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CPDWL Guidelines for Satellite Meetings

October 1, 2017
Ewa Stenberg and Susan Schnuer

Please note that the CPDWL guidelines are based on the IFLA Guidelines for Satellite Meetings.
https://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/files/assets/hq/officers/conference-information/guidelines-satellite-meetings.pdf
CPDWL has a reputation for organizing strong and valuable satellite meetings on topics of great interest to many librarians. The committee wishes to continue this tradition by establishing policies that will support CPDWL’s planning process.

Formats for Satellite Meetings
CPDWL strives to offer professional development opportunities that are engaging and memorable. CPDWL experiments with different approaches and formats in order to model possibilities to other committees and units within IFLA.

Traditionally CPDWL has offered very successful two-day satellite meetings that often included the publishing of papers. (If interested in hosting a two-day Satellite meeting please refer to the memo by Jana Varlejs at the end of the guidelines.) However, with the new IFLA guidelines requiring that the host organization take on full financial responsibility for the satellite meeting, CPDWL is proposing a new format.

Moving forward, CPDWL will offer satellite meetings every two to three years. The meetings will be for only one day, will be offered in either the WLIC location or in easily accessible locations within 30 minutes, and will be free. CPDWL will identify a local host to offer free space for the meeting and will work with sponsors to cover the costs of breaks and lunch. The number of participants will be dependent on the capacity of the venue. Therefore future Satellite meetings will be held on the day immediately preceding the WLIC. The Satellite organizing committee decides whether published papers will be part of the program. The next CPDWL satellite meeting is planned for 2019.

With this format there will be no financial responsibility and no need to set up cancellation policies.

Cancellation
With a one-day Satellite meeting format held in the location of IFLA’s WLIC or in a close location, there would be no need for cancellation. There will not be a registration fee as funding for the meeting will be covered by sponsors.

IFLA timelines for satellite meetings

Year 1
March – Proposals for satellite meetings must be submitted to IFLA 18 months prior to the event.
April – IFLA notifies sections of approval of satellite proposal.
May – IFLA enters into a legal agreement with the local organizing committee.
October – CPDWL submits full details of satellite meeting to IFLA.

Year 2
July – Final date for cancellation of satellite.
August – Satellite meeting is held.
November – CPDWL submits a formal report to IFLA HQ about the satellite meeting.
December – CPDWL submits proceedings to the IFLA repository (subject to establishment of repository).
CPDWL timelines for satellite meetings
(Note this does include timeline for published papers if needed)

Year preceding the satellite meeting (i.e. 2018 for a Satellite meeting in 2019)
Year 1
March – Proposals for satellite meetings must be submitted to IFLA 18 months prior to the event.
April – IFLA notifies sections of approval of satellite proposal.
May – CPDWL identifies a local organizer with free space to host the meeting, either in the host city of WLIC or in close proximity
June – CPDWL identifies sponsor(s) to cover the costs of the breaks and lunch. Participation numbers will be determined by space available for satellite meeting.
August
• Satellite committee is formed, sub groups are formed* and topic is chosen
• Brainstorm what formats should be included in Satellite meeting: papers, panels, workshops, individual consultations, Round-table discussions, unconference, etc.
*Convener(s) – Review team – Editorial team (if needed) – Local committee – Others?
September – October
• Call for proposals is finalized and sent to IFLA-lists
• Committee members promote the call
• Set-up an email systems to acknowledge receiving the proposals
• Ask local committee to clarify all details: rooms, expenses, total number of possible participants, etc.

