Professional Poster Information

Thank you for agreeing to share your knowledge and perspectives with archivists and students from around the country via a Professional Poster Presentation at ARCHIVES*RECORDS: Ensuring Access!  Following is some information that will be useful to you as you develop your poster and plan your meeting schedule.

COMPLETE AN AGREEMENT FORM. To ensure good communication about your participation in the conference, we need to verify some information about who you are and how to contact you. Please take five minutes to download, complete, and click the SUBMIT button on the Professional Poster Presenter Agreement Form (http://files.archivists.org/conference/dc2014/2014ProfPosterForm.PDF). Or you can email the completed form to conference@archivists.org.   

REGISTRATION: Registration and the full conference schedule will be available on April 15 via the conference website at http://www2.archivists.org/2014/program/how-to-register. Poster presenters are required to register for the conference.

WHEN TO BE THERE? Posters that have been reviewed and accepted by the 2014 Program Committee will be displayed during the peak hours of the conference. All posters must be set up by 9:30 am on Thursday, August 14, in the Marriott Foyer (Mezzanine). Poster boards and materials will be available in Marriott Foyer beginning at 7:00 am on Thursday. Professional Posters will be on display from 9:30 am on Thursday, August 14, through noon on Saturday, August 17.

Presenters are expected to be with their posters to discuss them with viewers during the following times:

• Thursday, August 14, from 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• Friday, August 15, from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm

You should also feel free to stand by your poster in between sessions and to make appointments with individuals to discuss the work represented by your poster.

DETAILS: Setup and dismantling / removal of your poster are your responsibility. Dismantling and removal of your poster must occur between 11:00 am and noon on Saturday, August 16.  The ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2014 Conference Office cannot be responsible for materials left in the display area after noon on Saturday.

Poster presenters are responsible for their own poster construction costs.  However, the Conference Office will provide the following standard materials:

• A blank white piece of foam-core board, measuring 32 inches by 40 inches (horizontal or vertical);
• An easel on which to display the board; and
• Push pins and tape that you can use to affix your materials to the board.

You may display supplementary material that is relevant to your presentation (including business cards), but the ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2014 Conference Office will not store or secure it for you and we are unable to provide tables for poster presentations.  Laptops are permitted, but cannot be secured.  No outlets or Internet connections beyond the hotel Wi-Fi will be available.

Following are some general tips that you may wish to consider as you prepare your poster presentation:

• Graphical elements should be emphasized when appropriate and possible.  Graphs, charts, tables, photographs, and illustrations are particularly appropriate for a poster presentation.

• Lettering should be simple, bold, and easily legible from a distance of 4 feet.  Use no more than two or three fonts, and keep font sizes between 16 and 48 points.

• Poster content should be divided into appropriate sections, such as:  title, author(s) and affiliation(s), abstract, methods, results or data, and conclusion or summary.  Headings above each poster section should indicate its contents and identify the appropriate sequence in which to view the poster.  If necessary, use clearly visible numbers, letters, or arrows to assist the viewer.

• Written material should be concise.  Save nonessential but helpful or interesting secondary points for discussion with your viewers, or create and distribute an information sheet that expands on your topic.

• Printed conclusions should permit viewers to focus on a concise statement of your central findings and should spark informal discussion (if applicable).

• Consider adding #saa14 in an unobtrusive area of your poster so that attendees can Tweet about it!

Don’t Forget to Update Your Conference Profile. The interactive online schedule and mobile app are hosted by Sched.org. Please update your profile – it makes the schedule better for everyone! Sessions with completed speaker data are likely to receive better attendance during the event.  Attendees have already begun creating their customized schedules, so please take a moment now to update your information. Add or review your profile picture, bio, website, and social media links. Forgot your login information? Email Matt Black at mblack@archivists.org with your name and session number.

Thank you for your participation in
ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2014!