AALL 2021 / Call for Proposals

LEADING WITH WISDOM & INSIGHT / AALL 2021 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

We hope you are staying safe and healthy. As things continue to change, the need for timely and meaningful professional growth opportunities has become more important than ever. 2020 has made all of us rethink how we do many things, including the Annual Meeting & Conference. To ensure that the 2021 Annual Meeting & Conference offers exceptional programs that continue to assist you professionally and personally, we seek your expertise. We encourage you to submit a program or workshop proposal for AALL 2021.

AALL remains committed to ensuring a dynamic and diverse lineup of programs designed to address the complex changes, processes, and issues impacting the legal information profession today and tomorrow. No matter the format or platform, AALL 2021 will focus on delivering the most relevant, just-in-time learning incorporating the key domains of AALL's Body of Knowledge (BoK). The Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC) is comprised of content area teams that reflect these domains. If you're ready to turn your great ideas into learner-centric programs, please submit a proposal.

WHAT'S NEW FOR 2021?

With many uncertainties regarding travel restrictions, safety, budgets, etc., the program planning timeline has been adjusted. In addition to the call for proposals starting later, you now have until the end of November to submit proposals--twice as long as usual. We have also added a question on whether presenters will be available to deliver the program in person, virtually, or both.

As part of AALL's commitment to include new and diverse voices in our profession, we encourage proposers to work with speakers who may not have presented at an AALL Annual Meeting & Conference before. AMPC's proposal review process will focus on the presenters' professional qualifications for being on the program.

THINGS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

Address issues affecting legal information professionals currently: Review the AALL Body of Knowledge and must-have topics identified by members.
Write a compelling description: Keep it brief, capture attention, and spark interest.
Focus on the learner: What will the attendees take away to do their jobs better? Identify actionable goals and make those goals the foundation of the program.
Identify relevant experts: Who should deliver this content? Consider new and diverse voices in the profession.
Know your audience: For whom is the session intended?
Think about engagement strategies: Review the adult learning guidelines for ideas.

by Monday, November 30

GETTING STARTED

This summer, AALL members identified timely "must-have" program topics vital to their professional education. One of these topics might align with what your library has been tackling this year or maybe your special interest section (SIS) has been brainstorming about the topic already. Propose a program!

Use the Program and Workshop Proposal Collection site to develop your proposal in your own workspace, share it with your colleagues, and submit it by November 30. Explore our resources for program proposers, including:

The list of "must-have" program topics
FAQs about the topics
Questions and answers about the proposal process
Program design best practices
Recommendations for developing a great proposal

EVALUATION CRITERIA

After the proposal deadline, the AMPC will review, evaluate, and score all submitted proposals using a comprehensive rubric focusing on:

Relevance (Is it important, timely, and vital to legal information professionals? Will the learner be able to implement action or think in new ways as a result?)
Description (Is it clear and well-defined? Is there a specific plan for learner engagement? Are the proposed speakers suitable?)

Scores will be compiled, averaged, and used by the Content Area Team Leaders during their program selection. The deadline to submit a program proposal is Monday, November 30; proposal status will be conveyed to all proposers by early February.

We look forward to seeing your proposals. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to AALL. Please contact any member of the AMPC with additional questions or for assistance.

Sincerely,

Emily R. Florio
AALL President

Meg Kribble
AMPC Chair

We are Stronger, Smarter, and

More Successful Together