AM21 FAQs

ASIS&T is happy to be able to offer the 2021 Annual Meeting in a hybrid format to allow attendance and presentations both virtually and in person. While we are hopeful that many of you will be able to attend the face-to-face meeting in Salt Lake City, we recognize this may still be difficult for some. Since this is a hybrid meeting, we will strive to create a positive experience for those attending in both formats, but we are constrained by the time zone where the in-person meeting is taking place which is US Mountain Time. This means that many sessions will be taking place late in the day in Europe and in the middle of the night in the Asia Pacific Region. Even though it might be inconvenient for some, to make this work, remote presenters will have to agree to present during the time the session is scheduled regardless of their own time zone.

Why is the meeting being offered in a hybrid format rather than fully virtual or fully in person?

ASIS&T has opted to offer the meeting in a hybrid format because we recognize two important factors. The first is that many people will be unable to travel to Salt Lake City due to travel restrictions, financial considerations, or safety concerns. The second is that while a virtual meeting is useful to impart scholarly content, the social and professional interactions that take place at an in-person meeting cannot be replicated in a virtual format, and we want to provide that opportunity for those that are able to attend in person.

Why should I attend in person if I can?

The in-person meeting is not merely about exchange of information and ideas – it’s about relationships, renewing contact with friends and colleagues. It provides an unmatched opportunity to interact professionally, socially, and educationally with the largest gathering of the information science community in the world. We will take all necessary measures to provide a safe, productive, and enriching experience.

Will the virtual content differ from the in-person content?

No, all educational sessions, including keynotes, will be streamed from the session taking place at the in-person meeting. Virtual attendees will be able to ask questions of the presenters in real time. The virtual meeting will not include the receptions or exhibits but will include the Annual Business Meeting and Awards Banquet. The opening and closing plenaries will be live streamed so Q&A from the remote audience will not be possible at these events.

Will the registration fee for virtual attendance be less than in person?

What if I register to attend in person then discover I cannot, or vice versa?

What time zones will be used?

May I present at the 2021 Annual Meeting virtually or do I have to be able to travel to Salt Lake City to attend?

You can present either in person or virtually. All accepted submissions will be published in the Proceedings unless otherwise requested by the author. If you wish to present virtually, the following conditions apply:

Papers:

You may present your paper live via Zoom. You will need to be available for this presentation at the time it is scheduled to be held in Salt Lake City (US Mountain Time). We will provide this time no later than July 1.
You may pre-record your paper presentation and submit it to ASIS&T no later than October 15, 2021. If you pre-record your presentation, you should still join the session live at the scheduled time to answer audience questions.

Panels & Alternative Events:

Our strong preference is that all panelists present live. Some may be in Salt Lake City and some may present virtually, but ideally all would attend the session live to present.
If you have concerns about your internet connectivity, individual panelists may opt to record their portion of the panel presentation ahead of time and submit it to ASIS&T no later than October 15, 2021. All panelists (or at least the majority) will need to join the session live at the scheduled time to answer audience questions.

Posters:

There will be an in-person poster session for those poster presenters that are able to attend in person.
All virtual poster presenters will need to attend the live poster session which will be some time during the meeting in Salt Lake City (time TBD) to present their poster. This will likely be done via Zoom using breakout rooms. Each poster presenter may use up to 3 PowerPoint slides.

Workshops:

If all workshop presenters intend to present virtually, ASIS&T may consider the option of offering that workshop outside of the scheduled meeting time to enable broader participation in a fully virtual workshop. Otherwise, workshops will be scheduled on the Friday and Saturday preceding the meeting between 8 am and 5 pm MT.

When you submit your proposal, please indicate if you will present in person or virtually in the “Remark/Message from the Authors to the Program Committee and Chairs” box in ConfTool. If you have more than one presenter listed on your proposal, please indicate how they will be presenting as well. If this changes after your submission, please email cnash@asist.org to let us know as early as possible.

Will I have to register for the meeting in order to present virtually?

Will recordings of the session be made available for on-demand viewing?