CNI Fall 2026 Membership Meeting
December 10–11, 2026
Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC
We’ve notified everyone about the status of their proposal submission via email as of October 26.
About the Briefings
Project briefings (presentations) are the heart of every membership meeting: project briefings present explorations of emerging issues in digital information or updates on institutional or collaborative initiatives. They include information about a project’s background, goals, progress, and lessons learned, time for discussion, and perhaps demonstrations.
Who Can Submit a Proposal?
Anyone is welcome to propose a project briefing—affiliation with a member organization is not required. Speakers are invited to attend the entire meeting (otherwise open only to member representatives); there is no registration fee.
Who Attends?
Founded to serve as a venue for collaboration on networked information technologies and resources, particularly among librarians and information technologists, and with a strong focus on the higher education and research enterprise, CNI meeting attendees tend to include senior IT, computing, research and library administrators, publishing executives, government officials, funders, faculty and researchers, and others with a high level of interest in and understanding of digital information issues in higher education and research.
Submission & Evaluation Information
Strong proposals will:
- Explore a topic from the perspectives of multiple organizations—we may suggest combining sessions where we see connections
- Involve collaboration between or within organizations
- Take a novel, timely, or creative approach to a digital information challenge
- Speak to the concerns of senior leadership of member institutions
- Invite and benefit from real-time discussion
See our Topics pages and member meetings programs for a sense of what proposals were accepted for recent meetings.*
Keep in mind:
- Sessions that market a product or service, including non-profit services, will not be accepted.
- Presenters are expected to speak in person except in very unusual circumstances (please contact us).
- All sessions are recorded and made openly available afterwards. We accommodate non-recorded sessions only in rare cases with strong justification.
- While you are welcome to submit more than one proposal, we aim for each speaker to appear once in the final program.
- We receive many more strong submissions than we can schedule. Selection is mostly a matter of building a balanced program—a proposal we cannot fit is not a judgment on its quality.
Project Briefing Lengths
Submissions are invited for the following project briefing lengths:
- 30, 45, or 60-minute presentations or panels (final number of speakers to be calibrated depending upon presentation time, with a maximum of four presenters in 60-minute slots. If you have more than four presenters, please contact CNI to discuss.)
- 5-minute lightning talks: Limited to one presenter and six slides
Note: CNI may accept a project briefing for a different time length than originally proposed/requested.
Proposal Requirements
- Proposal title
- Names, organizational affiliations, and email addresses for all presenters
- Brief abstract – limited to one paragraph
- Abstracts are likely to be condensed at CNI’s discretion; we encourage you to include links to additional information
- If selected, the abstract submission will be used throughout meeting materials and may be lightly edited
- Recording permission: All sessions will be recorded and made openly available after the meeting. We accommodate non-recorded sessions only in rare cases with strong justification.
- All recorded sessions are released under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0.
When will I know if my proposal was accepted?
Proposal updates will be sent by the end of October. Accepted presenters will be contacted regarding the schedule. Registration information will be sent with acceptance notifications.
QUESTIONS? Contact [email protected]
*CNI’s quarterly Pre-Recorded Project Briefing Series complements the biannual membership meetings, offering an opportunity to share reports on new and ongoing initiatives in a timelier manner and on a year-round basis. Presentations that are well-suited for the pre-recorded briefings program include recently published reports and updates on new or ongoing projects, programs, or organizations that may have reported at CNI in the past, although proposals on any topic germane to CNI’s program are welcome. Anyone may submit a proposal, including non-members. We encourage prospective speakers to explore this program as they consider submission options. The meeting will include only in-person presentations.
Code of Conduct
CNI is committed to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment for inquiry, constructive disagreement, and intellectual freedom and honesty. We do not tolerate personal attacks, harassment of any kind, violence, or disruptive behavior. Please be respectful of our community’s diversity and generous of others’ views. If you have concerns, please contact CNI staff.