October – CPDWL submits full details of satellite meeting to IFLA.
November – December
• Second (and, if needed, third) call for proposals
• Begin to develop registration form
• Mid- December: proposals are due
• Website is developed, local committee should post information about sites and possible visits.
• Decide on keynote speakers (Elizabeth Stone Lecture)
December (late)
• Registration details are finalized
• Editorial team meets to review proposals submitted for publication and sends results to Satellite convener
• Team of reviewers for proposals not submitted for publication meets/starts working
• Determine options for getting group from Satellite to World Congress, if needed.
Year 2
January
• Contact authors about acceptance/revision/rejection of their proposals for including in the proceedings. Convener reviews rejected proposals and decide if they should be included in the review of proposals not submitted for publications.
• Send out the proposals not intended for publication to review team
• Send format requirements for proceedings papers to authors of papers accepted/acc. with revision for publication
• Determine CPDWL members who are willing to serve as presentation mentors
• Start thinking about a general program plan with time frames, social activities, numbers of proposals, slots etc.
• Review team completes their acceptance of proposals by late January
February
• Work with local organizing committee on catering and equipment
• Finalize budget for satellite meeting depending on support from sponsors.
• Contact authors of proposals not for publication to let them know about acceptance/rejection of their proposals
• Assign mentors to presenters if needed.
• Registration announcement for Satellite should be finalized

March
• Send out registration announcement
• Early March: Papers for publication submitted for peer/editorial review
• Determine if there will be conference bags and giveaways
April
• Local guide for delegates on the website
• Late April: Advise to authors on final acceptance/confirmation of their papers (following peer review)
May
• Inform presenters of format given for their presentations
• Finalize the list of presentations and start working on the schedule.
• Draft a general schedule with starting and closing times, post on website.
• Guidelines to presenters on session formats and info about facilities
• Determine CPDWL members who are willing to serve as Moderators/Session Chairs
June
• Author revision and final editing
• Prepare evaluation form
• Communication with presenters about format of the Satellite meeting
July
• Confirm schedule with presenters and local host/venue
• Schedule is finalized (with Moderators/Session Chairs announced), then mailed out and posted on the website.
• Moderators/Session Chairs are sent a list of their sessions and duties.
• Confirm site details, arrangements, facilities etc.
August – Before the Satellite Conference
• Registration closes
• Non-published presentations or posters are submitted before the conference
• Final details about Satellite meeting are sent to all participants
• Finalize evaluation form for Satellite meetings

September
• Non-published presentations or posters are loaded on website after the conference
• Create certificates of participation
• Tabulate evaluation results
November – CPDWL submits a formal report to IFLA HQ about the satellite meeting.
December – CPDWL submits proceedings to the IFLA repository (subject to establishment of repository).
Local organizing committee

Successful CPDWL satellite meetings depend heavily on a strong local organization committee. This works best when a CPDWL member lives in the country hosting WLIC. The local committee is usually responsible for:
• Rooms and facilities
• Transportation
• Capacity of rooms
• Audio-visual equipment
• Catering
• Capacity to handle registration.
• Estimates of costs for hosting satellite meeting

Location and registration fee
CPDWL should aim at a location free of charge for the satellite meeting or workshop. Other costs should be supported by sponsors.
Collaboration with other Sections
CPDWL has worked closely with other sections to host interesting satellite meetings. When possible, this is recommended.

Website and promotion
The CPDWL organizing committee will be responsible for creating and maintaining a professional website and also a social media promotion plan.

Sponsorship
CPDWL organizing committee is encouraged to find sponsors to support he Satellite meetings.

2-Day Satellite meeting
If CPDWL decides to consider hosting a two-day satellite meeting then Jana’s thoughtful notes are a good place to start the planning.
Re: Guidelines for satellite meetings and workshops From: Jana Varlejs Date: 7 Sept 2017
Many thanks to Susan Schnuer for drafting these guidelines! Obviously a lot of thought and work has gone into her document, and it is going to be of great help to the Section! Those of us who have had experience with satellite planning should give Susan’s proposals careful review. Below are some reactions I had — hope you will look at the two documents together to see if we have missed anything!

