LibGuides: Chapter Topics ~ Spring 2024: Best Practices

Best Practices

From Sidelines to Spotlight: Elevating Poster Sessions at a State Library Conference

The Maryland chapter of ACRL, a dynamic division of the Maryland Library Association, has historically played a crucial role in organizing the Maryland and Delaware Library Associations’ Annual Conference, particularly the poster sessions. In recent years, however, these sessions faced challenges such as declining submissions and low attendance. In response, ACRL-MD's executive board decided to overhaul the format in 2023, aiming for a stronger return in 2024 with goals to enhance the quality and number of submissions, improve accessibility, and boost attendance.

Key improvements included better integration of the poster sessions into the overall conference schedule and securing a more accessible location. Recognizing the need to support potential presenters, especially those from public libraries unfamiliar with academic-style poster presentations, ACRL-MD hosted a free webinar, “Poster Perfect: Designing Impactful Conference Posters for Librarians,” in February 2024. This event, attended by over 70 librarians, featured a live Canva demonstration, significantly boosting confidence in poster design and presentation.

The initial results have been promising: proposal submissions for the 2024 conference tripled compared to the previous year, with a majority accepted. This increase can partly be attributed to the new hybrid presentation model, which allows for both in-person and virtual participation, reducing the financial burden on presenters.

Despite these successes, challenges remain. The designated room for in-person presentations can only accommodate five presenters, prompting plans to advocate for a larger space next year. Additionally, the call for posters is currently separate from the main conference call for proposals, a situation we aim to change to streamline the submission process.

At the time of writing this, there were several weeks to go until the conference, and the final measure of success—improved attendance—remains to be seen. However, the enthusiastic response to the revamped approach and increased proposal submissions are encouraging indicators of a positive outcome.