DEADLINE EXTENDED: VRD CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Papers and Presentations The VRD 4th Annual Digital Reference Conference Charting the Course of Reference: Toward a Preferred Future November 11-12, 2002 Chicago, IL Proposals are invited for concurrent breakout session presentations at the VRD 4th Annual Digital Reference Conference on Monday and Tuesday, November 11-12, 2002. This conference explores the nature of Internet-based question-and-answer service within a broad range of contexts, including libraries and information centers, government, business, education, and other industry sectors or organizations, as well as the specific issues involved in providing any type of digital reference service. The theme of this year's conference, "Charting the Course of Reference: Toward a Preferred Future," emphasizes planning and direction founded upon practical experience, research, or trend analyses. Authors are encouraged to examine issues, identify practices, and propose organizational and technological systems, standards, and practices that advance the state of reference librarianship as practiced in a digital environment. Presenters will receive free admission to the conference. Deadlines: Proposals will be accepted until Friday, May 31, 2002 (see proposal submission instructions below). Selected presenters will be notified by mid-July. Final papers are due Friday, November 22, 2002 in order to be considered for inclusion in the VRD Conference print proceedings. PowerPoint presentation slides, handouts, and other materials to be published in the VRD electronic proceedings will be due Friday, November 29, 2002. CONFERENCE THEMES: Proposal themes may include, but are not limited to, the following topics and categories: Technology for Digital Reference Real-time/live reference Software selection issues Commercial vs. "home-grown" solutions Standards for digital reference technology Tools for digital reference, including: o Workflow software (for question/answering) o Question-answer archiving tools/knowledge bases o Web contact center software o Customer relationship management software o Networking/routing solutions o Voice over IP (VoIP) Planning for technological evolution Digital Reference Service Management Foundations for building digital reference services Defining service levels Integration of digital reference into other reference models (service hybrids) Archiving/tracking questions and answers/FAQs Policies and standards for consortia and cooperative reference Evaluation approaches and quality standards Training solutions and models for service staff Models for funding/pricing Personnel/staffing, optimizing human resources Planning for equipment and space Marketing services to potential users Reference outsourcing General Issues in Digital Reference Impact and opportunity of digital reference in primary and secondary education Partnerships - cooperative/collaborative networks, sharing/pooling resources Partnerships with vendors How to identify, attract, and keep patrons Intranets Commercial/fee-based services Question negotiation in the digital environment Policies and the law - privacy, ethics, copyright, licensing Accessibility Case studies (experiences from practicing digital reference services in all contexts) Physical spaces for virtual services - how physical spaces are transformed vis--vis virtual services Performance and evaluation measures Future directions of reference Digital Reference Resources Search engines Reference meta-sites Collection development Online resources for ready reference Intermediary search services vs. end-user systems Locally-mounted digital resources vs. remote resources Evaluation of digital reference resources PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Proposals should include speaker's name, job title, institution, address, phone, fax, e-mail, brief biographical information, and a topic related abstract of 250-500 words. Please submit your proposals via the Web form at http://vrd.org/conferences/VRD2002/proposal_form02.shtml by May 31, 2002. Authors may also e-mail their proposals to VRD Conference at [log in to unmask] Print and Electronic Proceedings Presenters are encouraged to submit papers or related materials (e.g., handouts, copies of slides, etc.) for publication in the conference's print and electronic proceedings. The print proceedings will be comprised of peer-reviewed papers from the 2002 conference, and the content will differ from material published in the online proceedings. For more information, contact [log in to unmask] For more information regarding the VRD 2002 Annual Digital Reference Conference, please contact Marilyn Schick, [log in to unmask], 800-464-9107. DEADLINES: Proposals Due: May 31, 2002 Notification of Acceptance: mid-July Final Papers Due for Print Proceedings Consideration: November 22, 2002 Presentations and Other Materials Due for Electronic Proceedings: November 29, 2002 Marilyn Schick Conference & Event Specialist Virtual Reference Desk - www.vrd.org ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology Syracuse University, 621 Skytop Road - Suite 160 Syracuse, New York 13244 - 5290 800 464 9107 - Fax: 315 443 5448 __________________________________________________________________ Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org//membership.html Send 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]