IASL 2023 Conference Call for Proposals

2021-09-06

The IASL 2023 Conference invites contributions to:

Strand A: IASL Professional Conference Submissions

  • Professional Presentations
  • Special Interest Group Presentations
  • Professional Workshops

Strand B: International Forum on Research in School Librarianship Submissions

  • Research Presentations
  • Poster Presentations

General Submission Process for All Proposals

To maintain the high quality of presentations at the conference and to ensure that the review process is equitable and fair, all proposal submissions must be made in English.  Before submitting your proposal, please have the following information prepared:

  1. Complete contact information for the person submitting the proposal
  2. Names, email addresses, and affiliations of all presenters
  3. A 30 word max biography statement for each presenter
  4. Title of the proposal
  5. Strand under which your proposal falls and the type of proposal
  6. A 100 word max description of the proposal to be included in the program (please make this description engaging and exciting!)
  7. ​Remember to prepare a paper copy of your proposal since the system will ask for its submission in preparation for conference proceedings.

Proposals must be submitted as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf file format. Font is Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing with references single-spaced. All references and in-text citations should conform to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition).

Proposals submitted to Strand A will be reviewed by members of the program committee with selection based on content quality, relevance to conference theme, and originality. Strand B proposals will be reviewed in a double-blind process by members of the IASL Research Special Interest Group. See specific proposal guidelines for additional information.

Submission Guidelines for Specific Types of Proposals

Strand A: IASL Professional Conference

I. Professional Presentations Individual - 30 minutes or Panel - 60 minutes

Professional presentations explain a topic of interest in school librarianship, demonstrate a new or innovative school library practice, and/or explore issues and trends in school librarianship. Individual twenty-minute presentations will be followed by ten minutes for questions and discussion. Panel forty-five minute presentations will be followed by 15 minutes for questions and discussion.

  • Submission format: In addition to the general guidelines, proposals for professional presentations should be a maximum of 500 words excluding references. Proposals should include:
    • Title
    • Introduction 
    • Objectives of the presentation
    • Clear description of what participants will learn
    • References if applicable
    • ​Remember to prepare a paper copy of your proposal since the system will ask for its submission in preparation for conference proceedings.

II. Special Interest Group (SIG) Sessions - 60 minutes

The Chair of each SIG is encouraged to propose a session for the conference specifically related to their mission and goals.

  • Submission format: In addition to the general guidelines, proposals for SIG sessions should be a maximum of 500 words excluding references. Proposals should include:
    • Title
    • A detailed description of the session
    • Plans to encourage interaction between participants and presenters
  • SIG Session proposals should answer the following questions:
    • What are the goals of the SIG in holding this session?
    • What will participants learn from the session?
    • How might participants contribute to the work of the SIG?
    • Who is the primary audience for this session, in other words, who would get the most out of this session and why?

III. Professional Workshops - 60 minutes

Professional workshops engage participants in activities related to the conference theme or an issue in school librarianship. Workshops are intended to enhance the skills of the attendees, engage in discussion with participants, and/or to foster deeper understanding of matters related to the conference theme. 

  • Submission format: In addition to the general guidelines, the proposal should be a maximum of 500 words excluding references, and include:
    • Title
    • At least two measurable outcomes or objectives
    • A detailed description of workshop contents
    • Activities and discussions to engage participants and encourage interaction
    • Examples of tasks and/or learning experiences
    • ​Remember to prepare a paper copy of your proposal since the system will ask for its submission in preparation for conference proceedings.
  • Workshop proposals should answer the following questions:
    • What types of collaboration, interactivity, or discussion will occur during the workshop?
    • What will participants take home as a tangible deliverable or takeaway?
    • How will participants be able to apply practices shared in the workshop in their own context?
    • Who is the primary audience for this workshop, in other words, who will get the most out of this workshop and why?

Strand B: International Forum on Research in School Librarianship Submissions

I. Research Presentations - 30 minutes

Research presentations should present original research of interest to those involved in school librarianship. These are structured as twenty-minute presentations followed by ten minutes for questions and discussion. 

  • Submission format: In addition to the general guidelines, the proposal should be submitted as an abstract, a maximum of 1000 words excluding references, and include:
    • Title
    • Introduction
    • Statement of the Research Problem
    • Literature Review
    • Methodology
    • Findings (may be preliminary)
    • Discussion
    • Implications and Conclusions
    • References
  • Selection criteria: Research proposals will be evaluated based on the following
    • Is the research problem of interest to the conference audience?
    • Does the proposal present original research?
    • Does the proposal demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of literature?
    • Are the research methods (e.g. design, methodology, analysis) appropriate for the research question?
    • Are conclusions well supported?
    • Is the proposal well written?
    • Do in-text citations and references follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition)?
  • Double-blind review: All research proposals must be prepared for double-blind peer review (both reviewer and author identities are concealed from each other throughout the review process):
    • Use third person to refer to work the author has previously undertaken, e.g. replace “as we have shown before” with “it has been shown before'' (Anonymous, 2020).
    • Remove any affiliation related identities from figures
    • Limit and anonymize self-references
    • Remove references to funding sources
    • Remove acknowledgements
    • Remove any identifying information (including author names) from file names and document properties.
  • Abstract or Paper publication: All accepted research abstracts may be published in the IASL 2023 conference proceedings. Attendees wishing to submit a full-length research paper (5,000-6,000 words) for inclusion in the 2023 conference proceedings may do so by the deadline of June 1, 2023. Research papers published in the 2022 IASL conference proceedings may also be submitted to School Libraries Worldwide. Only full-length papers will be considered for the paper prize

II. Poster Presentations - 60 minutes

Posters illustrate/exhibit works in progress or completed research projects, or special programs that address any of the thematic topics for the conference. Poster sessions last 60 minutes and all presenters are encouraged to interact with attendees during that time. Posters are accepted for presentation as:

  • Submission format:
    • A research abstract that meets the submission guidelines of research presentations
    • An electronic pdf copy of the print-ready poster file 
  • Presentation format:
    • A maximum of 1m x 1.5 m (approximately 3’ x 5’) full-color poster 
    • A layout that utilizes any combination of photographs, graphics, and text

Because a poster is research presented in a visual format, the selection criteria are the same as those for research papers. All abstracts of accepted poster proposals will also be published in the IASL 2022 conference proceedings.