Category: Call for Presentations

CFP: Society of Georgia Archivists Annual Meeting

The Society of Georgia Archivists Annual Meeting Program Committee proudly presents the theme for the 2025 annual meeting: Archivists “Macon” It Happen: Back to Basics.

The Committee invites you to attend the meeting, to be held at Middle Georgia State University in Macon, Georgia on Thursday, October 2, 2025.

Our 2025 program invites session proposals that will encompass presentations, working groups, interest groups, skill labs, mini workshops, and demonstrations on a broad spectrum of archival work as we take it back to the basics. Presentations will examine how archivists accomplish their work without reinventing the wheel – how do we leverage existing tools, workflows, and archival community connections?  While proposals on all aspects of archival practice and research will be considered, the Program Committee is especially interested in the following key topics:

  • Access, outreach, and instruction
  • Acquisitions, i.e. donor relations, deeds of gift, transfers, collection development policies, and donor guides
  • Career resources, i.e. advancement, resume & cover letter building, interview skills, conflict resolution, and salary negotiation 
  • Digital stewardship, i.e. digital scholarship/digital humanities projects, born-digital preservation
  • Preservation
  • Processing
  • Trainings, i.e. disaster planning, in-house conservation, and volunteer & student training
  • Workflows/Documentation/Project Management

The committee welcomes proposals from anyone involved with archives, including archival staff and volunteers, students, new professionals, community organizers, researchers, and allied professionals. 

The following are the session types we are accepting this year:

  • 50-minute mini workshops. A mini workshop on topics of interest that includes concrete practical tools and lessons for a smaller group of attendees. 
  • 50-minute working group/interest group. For working groups, facilitators and up to 5-7 discussants grapple with a shared concern. Before and during the meeting, working groups articulate a purpose they are working toward or a problem they are actively trying to solve. Proposals are submitted by facilitators, who will confirm discussants after acceptance. For interest groups, facilitators determine a topic of interest to host a structured discussion forum where attendees can engage in open-ended discussions, share ideas, and debate issues related to the topic of choice.
  • 50-minute panel (2-5 presenters). A complete session made up of formal presentations coordinated around a single theme.
  • 25-minute skills lab, tutorial, or case study (1-3 presenters). Show attendees how to use or apply a specific tool, technique, workflow, or concept. Visual aids and/or handouts are encouraged. 
  • 7-minute “Lightning Talk” (1-2 presenters). Briefly highlight recent projects, works in progress, or ideas for future collaboration.
  • Poster Session. Briefly highlight recent projects, works in progress, or ideas for future collaboration.

Proposals can be submitted through the online submission form. The deadline for proposal submissions is May 30, 2025.  

The Program Committee has created a Google spreadsheet to connect individuals seeking ideas and/or collaborators for session and poster proposals. The document is not monitored by SGA or the Program Committee and is not part of the official submission process.

For more information about the 2025 Annual Meeting, contact a member of the planning team:

CfP Museums in Motion: New Frontiers in Chinese Museum Studies

We are delighted to invite papers for the international workshop ‘Museums in Motion: New Frontiers in Chinese Museum Studies’, to be held in person and online at the University of Siena on 13-14 November 2025. 

Studying Chinese museums is both an intriguing and rewarding pursuit, offering a valuable perspective on the histories and cultures of China and its unprecedented transformations over the past three decades. These institutions house an extraordinary wealth of historical, artistic, and cultural artefacts, providing deep insight into China’s long and complex past, as well as its multilayered interactions with the world today. From ancient bronzes and calligraphy to contemporary art and political exhibitions, museums in China serve as dynamic spaces where history is preserved, interpreted, and debated. They shape narratives, influence national and local identities, and even serve political functions. The way history and culture are presented—what is emphasized, omitted, or reframed—offers a revealing glimpse into China’s evolving relationship with its past and present.

At the same time, questions of accessibility and representation remain central. While major state-run museums, such as the National Museum of China, present grand, state-approved narratives, smaller independent museums sometimes offer alternative perspectives, occasionally challenging official histories. This raises critical discussions about who controls historical narratives and how they are curated. Beyond their role as cultural and historical institutions, Chinese museums are at the forefront of technological and curatorial innovation. Digital exhibitions, AI-driven curation, and new approaches to audience engagement are transforming how visitors experience history and culture. But what does this mean for museum studies as a field? Are existing theories and methodologies sufficient to analyze these developments, or do we need new frameworks to understand this evolving landscape?

