Good morning and welcome to the first day of our e-forum on writing conference proposals.
I’m Anne Welsh, one of the three moderators, the other two being Claire Sewell (University of Cambridge) and Deborah Lee (Courtauld Institute).
Let’s take some time to introduce ourselves and our reasons for taking part.
I volunteered to co-moderate this e-forum because part of my job is to encourage the next generation of library and information professionals to achieve their full potential, and the topic seemed to fit well with that. I also wanted to “give something back”
and “pay it forward” because my own conference speaking “career" would never have even started if my boss at the time, Christine Goodair, hadn’t prompted and encouraged me to “have a punt” at a call for papers I’d seen for a conference that cost over £1000,
but which speakers could attend for free. It simply would not have occurred to me that I had anything worthwhile to say were it not for Christine, so when I come across newer professionals who are unsure about putting themselves forward, I can remember how
that felt … and I try to channel Christine in cheerleading their efforts.
I also volunteered because it is always fascinating to hear people’s stories and so I’m looking forward to that and to hearing your hints and tips for getting started with conferences. Personally, I can’t wait to hear from all of you.
Best wishes
Anne
Anne Welsh
Lecturer in Library and Information Studies
University College London
