FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 13, 2015
Read it online: http://www.or2015.net/call-for-proposals/

The Tenth International Conference on Open Repositories, OR2015, will be held on June 8-11, 2015 in Indianapolis (Indiana, USA). The organizers are pleased to invite you to contribute to the program. This year's conference theme is:

# LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD: OPEN REPOSITORIES AT THE CROSSROADS #

OR2015 is the tenth OR conference, and this year’s overarching theme reflects that milestone: Looking Back/Moving Forward: Open Repositories at the Crossroads. It is an opportunity to reflect on and to celebrate the transformative changes in repositories, scholarly communication and research data over the last decade. More critically however, it will also help to ensure that open repositories continue to play a key role in supporting, shaping and sharing those changes and an open agenda for research and scholarship.

OR2015 will provide an opportunity to explore the demands and roles now expected of both repositories and the staff who develop, support and manage them - and to prepare them for the challenges of the next decade. We welcome proposals on this theme, but also on the theoretical, practical, organizational or administrative topics related to digital repositories. We are particularly interested in:

1. SUPPORTING OPEN SCHOLARSHIP, OPEN SCIENCE, AND CULTURAL HERITAGE ONLINE

Papers are invited to consider how repositories can best support the needs of open science, open scholarship, and cultural heritage to make research as accessible as possible, including:
* Open access, open data and open educational resources
* Scholarly workflows, publishing and communicating scientific knowledge
* Compliance with funder mandates
* Considerations for cultural heritage and digital humanities resources

2. MANAGING RESEARCH (AND OPEN) DATA

Papers are invited to consider how repositories can support the needs of research data. Areas of interest are:
* Data registries
* Storage
* Curation lifecycle management
* Management and digital preservation tools

3. INTEGRATING WITH EXTERNAL SYSTEMS

Papers are invited to explore, evaluate, or demonstrate integration with external systems, including:

* CRIS and research management systems
* Notification systems (e.g. SHared Access Research Ecosystem, SHARE)
* Remote identifier services (e.g. ORCID, DOI, etc.)
* Preservation services
* Archival systems (e.g. CALM or Archivists’ Toolkit)

4. RE-USING REPOSITORY CONTENT

Papers are invited to show case how repository content can be re-used in the context of:

* Discipline-based repositories and services
* Discovery services
* Integration of semantic technologies
* Repository networks

5. EXPLORING METRICS AND ASSESSMENT

Papers are invited to present experiences on scholarly metrics and assessment services, particularly:

* Bibliometrics
* Downloads (e.g. COUNTER compliance)
* Analytics
* Altmetrics

6. MANAGING RIGHTS

Papers are invited to examine the role of rights management in the context of open repositories, including:

* Research and scholarly communication outputs
* Licenses (e.g. Creative Commons, Open Data Commons)
* Embargoes
* Requirements of funder mandates

7. DEVELOPING AND TRAINING STAFF

Papers are invited to consider the evolving role of staff who support and manage repositories across libraries, cultural heritage organizations, research offices and computer centres, especially:

* New roles and responsibilities
* Training needs and opportunities
* Career path and recruitment
* Community support

8. BUILDING THE PERFECT REPOSITORY

Papers are invited to look ahead to OR16 and beyond to consider what the perfect repository would look like:

* Key features and services
* Who would be its users?
* How would it transform scholarly communication?
* What lessons have been learned since the first OR?
* Or, is it a pipe dream and there's no such thing?

Submissions that demonstrate original and repository-related work outwith these themes will be considered, but preference will be given to submissions which address them.

# KEY DATES #

* 30 January 2015: Deadline for submissions
* 27 March 2015: Submitters notified of acceptance to general conference
* 10 April 2015: Submitters notified of acceptance to Interest Groups
* 8-11 June 2015: OR2015 conference

# SUBMISSION PROCESS #

## cONFERENCE PAPERS AND PANELS ##

Two to four-page proposals for presentations or panels that deal with digital repositories and repository services (see below for optional Proposal Templates). Abstracts of accepted papers will be made available through the conference's web site, and later they and associated materials will be made available in an open repository. In general, sessions are an hour and a half long with three papers; panels may take an entire session. Relevant papers unsuccessful in the main track will automatically be considered for inclusion, as appropriate, as an Interest Group presentation, poster or 24/7.

