AMIA 2018 Proposal Form Information

The goal of the AMIA Conference is to present a broadly-based program that speaks to a wide range of attendees with a balance of theory and practice, inviting new ideas and concepts that stimulate additional interest, involvement, and educational benefit. In keeping with ongoing membership discussions about diversity and inclusion, we urge proposers to use AMIA Conference sessions as an opportunity to include new voices and offer diverse viewpoints.

• Submit your Proposal
• Session/Workshop Proposal FAQ
• Download a copy of the form here

General Notes

• Speakers may only participate in two sessions during the AMIA Conference.When asking speakers to participate, it is important that you are aware if they are part of other proposals. If more than two sessions are accepted with the same speaker, that speaker will be asked to withdraw from one or more sessions. If your session is not viable without a particular speaker, please note that in your DESCRIPTION.
• Any special requests should be noted on your proposal.Very limited funding is available and all funding is determined at the time the session is accepted. This includes any funding for equipment or speaker travel. If your session is not viable without funding of some kind, please note that in your DESCRIPTION.
• Sessions sponsored by AMIA committees or working groups. It is important to indicate that your session or workshop is a committee or group sponsored project in your DESCRIPTION to allow consideration by the Peer Review Panel.
• Program Streams. Two Program Streams have been identified for the 2018 Conference. You may submit your proposal for consideration by the Stream Curators. Each stream contains up to five sessions.
• Proposal deadline is May 15, 2018.

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PAGE ONE: PROPOSAL INFORMATION > Proposal contact and Chair(s) Information

1. Contact Information. Anyone may propose a session or workshop – it does not have to be the proposed chair or co-chair of the session. Questions and notifications about the proposal are sent to the proposal contact during the process. If the session is accepted, the Conference Committee will work directly with the chair(s) of the session or workshop.
   

2. Will you chair the Session or Workshop? If yes, the form will skip to ask about a co-chair. If no, you’ll be asked to input the contact information for the chair.

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PAGE TWO:  PROPOSAL INFORMATION > Session/Workshop Chair/Co-Chair Contact Information

3. Contact Information. Please list the contact information for the session or workshop chair. This person will be the main point of contact of the session or workshop if the proposal is accepted.
4. Chair Speaking Topic. If the chair will be speaking as part of the presentation, please indicate the topic area they are addressing in the session or workshop.
5. Co-Chair? If the presentation has a co-chair, both the chair and co-chair will be the points of contact for an accepted session.
6. Co-Chair Information. Please list the contact information here.
7. Co-Chair Speaking Topic. If the co-chair will be speaking as part of the presentation, please indicate the topic area they are addressing in the session or workshop. 

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PAGE THREE:  ABOUT THE SESSION > description, abstract, requirements

8. Session or workshop title. The more direct/explanatory you can make your title, the better. For example, “Strategies for implementing sustainability into your organization” is a lot better than “Corporate Sustainability.” All titles must be 10 words or less.
9. Session type. Below is a list of the session types/formats. Please note that paper presentations are 30 minutes, sessions are 60 minutes, and workshops are either half or full day.
   • Workshop. Limited-enrollment session of half day or full day, usually designed to teach or refine skills. Typically, workshops are held on the two days prior to the start of the Conference.
   • Report or Paper Presentation. Fully prepared papers/reports of 15-30 minutes each that may include a comment-and-discussion period. Report/Paper presentations are typically scheduled for 30 minute slots.
   • Panel Discussion. A 60 minute session consisting of a panel of three to four individuals who discuss a variety of theories or perspectives on the given topic.
   • Incubator Session. Open session of 60 minutes, consisting of two presentations of ten minutes each that describe project, research, or collaboration initiatives in their developing or formative stages, and include at least forty minutes for audience feedback and discussion.
   • Skillshare Session. A 60 minute session of informal presentations on a general subject area, where participants share what they know. Proposals in this category must include a facilitator who will coordinate the session and any discussion.
   • Screening Session. A 60-90 minute evening screening presentation. Screening sessions are held at the hotel, using the same digital presentation equipment as the daily sessions. The screening can be a single feature or a collection of shorts/clips and should have a speaker(s) presentation for introduction and context. Indicate the run time of the screening in your description.
   • Lightning Talks. 9-10 lively and informative five-minute talks in a sixty-minute Lightning Talk session format. The session chair secures commitments from speakers and compiles all presentation slides to ensure timely speaker transitions. Proposals in this category may suggest recommended presenters, but commitments should be secured soon after the proposal is accepted. The session should be on a focused topic.   
     
   • Alternative Format. Suggest an alternative or create your own. Alternative format sessions may take a variety of forms. Propose a moderated debate offering opposing points of view, or an “experiential” format involving simulation, role play, or games to convey key principles and learning objectives. We welcome your creative ideas about how your topic might best be addressed: the only caveat is that most rooms are set theatre style for the sessions. Proposals in this category must: 1) specify the format and session facilitator and 2) describe briefly how the format will enhance presentation of the material.
10. Description (350 words maximum). Reviewers will also base their evaluation on the proposal’s 350-word session description.  The main audience for this description is the Peer Reviewers and Conference Committee members assessing the proposal. The session description gives you the chance to give the reviewers information about the topic, the speakers, and why the session is important to include in the program. Attendees won’t get to see this, only the Peer Reviewers. Include any information you feel important to consider during Peer Review (within 350 words).
    

