Proposal Tracks

Proposals should reflect elements of one of the following six tracks:

• Collaboration and Outreach: Stitching Us Together

Academic institutions stitch together multiple units that work together to support students. What partnerships have you built for your library? Is there a campuswide program that you have either built or involved your library in? Do you work with Student Affairs to plan or market events? How do you support initiatives in your community at public schools, public libraries, or with organizations that support underserved groups? What outreach efforts are most effective at reaching your students? Tell us how you knit something better, together.

• Research and Assessment: Shaping Our Practice  

As information professionals and teachers, we continue to shape our craft through learning. How has research, professional development, or the scholarship of teaching and learning informed your practice as a librarian? What assessment practices or tools have you used to find out what works and what doesn’t? Are there methodologies that have changed the way you think about your work? What research have you conducted to better inform your practice? Let us know how you ensure high-quality in your craftsmanship.

• Advocacy and Justice: Paving Our Path  

Information exists within a context of sociopolitical power structures that shape how information is produced and disseminated. What are the intersections of information literacy and justice? How have you paved a path towards justice by addressing antiracism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in your teaching or outreach? In what ways have you been an advocate within your institutions, in your community, or in our profession?  

• Frontiers and Innovation: Forging Our Future 

Our ability to learn and innovate impacts how—and what—we teach our students. How are you adapting your practice to address quickly-changing technologies, like generative AI? How do you teach students to interrogate information that is machine-created or manipulated? Are there any interactive technologies that you utilize in instruction—virtually, in-person, or hybrid? What inventive learning activities or tools have you created or used? Share how you create and utilize new tools.

• Teaching and Learning: Honing Our Craft   

As instructors, we are always looking to sharpen and refine our pedagogical skills. What best practices have you developed to ensure your lesson plans are inclusive and accessible? How do you learn from other instructors on your team or at your campus? Have you been able to build a sustainable model of embedded librarianship? Do you teach a for-credit information literacy course with a unique theme? How have you maximized the limited time you have with certain students? Let us know how you use the tricks of the trade to fine-tune your instruction. 

• Stewardship and Leadership: Weaving Our Strengths   

When you lead people, coordinate programs or projects, or cultivate communities, you are weaving together individual strands to work towards a common goal. Have you initiated something new, rebuilt something, led from the middle, or had the courage to retire something that wasn’t working? How do you support wellbeing or manage change? How do we practice stewardship and care? Share how you've nurtured others and/or yourself.

Submission Information

***The deadline for proposal submissions was December 2, 2024; proposals are no longer being accepted.***  

Proposals can be submitted only through the ***online submission form*** and must be received by Monday, December 2, 2024. The primary contact for the proposal will receive an automated email indicating receipt of the proposal when it is submitted and will be notified if the proposal has been accepted for presentation by Monday, January 20, 2025.  

If your proposal is accepted, then up to three presenters will be automatically registered for the conference and required to pay registration in full by the due date in April. Presenters are encouraged to submit a full paper version of their presentation (see due dates below) for inclusion in the LOEX Conference Proceedings.

All proposals must include the following:

• Session title (limit 20 words)
• Short description of the session (limit 100 words)
• Long description of the session (limit 500 words)
• List of 1-3 learning outcomes (visit Tips on Writing Learning Outcomes from the University Library at UIUC for guidance)
• Type of audience(s) for which the session is intended

You do not need to be a LOEX member to submit a conference proposal. We accept the best proposals, regardless of institution or membership. LOEX membership only matters for general registration, which begins Friday, February 14, 2025.

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

Proposal Timeline

• Monday, December 2, 2024: Deadline to submit proposals
• Monday, January 20, 2025: Notification of acceptance of proposal
• Thursday, May 15 - Saturday, May 17, 2025: 53rd Annual LOEX Conference
• Friday, May 9, 2025: Deadline for all Presentation presenters to submit a paper (up to 2500 words) for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings  
• Friday, May 30, 2025: Deadline for all Interactive Workshop presenters to submit a paper (up to 2500 words) for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings  

Proposal Selection Criteria

Successful proposals will showcase effective and innovative library instruction & information literacy practices, provide valuable information that participants can utilize at their libraries, support collaboration, and be applicable to a broad variety of academic institutions and student communities .

The committee will be using a rubric to score the proposals. Along with the criteria listed under the session format descriptions, the rubric scores each proposal on:

• Content and objectives of presentation
• Relevance to the selected conference theme and track and 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

In addition, the rubric scores Presentation proposals on how well they utilize a variety of presentation modes; Interactive Workshop proposals are scored on the degree and type of audience participation.

All committee members participate in the review process.  Each proposal will undergo double-blind peer review by two committee members and be scored based on our rubric. Upon receiving the recommendations of the reviewers, the LOEX Director and conference co-chairs will conduct an equity check to ensure diversity in presenters, institution types, and topics.

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
• Publish a full paper on the presentation topic in the LOEX Conference Proceedings
• Obtain valuable feedback from colleagues
• Receive up to three registration spots set aside, per session, for presenters at the LOEX Conference