2027 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries
Commons Conference Center, Austin, Texas
10100 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78758
Dates: May 25-27, 2027
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Who Should Submit?
- Theme
- Topic Ideas
- Proposal Guidelines
- Session Types
- Short Papers
- Proposal Requirements
- Important Dates
- Proposal Review Criteria
- Support Resources
- Submit a Proposal
- Questions
Overview
The Texas Conference on Digital Libraries (TCDL) is a gathering place for the Texas library and archives community to share and learn about research, practice, and advocacy in digital libraries and digital archives.
The conference provides opportunities for faculty, students, researchers, librarians, administrators, policymakers, advocates, and others to share expertise and network through presentations, panels, workshops, and informal discussions.
Participants include outreach librarians, repository managers, catalogers, faculty members, technical staff, students, and other professionals working in libraries, archives, museums, and higher education.
Who Should Submit?
We welcome proposals from individuals and organizations whose work relates to digital libraries, digital archives, digital scholarship, preservation, publishing, open initiatives, and related fields.
We encourage proposals from both first-time and experienced presenters.
Theme
From Seedling to Evergreen: Rooted in Community
Gardens evoke a particular kind of work that is messy, collaborative, continuous, and deeply human. In a season marked by technological whiplash and AI fatigue, gardening offers a rejuvenating way to think about the work we do and the communities that help us thrive. This theme invites us to consider what it means to cultivate digital spaces and communities with intention. Whether we are sustaining richly rooted projects or nurturing new ideas, TCDL 2027 will cultivate spaces for growth and revitalization for our work, our communities, and ourselves. TCDL 2027 will also celebrate how the Texas Conference on Digital Libraries has grown and evolved over the past 20 years, recognizing the people, partnerships, and shared efforts that continue to nourish our community.
Topic Ideas
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Digital libraries and digital archives
- Institutional repositories
- Research data management
- Digital preservation
- Digitization
- Metadata
- Digital scholarship
- Open Access
- Open Education
- Publishing services and workflows
- Accessibility
- Outreach and engagement
- Assessment and impact
- Collaboration and partnerships
- Open-source tools and technologies
- Artificial intelligence
- Professional development
- Leadership and workforce development
- Emerging trends
- Lessons learned, challenges, and failures
This list is intended as a guide and is not exhaustive.
Proposal Guidelines
Proposals should:
- Contribute to professional conversations, projects, services, research, or topics of interest to the TCDL community
Proposals should not:
- Function primarily as advertising or a sales pitch
Because TCDL is hosted by Texas Digital Library and administered by The University of Texas at Austin, proposals must comply with:
- Applicable university policies
- Applicable state requirements
- The TDL Code of Conduct, including the Community Agreement
Member Group Participation
TDL member groups include User Groups, Interest Groups, Working Groups, and Committees.
The User Group Meeting session type is intended specifically for TDL User Groups conducting official group business.
TDL User Groups may submit proposals for all session types.
TDL Interest Groups, Working Groups, and Committees may submit proposals for all other session types.
TDL member groups are also welcome to organize informal networking opportunities, meetups, and discussions outside the conference program.
If a TDL member group is submitting a proposal, please include the group name in the proposal title.
Examples
- TDL Open Access Group presents: [Proposal Title]
- [Proposal Title] presented by the TDL Vireo Users Group
Presentation Format Changes
When submitting a proposal, select the session type that best fits your proposed content.
During the review process, reviewers may determine that a different session type would be a better fit for the conference program. For example, a Presentation proposal may be recommended for a Poster or Lightning Talk format.
If a proposal is accepted with a recommendation to change session types, presenters will have the option to accept or decline the revised format before being included in the conference program.
Session Types
TCDL 2027 will be an in-person conference.
All session types are in person.
Time refers to the amount of time associated with the submitted proposal. Presentations, Lightning Talks, and Posters are grouped into larger conference sessions. Conference scheduling details will be communicated to accepted presenters after the review process.
Presentation
Description
Share practical work, theoretical or speculative issues, projects, services, lessons learned, or ongoing or completed research.
Time
15-20 minutes
Format
Presentations are grouped with other presentations by topic or theme. Audience questions and discussion follow each presentation.