Furthermore, museums play an increasingly significant role in China’s modern cultural and economic strategies. The country has invested heavily in building and modernizing these institutions, signalling both a commitment to preserving heritage, and an effort to enhance cultural tourism internally and China’s cultural influences externally. Yet, this also raises fundamental questions: Are museums primarily spaces for education, instruments of soft power, or engines of commercial gain? How do they compare to museums in other parts of the world? Ultimately, studying Chinese museums is not just about appreciating artefacts—it is about understanding the intersections of history, culture, politics and society. Museums are not just neutral spaces; they actively participate in shaping national identity and public memory.

Objectives

Given China’s rapid cultural, political, and technological transformations, this workshop aims to explore the current landscape of Chinese museum studies. It seeks to foster international collaboration by bringing together scholars, curators, policymakers, and practitioners from diverse perspectives. The event will serve as a unique forum for critical dialogue, interdisciplinary exchange, and the rethinking of future directions in Chinese museum studies. 

We aim to collect contributions to publish an edited volume with a leading publisher in the field in 2026/2027.

Scope 

We encourage interdisciplinary approaches and welcome submissions in English that engage with a broad range of research topics, projects, and case studies, from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars from different perspectives and disciplines, including but not limited to: Archaeology; Art and Art History; Anthropological and Ethnographic Studies; Sociological Perspectives; Political Science and International Relations; Economic and Business Approaches; Media and Communication Studies; Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices; Conservation and Heritage Management; Exhibition Design and Interpretation; Education and Pedagogical Approaches; Gender and Feminist Studies; Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies; Science and Technology Studies; and Philosophical and Ethical Considerations.

Key questions the workshop seeks to address include (but are not limited to):

  • How are museums in China shaping and reshaping historical narratives?
  • What role do digital technologies play in Chinese museums?
  • How do Chinese museums engage with international audiences and collaborate with global institutions?
  • What challenges do museums face in terms of funding, curation, and public engagement?
  • How do museums navigate issues of decolonization, repatriation, and contested heritage?
  • What role do museums play in fostering community engagement, especially among local and ethnic minority groups?
  • How do privately funded museums contribute to or challenge dominant narratives?
  • How do museums address environmental sustainability and heritage conservation?
  • What ethical concerns arise with AI, VR, and big data in museum curation?
  • How are gender, diversity, and marginal voices represented in Chinese museums?
  • What role do Chinese museums play in international cultural diplomacy and soft power?
  • How do Chinese exhibitions and collections abroad shape global perceptions of Chinese culture?
  • What are the dynamics of collaboration between Chinese and foreign museums and how do these influence museum practices globally?
  • New methods and approaches to museum studies 
  • Historical perspective on museum development in China 
  • Museum development in Greater China and among Chinese diasporas 

Dates: 13–14 November 2025
Format: Hybrid (Online & In-Person)

Hosting University: University of Siena (Department of Philology and Literary Criticism) – Arezzo Campus
Venue: Logge del Grano Hall, Piazzetta Logge del Grano 5, 52100 Arezzo, Italy

Presentation Format: Papers should not exceed 20 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion.

Submission Guidelines: Please send an abstract (250 words)along with a bio (max. 100 words, detailing affiliation, career stage and disciplinary background).

Important Dates: 

  • Submission Deadline: 31 May 2025
  • Notification of Acceptance: 31 July 2025
  • Program Draft: 30 September 2025

Fee: Attendance at the workshop is free. Participants attending the in-person session shall cover their own travel and accommodation.

Proposal Submission: Please send proposals in a single email to all organizers at the following addresses:

Ornella De Nigris: ornella.denigris@unisi.it|Cangbai Wang: C.Wang6@westminster.ac.uk |Sofia Bollo: sofia.bollo@uzh.ch

CFP: One-day symposium : “Map exhibitions 19th-20th centuries”

France

ANNUAL ONE-DAY SYMPOSIUM OF THE HISTORY COMMISSION OF THE FRENCH CARTOGRAPHY COMMITTEE

Friday 14th November 2025

INHA (Paris) – Salle Vasari

The History Commission of the CFC is organising a study day on ‘Cartographic exhibitions’ on 14 November 2025 at the Institut national d’histoire de l’Art (INHA) in Paris.