Formats:
The proposal to experiment with three formats is a good idea. Ulrike’s concern about enough experienced members still on board to help plan a two-day satellite five years away needs to be considered. It may not be a big problem if planning begins early enough and former satellite organizers are drafted as advisers. My preference is to avoid a fixed number of years between satellites, as long as there are at least two years of planning time from when the next WLIC site is announced. If there is no strong topic enthusiastically supported by CPDWL members, or if the WLIC conference site is not known or problematic, or if there is a need to focus on events already in the planning stage, or there are not enough “worker bees” to take on required responsibilities, it may be best NOT to go forward just because it will have been five years since the last satellite.
Similarly, why not leave the years for one-day satellites more flexible? There may be instances where two years would work, or four years. Could half-day off-site workshops be treated as part of the conference? For example, the Art Libraries section program was held at the Museum of Architecture in Wroclaw Tuesday from 14:00-17:00, and included a tour of the museum; it was listed in the regular program. Depending on the off-site venue, restricting audience size may be a problem.
Some general comments: It seems that it would work best if satellite budgets were developed based on the smallest acceptable attendance, making cancellation less likely. A July 1 registration deadline is way too late for a pre-WLIC conference satellite, as most people want to make travel plans well in advance. If substantially more people register than the minimum required for the budget, additional stipends could then be awarded to first time presenters and perhaps others, such as CPDWL members or alumni who could not attend without some support.

A two-day timeline example:
Where I disagree with Susan on her two-day format is the number of participants. I think a much smaller number can be very worthwhile, as long as the topic is highly relevant and of wide interest. Consider the value of the published proceedings and the greater depth of discussion and sharing possible with fewer than 120 people.
To take the most challenging satellite type as an example, I have adapted Susan’s guide for a two-day pre-WLIC satellite below. Planning for a one-day meeting outside of the WLIC calendar would be the same, except that the steps that are related to peer review, editing, and proceedings publication would be omitted. If the half-day, pre-WLIC, off-site workshop were to be conducted by CPDWL like a conference program, it would not require a call for proposals. It would still need the same planning steps and timeline as the one-day satellite. Even if free, a budget would still be needed for a coffee break; funding to come from a sponsor or from IFLA.

Year 1, August, during current WLIC CPDWL SC meetings: Discuss status of planning for any upcoming one-day and/or half-day meetings, as well as next year’s in-conference programs, in order to determine whether resources are adequate to consider a two-day satellite in Year 3, 4, or 5. If the answer is yes, brainstorm topics, call for volunteers. This would take place with the understanding that a decision to move ahead in year 3 would depend on the Thursday announcement of the site for the WLIC two years hence. Lacking further location information, Years 4 or 5 could be discussed only in terms of topics.
September: Once the year-after-next site is known, is it deemed likely to be suitable in terms of local contacts and venue options? This question could be dealt with online, involving the SC chairs and organizing committee volunteers. Preferably, a convener would be chosen by this time. Ideally, an individual familiar to CPDWL would be the key local contact. Once local cooperation and a venue are assured and there is tentative agreement to go ahead, full membership approval should be sought.

The following schedule is based on the assumption that a Year 3 satellite has the green light (planning for a Year 4 or 5 satellite could be only hypothetical, contingent on knowing the site.
October-December: Confirm cooperation of local organization/individuals and obtain agreement to provide suitable meeting space and catering convenient to the WLIC site. If problems are encountered at this stage, the satellite idea for this WLIC should be dropped.
Year 2, January-February: If local help and venue are assured, the planning committee should be formalized, a convener/chair (or co-chairs) appointed; topic chosen in August confirmed or revised; formats decided (mix of keynote, papers, panels, workshops). It is good to note here that CPDWL asks that papers NOT be read, but be presented in a different form, preferably involving interaction. The organizing committee should assign responsibility for writing the call for proposals, publicity, seeking sponsors, peer review, mentoring, proceedings editor. The convener should coordinate with the chair of the local organizing committee so that there is good communication about all the details, such as the spaces available at the site; Internet access, projection equipment; facilities for making copies; costs (especially of food and drink).
March: Write and submit proposal for satellite to IFLA HQ (18 months prior to event). Continue to monitor planning process and committees; invite new SC members to join committees. Ask local contacts for suggestions for places of interest that could be offer as a bonus visit for early arrivals.
April: IFLA approval of satellite proposal is due in April. If approved, draft call for proposals. Seek sponsors. Develop budget in coordination with local contact/s. Who will handle registration and payment procedures? Create webpage.
May: IFLA enters into a legal agreement with local organizing committee.

