Is Open Access an Answer for Access to Justice?

University of North Texas Open Access Symposium 2019

The University of North Texas Libraries and the UNT Dallas College of Law invite proposals for presentations for the 10th annual UNT Open Access Symposium, to be held May 17, 2019, at the UNT Dallas College of Law. This year’s theme is “Is Open Access an Answer for Access to Justice?”.

The legal profession seeks to ensure equitable access to justice for low-income people and an increasing number of members of the middle class. Similarly, the open data, open government, open development, and open access movements seek to ensure that resources created by information professionals are as widely available as possible, without barriers to reuse of data, documents, and other resources.

We invite brief proposals for presentations and interactive sessions to address questions such as:

• Is open access to primary legal sources necessary for access to justice? If so, what is required?
• Is open access to legal analysis and guidance necessary for access to justice?
• What is the role of information professionals as mediators of resources to best serve their communities?
• What are best practices for courts, the bar, and legal aid providers to use open access to legal information to promote access to justice?

Proposals for both classic presentations and a variety of alternative and interactive session formats will be reviewed by faculty, librarians, and staff of the UNT Law Library and the UNT Libraries Scholarly Communication Office for relevance to the topic of open access and for inclusivity of participation. Please use the structure described below to organize and prepare your proposal in PDF format to OASymposium@unt.edu by Friday, January 11, 2019. Invitations to participate will be issued by mid-February.

Proposals for presentations

Proposals for individual, panel presentations, or lightning talks must follow the following format:

• Title: Presentation title
• Presenter(s): Names and affiliations of the presenters
• Abstract: A description of the event (approximately 150–250 words) suitable for including on the symposium website
• Length: The preferred total length of your presentation (including questions)

Proposals for interactive sessions

Proposals of no more than 1,000 words must follow the following format:

• Title: Session title
• Organizer(s): Names and affiliations of the organizers
• Abstract: Include a description of the event (approximately 150–250 words) suitable for including on the symposium website.
• Proposed activities: Describe how your presentation will be organized. While some suggested formats are below, the format is up to you: we welcome creative and innovative ideas for presentations of all kinds. We especially welcome proposals that involve some collaboration before the symposium and planned follow-through activities.
  • Fishbowl: a large-group discussion involving a handful of people in the center of the room with other participants around them
  • Birds-of-a-feather: an open discussion on a topic of shared interest
  • Working meeting: a discussion or collaboration involving a planned set of attendees but open to newcomers
  • Demo or exhibition: a demonstration of a new tool or process
  • Hands-on workshop: a tutorial or other event in which participants have the opportunity to try out a new tool or process
• Relevance to the conference and significance to the field: Provide a brief explanation of how this presentation will appeal to the audience both with respect to content and format.
• Length: The preferred total length of your presentation (including questions)
• Special requests/equipment needs: If there are any special equipment needs, room set-up requirements, list them here. Events requiring informal, flexible spaces will be accommodated.

Presenters and attendees are expected to adhere to the symposium code of conduct.

For questions or more information, contact OASymposium@unt.edu.