Call for Proposals

The US Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Association (USETDA) will hold their 11th annual conference, “USETDA 2021” on September 22 – 23 as a virtual event. We invite graduate school, library, information technology and industry professionals to submit proposals for presentations, panel sessions, workshops, and posters.

Deadline: Proposals should be submitted on or before March 15, 2021 to be considered.

Cost: Presenters will receive complimentary registration.

Audience: USETDA 2021 provides excellent educational opportunities for professionals from graduate schools, libraries, academic computing and others who work with electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), institutional repositories, graduate students, and scholarly communications. Our goal is to offer relevant, practice-oriented content that supports ETD productivity improvement, and ETD professionals, advances ETD operations, and encourages the formation of regional ETD associations and networking communities, as well as provide useful and innovative resources, standards, and technology for the development and support of ETD programs. Proposals are welcome from library, graduate school, information technology professionals, graduate students, and faculty as well as library and information systems / services representatives.

Theme: The conference theme “Making Connections – Scholarly Communication in the Digital Age” will focus on the impact and implications of connecting scholars and research from across the country and around the world. We will examine the present use and availability of ETDs and related initiatives. We will also explore new and emerging ETD practices, needs, and influences that impact administrative, graduate school, and library professionals.

Click here to view the USETDA 2021 Conference Call for Proposals Web page and to submit your paper, presentation, panel session or poster proposal online.

Save the Date! USETDA 2021

USETDA 2021, the 11th annual conference, will be held online as a virtual event September 22 – 23, 2021.

USETDA 2021 is for ETD professionals from graduate schools, libraries, academic computing and others who work with ETDs. Our goal is to offer relevant, practice-oriented content to support ETD productivity improvement, ETD professionals, advance ETD operations, and encourage the formation of state-wide ETD associations in the United States.

More Information Coming Soon!

USETDA 2021 Conference Update – COVID-19 Statement

The USETDA Board and Conference Organizing Committee have been meeting regularly to discuss plans for the annual conference in light of the worsening coronavirus crisis. Any major changes to the event will be complex and potentially costly, thus we need to proceed carefully and thoughtfully as we determine how best to resolve the situation in a way that will be the most beneficial to our membership.

In an effort to provide a safe meeting environment as well as to preserve the work and funding already put into this year’s conference, we sought new opportunities for outreach and engagement. As a result, this year we are pleased to announce:

  • The USETDA 2021 Conference will be held as an online conference, scheduled for Wednesday, September 22-23, 2021.
    • The Call for Proposals will be issued in mid-December 2020.
  • The USETDA conference (face-to-face meeting) has been postponed until September 2022, to be held in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • We have launched the USETDA Forum, a dedicated listserv for the ETD community to facilitate networking and dialogue regarding North American-based ETD program discussion topics.

Details for the USETDA online conference are still being determined. For the virtual program, we plan to include a keynote presentation as well as panel discussions in which participants can join in the live discussion. We will also include concurrent breakout presentations in the virtual program, we encourage the community to submit proposals on traditional ETD topics and best practices, from which, the presentations (slides, papers, posters, videos) will be included in the online meeting proceedings.

We would also like to encourage membership with the USETDA – institutional members qualify for the discounted conference registration rate. Additionally, we are also in the process of adapting our sponsorship options for the virtual venue. All contributions will help sustain the USETDA organization well into the future. Details are available online at www.usetda.org/.

Thank you for your understanding during these challenging times. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to the board at info@usetda.org.

Sincerely,
USETDA Board and Conference Organizing Committee

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