This one-day symposium is a continuation of the previous meetings on ‘Art and Cartography’ (2023) and ‘Cartography and Cinema’ (2024), in which cartography and its history were examined from the angle of their presence in modern and contemporary visual cultures. The aim of this new day is to consider the various aspects of the encounter between cartography and the general public.

Maps have long been exhibited, more or less permanently, in the galleries of major palaces and public buildings. Think, for example, of the Vatican Map Gallery or the world map room in the Farnese Palace in Caprarola. But it is not to these perennial cartographic settings, which are already well known, that this Study Day aims to focus its analysis, but rather on temporary installations.

Since the nineteenth century, cartography has been the focus of a great many temporary exhibitions, both specialist and more general. Like works of art or scientific objects, maps, globes, models, relief maps and observation instruments were considered worthy of public interest. Take, for example, the enthusiastic response to the exhibition entitled ‘Cartes et figures de la Terre’ [Maps and Figures of the Earth], presented at the Centre Pompidou in 1980. Exhibitions devoted to the history of cartography, or certain aspects of it, are regularly held at scientific gatherings (geography congresses or learned societies), at international fairs and, of course, in libraries, museums and archive centres.

We need to look at these cartographic exhibitions from a number of angles: 

– What were the projects, motivations and objectives of the designers of these exhibitions?

– What were the scientific, artistic and political contexts in which these exhibitions were organised?

– What cartographic documents were chosen? According to what criteria? What were their aims?

– What was the chosen scenography? How have these choices evolved over the years? Are there any links, or even analogies, with the history of art exhibitions?

– How many people attended the exhibition? What type of audience, if any? How did the press react to the exhibitions?

Contributions may address all or only some of these questions.

Practical details

Proposals for papers (approximately 1500 characters), accompanied by a short bio-bibliography, should be sent before 10 May 2025 to the following address: catherine.hofmann@bnf.fr.

The selection committee will meet in mid-June and will announce the results of the call for papers in early July.

The papers selected will be published in an issue of the journal of the French Cartography Committee, Cartes & Géomatique, in 2026.

Contact Information

Catherine Hofmann, map curator at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris)

Jean-Marc Besse, head researcher at CNRS and EHESS

Contact Email

catherine.hofmann@bnf.fr

URL

https://cartogallica.hypotheses.org/

CFP: ARTEFACTS 30: Care and Repair

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR ARTEFACTS 30, CARE AND REPAIR

With pleasure, Norsk Teknisk Museum (the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology) announces that the next and 30th meeting of ARTEFACTS will be held in Oslo, Norway, 12–14 October 2025.

ARTEFACTS is an international network of academic and museum-based scholars of science, technology, and medicine, who share the goal of promoting the use of objects in research. The consortium was established in 1996 and since then has held annual conferences examining the role of artefacts and collections in the making of science and technology and related areas. See https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/our-work/research-public-history/artefacts-consortium.

The theme of the 2025 meeting is CARE AND REPAIR, and we encourage proposals (see formats below) concerning how erosion, breakdown, and maintenance, instead of progress and innovation, can be starting points for research. What are the limits of our fragile world, and what work does caring do? We characterize ‘care and repair’ broadly, encompassing objects, people, and environments, but all proposals should have a focus on the material culture of science, technology, and/or medicine.

In keeping with the theme, we especially encourage proposals from museum conservators, as well as those who care for museum communities. These could potentially be joint submissions with other museum practitioners and scholars. ARTEFACTS conferences are friendly and informal meetings with the character of workshops. There is plenty of time for open discussion and networking.

Examples might include, but are not limited to:

  • Conservation and restoration of technoscientific heritage; “stubborn” objects, those which require persistent care and repair; challenges while taking care of technoscientific collections… 
  • Working with communities on technoscientific heritage; forgotten stories of care and repair; amateurs and enthusiasts, the maker movement, and do-it-yourself (DIY) culture…
  • The sustainability of technoscientific heritage; practices of repair leading towards more sustainability; making things last; waste and reuse; the afterlives of technoscientific heritage…
  • Historical perspectives on technology and repair; the shaping of technology through practices of repair; how repair practices have changed over time; lost expertise / knowledge / skills; the lifespans and persistence of technology; technology’s manifold temporalities…
  • Care and the medical humanities; care versus repair, with regard to hierarchies of expertise in healthcare; caregiving and the difficulties of providing and receiving care; ethical dimensions of care and maintenance; how caregiving has changed over time…

Please remember that the focus of presentations should be on artefacts.