## INTEREST GROUP PRESENTATIONS ##

The opportunity to engage with and learn more about the work of relevant communities of interest is a key element of Open Repositories. One to two page proposals are invited for presentations or panels that focus on the work of such communities, traditionally DSpace, EPrints and Fedora, describing novel experiences or developments in the construction and use of repositories involving issues specific to these technical platforms. Further information about applications for additional Interest Groups and guidance on submissions will be forthcoming.

## 24x7 PRESENTATIONS ##

One to two-page proposals for 7 minute presentations comprising no more than 24 slides. Similar to Pecha Kuchas or Lightning Talks, these 24x7 presentations will be grouped into blocks based on conference themes, with each block followed by a moderated discussion / question and answer session involving the audience and whole block of presenters. This format will provide conference goers with a fast-paced survey of like work across many institutions, and presenters the chance to disseminate their work in more depth and context than a traditional poster.

### "REPOSITORY RANTS" 24x7 BLOCK ###

One block of 24x7's will revolve around "repository rants": brief exposés that challenge the conventional wisdom or practice, and highlight what the repository community is doing that is misguided, or perhaps just missing altogether. The top proposals will be incorporated into a track meant to provoke unconventional approaches to repository services.

### "REPOSITORY RAVES" 24x7 BLOCK ###

One block of 24x7's at OR2015 will revolve around "repository raves": brief exposés that celebrate particular practice and processes, and highlight what the repository community is doing that is right. The top proposals will be incorporated into a track meant to celebrate successful approaches to repository services.

## POSTERS ##

One-page proposal for posters that showcase current work are invited from researchers, repository managers, administrators, developers and practitioners. There will be the opportunity to make a 60-second pitch for your poster during “minute madness” and a chance for attendees to view and to discuss your work during the poster reception.

## 2015 DEVELOPER TRACK ##

Each year a significant proportion of the delegates at Open Repositories are software developers who work on repository software or related services. OR2015 will feature a Developer Track which will provide a focus for showcasing work, exchanging ideas and participating in "lightning rounds". Further details and guidance on submissions to the Developer Track will be forthcoming. Developers are also encouraged to contribute to the other tracks as papers, posters, 24x7 presentations, repository raves and rants 24x7 blocks.

## WORKSHOPS AND TUTORIALS ##

One to two-page proposals for workshops and tutorials addressing theoretical or practical issues around digital repositories are welcomed. Please address the following in your proposal:

* The subject of the event and what knowledge you intend to convey
* Length of session (e.g., 1-hour, 2-hour, half a day or a whole day)
* A brief statement on the learning outcomes from the session
* How many attendees you plan to accommodate
* Technology and facility requirements
* Any other supplies or support required
* Anything else you believe is pertinent to carrying out the session

## PROPOSAL TEMPLATES ##

The OR2015 proposal templates are a guideline to help you prepare an effective submission. They are provided in both the Word document and plain-text Markdown formats and provide details around the requirements for:

* Conference papers and panels (DOC <http://www.or2015.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OR2015_paper_panel_template.doc>, TXT <http://www.or2015.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OR2015_paper_panel_template.txt>, RTF <http://www.or2015.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OR2015_paper_panel_template.rtf>)

* 24/7's and posters (DOC <http://www.or2015.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OR2015_24x7_poster_template.doc>, TXT <http://www.or2015.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OR2015_24x7_poster_template.txt>, RTF <http://www.or2015.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/OR2015_24x7_poster_template.rtf>).

## SUBMISSION SYSTEM ##

The conference system will be open for submissions by 15 December 2014. PDF format is preferred.

# CODE OF CONDUCT #

We will be publishing guidelines for conduct for OR2015.

# SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME #

OR2015 will again run a Scholarship Programme which will enable us to provide support for a small number of full registered places for the conference in Indianapolis. The programme is open to librarians, repository managers, developers and researchers in digital libraries and related fields. Applicants submitting a paper for the conference will be given priority consideration for funding. Please note that the programme does not cover costs such as accommodation, travel and subsistence. It is anticipated that the applicant’s home institution will provide financial support to supplement the OR Scholarship Award.

# PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS #

* Holly Mercer, University of Tennessee
* William J Nixon, University of Glasgow
* Imma Subirats, FAO of the United Nations

contact: <[log in to unmask]>

# LOCAL HOSTS #

* Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
* University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library
* Virginia Tech University Libraries

contact: <[log in to unmask]>

# CONFERENCE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA #

* website: <http://or2015.net/>
* twitter:@OR2015Indy and #or2015
* Facebook: <https://www.facebook.com/or2015>