(via Josh Cromwell, The University of Southern Mississippi)
The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries are now accepting proposals for the 2025 Southern Miss Institutional Repository Conference (SMIRC), which will take place from Thursday, April 24, to Friday, April 25, on campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and online.
We are accepting proposals for short concurrent sessions (approx. 25 minutes), full concurrent sessions (approx. 50 minutes), panels (multiple speakers on a common topic, approx. 1 hour), workshops (hands-on opportunity for participants to learn about a specific topic pertinent to IRs, approx. 2 hours), lightning talks (approx. 5 minutes), and posters.
This year, we are also adding a pre-conference that will take place on the afternoon of April 23, 2025. Pre-conference sessions will explore topics and themes connected to the future of IRs: specifically, major concerns, developments, and challenges for the next decade. Pre-conference sessions will be in-person only and will not be recorded.
For the main conference, we welcome proposals from all institutions that either have an IR or that are interested in pursuing an IR for their institution. The conference is platform-agnostic, so proposals utilizing all varieties of IR platforms are welcome. Topics for proposals may include (but are not limited to):
- Choosing an IR platform
- IR staffing models
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and IRs
- Accessibility for IRs
- Community-driven IR platforms and initiatives
- Supporting underrepresented groups through IRs
- Library-led publishing through the IR
- Data management and IRs
- Diverse and underrepresented communities in the IR
- Metrics and tools for evaluating IRs
Priority will be shown to in-person presentations, but because the conference will be delivered in a hybrid format, a small number of presentation slots will be available for fully virtual presenters. Hybrid presentations, in which one or more presenters are in person while their co-presenters participate virtually, are also welcome.
The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, January 17. Acceptance e-mails will be sent no later than January 31. Proposals may be submitted here.
Registration is free for all attendees and will open in January. More information about the event itself is available here.
Please contact joshua.cromwell@usm.edu for any questions about proposals or about SMIRC.