Open Repositories Conference 2025

Call for Proposals

The theme for the OR2025 conference is: Twenty Years of Progress, a Future of Possibilities

OR2025 is the 20th anniversary of the Open Repositories conference. We are marking this milestone with a conference theme that reflects the progress and contributions that the repository community has made toward equitable access to digital resources and research outputs. In addition, we are also exploring the future possibilities of what repositories can do to tackle the many global challenges that currently exist.

We particularly welcome proposals aligned to the overall theme, but also on other administrative, organizational, or practical topics related to open digital repositories. We are interested in the following sub-themes:

  • Community: How can repositories continue to serve a global community with diverse uses and needs? What can we as a repository community do to create connections through integrations, foster trust in the material held in repositories and promote local and indigenous knowledge?
  • Sustainability and Preservation: How can we ensure that repositories and their digital content last beyond the next 20 years in a financially and environmentally sustainable way?
  • Inspiration: Have you been inspired by attending an Open Repositories conference to develop, implement, change practices or start a project? We would love to hear how this is going!
  • Blue-sky thinking: What might the future of equitable access to digital resources and research outputs look like? How can we go beyond the status quo and AI as the answer to everything?

There are a number of submission categories, including: posters, workshops, lightning talks, papers, and panels. We look forward to the vibrant conversations and learning opportunities of the conference.

The deadline for submissions is December 18, 2024

Submission Process

The Program Committee has provided templates to use for submissions (see also below for links). Please use the submission template, and then submit through ConfTool where you will be asked to provide additional information (such as primary contact and the conference subtheme your submission best fits).

Accepted proposals will be made available through the conference’s website. Later, the presentations and associated materials will be made available in the Zenodo Open Repositories community. After the completion of the conference, in addition to all presentations archived in the Zenodo community, we may also solicit full papers from a selection of presentations to be published in the OR2025 proceedings (open access, no article processing charge) in cooperation with a scholarly publisher. If you are proposing a presentation or panel, please consider whether it would benefit for publication as a journal article.

Submitters should note that presentations are in person and there is no remote/pre-recorded presentation option.

Please see the registration fees on the Registration page (registration will open in February 2025).  The OR Steering Committee will be accepting applications for fellowships to attend OR2025. Please check back soon for more information on the application process.  

We look forward to the vibrant conversations and learning opportunities of the conference!

Submission Categories

Presentations

We invite presentations on topics relating to the theme Twenty Years of Progress, a Future of Possibilities, the sub-themes and on repository topics more generally. Presentations will be 15 minutes plus time for questions and discussion.

Presentation proposals should be 2-3 pages.

Panels and Panel-led Discussions

Panels are made up of two or more panelists presenting on work or issues where multiple perspectives and experiences are useful or necessary. Successful submissions in past years have typically described work relevant to a wide audience and applicable beyond a single software system or institution.

Panel-led discussions are made up of two to three panelist moderators leading a discussion to explore a specific topic where multiple perspectives and experiences are useful or necessary. The moderators will organize the discussion and keep it moving. The moderators will have prepared questions to help facilitate conversation and gather different perspectives.

All panels and panel-led discussions are expected to include diversity in viewpoints, personal background, and gender of the panelists. Panels and Panel-led discussions can be 60 or 90 minutes long. Please indicate on the relevant submission form whether you are submitting a presentation-based panel or a panel-led discussion.

Panel proposals should be 2-3 pages.

Lightning 24×7 Presentations

24×7 presentations are 7-minute presentations comprising no more than 24 slides. Successful 24×7 presentations are fast-paced and have a clear focus on one idea. 24×7 presentations about failures and lessons learned are highly encouraged.

Presentations will be grouped into blocks based on conference themes, with each block followed by a moderated question and answer session involving the audience and all block presenters.

Proposals for 24×7 presentations should be one page.

Posters

Posters should showcase current or ongoing work that is not yet ready for a full presentation. Instructions for preparing the posters will be distributed to authors of accepted poster proposals prior to the conference. Poster presenters will be expected to give a one-minute preview at the Minute Madness session.

Proposals for posters should be one page.

Developer Track

The Developer Track provides focus for showcasing technical work and exchanging ideas. Presentations should be 10 minutes and can be informal. Successful developer track presentations include live demonstrations, tours of code repositories, examples of cool features, and unique viewpoints. Pre-recorded talks are encouraged to facilitate functioning demos and have more time for a live conversation about the implementation.

Proposals for the developer track should be one page.

Workshops and Tutorials

Workshops and tutorials generally cover practical issues around repositories and related technologies, tools, and processes. Successful workshops include clear learning outcomes, involve active learning, and are realistic in terms of the number of attendees that can actively participate in the workshop. 

Half (3 hours) and full (6 hours) day workshops will take place on Sunday, the day before the main conference begins. There is also an option for 60 and 90 minute workshops to take place on Wednesday afternoon, after the main conference has ended. 

Workshops and tutorials can be 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or 6 hours (full day).

Proposals for workshops should be no longer than 2 pages.

Repository Showdown

Replacing the Repository Rodeo, this new format will give repository developers and providers the opportunity to demonstrate/highlight any new or key features and services of their platform. In this track, each system/presenter will have an allocated period of time to present/demo. Following the presentations, there will be an informal discussion period. Each system/presenter will have a table where audience members can stop by and ask questions and presenters can give further demonstrations and discuss roadmaps.

The Repository Showdown track will be allocated 90-120 minutes (depending on submission numbers), including demos/presentations and time for audience members to meet the presenters and engage in further discussion.

Proposals for the Repository Showdown track should be one page.

Templates

The OR2025 proposal templates help you prepare an effective submission. Please select the submission type below to download the templates. Templates are available in Microsoft Word and Open Doc format. Submission in PDF format is preferred.

Please contact or25-program-chairs@googlegroups.com if you experience problems with downloading or using the templates.

Submission System

The submission system is now open – https://www.conftool.net/OR2025/

Review Process

All submissions will be peer-reviewed and evaluated according to the criteria outlined in the call for proposals, including quality of content, significance, originality, and thematic fit. The program committee makes the final decisions on inclusion in the conference. If you would like to volunteer to be a reviewer, please contact the program committee below.

Also, please note that the program committee may accept a submission with the requirement that it move to another format (a presentation to a poster, for example). In such cases, submitters will have the opportunity to decide on whether to accept or decline such a move.

Code of Conduct

Please see the OR2025 Code of Conduct webpage. We expect submitters to hold to the Code of Conduct in their proposals, presentations, and while attending the conference.

Key Dates

  • October 17, 2024: Call for proposals open
  • December 18, 2024: Deadline for submissions
  • February 2025: Submitters notified of acceptance of full presentation, 24×7, workshop, poster, and developer track proposals
  • May 2025: Deadline to submit slides of presentations & copies of posters
  • June 15-18, 2025: OR2025 conference

Program Co-Chairs

  • Adrian Ho, University of Chicago
  • Ellen Catz Ramsey, University of Virginia
  • Dr Leigh Stork, University of Strathclyde

Contact:  or25-program-chairs@googlegroups.com

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