2025 CONFERENCE Proposals

Proposal Guidelines

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) conference planning committee invites you to submit proposals for the 51st Annual Conference, Mission: Possible—Libraries as Launchpads for Success.

ALAO has a long tradition of being a launchpad for first-time presenters of sessions, posters, lightning talks, and panel discussions. Our conference provides a welcoming and supportive environment that is perfect for your first lift-off into presenting! In this spirit, the 2025 ALAO Conference Planning Committee is hosting an informal virtual conversation to fuel interest among potential first-time presenters and anyone else curious about taking their ideas to new heights. Join us via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 from noon - 1pm.

Conference Dates & Venues

In-Person Conference Location (Thursday and Friday, Nov. 6th - 7th, 2025): OCLC Convention Center, Dublin, OH

Submission Deadline: April 28th, 2025

We encourage thoughtful, timely proposals from all areas of library work.

Adherence to the conference theme is encouraged but not required. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Navigating library work in wake of SB1

• Leadership in libraries during turbulent times

• Boosting advocacy for libraries and library workers 

• Libraries' role fueling citizenship and civic engagement

• Discovery of innovative instruction & research support

• Launching student success by measuring library impact  

• New frontiers of generative AI in library work

• Charting the exploration of new acquisition models 

• Strategies for working with Alma normalization rules and beyond

• Expanding the universe of student worker roles and duties

• Broadcasting the value of the library to stakeholders

• Collection assessment, management, & development 

• Libraries as supportive environments and communities

• Creating oxygen-rich atmospheres: Self-care for library personnel 

• Library integrations with campus systems like Workday or EAB Navigate

• Mission-driven strategies for creating successful library events

• Making contact and collaborating with non-library units 

• Universal access in libraries: spaces, interfaces, licenses, etc

SUBMIT YOUR CONFERENCE PROPOSALS HERE

Proposal Guidelines

Choose which option best fits your topic(s). Multiple submissions are allowed, but each must represent a different topic.

• Proposals should appeal and be relevant to academic library work in any area, department, or specialty.
• Proposals should provide a clear indication of actionable takeaways or practical applications
• Proposals should be concise, descriptive, and clearly written.
• Proposals are blinded and peer-reviewed by the selection committee.

○ Exclude the name of your institution, department, and any personal names in the title or abstract. If you include this identifying information, your proposal may not receive further consideration.

•Multiple submissions of presentations, posters, and lightning talks are allowed.

○ No more than two (e.g. two presentations, two posters, one presentation and one poster, or one presentation/poster and lightning talk) will be included in the final program.

Proposal Types:

• Presentation (50-minute session)

○ These sessions can include panels, presentations and breakouts.

• Poster Session (1 hour session where you engage with individuals or small groups for a few minutes at a time, uses visual format to give an overview of a topic)
• Lightning Talk (7 minute session with a shared Q&A)

Proposal Components:

• Title: 25 word limit
• Abstract: 200 word limit

○ Exclude the name of your institution, department and any personal names. If you include this identifying information, your proposal may not receive further consideration.

• How the presentation/poster will engage with audience
• Keywords that describe the content
• Presenter bio(s): 100 word limit]
• How original is your proposal?:

○ Content is completely new
○ Previously presented/published, but takes a different focus or adds new information
○ Previously presented elsewhere

• Learning Outcomes for Presentations
  

○ A well-written learning outcome will identify what participants will be able to do as a result of attending your program. How will your target audience’s skills, attitudes, knowledge, behavior, status, or life condition change or improve by participating in your program? Think about the intended impact of the program and how it fills a need or solves a problem.
○ Tip: Consider using a verb or action phrase + “in order to” + an impact statement to design your outcomes. The first phrase describes the skill or task you want the learner to perform, and the second phrase describes its impact and why it is important. (Guidelines adopted from ALA Annual Submission Guide & Primer for Learning Outcomes)
○ At least one outcome is required; no more than three can be submitted.

All conference presenters (session, talk, discussion, or a poster) are responsible for their own registration costs. Please note also that grants are available for Students and Library Support Staff to attend or aid in presenting at the conference.

Learn more about submitting a proposal and planning a presentation

ALAO has a long tradition of being a launchpad for first-time presenters of sessions, posters, lightning talks, and panel discussions. Our conference provides a welcoming and supportive environment that is perfect for your first lift-off into presenting! In this spirit, the 2025 ALAO Conference Planning Committee hosted an informal virtual conversation to fuel interest among potential first-time presenters and anyone else curious about taking their ideas to new heights. Here is a recording of the webinar that took place on April 8, 2025.

To learn more about submitting a proposal and planning a presentation, see: ALAO Conference Proposal Prep: Roadmap to Success. 4/10/2024