This time, ARTEFACTS is experimenting with two tracks for submissions: (1) works to be considered for publication (a pre-circulated paper and a longer presentation based on the paper) and (2) works-in-progress (shorter presentations without a paper). Abstracts for track 1 should be 500-1000 words; abstracts for track 2 should be 200-300 words. They should be accompanied by a 75-word author biography and sent to artefacts@tekniskmuseum.no by 15 May 2025. We aim to notify accepted participants by 5 June 2025.

Registration will open formally when the program is announced in June, but in the meantime informal queries should be directed to artefacts@tekniskmuseum.no.

CFP: Australian Society of Archivist Conference

The Call for Papers is now open and will close on:

  • AEST: 9:00 am on Monday 28 April 2025
  • AWST: 7:00 am on Monday 28 April 2025
  • ACDT: 8:30 am on Monday 28 April 2025
  • NZDT: 11:00 am on Monday 28 April 2025

How to Submit

  1. Read the information below regarding the theme and proposal types.
  2. Click on the Submit Your Proposal button below to create an account and follow the instructions to submit your abstract. Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words.
  3. If you have any technical issues accessing the portal or submitting your proposal, please contact us.
  4. If you have questions about the theme or your proposal in general, please contact the Program Chair.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

Theme

The purpose of archives is often explained as being for the benefit of societal memory. As the International Council on Archives’ Universal Declaration on Archives states; they are authoritative sources of information which play an essential role in the development of societies by safeguarding and contributing to individual and community memory and that open access to archives enriches our knowledge of human society, promotes democracy, protects citizens’ rights, and enhances the quality of life.

What has been the societal impact of archives and archival practice over the past 50 years? How is this changing over time? How should it be changing?

The conference aims to bring together a wide range of perspectives and stories on our profession and practice by showcasing what archives mean to communities, institutions and individuals. It is also a space to explore where we have been, are, and want to develop as a sector.

Call for Papers

The Australian Society of Archivists is excited to invite your proposals for contributions to our upcoming conference “Telling Our Stories: Community, Connection, Resilience”, to be held 10-12 November 2025 in Warrane/Warrang/Sydney.

We invite you to share your experiences, reflections and research by ‘telling our stories’ from and about the archives by submitting a brief proposal of no more than 300 words.

Topics could include, but are not limited to:

  • Archival history
  • Community and school archives
  • Impact of technology on archives
  • Digital accessibility
  • Access to and repatriation of displaced archives
  • Privacy and ethical considerations
  • Cultural considerations
  • Audiences: who is missing?
  • Social responsibility
  • Reparative description, Indigenous self-determination
  • Teaching with archives
  • Community outreach and access
  • Archival education
  • Using technology to improve engagement
  • Impact of digital transformation on archival concepts
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • Big data

We encourage submissions from all who engage with archives: students, new professionals, experienced archivists and recordkeepers, information professionals, academics, researchers, artists, and community members.

Conference Audience

Your audience will mainly be archivists, records and information professionals from small, medium and large organisations in government, private and community sector organisations. It will also include students, academics, educators and researchers.

The conference will be face to face, however it should be noted that sessions will be recorded for on-demand viewing. This should be considered when developing your abstract and any subsequent presentations.

Proposal Types

All presentations will be presented on location and in-person:

  • Posters
    • presentation of research, project, idea, or other type of work in a paper poster
    • presenters will be required to present during the poster session in order to answer questions and further explain their poster
    • we specifically invite students to use this category
    • posters will need to be printed
  • Project show and tells (10 minutes)
    • strictly limited to 10 minutes per talk (all speakers combined), including questions
    • short, less formal presentations to share information about in-progress or completed projects
    • provide opportunities to share project status and potentially engage and network with other delegates interested with relevant expertise
    • speakers may use slides to enhance their talk
  • Lightning talks (10 minutes)
    • strictly limited to 10 minutes per talk (all speakers combined), including questions
    • short, less formal presentations to share information about ideas and research and connect with other delegates
    • speakers may use slides to enhance their talk
  • Individual papers (30 minutes)
    • comprise one or more speakers presenting on a topic for a maximum of 30 minutes
    • presentations should last 20 minutes to allow at least 5 minutes for questions
    • papers will be grouped to form 90 minute sessions around a common theme
  • Interactive presentations (30-60 minutes)
    • comprise one or more speakers
    • an interactive presentation designed to engage the audience in active discussion
  • Panels (90 minutes)
    • comprise 3 to 5 speakers who together present on a topic for 90 minutes
    • panels have options in how they use the time available, potentially giving each panellist a set time to speak and allowing time for questions during or at the end of the panel session
    • panellists may use slides to illustrate or enhance their contribution to the panel
  • Workshops half-day or full day, to be held on day before or after the conference
    • hands-on sessions designed to involve participants in practical activities
    • limited capacity per workshop (please note maximum capacity requirements in the submission).

