Call for Proposals, ARLIS/NA 2025 Conference
TOGETHER: Activating Community Call for Proposals
ARLIS/NA 2025 Virtual Conference
May 12-16, 2025
The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) will hold its 53nd annual conference online May 12-16, 2025.
The deadline for proposals is now closed. Call for poster presentations will be announced early 2025.
The Conference Program Committee invites librarians and library professionals, archivists, curators, museum professionals, visual resources specialists, publishers, educators, artists, designers, architects, students, and scholars to propose papers, sessions, workshops, and speakers that reflect the theme TOGETHER: Activating Community as it relates to the practice of visual arts information and scholarship. The committee also encourages submissions that stretch the bounds of traditional conference scholarship in terms of format and delivery.
Prospective presenters interested in funding and support for conference attendance are encouraged to apply to the Society’s Conference Attendance and Travel Awards or to contact their local ARLIS/NA Chapter about the availability of additional awards.
The program committee encourages submissions that include, but are not limited to:
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
- Advocacy, Social Justice, Anti-Racism, Public Policy, and Activism
- Archives, Rare Books, and Special Collections
- Artificial Intelligence
- Collection Development and Management
- Critical Librarianship
- Digital Humanities and Scholarship
- Alternative Publications, including Artists’ Books, Graphic Novels, and Zines
- Teaching and Pedagogical Practice
- Fair Use and Copyright Issues
- Leadership, Mentoring, Management, and Professional Development
- Visual Literacy
- User Experience
Types of Submissions
PAPERS: An individual paper presentation, potentially addressing new research, a case study, or an innovative idea with a total time of 15-20 minutes. Presentations provide attendees with new tools, strategies, or inspiration that they can apply in their own practice. The Conference Program Co-Chairs and the Conference Program Committee will group individual presentations into paper panels with a common topic or theme, which will run from 60 to 90 minutes, including a Q&A.
LIGHTNING TALKS: A short individual presentation (5-10 minutes maximum) addressing a topic that is particularly timely or specific in scope. Lightning talks provide attendees the opportunity to hear about a range of innovative projects or ideas from a broad and varied group of colleagues in a short amount of time. Lightning talks will be grouped into sessions that may or may not be themed. Lightning talk sessions will be 60 minutes, including a Q&A.
PRE-COORDINATED PANELS: A pre-coordinated session of up to 4 presenters with a moderator addressing a common topic or theme with a total time of 60-90 minutes, including a Q&A. Panels provide attendees with multiple views/strategies on a single topical area, a comparison of tools or methods, or a number of case studies on related topics. It is not necessary to identify all potential presenters before submitting. Naming a moderator, who will advocate for and develop the session, is required, and the moderator cannot present on the panel.
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: Small, informal group discussions around a common theme or issue. In the abstract field, facilitators should identify a topic and submit at least three potential questions that will keep the discussion moving. Roundtable discussions are 60 minutes in length.
WORKSHOPS: An opportunity to teach and explore current and emerging topics in an intimate atmosphere. Workshops encourage a focused, engaging experience led by experts who combine presentation, active learning, collaboration, and discussion. They may last one and a half or three hours.