June: Monitor planning progress and local arrangements. Finalize call for proposals and submission deadline (mid-November). Invite any members of local arrangements committee who may attend WLIC to SC meeting. Ask local committee to put up website with local information as well as call for proposal.
August WLIC: Review plans to date at SC meetings. Distribute copies of call for proposals at SC and other meetings. Approve budget. Additional organizing committee members may be needed.
September-October: Send out call for proposals to IFLA and other lists and ask CPDWL members and friends to promote the call and keep posting. In October, satellite details are to be submitted to IFLA.
November: When the mid-November deadline for receipt of proposals arrives, make sure that there are enough submissions; if not, send out call with December 10 (or so) deadline extension. Create forms to use for evaluating submissions. Draft letters acknowledging receipt of proposal, and letters rejecting those proposals that are off topic or are unlikely to result in a successful paper or other contribution.
December: If still not enough proposals are received, cancel. “Enough” is hard to judge at this stage, but past experience suggests that around 50 ought to be safe. If there are enough proposals likely to result in actual submissions of papers or detailed presentation plans, send emails acknowledging receipt with promise of decision by end of January. Begin proposal evaluation and prioritization. Evaluation should include reason for rejection, suggestions for revising the submission, etc. Continue to ask for support from vendors and organizations.
Year 3, January: Complete proposal review and send letters of acceptance/revision/rejection to submitters by end of January. In letters, stress end of March deadline for completed papers and fully detailed workshop/other format presentations. Clarify that final acceptance is contingent on peer review of full paper. Also send format requirements for papers eligible for publication in proceedings to authors. Ask for CPDWL volunteers to mentor presenters, and invite successful proposal submitters if they want a mentor (in the above letter). Select/invite Elizabeth Stone lecturer, session chairs/moderators.
Develop registration form (including payment method and basic time frame) with local committee. If the satellite is not close to WLIC hotel area, a list of hotels near the satellite venue may be needed. Update website.
February: Send satellite description and registration form (and website link) to listservs, newsletters, social media, etc. Press urgency for prompt promulgation to allow for travel planning. Follow up with vendors/other potential sponsors.
March: As papers arrive, begin first round of full paper review and editing. By end of March, send reminders of deadline where necessary.
April-May: Continue review, revision, and editing process. Confirm final acceptances. The proceedings editor decides on arrangement of papers in published proceedings, asks convener/s to write preface, and contacts IFLA HQ re online publication requirements and time frame. Local committee makes arrangements for afternoon activity and evening reception prior to start of conference.
June-July: Aim to have proceedings ready to be posted as an unofficial draft online by end of July. If IFLA cannot handle this, perhaps CPDWL can use Dropbox or a similar platform temporarily. Registrant should be told how to access the proceedings BEFORE the conference. Also: Prepare evaluation form; session chairs/moderator of schedule and duties; design certificate of participation. Email information about how to get to venue, program, etc. to registrants. Make sure website is up-to-date.

August: Pre-WLIC, determine number of copies of program, evaluation forms, other material as needed. [Can copies be made by local host for no charge? If not, decide how to take care of this. What about badges? ] Check on registrations, make final schedule adjustments, etc.
September: Compile evaluations, give feedback to all involved, write thank you notes, and send certificates of participation.
Susan’s final suggestions include:
Local organizing committee: Successful CPDWL satellite meetings depend heavily on a strong local organization committee. This works best when a CPDWL member lives in the country hosting WLIC. The local committee is usually responsible for: Rooms and facilities; transportation; capacity of rooms; audio-visual equipment; catering; capacity to handle registration or manage local funds (credit card registration); estimates of costs for housing meeting; involved in setting fee for satellite. [JV – agree, except I know that registration and payment can be handled by an organization other than the on-site host].
Location, registration fee, promotion, sponsorships:
CPDWL should aim at a location free of charge for the satellite …Fee should only cover food and drink (unless provided by sponsor). [JV – agree with trying to find free site, but disagree about charging only for food and drink; a modest registration fee can cover credit card fees, cost of badges and handouts, help with unexpected expenses, last-minute participant cancellation where food, etc. charges still must be paid. Psychologically, a registration fee suggests value].
The recommendation to co-sponsor with other sections certainly merits consideration, depending on topic, local situation, etc. [JV -It would be wise to have agreement in advance on how coordination would work].
Promotion (including via website and social media) and vendor sponsorship are responsibilities of the organizing committee [JV — cannot be over emphasized!]