Apologies for cross postings: Call for Papers 10 - 12 September 2003 King Alfred’s College, Winchester You are invited to participate in the mda Conference 2003 Collections and Creativity. We welcome proposals for innovative, inspiring and thought provoking papers from those working with collections and those who use collections. In particular we welcome proposals which encourage audience feedback and participation from our delegates. Please note that the conference will not be a platform for a description of case studies or projects per se. Proposals will need to address one or more of the following themes: * The direct relevance of the management of collections to their use. * Creative ways in which collections are being made available to new users. * New ways of working together to forge creative solutions. * Influencing policy and strategy for the benefit of collections and their users. * Collections and their users within the wider social, economic and political context. * Involving users in the decisions made about collections and their management. The conference will attract an audience mix of practitioners, policy makers and users from across the breadth of the cultural sector, so giving delegates the opportunity to view the issues from a variety of perspectives. Delegates will go away with a raft of practical ideas related to the management and use of collections set within a robust theoretical context. They will have the opportunity to listen and contribute to agenda-setting discussions in the formal conference sessions and in the informal and relaxing breaks and evening events. Also note that this is the one sector conference where exhibitors are an integral part of the programme, enabling suppliers to learn from the day-to- day experience of delegates as well as demonstrating their products and expertise. Please send 100 word paper proposals to Frances Bycroft ([log in to unmask]) with the following information by Friday 14 March: * Name of proposer, including job title and institution where applicable. * Title of paper. * Topic of paper. * Explanation of how paper fits the conference theme. * Anticipated benefits of paper for the conference delegates. Papers will be selected on the basis of appropriateness to the conference theme and the overall quality of the proposal. Note that speakers will be required to provide full papers for the Conference Proceedings. mda conferences are a must for the informed professional who wants to keep up to date with the latest thinking. Please note the dates in your diary and visit www.mda.org.uk/conference2003/ for further details. Louise Smith Director mda