Workshop Coordinator Guide

Revised May 2022

Conference Workshop Planning Guide

The Education Committee is responsible for organizing the pre-meeting workshops and overseeing the workshops at the conference. It is also responsible for additional publicity for the conference that is specific to the workshops, such as forwarding information about the workshops to library and museums associations in the vicinity of the conference and sending separate stand-alone messages about each workshop to the SAA list and other appropriate venues.

The workshop specific planning timeline and templates are found later in this document. An overall meeting planning timeline and other guides are available on the MARAC website at https://www.marac.info/meeting-planning-guides.

Workshop Coordinator Duties

Sample Letters, Contract, Policies

Workshop Coordinator Final Report

Workshop Coordinator Duties

The Education Committee Chair will appoint a member from their committee to serve as liaison to MCC as Workshop Coordinator whose duties will include:

handling all aspects of workshop planning from content to logistics, including developing a budget
supplying LAC with workshop content for inclusion in the MAA and in other venues
working closely with the PC to promote connections between workshops, sessions, and the meeting theme and with the LAC, ensuring workshop needs are met.
coordinating with Treasurer regarding payment of instructor honoraria and reimbursable expenses

The Education Committee Chair and Workshop Coordinator should be included on all LAC and PC e-mail lists and other communications.

Workshop Content

The goal is to offer a minimum of four workshops at each conference. They can be any combination of full and half day. Ideally, we should offer two basic workshops for new and non-members and advanced workshops for everyone else. Possible areas of concentration for workshops might include Appraisal, Arrangement & Description, Records Management, Donor Relations, Disaster Planning, Digitization, Electronic Records, Special Formats (i.e. photographs, audiovisual records, etc.), Grant Writing and Reference.

Different approaches to topics and new instructors will always be encouraged. Workshop Coordinator should not lead a workshop at meetings for which they are organizing the workshops. No matter the popularity of a particular workshop or speaker, they should not present at two or more meetings in a row.

Workshop proposals and suggestions are welcome from the membership. A call for workshop ideas can be sent 12 months before the conference. A sample workshop proposal form is available at MARAC Fall 2022 Workshop Proposal
Individuals interested in proposing a new workshop must submit a workshop proposal form at least 10 months prior to the proposed workshop date.
The Workshop Coordinator will evaluate and notify the submitter within 2 months if the proposal has been accepted.

Budget

Workshops are meant to be self-supporting so all costs should be factored into the registration fee including audiovisual equipment, refreshments, copies, honoraria, travel, and one night’s lodging when appropriate. Full-day workshops are generally $100; half-day workshops are $50.

Workshop instructors do not need to be MARAC members. Workshop instructors are eligible for honoraria. The honorarium is per workshop, not per instructor and is $300 for a half-day and $600 for a full-day. Workshop instructors are also permitted a $300 travel expense reimbursement. Expense reimbursement is per instructor. The Treasurer will mail honoraria and reimbursement checks after receipts are submitted within the deadline, usually 30 days.

Audiovisual equipment is expensive. Make sure to have all equipment and other A/V needs of each workshop lined up at least three months before the meeting and reported to the LAC. MARAC owns six LCD projectors. MARAC has one laptop that can be used in an emergency, but should not be relied upon. Presenters should be encouraged to bring their own laptops. If it is believed that an instructor will have a particular A/V need, outside the usual, it should be factored into the budget early on. Also, if the instructor has particular A/V needs for their students, such as bringing a laptop to the workshop and/or downloading software prior to conference, this should be known from the start, the LAC Co Chairs and Administrator should be made aware of the situation, and it must be included in the printed program.

