Call for Proposals: MAC in the Bluegrass State

The Midwest Archives Conference will convene for its annual meeting May 6-9, 2015, in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky -- Lexington, to be exact. This lively city, known for champion racehorses, bourbon and history dating back to 1775, will be the backdrop for an exciting conference!

Session Proposals

The 2015 Program Committee invites session proposal submissions on all aspects of archival practice and research, as well as from allied and related fields.  The committee especially wishes to diversify session content, format, and speaker representation. Proposals are due Friday, September 19, 2014.  (Note: Students and new professionals wanting to submit a poster proposal for “MAC in the Bluegrass State” should look for a separate CFP in October 2014.)

Session Content 

Proposals on all topics are encouraged for submission. The Program Committee is particularly interested in highlighting sessions in the following areas: audio-visual materials, records management, human resources and project management issues, and outreach. Other non-traditional topics are also welcome.

Session Format

Traditional session formats are always welcome, but the Program Committee also seeks to encourage more interactivity between attendees and presenters.  Types of alternative session formats include, but are not limited to,

  • Lightning rounds, speed geeking (dating), Pecha Kucha, and Ignite talks - participation processes used to quickly view a number of presentations within a fixed period of time,
  • Debates – where presenters discuss alternate viewpoints on a topic,
  • Open mics - presentation where audience members discuss strategies and perspectives on a topic,
  • Fishbowl - participants sit in the center of large circle to speak and take questions from the audience,
  • World café – where meeting stations with discussion topics are positioned around the room, and participants can rotate through the discussions.

Speaker Representation

The Program Committee values the input of multiple perspectives to create a diverse slate of presentations. We encourage submissions from everybody, including students, new professionals, first time presenters, and those from traditionally underrepresented groups, as well as individuals from related professions, on a variety of topics.

To facilitate collaboration amongst archivists for session ideas, the Program Committee encourages the use of the MAC Facebook page and this MAC 2015 Session Ideas Google document (Google account not necessary to view or edit document).

Proposal Evaluation

The Program Committee will evaluate all proposals submitted by the deadline. Proposals will be evaluated in three ways:

  • Merit and clarity of the 250-word abstract;
  • Completeness of the proposal, particularly having well-developed content and sufficient speakers to address all relevant aspects of the topic; and
  • Diversity of the content and speaker representation, with weight also given to format.

Individuals with proposals chosen for inclusion in the MAC 2015 Annual Meeting will be notified by November 2014.   

Proposal Submission

To submit a proposal, please fill out the online form. If you have any questions about the proposal process, please contact the 2015 Program Co-Chairs Stephanie Bricking ([email protected]) and Lisa Sjoberg ([email protected]). The deadline for submitting proposals for the 2015 MAC Annual Meeting is September 19, 2014.

We look forward to seeing you in Lexington!