2013 AMICAL Conference - Announcement and Call for Proposals

ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PROGRAM PROPOSALS
DEADLINE: 1 MARCH 2013

2013 AMICAL Annual Meeting and Conference
John Cabot University, Rome
12-15 June 2013

(Conference Hub on AMICALconnect)

Who should attend?
AMICAL's annual conference is the one opportunity each year for AMICAL members to meet face to face with colleagues from all the other American international universities in AMICAL, to discuss shared problems and solutions, and to hear from some of the most influential leaders in library and information services. Librarians, IT staff, instructional technologists and designers, and faculty members - as well as anyone concerned with information services and their role in teaching and learning at AMICAL institutions - are all encouraged to attend.

Dates (Pre-Conference + Conference)
There will be two pre-conference workshop days (12-13 June), focusing on practical aspects of information services, followed by two main conference days (14-15 June) of presentations and discussions, exploring the conference theme and other topics relevant to AMICAL members.

Conference Theme

The 2013 Conference program is being shaped around the broad theme of:
New media, new literacies, new models: Library-IT-Faculty collaboration in a learning intensive world
Topics will range from technology-enabled inter-institutional teaching partnerships, to working with faculty to re-envision and deliver library and information services, information and media literacy, and other learning-focused information issues.

A few possible sub-themes we're considering exploring in the program through the lens of faculty collaboration:

• Teaching in a learning intensive world - Technology is enabling students to engage like never before in both self-directed learning and creative work. How are the roles of faculty, technologists and librarians changing to adapt to learning environments that increasingly engage them in the design and structuring of their own learning experiences?
• Collaborative learning technologies - How can librarians and technologists effectively support teaching and learning activities that bridge students' academic work and classroom participation, across the classroom or across the globe?

Keynote Speakers
We have an exceptional group of keynote speakers joining us in exploring these issues:

• Char Booth - Instruction Services Manager & E-Learning Librarian, Claremont Colleges
• Gardner Campbell - Director, Professional Development and Innovative Initiatives, Division of Learning Technologies, Associate Professor of English, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Tracy Mitrano - Director of IT Policy and Institute for Computer Policy and Law, Cornell University

Nancy Foster (Director of Anthropological Research, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester) will also be joining us again, leading a pre-conference workshop on techniques for engaging faculty with library and information service planning.

How to propose a program session
The success of an AMICAL conference depends on your participation, and we welcome proposals from all AMICAL members for program sessions. If you have an idea for a program session related to the conference theme, or on a topic that would be of likely interest to AMICAL members, please send all of the following to the Program Committee (programcommittee@amicalnet.org) no later than 1 March 2013:

1. your name, job title, institution, email and telephone number
2. a presentation/session title
3. your preferred format for the session (see below for session formats)
4. a one-paragraph abstract of the presentation/session (this short description may be used in the published conference program
5. a detailed description including the main points to be covered by your session, its expected relevance to AMICAL members, and the presentation methods that you will use to engage the audience 

Session formats
Session formats accepted for this year's conference (with approximate time allotments) include:

• Lightning Talks (10 minutes): short, focused presentations structured around 20 slides, each shown for 30 seconds
• Presentations (20 minutes)
• Panel Presentations (1 hour max): short presentations and/or discussion by several participants centered on a common theme
• Workshops (1 to 2 hours max): hands on, participatory session focused on helping participants build practical skills on a given topic
• Technology Showcase (45 minutes to 1 hour) - demonstrate or present an interesting technology-based project or idea you've implemented at your institution, related to libraries, information services, teaching, learning, etc.; these sessions take place in a room shared with other presenters, each with a computer to show their project to attendees that come and go freely
• Discussion Groups (45 minutes to 1.5 hours): lead an open discussion, with a subgroup of attendees (typically 10-20) on a topic likely to be of interest to other AMICAL members.

If you would like to suggest a session format not included in the list above, don't hesitate to share your idea with the Program Committee (programcommittee@amicalnet.org). In particular, we are considering having an un-conference session - a session organized at the AMICAL Conference itself, where anyone posts suggested topics, either something in which you have expertise that you're willing to share with others, or something that you're interested in learning more about. one is willing to learn; attendees are free to join or move between groups that interest them.

Travel support for program contributors

AMICAL will try to provide travel support for all those whose program proposals have been accepted by the Program Committee. Priority for funding will be given to those contributing presentations and workshops, but other program contributors may also receive travel support, depending on the availability of funds. Further information about travel support for AMICAL members generally will be distributed in February.

We look forward to receiving your program proposals!

The 2013 AMICAL Conference Program Committee

Sania Battalova, Associate Vice-president for Planning and Assessment, American University of Central Asia
Berj Gatrjyan, Director, ICTS, American University of Armenia
Jeff Gima, Director, AMICAL, American University of Paris
Meggan Houlihan, Coordinator of Instruction/Reference, AUC Libraries, American University in Cairo
Elisabetta Morani, Head Librarian, John Cabot University
Livia Piotto, Reference Librarian, John Cabot University
David Tresilian, Instructor of English, American University of Paris
Dimitris Tzouris, Instructional Technology Consultant, American College of Thessaloniki

Source: http://www.amicalnet.org