11. Which part of the Conference does your session or workshop best fit? This question is to determine whether your session/workshop fits within an established Program Stream. If your proposal works within the stream’s outlines, please indicate that.
    • Open Source Toolkit: Usable Solutions for Audiovisual Archivists.  Open source software solutions are increasingly part of the toolkit used by media archivists. The AMIA community has become an active part of this development, working in collaboration with archival professionals and technologists to build solutions and workflows that can benefit anyone seeking to preserve our audiovisual resources and heritage. This stream will present archival practices using open source technologies, often in combination with familiar proprietary tools, that solve problems common to anyone working to preserve and make accessible digital media formats.  Curated by Dave Rice and Jack Brighton with the AMIA Open Source Committee (Kara Van Malssen, co-chair).
    • No Islands In This Stream: Building, Maintaining and Sharing Regional and Community Archives.  Regional and Community Archives professionals will come together to share knowledge, resources, and tools in a stream designed to foster dialog in a welcoming and open environment. This stream will begin at the foundations, with a discussion about how to start a regional or community archive, and then build from there to consider funding, workflows, outreach and engagement.  Curated by Afshee Nomai, Laura Treat, and Sandra Yates, in collaboration with the AMIA RAVA Committee, Local Television Task Force, and Community Archiving Workshop.

If your session does not fit within the program streams, submit with GENERAL SESSIONS. It’s important to note that Streams devote a significant part of the total conference program to a single topic so it is unusual for additional sessions on the topic to be scheduled outside of the stream.

11. Programming Categories. The Conference Committee uses the Peer Review notes to program the best mix of sessions and workshops. The categories you check will help Reviewers consider their comments and will help the Committee compose the final program.
12. FOR WORKSHOPS ONLY: Outcomes anticipated from the Workshop. If you are proposing a workshop, please describe what specific knowledge or skills the audience can expect to gain after attending the workshop.
13. Abstract (150 words maximum). The abstract is 150 words that will appear in the Conference program and online if your presentation is accepted. The main audience for this shorter summary is Conference attendees who are trying to decide between multiple events on the program. If your session is accepted, you will have the opportunity to adjust the abstract before the final program is printed.
14. Special Requirements Request. This section allows you to list any other requests or requirements for your session. For each request, it is important that you indicate whether or not the session is viable without this request. You must list the estimated cost of each requirement: if a cost is not listed, it cannot be considered.There is funding available for proposals: however the funding is limited and is allocated across all of the requests received. Funding requests in the past have included shipping special equipment, offering handouts, renting a venue, and speaker travel (though it is rarely enough to support full travel funding). It’s important to be specific in the proposal if you are requesting funding: include the amount, its use, and the impact of the funding on the session.Because funding is allocated when sessions are accepted, any request for funding must be part of the proposal.

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PAGE FOUR:  SPEAKER INFORMATION

16-24. For each speaker, please complete:

• Contact information. Please include whether or not the speaker has presented at AMIA in the past (yes/no/unknown).
• Speaking Topic & Notes. Please indicate the topic area the speaker is addressing in the session or workshop, and any additional notes to consider about the speaker. If the speaker is fundamental to the session, please note that here.

(Optional) Over the past few years, there has been an effort to make information available to those who cannot attend. Please let us know how you would be willing to help in this effort. We realize that you will be unable to confirm until your session/speakers are finalized, but it will help us in our planning.

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SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

There is no print option on the proposal form, so we strongly suggest that you use the ‘print screen’ function and print the individual pages of your submission, or download the submission form and copy it to the online form.

You will receive confirmation within a few days of submission that will indicate if any further information is needed.

What Happens Next

All proposals are peer-reviewed by a panel chosen from the AMIA membership, including representatives from each AMIA Committee, who possess a broad range of expertise. The Conference Committee uses the ratings from the Peer Review Panel to schedule the Conference.

Peer Reviewers comment on the overall quality of the proposal and consider these things:

• Is the topic timely? Does it reflect current discussions in the field?
• Is there new information being presented?
• Is there an effort to bring in new voices on the subject?
• How broad an audience does this topic speak to?
• Has the topic been discussed already or been repeated frequently?
• Is there a speaker outlined that is crucial to the success of the panel?
• If a single presenter, does the proposal outline a clear perspective?
• If a panel presentation, is a balanced point of view presented or are there other areas to be considered?

After the Peer Review Panel has completed their review, the comments and ratings are evaluated by the Conference Committee and the Stream Curators.

• For Stream proposals, the Stream Curators will determine sessions to be accepted into each Stream.  Once confirmed, you will work directly with the Stream Curators through the rest of the process, including coordination of deadlines, abstracts, and scheduling.
• For General Session proposals, the Conference Committee will finalize selections relying on the comments from the Peer Reviewers. Once confirmed, the Conference Committee will assign a Program Coordinator to work directly with session/workshop chair(s) through the rest of the process, including the coordination of deadlines, final abstracts, and scheduling.Session Proposal Timeline

After you submit your proposal online, you will be sent a receipt within a few days indicating either that the proposal is complete or that additional information is needed.

The Committee plans to make final decisions about session proposals by the end of June 2018 and will notify you of the outcome then.

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PROPOSAL DEADLINE:  MAY 15, 2018