Call for Proposals

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The world is a dramatically different place than it was in 2001 when the program was created. CLIR invites alumni of the fellowship program to reflect on how the program shaped their personal and professional experiences. Fellows will discuss the evolution of original-source research over this period and what the future may hold. Discussions from the symposium will inform priorities for CLIR’s future work preserving materials and supporting the scholars who use them.

The deadline to submit a proposal is March 15, 2022

Proposal information

All fellows and alumni are invited to propose sessions. Prospective speakers may respond to any of the following prompts or propose topics of their own.

How did access to original sources change the nature of the questions you wanted to ask and answer? How did it play a role in how you teach and learn and how your career evolved?
How has your research process changed over time? Have recent technology advances affected how you do research? What did you learn about research methods during COVID-19?
How have research questions changed over the past 20 years? What new directions do you see emerging in the next 20 years?

What are risk factors facing collections today (e.g. environmental conditions, political risks, insufficient funding, obsolete formats and technology, loss of community, etc.)? What could be done to address these challenges?
How have recent global developments (such as the COVID-19 pandemic, increased attention to racial and social justice, an intensifying climate crisis, etc.) affected archives and original-source research? What role might archives and archival research play in addressing broader social, political and environmental challenges in the future?
Propose another topic!

Presentation Formats

Applicants should propose presentations in one of the following formats. (Note: CLIR may ask presenters to alter their format due to limited time availability or alignment with other sessions.)

In Person Paper

Authors will have 10 minutes to present their papers (500-1250 words) at the in-person gathering in St. Louis. Papers will be assigned by the symposium organizers to a relevant panel.

Remote Paper

Authors will record a 10-minute presentation of their papers (500-1250 words) in advance of the symposium. Recordings will be released prior to the event, as part of the symposium’s YouTube channel and podcast feed.

In-person Roundtable Discussion

Fellows can volunteer to lead roundtable conversations in St. Louis around a topic they propose. A summary of findings from the session may be included in the symposium proceedings.

Remote roundtable discussion

Fellows can volunteer to lead roundtable conversations over Zoom around a topic they propose. A summary of findings from the session may be included in the symposium proceedings.

Submit Your Proposal

The deadline to submit your proposal is March 15, 2022