CFP: Materiality and Precarity: Preserving Holocaust Memorial Sites 

United Kingdom

Call for Papers: Materiality and Precarity: Preserving Holocaust Memorial Sites 

We are delighted to announce a upcoming postgraduate conference at the University of Cambridge, in partnership with DAAD Cambridge, for graduate and early career researchers to share emerging research on challenges to preserving Holocaust sites. 

The conference will take place in Cambridge on June 25-26, 2025; paper proposals are due on March 31, 2025.

We welcome proposals on topics included – but not limited to – the following:

  • Evolving interpretations of ‘Authenticity’
  • Climate Change and Memorial Sites; impact, planning, prevention
  • Memorialisation
  • Holocaust tourism
  • Sources of “wear and tear” to physical objects, buildings, and landscapes at Holocaust sites
  • Representing place in cultural and popular media
  • The role of ‘virtual space’ and digital media
  • Political controversies about management of memorial sites
  • Contemporary comparisons between climate change and Nazi genocide 
  • Contemporary and historical conflicts over space at sites (national, religious)

Applicants are invited to submit a paper title, short bio (150 words) and abstract (300 words) to Beatrice Leeming (University of Cambridge) rl699@cam.ac.uk and Jonathan Marrow (University of Cambridge) jm2521@cam.ac.uk
Applications close on 31 March, 2025. There will be funding to support travel costs and accommodation.

Contact Information

 Jonathan Marrow (University of Cambridge) jm2521@cam.ac.uk and Beatrice Leeming (University of Cambridge) rl699@cam.ac.uk 

Contact Email

jm2521@cam.ac.uk

CFP: Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium

Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium

Save Our Stuff (SOS), the Annual Conference and Meeting of the Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium (ICPC), will be held on June 20, 2025, at the Iowa State University in Ames. The ICPC Board of Directors is sending out this ‘Call for Presentations.’

Preserving and conserving cultural heritage is a pillar in the missions of many institutions around the state. During the 2025 ICPC conference, speakers are invited to share programs and applications for the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage in Iowa and surrounding areas.

Proposals are now being accepted for SOS sessions. Presentations may be given in person or virtually. Topics should directly address issues of preservation and conservation of cultural materials, including, but not limited to, books, manuscripts, ephemera, and artifacts. Presentations should be applicable to institutions with various staff sizes and budgets.

Speakers may propose sessions in the following formats:

1.  Full sessions – 50 minutes in length.  If you are proposing a roundtable or panel presentation, please include the names and titles of all participants.

2.  Half Session – 20-minute presentation as a joint session on a common topic.  

Proposals should be submitted via e-mail to Amanda Latta, MLIS, CARST, the ICPC Administrative Assistant at iowa.conserveandpreserve@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is April 15th. Proposals accepted for sessions will be notified by April 25th.  Speakers are requested to donate their time, expertise, and travel. Conference fees (including lunch) are waived for presenters. However, those wishing to attend conference sessions other than their own must register.

CFP: IPRES 2025

Call for Contributions

We are excited to invite peer-reviewed contributions for iPRES 2025, the premier international conference on digital preservation. We will make a further call for ad-hoc contributions in June 2025.

iPRES 2025 will take place in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Aotearoa (New Zealand), from 3-7 November 2025, and will offer a combination of in-person and virtual participation opportunities. We warmly invite contributions from researchers, practitioners, and organisations across the globe who are involved in the field of digital preservation.

The themes for iPRES 2025 are: Haerenga (Journey), Tūtaki (Encounter), and Tūhono (Connect). These themes encourage reflections on the evolving practices, innovations and partnerships shaping the future of digital preservation. Each theme reinforces the others, creating a holistic view of how digital preservation research and practice can adapt, innovate and thrive.

