Information for Presenters

Guidelines for Presenters

Last revised: October 24, 2005

Is your library a member of LOEX?
Presenters and attendees from LOEX member libraries will be given first priority. Unsure whether your library is a member? Review the 2005 Member List.

Have you presented at a recent LOEX Conference?
In order to provide opportunities for newer librarians, priority will be given to presenters who have NOT presented at a LOEX Conference within the last three years.

Presenters subject to Registration and other Fees:
All presenters will be automatically registered for the conference, and are required to pay the registration fee in full by Friday, March 17, 2006. NOTE: Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of your presentation. All presenters are responsible for paying their own travel, taxi and hotel fees.

Conference theme:
Make sure that your presentation fits within one (or more) of the five conference themes. People attend LOEX expecting to learn practical ideas they can take back and apply at their home institutions.

Suggested Presentation Outline:
While keeping the conference theme(s) in mind, ensure that session participants go away satisfied by focusing on key points and emphasizing the transferability of your ideas. Reread your abstract often to make sure your presentation lives up to what was promised. Make findings and lessons learned an important focus of your presentation.

Length of Session:
Each presentation (breakout) session, including a suggested Question & Answer period, is 1 hour (60 minutes) in length.

Room Set Up:
Depending on the room assigned, accommodations will be made available for 20-80 people. Typically, each room will offer theatre style seating. Contact the Planning Committee if you have need of a different setup: loex2006[at]umd.edu.

Equipment made available in each presentation room:
* An overhead projector (for transparencies);
* An LCD projector;
* A screen;
* 2 flipcharts (please bring markers).

Laptops:
Presenters are required to bring their own laptop. If you are co-presenting, consider having your partner(s) bring a backup.

Internet Access? Wireless?
Due to the prohibitive cost, Internet access will not be made available in any of the presentation rooms. Wireless access to the Internet is also not possible. Please design your presentation accordingly.

Cutting down on paper and printing:
Consider linking your presentation & handouts to the Web (either to the Conference's site or to your host institution) and just give session attendees the Web address or URL. If you decide to print handouts, bring 50-60 copies. Extra copies will be distrubuted at the Conference's Information Desk. If you want your handouts (Word documents or PowerPoints) linked to the LOEX web site, send the URL to Theresa Valko, LOEX Director by Monday, May 1, 2006: loex[at]emich.edu.

Save your presentation in multiple formats:
In case your laptop crashes, be sure to save your presentation in a variety of media such as: floppy disk, CD, USB flash/memory stick. Marriott staff will provide tech support and will help you connect your laptop to the LCD projector.

Have a back-up plan!
The Planning Committee will do our best to make sure the equipment works, but nothing is foolproof. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Theresa Valko, LOEX Director, at loex[at]emich.edu before May 1, 2006. It is much easier to resolve issues beforehand than on the day of your presentation.

Write your paper (Conference Proceedings) as you prepare your talk:
All talks given at LOEX 2006 will be published in Library Orientation Series No. 39. All presenters are required to submit a paper based on their conference session. Handouts can be included in the proceedings, but PowerPoint slides will not. (More information)

Practice:
Practice your presentation in advance, and in front of an audience. Know your material well enough that you will not need to rely on a script. At the same time, do not try to memorize every word of your presentation.

Power - Points!
If you use PowerPoint, do not fill your slides with text. Instead, emphasize the most important power points of your presentation. Use visuals like graphs, photographs and other images to make your presentation eye-catching and interesting.

Interact with your audience:
Pay attention to their responses and adjust your presentation accordingly. If you feel comfortable asking and taking questions throughout your presentation, your audience may feel more engaged. If not, however, explain that you will take all questions at the end. (And leave enough time!)

Scope out the room in advance:
View the room where your presentation will take place. If possible, use the break time before your presentation to set up and test equipment.

Last revised: October 24, 2005

LOEX publishes Conference Proceedings via Pierian Press each year. Talks given at LOEX 2006 will be published in Library Orientation Series No. 39.

All presenters (or groups of presenters) are required to submit a paper based on their conference session. Handouts can be included in the proceedings, but PowerPoint slides will not.

Requirements for Preparing Your Paper for the Proceedings:

Submit a copy of your presentation in Microsoft Word via e-mail attachment to loex2006[at]gmail.com. Include in the e-mail presenter name(s) and complete mailing address(es) in order to ensure receipt of the conference proceedings from the publisher.

Due to space restrictions from the publisher, your written presentation should be no more than 2500 words. This includes any bibliography and/or endnotes.