Announcements

(apologies for unintentional duplication due to cross-posting)

The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries are now accepting proposals for the 2026 Southern Miss Institutional Repository Conference (SMIRC), which will take place on April 23-24, 2026, 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. 

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

-       Promoting an IR on campus

-       IR staffing models

-       New and emerging IR platforms

-     Artificial intelligence (AI) and IRs

-     Copyright and IRs

-     Accessibility for IRs

-  Metadata and/or permanent identifiers (PIDs) in the IR

-       Getting faculty participation in IR initiatives

-     Community-driven IR platforms and initiatives

-       IRs and student scholarship

-     Supporting underrepresented groups through IRs

-       Electronic theses and dissertations

-       Library-led publishing through the IR

-       Open educational resources and IRs

-       Data management and IRs

-       Open science and IRs

-    IRs as a compliance strategy for research-sharing mandates

-       Author rights

-       Metrics and tools for evaluating IRs

-       Migrating from one IR platform to another

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 December 19, 2025. Acceptance emails will be sent no later than February 2, 2026. Registration is free for all attendees and will open in January. Proposals may be submitted at https://www.lib.usm.edu/smirc/proposals.html.  Please contact joshua.cromwell@usm.edu for any questions about proposals or about SMIRC.