Proposals

Proposals for the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM) are due on December 5, 2025!

The fifth Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM), taking place virtually May 12 - 14, 2026, invites proposals for presentations that inform and inspire the practice and application of management in academic libraries. This conference is geared towards current managers, administrators, coordinators, and those who aspire to take on those roles. We will focus on person-centered management practices.

We invite proposals for 60-minute presentations on all topics related to library management, encompassing tips and advice, practical application, research, and learning from failures, in any area, including, but not limited to the following:

Advocacy & relationship building
Budget & fiscal planning
Communication & transparency
Crisis & emergency management
Decision-making
Fostering well-being
Hiring practices & policies
Intersections of management and leadership
Managing up & sideways
Motivation & empowerment
Navigating Challenges
Onboarding & mentoring
Organizational culture/climate
Professional development
Supervision & evaluation
Team building & cultivation
Work-life harmony & time management

Proposal and Conference Timeline:

Proposals due: Friday, December 5, 2025
Notification of accepted proposals: Week of February 2nd, 2026
Conference: May 12-14, 2026

Proposals can be submitted using this Google form. Proposals will be evaluated with the following criteria:

Relevance to library management
Practicality
Originality
Clarity on how the management practice impacts individuals (at any level of the organization)
Appropriate amount of content for an hour-long presentation

Proposals will be evaluated by at least three volunteer reviewers. Finalists will be selected by the CALM Program Planning Committee.

Proposals will NOT be evaluated on the interactivity planned for a session. Requesting information on the interactivity is to inform the creation of the schedule.

If you have any questions or comments, let us know at CALMConf@gmail.com.