities for interaction between participants and enable the conference attendees to engage in a truly joint and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and viewpoints. In particular, we are looking for proposals that emphasize collaboration between visual resources and libraries. Please note that the call for special interest group, committee, and regional chapter meetings will be issued separately. 

In the early fall, there will also be a call for moderators.  The moderators will coordinate the sessions, working with speakers to ensure that they will present in the time allotted, work with the conference planners to obtain appropriate AV equipment, etc.  Moderating a session will provide members with another opportunity to be involved with the conference.  Also in early fall, there will be a call for poster sessions, giving the Program Committee more flexibility to address topics that arise after sessions have been scheduled and announced. Poster sessions may include projects, works in process, and other topics of interest to conference attendees.

*   A Paper is an individual idea submission, which will be reviewed by the Conference Program Co-Chairs and the Conference Program Committee and grouped into sessions.

*   A Session, submitted as a group proposal, is a 60 to 90 minute moderated session with 2 to 4 speakers at 20 minutes each followed by a facilitated brief question and answer period. Group proposals for sessions may include a suggested moderator; suggested speakers should be identified in the proposal.

*   A Workshop is a 3 to 4 hour workshop, providing an opportunity to discuss current and emerging topics in a smaller, interactive atmosphere. Workshops that bring together professionals from different library and visual resources communities as well as researchers and other outside practitioners are especially encouraged. Each workshop should be well-focused, aim to be hands-on and participatory, and encourage collaboration and discussions among the participants.
  
A 250 word abstract is requested for proposal submission, and will be reviewed by the Conference Program Committee. All proposals must be submitted electronically using the online form available below.  
  
The submission deadline is July 1, 2010. Proposals received after the submission deadline will automatically be placed on the waiting list.
  
Guidelines can be found in the online submission form.  Incomplete abstracts will not be reviewed.

Thematic Areas 
  
The following themes have been identified as the main interests of conference attendees. These themes are purposefully broad, and designed to prompt and suggest possible platforms for lively discussion and debate. The Program Committee welcomes responses that extend and develop these themes in areas that will engage attendees in sharing different perspectives and provoke speculation about the future development of, and collaboration between, art librarianship and visual resources in the 21st century.

Collaboration
Copyright and Fair Use
Collection Development  
Emerging Technologies  
Future of Art and Visual Resources Librarianship  
Marketing, Visibility, and Social Media
Preservation
Reference and User Instruction  

Please submit your proposal and abstract by following this link: http://vraweb.org/conferences/2011Minneapolis-proposal/proposal.php 

Questions about the proposal process can be directed to the Conference Program Co-Chairs.

We look forward to reviewing your proposals.

Best regards,
Jessica McIntyre and Heidi Raatz


Conference Program Co-chairs: 
Jessica McIntyre
Chair, ARLIS/NA Twin Cities Chapter
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Art Research and Reference Library
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Heidi Raatz
VRA Vice President for Conference Program
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Visual Resources Department | Permissions 
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