Lightning Talk Proposals

***The deadline for proposal submissions was January 23, 2023; proposals are no longer being accepted.***
***Thanks to everyone who submitted a proposal!***        

The LOEX 2023 Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit lightning talk proposals for consideration to the 51st Annual LOEX Conference. The conference will be held May 11-13, 2023.


A small, but fun & invigorating, part of the LOEX Conference are the Lightning Talks, which are a great way to share with a big group of people your ideas and best practices that don't warrant a full-blown, almost hour-long, breakout session. Topics can be practical implementations or conceptual ideas, and they should showcase effective practices or highlight new projects in various stages of development.

Proposal Tracks

Successful proposals will show evidence of being lively, fast-paced and thought provoking, while reflecting elements at least one of the conference tracks: 


  • Teaching: Spicing Up Our Strategies and Spaces   

Teaching can be both a highly active and reflective practice. How have you kept your teaching strategies fresh? Share your reflections on how the pandemic, new trends, critical and anti-racist pedagogies, and objectives prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility have impacted your teaching practices. How have you adapted your physical and virtual learning spaces to reflect new teaching modes, technologies, priorities, and learner goals? Tell us about it!

  • Research: Infusing Our Practice With Scholarship   

As library workers and educators, many of us identify as lifelong learners. We spend time reading academic literature, attending professional development events, and discussing best practices with colleagues.  We also set out as explorers into the unknown, studying the art and science of teaching and learning. What questions have you recently asked about pedagogical approaches, library research, or student engagement? Have you engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning in ways that have expanded your knowledge and transformed professional practice? Come share what you’ve learned with us!

  • Engagement: Recipes For Student Success         

While we work toward a broader vision for our libraries and institutions, it is essential that we consider new ways to foster a sense of belonging for our students and community. How does the outreach we provide connect with all of our students? Are there ways we can evolve our approaches so that we meet students where they are, as opposed to asking them to come to us? What strategies can we use to measure and define success in our outreach efforts? We want to hear about how you assess what is working and what we might need to move off of our plates.

  • Advocacy: Savoring The Opportunity to Influence     

Strong leadership is critical for our teaching, learning, outreach, and engagement programs–and not all leaders have management positions and responsibilities. How do you lead in your institution? What does inclusive leadership look like for you? Have you advocated successfully for a program, initiative, resource, or priority? Do you coordinate programs, amplify colleagues’ voices, boost ideas of marginalized populations in your community, and influence policies? How do you assess initiatives and use evidence and data to make decisions? Share your leadership initiatives and assessments with us!  

  • Teamwork: Finding The Perfect Flavor Combination

Collaboration within and beyond the library remains a key ingredient to the success of our programs, initiatives, and goals. Tell us about your essential relationships and what defines successful and sustained partnerships for your program. What projects or initiatives would not have come to fruition without your collaborations? How have your professional relationships contributed to your institutions’ priorities, values, and goals? In what ways have you partnered in order to support equitable outcomes and achievements for your students? How do you assess the value, success, and future of a partnership?

  • Revitalization: Nourishing Our Teaching, Our Organizations, And Ourselves

A lot has changed over the past several years, and our old strategies for teaching, leading, planning, and partnering may no longer be serving us or our communities. In order to truly transform our work and our organizations, we must create space to rest, reflect, and care for ourselves and each other.  How are you creating the space to identify and make meaningful change? How are you prioritizing health and well-being for yourself, your colleagues, and your community during these times of change and disruption?


Lightning Talk Format, Timing, and Quantity

Each presenter will have seven minutes total. There will not be additional time for questions, but presenters may reserve part of the seven-minute allotment for Q&A if desired.


Lightning Talks will very likely take place after lunch on the Saturday of the conference, and be presented in a general session open to all attendees.

We expect, at maximum, five Lightning Talks proposals will be accepted for the conference. 


Lightning Talk Submission Information

  

***The deadline for proposal submissions was January 23, 2023; proposals are no longer being accepted.***   


Proposals can be submitted only through the online submission form and must be received by Monday, January 23, 2023.


There is only one presenter permitted for each Lightning Talk presentation due to time constraints.


If your proposal is accepted, the presenter will be automatically registered for the conference, and required to pay registration in full by Monday, April 10, 2023. A Lightning Talk presenter is not required to, but can choose to submit a full paper version (up to 1,000 words) of their talk for inclusion in the LOEX Conference Proceedings.


Note: Failure to pay the registration fee will result in the cancellation of your lightning talk and conference registration. All presenters are responsible for paying their own travel and lodging expenses.  


Contact for Lightning Talk presenters: Eyoel Delessaatlightning2023@loexconference.org

 

Lightning Talk Submission Timeline

  • January 23, 2023: Deadline to submit lightning talk proposals
  • February 7, 2023: Notification of acceptance of lightning talk proposal
  • May 5, 2023: Deadline for all Lightning Talk presenters to submit full papers (up to 1000 words) for inclusion in the LOEX Conference Proceedings
  • May 11-13, 2023: 51st Annual LOEX Conference in Harrisburg, PA


Lightning Talk Proposal Selection Criteria

The committee will be using a rubric to score the proposals during a double-blind review process. The rubric grades each proposal on:

  • Content and objectives of presentation
  • Clarity of topic, particularly how presenter will achieve presentation objectives in seven minutes or less
  • Relevance to the field of library instruction
  • Originality and creativity
  • Demonstrated expertise of the presenter(s) on the topic
  • Methods used to inform and also engage the audience

For more guidelines on preparing and giving lightning talks at LOEX, please visit our Lightning Talk Guidelines page.


Presenter Benefits

The solid reputation of the LOEX Conference ensures that presenters benefit as much as their audience. Presenters can expect to:

  • Contribute to the field of library instruction and information literacy
  • Receive professional recognition at the conference
  • Highlight their institution's accomplishments
  • Receive automatic registration at the LOEX Conference in Harrisburg, PA.