  • Haerenga (Journey) – This theme focuses on the broader narrative of digital preservation, emphasising the ongoing processes, challenges, and learning experiences practitioners face.
  • Tūtaki (Encounter) – This theme is focused on innovation, disruption, and the re-evaluation of long-held norms.
  • Tūhono (Connect) – This theme is all about the importance of communities, collaboration and interdisciplinary work in digital preservation.

You can read more about the conference themes, and examples of topics that relate to the themes here.

Types of Contributions

This is a call for the submission types that will be peer-reviewed:

  • Full Papers: In-depth research papers, technical papers, or case studies (max 8 pages).
  • Short Papers: Concise reports on work-in-progress or emerging topics (max 4 pages).
  • Workshops: Interactive, hands-on sessions focusing on tools, methods, or best practices.
  • Tutorials: Educational sessions or demonstrations aimed at teaching participants new skills or technologies relevant to digital preservation. Tutorials should be structured to provide a clear learning outcome and can range from beginner to advanced levels.
  • Panels: Discussions addressing key issues or trends in digital preservation.
  • Posters: Visual presentations of projects or ideas, encouraging one-on-one engagement.

In June 2025 we will have a call for non-peer reviewed submission types (Lightning Talks, Birds of a Feather, Games, etc.) and for participation in a Digital Preservation Bake-Off. These ad-hoc submissions will go through a light internal assessment that will be detailed on the conference website.

You can find the submission instructions, including the link to the online submission portal here.

​Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be peer-reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the conference themes
  • Originality, innovation, and contribution to the field of digital preservation
  • Clarity and organisation of ideas
  • Significance for the digital preservation field and impact on the community

​Important Dates for Peer-Reviewed Contributions

  • Submission deadline: 14 April 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth (No planned extension of date)
  • Notification of acceptance: 2 June 2025

You can find a more detailed version of important dates here.

​Diversity and Accessibility

iPRES 2025 values manaakitanga – kindness, respect, and hospitality towards others. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. We strongly encourage contributions from Indigenous and underrepresented voices in the digital preservation community.

Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, the conference venue for iPRES 2025, has been designed and built to be accessible for everyone. You can find more information about Accessibility at iPRES 2025 both for in-person and remote participants here.  

AI Usage

In recognition of the potential benefits and increasing use of AI tools, iPRES 2025 permits their usage, under the conditions outlined in these guidelines . These guidelines are designed to help maintain the integrity and quality of iPRES publications while allowing the beneficial use of AI tools. They are informed by guidelines from international organisations and publishers regarding the use of AI.

​Conference Proceedings and Publication

After the conference, all iPRES 2025 submissions will be made openly available online in one or more forms:

Submission TypesConference Proceedings (in Phaidra)Openly published (OSF, etc.)
Individual citable documentAs part of summary abstract bookAs part of aggregated submissions
Full & short Papers, PostersYesYesYesYes (with presentations)
Workshops, Tutorials, PanelsNoYesYesYes (with presentations)
Ad hoc formats (Lightning Talks, Games, etc.)NoNoNoYes (with presentations)

Contact Information

For questions or support regarding the submission process, please contact us.

CFP: Request for Speakers: Libraries in Unexpected Places – 2025 ALA LHRT Research Forum (Library History Round Table)

Libraries are not confined to traditional institutions; they exist in a myriad of unexpected places, serving diverse communities in innovative ways. From lighthouses and artists’ studios to mobile book vans and digital platforms, libraries continue to evolve, offering knowledge and resources in creative and unconventional settings. This call for papers seeks to explore the rich and often overlooked world of libraries that exist outside the norm—whether in remote villages, repurposed structures, personal collections, or virtual spaces.

We invite scholars, librarians, historians, and researchers from various disciplines to present their research at the 2025 LHRT Research Forum, which will focus on how libraries in unexpected places serve communities, preserve history, and expand access to knowledge. The forum aims to highlight historical studies of library outreach and development, including 20th and 21st-century topics. Single-case studies, theoretical perspectives, and other approaches are welcomed, but use of primary sources is expected. Each speaker will be asked to present for approximately 20 minutes, with a 10-minute Q&A to follow.

