The Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) invites proposals for speaker presentations, panel discussions, and posters at its 58th annual conference, to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 15-18, 2024 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Paul Downtown.

ARSC welcomes proposals on any and all aspects of sound recording, covering all genres of music and speech, in all formats, and from all periods. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) record labels and artists, watershed moments documented through recorded sound or in the history of sound recording, and innovative approaches to research, preservation, and access involving recorded sound materials. In recognition of our host city, we especially encourage presentations that highlight performers, composers, broadcasters, musicians, record labels, studios, songwriters, and personalities from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and from the Upper Midwestern region of the United States more generally.

We seek presentations that are informative, display a passion for their subjects, and include compelling audio and/or audiovisual content. Share your special interests and expertise with our engaged community of archivists, audio engineers, collectors, historians, musicians, and preservationists. For more information, visit http://www.arsc-audio.org/conference.html.

Submission Information and Guidelines
The deadline for presentation proposals is Friday, January 12, 2024. Receipt will be acknowledged by e-mail. Presenters will be notified of decisions about acceptance approximately one month thereafter.

We can accommodate three categories of presentation: speaker presentations, panel discussions, and posters. Please read the descriptions below and select the option that best fits your proposal.

Speaker Presentations • Choose this category for a single presentation by one or more speakers, equivalent to "giving a talk" or "giving a paper." • The allotted time for each speaker presentation, regardless of the number of speakers, is twenty minutes, unless otherwise negotiated with the Program Chair.
• Speaker presentations will be organized by the Program Chair into sessions, each typically consisting of three presentations and led by an assigned session chair.
• The session chair will introduce each speaker using a bio submitted by the speaker prior to the conference. These bios should be kept concise, since the time used for introductions is included in the twenty-minute presentation period.
• A ten-minute Q&A session follows each presentation and is moderated by the session chair.

Panel Discussions • A panel discussion consists of a group of several speakers talking together about a designated topic. It can take the form of an extended conversation or a series of closely coordinated individual presentations linked by a shared subject or theme. It is led by a moderator chosen in advance by the panel members. • The allotted time for each panel discussion is ninety minutes.
• The moderator introduces the panelists and topic and facilitates Q&A period(s), which can take place either at appropriate transition points during the session or at the end.

Posters • Choose this category if you would like to display your content on a poster during the conference for attendees to view and read. • Presenters are responsible for printing and transporting their poster to the designated display area within the conference venue. • Presenters are expected to be on hand in the display area to discuss their poster with attendees during the time listed for the "poster session" in the conference schedule.