Call for Proposals: 2025 CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Conference

Dear CALA members,

We are pleased to inform you that CALA Midwest Chapter is holding the annual chapter conference on May 9, 2025, on the theme of Libraries 2035: Adapting and Innovating for the Next Quarter-Century. To navigate the evolving landscape of librarianship, we believe in the power of collaboration and community. This half-day virtual meeting will provide the opportunity to connect, share insights, and collectively explore innovative approaches for the next 10 years.

Call for Proposals

The call for proposals is now online and available at the following address: https://forms.gle/dcZLJGtW8dzCbPva6. The CALA Midwest Chapter is seeking proposal submissions on any aspect of librarianship and the field of library and information science. No project or idea is too small to share. 

We especially encourage student members who may have school projects ready to share through a supportive environment. It will be an excellent opportunity to gain experience and enrich your professional profile.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Immersive Technologies

• Decentralized Libraries

• Sustainability in Libraries

• The Library as a Community Hub

• Personalized Library Services

• Global Knowledge Networks

• Ethical AI in Libraries

• Evolving Librarian Roles

Session Types:

• Presentation (10-12 minutes): 

Live presentations are delivered online during the conference and can include audience interaction.

• Lightning talk (3-5 minutes): 

Lightning talks are short pre-recorded videos that offer a quick take on a story, case study, idea, or project. Lightning talks will be streamed live at a specific time slot with simultaneous chat (Q&A) during the conference. The accepted lightning talk will be presented in a pre-recorded format to be submitted in advance on April 25 and participate in the synchronized Q&A on May 9.

Review criteria

The program review committee will evaluate all submitted proposals based on their relevance to the field, level of innovation, clarity of writing, and potential interest and practicality for attendees.

Conference Awards

To recognize the chapter conference proposals and video presentations that exemplifies the pinnacle of practices or research regarding librarianship, there will be three conference awards: (1) Best Proposal Award, (2) Best Student Proposal Award, and (3) Best Lightning Talk Video Award. 

• Best Proposal Award: The review committee will select one best-rated conference proposal, open to all professional proposals (excluding students). All submitted proposals excluding students are automatically considered for this award.

• Best Student Proposal Award: The review committee will select one best-rated conference proposal, reserved exclusively for students. All submitted proposals by students are automatically considered for this award.

• Best Lightning Talk Award (Video): Less is more work! The award recognizes the merit and quality exhibited (and the effort it required) in a short video presentation, including content relevance, audience engagement, well-time pacing, and effective visual aids. Be creative and have fun.

Submission

For submission: Please fill out the form online. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 7, 2025

Stay well,

Your CALA Midwest Chapter Officers, 2024-25

Feng-Ru Xu, President

Shuyi Liu, Immediately Past President

Angel Tang, Vice President

Xiao Zeng, Professional Development Committee Chair