Call for Poster Presentations: Innovation, Transformation, Resurgence

The Midwest Archives Conference will convene for its annual meeting, April 3-6, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan.

Poster Proposals

The 2019 Annual Meeting Program Committee invites poster proposal submissions on all aspects of archival practice and research, as well as from allied and related fields. Submissions are welcome from all MAC members, especially students and new professionals.  Poster sessions may be solo or group presentations.

Poster sessions are a means to communicate and exchange ideas, programs, research, and projects with fellow MAC meeting attendees. Poster presentations are encouraged to touch on this year’s theme of “Innovation, Transformation, Resurgence,” and may present any of the following:

  • a description of an innovative archives program
  • an examination of a practical, problem-solving endeavor
  • an explanation of a research investigation
  • unique archival project or case study

Proposals are due Thursday, January 31, 2018.

 

Proposal Evaluation

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

  • Merit and clarity of the 250-word abstract; and

  • Completeness of the proposal, particularly having well-developed content to understand all relevant aspects of the topic.

Individuals with proposals chosen for inclusion in the MAC 2019 Annual Meeting will be notified in late February 2019.

To submit a proposal, please fill out the online form. The deadline for submitting poster proposals for the 2019 MAC Annual Meeting is Thursday, January 31st.

We look forward to seeing you in Detroit!

 

Poster Session Tips

Poster sessions are a means to communicate and exchange ideas, programs, research, and projects to fellow MAC meeting attendees. Some examples of previous poster sessions, include:

  • “Audiovisual Digitization and Quality Control”

  • “Hunting Down History in Your Local Community”

  • “Google Analytics for Selecting Digitization Projects”

  • “Public Records: Access Denied?”

  • “Creating a Social Media Strategy for Archives and Libraries: The Basics”

  • “German-Speaking Migrants and the Great War”

Posters typically include pictures, data, graphs, diagrams, and narrative text on boards that are approximately 40 x 32 inches. Authors are required to present their posters during scheduled times during the meeting. These presentations are more like elevator speeches that summarize the poster content with attendees who stop by the poster to view it and ask questions. Helpful tips on creating posters are available at these links:

Poster sessions cannot be used to advertise products or to display vendor items. If you are unsure if your proposal qualifies, please email Kayla Harris at [email protected].

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will MAC pay my travel expenses and/or registration fee to attend the Conference if I am presenting a poster? No, MAC would not reimburse you for your travel or conference registration expenses.

2. What if I have a conflict between my poster session presentation time and a meeting? At least one author of the poster must be present during the poster sessions. This is the opportunity to give feedback to conference attendees who stop to ask questions. Poster sessions cannot be presented unless at least one author is present during the allotted times.

3. What happens if I have to cancel my poster session because I can't attend the conference? Please plan on a backup person who will be able to represent your poster if an emergency arises.

4. Can I have an Internet connection or other electrical support? If your poster session includes electrical equipment, you will need to provide your own source of power (e.g., batteries). No electrical support or Internet connections are available in the poster session area. Audio-visual presentations that include sound are not encouraged. These can be very distracting to the presenters located nearby. If you are able to supply headphones for viewers/listeners, sound is acceptable.

5. What about simultaneous submissions? Can I submit a poster session proposal about a project for which I've also submitted a manuscript for publication in a journal? Yes, poster submissions for articles that have been simultaneously submitted for publication are welcomed, as long as you note the simultaneous submission in your abstract. 
IMPORTANT: Please note at the end of your abstract if the project has been submitted to other conferences, for publication in a journal, or has been published
or presented before.

6. What is the difference between the MAC Exhibit area and the MAC Poster Session Area? The poster session area is expressly not for vendors to display or promote new products, or for organizational displays.

If you have questions about the status of your submission please email Kayla Harris ([email protected]), Poster Session Coordinator.