CNI Spring 2026 Membership Meeting
April 13-14, 2026
Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City
Submit a proposal by February 13
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 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.
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) at no cost, though we do not provide reimbursement for travel expenses.
Submission & Evaluation Information
We prioritize submissions that:
- Explore a particular topic from the perspectives of multiple institutions
- CNI may suggest combining sessions where there are connections or related themes
- Involve collaborations between or within institutions
- Address state-of-the-art developments and issues of interest to the membership, particularly topics new to CNI (see CNI’s Topics pages and recent member meetings)*
- Focus on novel, timely, or creative approaches to digital information challenges
- Are geared toward high-level administrators and policymakers
- Invite and benefit from interactive discussion
Additional Selection Criteria:
- Marketing sessions for products or services, including non-profit services, are not appropriate.
- While we encourage you to submit multiple proposals if you have multiple projects or perspectives that meet the criteria, our aim is for speakers to appear only once in the final program to allow for the greatest variety of speakers. We may be in touch if further discussion is necessary during proposal selection.
- The meeting will be in person; presenters are expected to speak in person except in very unusual circumstances (please contact CNI).
- We receive more outstanding submissions than we can accommodate. Selection is primarily about building a balanced program rather than reflecting on individual proposal 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
- Extensive 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 4.0 license
When will I know if my proposal was accepted?
We will make every effort to notify all who submit proposals by mid-March. Accepted presenters will be contacted regarding the schedule. Registration information will be sent with acceptance notifications.
QUESTIONS? Contact paige@cni.org
*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.