Panel
Description
Facilitate a discussion among speakers representing different perspectives on a shared topic.
Time
45 minutes
Format
Stand-alone session featuring multiple speakers. A moderated Q&A follows the panel discussion.
Lightning Talk
Description
Share a project, idea, lesson learned, challenge, service, workflow, or research topic in a concise presentation.
Time
7 minutes
Format
Lightning Talk presentations are grouped into a shared session. A moderated Q&A takes place after all presenters have completed their presentations.
Poster
Description
Share a project, initiative, service, research effort, workflow, or case study through a poster presentation.
Time
1 minute
Format
Poster presenters participate in a shared Poster Session. Poster presenters use a digital version of their poster or presentation slide(s) during the Poster Session. Physical posters are displayed throughout the conference.
Workshop
Description
Provide in-depth instruction, demonstrations, tutorials, or hands-on learning opportunities.
Time
1-4 hours
Format
Stand-alone interactive session.
Additional Information
- Workshops should include an interactive component
- Workshop proposals receive priority review
Birds-of-a-Feather
Description
Facilitate a discussion on a specific topic, issue, challenge, question, project, success, failure, work in progress, or area of interest.
Time
1 hour
Format
Stand-alone facilitated discussion session focused on participant engagement, knowledge sharing, collaboration, problem solving, and conversation.
User Group Meeting
Description
An opportunity for TDL User Groups to conduct official group business, discuss priorities, share updates, and plan future activities.
Time
30 minutes-2 hours
Format
Stand-alone working session for conducting User Group business.
Additional Information
- This session type is intended specifically for TDL User Groups conducting official group business
- Closed meetings must be identified during proposal submission and coordinated with TDL staff
- TDL staff will work with User Group leaders on scheduling
Short Papers
Authors presenting a Presentation, Panel, Lightning Talk, or Poster may choose to participate in the TCDL Short Papers publication opportunity.
Accepted papers will be peer reviewed and published in the TCDL Conference Proceedings.
Participation is optional.
Full paper due by the short paper submission deadline.
Additional instructions, templates, requirements, and deadlines will be available on the Short Paper OJS page.
Proposal Requirements
Required for All Proposals
- Submitter name and contact information
- Proposal title
- Session type
- Abstract (250 words or less, excluding Workshop)
- Audience level
- Keywords (up to five)
- Co-presenter information, if applicable
- Co-author information, if applicable
- Permission preferences for presentation materials
- Agreement to the TDL Code of Conduct
Additional Requirements by Session Type
| Session Type | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|
| Presentation | None |
| Panel | Proposed panelists and affiliations |
| Lightning Talk | None |
| Poster | None |
| Workshop | Discussion topic, learning objectives, tentative agenda, technology requirements, requested time |
| Birds-of-a-Feather | Discussion topic, tentative agenda |
| User Group Meeting | Discussion topic, tentative agenda, technology requirements, requested time |
Audience Levels
- Beginner: No prior knowledge or experience required
- Intermediate: Some familiarity with the topic is expected
- Advanced: Intended for experienced attendees
- All Audiences: Appropriate regardless of experience level
Important Dates
- November 4, 2026 | CFP Opens
- TBD | CFP Information Session
- February 1, 2027 | CFP Closes
- Mid-March 2027 | Acceptance Notifications
- May 7, 2027 | Short Paper Submission Deadline
- May 25-27, 2027 | Conference Dates
Proposal Review Criteria
Proposals are evaluated according to the following criteria.
Relevance
- Relevance to the conference theme
- Relevance to the TCDL community
- Relevance to topic ideas identified in the CFP
- Relevance to the mission of Texas Digital Library
Value
- Significance of the topic
- Timeliness of the topic
- Value to conference attendees
Clarity and Organization
- Proposal is clearly written
- Purpose is clearly stated
- Audience level is appropriate
- Sufficient detail is provided to evaluate the session
Support Resources (links forthcoming)
- Speaker Support
- Poster Support
- Short Paper OJS
- Accessibility Support
- TDL Code of Conduct
Submit a Proposal
Submitters must first create a user account in ConfTool. Once logged in, click “Your Submissions” to access the submission form.
Questions
For questions regarding the Call for Proposals, please email info@tdl.org.