As archivists, records managers, information professionals, and cultural heritage workers, we are charged with making an impact through our work. We are compelled to acknowledge a world where professional concerns are amplified by political, social, and environmental forces that shape how we work and will work in the future. The challenge, then, is to adjust practices, question our assumptions, and seek partnerships to ensure what we do counts in the future.
The Program Committee seeks perspectives from across our profession that emphasize the results and impacts of our work and our workers. The conference theme—Making it Count—encourages proposals that demonstrate the impacts of our work and even expand our understanding of what counts in our profession. The Committee recognizes that part of making our work count for others means making sure it counts for us as well, and we invite proposals that challenge what counts as success in our work. Overall, we seek proposals that explore how our profession can expand our ideas about impact, results, and what counts in a rapidly changing world. Among other topics, proposals might consider:
- Impactful innovations in collection development, management, arrangement, and description.
- Making access and outreach count for users and communities.
- Applications of AI in our work and the ethical implications of its use.
- Partnerships and collaborations, including post-custodial or community-led initiatives—making the way we engage count for others.
- Accessibility of archives, both as repositories and workplaces—broadening the way collections and institutions can be counted on to work for everyone.
- Labor and making our profession responsive to workers' needs and growth—making it count for us.
- Assessing the outcomes of our work—making our impacts count.
- Data gathering and use of data in our profession—how we analyze our work
We welcome proposals on other topics related to archives and archival work.
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Sessions should reflect SAA's commitment to a diverse and inclusive program and profession. Each session should be composed of individuals and/or organizations with varied personal and professional experiences, perspectives, and identities.
The Program Committee invites proposals for panel presentations, professional poster presentations, lightning talks, and mix and match talks. Proposals for alternative formats are also welcome.
Proposals for the 2025 Annual Meeting are due on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CT. The Program Committee will not consider proposals received after the deadline.
The 2025 Program Committee has created a Google spreadsheet to be used as an informal tool to connect individuals who are seeking ideas and/or collaboration on session proposals for the 2025 Annual Meeting. It is not monitored by SAA or the Program Committee and is not part of the official submission process.
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