Before the Meeting

The Workshop Coordinator will:

work with the LAC, PC, and the Program Editor to ensure that all deadlines are met
provide each workshop instructor with contract, policies, and a written list of expectations including any significant deadlines such as requests for audiovisual equipment and reimbursement.
send a confirmation email to attendees that includes any specific requirements for their respective workshops
confirm the preparation of workshop certificates with the Administrator
provide the Treasurer with instructor names, honoraria amounts, and contact information to prepare checks for instructors
submit workshops to ACA for pre-approved Archival Recertification Credits (ARC)

At the Meeting

The Workshop Coordinator or other Education Committee Member, must be on hand to manage the workshops. It is the responsibility of the Education Committee to ensure that the workshops run smoothly and that the instructors’ needs are met. Duties include:

monitoring the rooms to make sure everything is in order (adequate seating, water, etc.)
working with the hotel's A/V staff to ensure that projector carts, power supplies, microphones and any other equipment is functioning
distributing attendance rosters and workshop certificates to the instructors
checking with LAC about refreshments for morning and afternoon breaks
informing Administrator of any no-shows to ensure that Continuing Education Transcripts in members’ profiles are properly updated with workshop attendance

After the Meeting

The Workshop Coordinator will present a report to MCC two months following the meeting. The report will include a summary of the evaluations including comments. Evaluations will be kept for 5 years and then discarded. The Workshop Coordinator should remind instructors to submit receipts for expense reimbursement within 30 days.

Workshops Timeline

Time	Task
12 months before the meeting	Review workshop offerings from two previous meetings. Send out call for workshop proposals to appropriate e-mail lists and ask MARAC Administrator to send message to membership at large
10 months before the meeting	Compile workshop ideas and determine viability Contact potential instructors
9 months before the meeting	Confirm with LAC Chairs room requirements (i.e. how many full and how many half-day workshops)
8 months before the meeting	Finalize workshop offerings Send written confirmation to instructors Compile budget information for LAC, factor in any av needs outside of the basic projector
7 months before the meeting	Submit budget to LAC
6 months before the meeting	Submit written descriptions of sessions including minimum and maximum of registrants and coordinator’s contact information to Program Editor Send contracts and reimbursement policies to Instructors
3 months before the meeting	Contact instructors re: special needs Confirm availability of A/V equipment if outside the basic projector and room package Once program is posted, begin promoting workshops in non-MARAC venues Apply for Archival Recertification Credits
1 month before the meeting	Receive attendance numbers for workshops Deadline for canceling workshops (MARAC makes the decision to cancel a workshop due to low attendance, not the instructor.) Notify instructors of workshop status Provide LAC with complete AV information including a list of equipment that will be provided by instructors or local institutions.
2 weeks before the meeting	Receive list of workshop attendees from MARAC Administrator Send confirmation e-mails to workshop attendees (include cancellation and refund policy) Prepare attendance rosters for instructors Provide Treasurer with information for honoraria checks
At meeting	Assist with registration Distribute updated rosters and certificates to instructors Remind instructors to verify the attendees in the room Check on instructors and rooms throughout the day Return certificates for no-shows to Administrator Inform Administrator of workshops approved for ACA credit
After the meeting	Review workshop evaluation surveys Submit report to MCC (2 months) Checks are sent to instructors by Treasurer (Instructors have 30 days to submit receipts for reimbursement)

Sample Letters, Contract, Policies

See Education Committee Google Drive for detailed sample letters for each communication to instructors and participants.

Templates for communication with instructors, registrants, Treasurer, and description format for program:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQoZ0o1ZUzCdhcWS3d3q-iAEMQD9AtrxapBAvwSmDo5nKxrzx16Yhq2NPy45Gs7QVKysVJl8n-g2OPV/pub

Instructor Contracts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRut14e_Gz9RMYtNZujx63I9JORSlWhbZEEdZog_SGfDK3xBR_wChseqMzaWvHwKjPQvdUmdNR2C1VG/pub

Workshop Cancellation and Refund Policies:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT9fCpaeXpPNb-92-gSz8EuK01rMbbGI8lJ1jhVztS8yPVxs81qca0oaI1nBV6arzQiQW8sMApXfWvN/pub

Workshop Coordinator Final Report

Meeting:

Date:

Location:

Coordinator:

Workshop Offerings:

For each workshop provide title, instructor’s name, brief description, number of attendees

Summarize workshop evaluations

Recommended edits for meeting manual