Program Proposal Information

Welcome! The Public Library Association (PLA) is now planning the 2010 PLA National Conference, which will be held in Portland, Oregon, March 23-27, 2010. The most important part of that planning is assembling the slate of preconferences and the 100+ concurrent program sessions that will be presented during the conference. The deadline for submitting all proposals is November 30, 2008.

The proposal process is completely electronic: only proposals submitted through this online process will be considered. You can access the online forms for preconference or program proposals by clicking the buttons at the bottom of the page. The online forms are self explanatory but it will be helpful for you to review the list of information items that you will need to provide on the proposal form. It is best to have as much information as possible before you begin entering your proposal. However, incomplete proposals can be saved and revised at any time until November 30. After this date, the online form will no longer be available for entering new proposals.

Program organizers will be notified of the status of his/her proposal beginning in March 2009.

The Public Library Association (PLA) is a division of the American Library Association. PLA's core purpose is to strengthen public libraries and their contribution to the communities they serve and its mission is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services.

GENERAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION
The deadline for submitting proposal information is November 30, 2008. After this date, the online form will no longer be available for entering new proposals.

When you are ready to submit your online proposal, be sure to have as much information as possible collected, organized and ready to be entered. This would include: complete speaker contact information; program title, format, target audience, room set and AV needs, program description and objectives and any requested funding. This will save time and prevent omissions errors. If you do not have information for a required field or it does not apply to your proposal, please enter N/A or TBA in the fields and provide required information when available. In Phone or Fax number fields where you do not know the number, you must enter 10 digits and not begin with the number one ( 1 ). You may save an incomplete proposal and return to it at any time before November 30. You may edit or add additional information to your proposal at any time until November 30, 2008. An ID number and password will be assigned to you when you submit your proposal. You will need these in order to edit the proposal at a future time.

Proposals with significant incomplete information on November 30 will not be considered. For example, a proposal with no description or speakers or without contact information for the program organizer will not be provided to the Program Committee for review.

PLEASE NOTE: a preconference/program cannot be an advertisement for a vendor or solely a demonstration of a product/service. Specific products/services may be used or described only if essential for a correct understanding of the topic being presented. Library staff who currently use the vendor product/service must participate in the presentation. Please review PLA Policy on Vendor Participation in PLA-Sponsored Programs.

Proposals will be reviewed by the members of the 2010 National Confernce Program Subcommittee and will be rated according to Content (Is it creative/interesting? Is it timely? How practical is it?); Speakers (Are they experienced presenters? What are their qualifications?); and Format (Is it appropriate to the content being presented? Is it creative?).

Program Organizers will be notified of the status of his/her proposal beginning in March 2009.

PROGRAM ORGANIZER RESPONSIBILITIES
The Program Organizer will receive notification of the proposal's acceptance or rejection. If the proposal is accepted, the Program Organizer will serve as the primary contact for the PLA committee and staff. The Program Organizer will work with his or her speakers to determine the scope of content, the order of speakers within the program, audiovisual needs, etc.; will confirm program details, descriptions and arrangements with speakers and staff; and will facilitate the program's presentation (in addition to speaking when appropriate).

PLA depends on Program Organizers to perform a variety of functions in developing the program and ensuring that it is successful at the conference. These include becoming familiar with PLA policies concerning expenses, honoraria, audiotaping, and publishing; communicating regularly with speakers; responding to requests for information from PLA staff and committee members; adhering to deadlines; and arranging for on-site support if not attending the conference to do so personally. By entering a proposal into the database, you agree to perform these functions to the best of your ability if your proposal is accepted, or to identify a substitute Program Organizer as necessary.

PLA reserves the right to reorganize content, combine proposals, and make other changes as necessary to render the proposal appropriate for presentation at its meetings. The involvement and agreement of the Program Organizer will be sought on all such changes. However, the Organizer must provide PLA final authority on all program-related decisions, and acceptance or rejection of this proposal does not preclude PLA from developing programs with similar or identical topics, objectives, or speakers.

PROGRAM TITLE
Creative, interesting and informative titles and descriptions are most favorably viewed by the proposal review committees and prospective program attendees.

PROGRAM FORMAT
Preconferences are offered as half day, full day, or one and a half day. Please select, from the list provided, the format that will provide the best educational experience for participants.

Please note: All regular or concurrent program sessions are 75 minutes long so there is no option for format.

TARGET AUDIENCE
All programs proposed are considered for their ability to attract and educate public library administrators and staff. If the proposed program is targeted toward a different audience or librarians with particular interests, please use the space on the form to explain.

PROGRAM SUBJECT CATEGORY
Please choose one or more from the list provided. Preconferences do not have subject categories.

ROOM SET & EQUIPMENT NEEDS
Preconferences: Please choose one set-up from the list provided. Each preconference room will be equipped with a projection screen, computer/data projector, lectern, and podium microphone. Please be cognizant of the fact that additional equipment must be rented at a significant cost to PLA.

Concurrent Session Programs: Standard room is theater-style to capacity with a head table for 6, podium with microphone, 1 table microphone on either side of the podium, LCD (computer/data) projector and screen. Please be cognizant of the fact that additional equipment must be rented at a significant cost to PLA. There is no option for format for concurrent session programs

DESCRIPTION
Please provide a suggested description of the proposed session. Do not include presenter names, abbreviations, or acronyms. If the proposal is accepted, this description will be used in promotional materials and may be edited for style and clarity by PLA staff.

OBJECTIVES
Please identify three (3) objectives for your session. Objectives should use active verbs, be concrete, and state what the participants should know or be able to do; they should not simply repeat topics that will be addressed. Objectives should begin with the phrase "At the end of this preconference/program, participants will . . . ." (Examples: "…participants will be able to identify ten threats to library security…" "…participants will be able to implement outreach programs to reach minority adults in their communities …"). Objectives should be achievable and realistic given the length and scope of the proposed preconference/program.

FUNDING
Please enter both the total amount of any funding that would be required to present this proposal and a specific explanation of how that amount breaks down and what it is intended to support. Please note that according to PLA policy, speakers who are not ALA members may be eligible for per diem, travel reimbursement, and/or honoraria. Members of PLA or ALA are not eligible for such funding. All requests for reimbursement or honoraria are subject to approval of the program committee and PLA staff; acceptance of the proposal does not guarantee funding. Click Here to review the Policies Governing Speakers.

Preconferences have unique policies regarding funding and payment of speakers. Please review them by Clicking Here.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS INFORMATION
This section allows the organizer to input information on the speakers proposed for the session. The Program Organizer should include her/himself if she/he will also serve as a speaker.

The speaker entry form requires complete contact information for each speaker (name, title, organization, address, phone, fax and e-mail), plus a brief biographical sketch. The form also requires that you know the speaker's ALA and PLA membership status and that you indicate whether or not the speaker is employed in a library. If the presenter is not an ALA or PLA member and does not work in a library, you will need to enter any financial support (honorarium, travel expenses) requested at this time.

If you have any questions about the proposal process, contact the PLA Office, pla@ala.org or 800-545-2433, x 5PLA (5752)