The Virtual Reference DeskSM 3rd Annual Digital Reference Conference Setting Standards and Making it Real November 12-13, 2001 Orlando, Florida, USA Call for Student Papers The Virtual Reference DeskSM invites graduate students in the fields of library and information science to submit proposals for the VRD 2001 Student Paper Competition. The purpose of this competition is to highlight exemplary graduate student research or thesis work in the area of digital reference. Interested students are invited to submit a paper for consideration by June 29, 2001, along with a letter from an advisor verifying student status. All student submissions will be notified of acceptance no later than August 15, 2001. The author of the best student paper will win one free registration and free transportation to the VRD 3rd Annual Digital Reference Conference in Orlando, FL, where he/she will present the paper before an international audience. The winner(s) will be honored during an awards ceremony at the conference, and the paper will be published in the conference proceedings. The third annual VRD conference will highlight digital reference service in a variety of contexts: libraries and information centers, government, business, education, etc. This conference will explore the nature of Internet-based question-and-answer service as well as the specific issues involved in providing all types of digital reference service. For more information on the VRD annual conference, please see the conference Web site at http://www.vrd.org/VRD2001. Conference themes include: Technology for Digital Reference - Real-time/live reference, software solutions Digital Reference Service Management - Service development, policy, evaluation, staffing, marketing General Issues in Digital Reference - Partnerships, legal and ethical issues, current research, case studies Digital Reference Resources - Search tools and services, online resources, assessment methods Standards for Digital Reference - Quality criteria, technology standards, interoperability DEADLINES: Student papers will be accepted until June 29, 2001 (see submission instructions below). The winning student will be notified by August 15, 2001. PAPER SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Papers should be 8-12 pages, double-spaced. For parenthetical citations, use the author-date system, as recommended by the APA Publication Manual. Acquiring permission to quote or to use illustrative material from both published (in copyright) and unpublished material is the responsibility of each author. Papers should reflect conference themes and can include descriptions of projects or services, proposals for research to be conducted or results of previously-conducted research, etc. Please include author's name, institution, address, phone, fax, e-mail, brief biographical information, and a letter from an advisor verifying student status. Please e-mail your paper to the VRD Conference Committee ([log in to unmask]) by June 29, 2001. The VRD 2001 Annual Digital Reference Conference is hosted by the Information Institute of Syracuse, SOLINET, and the Information Institute at the School of Information Studies, Florida State University. For more information regarding the VRD 2001 Annual Digital Reference Conference, please contact Marilyn Schick, [log in to unmask], 800-464-9107 or 315-443-3640. The Virtual Reference DeskSM is a project of the U.S. Department of Education, operated by the Information Institute of Syracuse, Syracuse University, 621 Skytop Road, Suite 160, Syracuse, New York 13244-5290. __________________________________________________________________ Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] Administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: [log in to unmask]