Feb

Call for Proposals: 7th Annual Collections Share Fair

Deadline is March 3 for questions, March 10 for proposal submissions.

The National Collections Program and Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee are looking forward to hosting another fair this year! The event will be held in-person and online on May 3, 2023. The online event will use Gather.town, while the in-person event will be held at the Museum Support Center (MSC) from 11 am-1 pm. In-person tours of selected Suitland collections storage spaces are scheduled for 10-11 am and 1-2 pm.

There are two options for this year’s presentations:

Table – With this option, you/your team will present in person at MSC. Tables and chairs will be provided. You can create handouts, posters, etc. for sharing your information.
1. In support of the virtual component for our colleagues that are not able to join us at MSC, we would like to record your 5-10 minute presentation before the May 3 event.
  1. Once your proposal is received, we will email you to schedule the recording of your presentation via Zoom.
Poster – With this option, you/your team will create a poster that stands alone at MSC. A poster template, printing of the poster, and an easel for display will be provided by the CSF planning team.
1. In support of the virtual fair, a digital version of your poster will be added to Gather.town.

Table/Poster Topic Ideas: Share stories highlighting recent achievements, innovations, projects, programs, a pan-Institution group that you are part of, or an overview of the steps that your unit has taken to improve collections strategies and methodologies (for example from CCPF and CCI funded projects).

Presentation proposal: Submit your name/your team members’ names, proposal title, and in 400 words or less describe the subject of your presentation or poster and how sharing this information will benefit other units. Include any equipment you will need at MSC (easel, extension cord, etc.) Please include the format that you prefer – MSC Table or Poster.

Interested in seeing previous Collections Share Fair posters and presentations? Check out our SharePoint site.

**Questions are due by March 3 and proposal submissions are due on March 10 to Sam, snells@si.edu.

For further information on this message, contact Samantha Snell, National Collections Program, x3-0053 (VoIP) or 202-633-0053 (non-VoIP), snells@si.edu