To accommodate as many attendees as possible, the 2025 Research Forum will be held virtually after the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, on Wednesday, July 23, 2:00-3:30 EST.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

Libraries in Unconventional Spaces

  • Libraries and library collections housed in unique buildings or premises.
  • Personal and private libraries with public impact.
  • Community-based initiatives such as Little Free Libraries and other book-sharing projects.
  • Rural and mobile libraries that reach remote and underserved populations.

Library Outreach and Collaboration

  • Librarians bringing books and services to nontraditional settings.
  • Novel partnerships between libraries and other institutions and organizations.
  • Efforts to preserve and document library collections that exist outside formal institutions.

Access Beyond Physical Spaces

  • Online and open-access libraries in areas lacking traditional library services.
  • Hybrid models that combine physical and digital library services to reach broader audiences.
  • The role of technology in expanding knowledge beyond geographic and economic barriers.

Submission Guidelines:

We welcome submissions from a variety of perspectives, including historical studies, case studies, ethnographic research, theoretical analyses, and reflective essays. We will consider research projects already underway or, if at the beginning of the project, a discussion of new methodologies to be used in the work. Please note that projects or project plans should include a primary source research component.

  • Each proposal must include the paper title, an abstract (up to 500 words), and the presenter’s one-page vita. Please indicate in the abstract whether the research is in progress or completed.
  • Proposals are due March 15, and decisions will be communicated shortly thereafter.
  • Completed papers are due May 31.

Please submit proposals and direct inquiries to Jennifer Bartlett, LHRT Vice Chair/Research Committee Chair, at jen.bartlett@uky.edu.

We encourage interdisciplinary approaches and diverse voices to contribute to this exciting exploration of libraries in unexpected places. If you have a unique perspective or case study that falls outside these categories but aligns with the theme, we welcome your proposal! We look forward to your submissions and to celebrating the vast and varied ways libraries continue to inspire, adapt, and serve.

Research Committee Members:

Jennifer Bartlett

Bernadette Lear

Catherine Minter

Deborah Smith

Rachel Trnka 

CFP: Histories of Disabilities and Living Spaces from Ancient to Modern Worlds

Histories of Disabilities and Living Spaces from Ancient to Modern Worlds

Royal Holloway’s Bodies and Material Culture Research Group invites papers for a one-day workshop in Central London on histories of disabilities and living spaces from the ancient to the modern world. The relationship between historical actors with physical and mental disabilities and the places they live is complex, with embodied experiences and the material world offering scope for both agency and frustration. Drawing on the recent expansion in histories of disabilities across ancient, medieval, early modern and modern studies, this workshop applies this new critical approach to the study of past living spaces. The workshop will focus on how people with physical impairments, mental illness, chronic illness, degenerative, and age-related conditions (including any intersection of the above) interacted with historic domestic environments. The workshop will use comparative histories – from the ancient past to the contemporary present – to look at similarities and differences across time and space. We will explore new methodologies for interpreting embodied experiences, drawing on ideas of co-production and participatory research. We aim to further shared understandings of lived experiences, and to explore how these might be represented in public histories and heritage.

Keynote Speakers: Kyle Jordan (Independent Curator and Researcher) and India Whiteley (QMUL)

Papers might address, but are not limited to, the experience of people with disabilities, chronic or mental illness, degenerative, and/or age-related conditions (including any intersection of the above) in relation to the following themes:

  • The planning, design, building and adaptation of living spaces
  • Embodiment and the interaction of bodies with domestic material culture
  • Development of historic assistive technologies and therapies 
  • Household structures and hierarchies e.g. Roman households and their extended family members, early modern apprentice households, nuclear families including: development of support networks; exploitation and/or abuse
  • Changing patterns of individual, family and collective residence e.g. monasteries or schools
  • Identification with domestic space and home as an emotional construct 
  • New approaches to interpreting historic embodied experiences e.g. participatory research or co-production 
  • Methods and source materials that reveal living spaces including archaeological, textual, legislative, visual and material 
  • Strategies for representing historical actors in domestic heritage 

The workshop will take place on Tuesday June 24th 2025 at Senate House, University of London. Please send proposals (300 word abstract and 100 word biography) to Jane Hamlett jane.hamlett@rhul.ac.uk and Hannah Platts Hannah.platts@rhul.ac.uk by March 31st. We welcome proposals from those at all career stages of academia, independent scholars, heritage and museum professionals. Papers can be presented in person or online.

Contact Information

Jane Hamlett

Contact Email

jane.hamlett@rhul.ac.uk

URL

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-education/research/research-enviro…