Conference FAQs

A glorious photo of the Boston skyline at sunset.
MW19 will take place in the beautiful city of Boston.

FAQS about Attending MW19
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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All kinds of people from around the world come to MuseWeb conferences. You will find webmasters, educators, curators, librarians, designers, managers, directors, scholars, consultants, programmers, analysts, publishers and developers from museums, galleries, libraries, science centers, and archives – as well as the companies, foundations and governments that support them – at MuseWeb every year.

Conference Registration and Attendance

FAQ Page: Conference Registration and Attendance--A Notebook and Open Computer.

Can I participate in a Community of Practice without attending the conference?

You are welcome to participate in a Community of Practice even if you can’t attend MW19.  Simply send a request to info@museweb.net or join via the Community of Practice Facebook group.

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When can I register to attend the conference?

Registration for the North American conference opens in December. Please note that Registration Fees are based on the date payment is received (i.e. when credit card payment is validated or cheque is received), NOT on the date the Registration Form is created or submitted.

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What does my registration fee include?

Full registration includes access to all sessions, 1 ticket to each reception and a copy of the proceedings, but no workshops, tours or special events that can be bought separately when completing your order.

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What kind of meals my full registration include?

MW offers continental breakfast every morning.  At MW19, the Conference offers lunch on Friday and Saturday.  No dinners.

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Is it possible to register for one day at a reduced rate?

Day registration is possible with but receptions tickets or discounts are not included.

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Is it possible to register on site?

On site registration is possible, it begins on the first day of the conference.

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How can I get a discount off of my registration fee?

Register two people from your organization for the full conference and receive a $50 discount against every additional full registration. All discounts are subject to verification by staff. Discounts cannot be combined. No discounts or honorariums are offered on single day registration.

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Can I change my registration?

You can add or remove items from your registration order prior to checking out by entering your order number and email on the online form. If you have checked out and wish to add items such as a workshop please create a new order. If you have alterations that need to be made to a completed order please email accounts@museweb.net with details; an administration fee may apply.

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I can no longer attend the conference, what should I do?

Registrations are refundable before February 1, less a 10% handling fee, before March 1, less a 20% handling fee, before April 1, less a 40% handling fee. Thereafter Registrations cannot be refunded. Contact accounts@museweb.net. Registration may be transferred at any time before the conference, with advance notice. Contact accounts@museweb.net.

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Why are some sessions in the program “greyed out”?

Sessions that are marked in grey are still tentative.

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Where do I stay while attending the conference?

We recommend that you stay at the Conference Hotel. Staying at the Conference Hotel makes the conference a better experience: Conferences are about learning and networking. There are always conference attendees in the lobby and public spaces, so it’s much easier to network at the conference hotel. In the morning, it’s a quick trip to meeting rooms, and later in the day it’s just as quick to go back to your room for a break. In 2019, the Boston conference hotel will be the Sheraton Boston.

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Does the venue have accessible rooms?

Yes, MW only stays in accessible hotels. Please see the Conference Hotel’s website about accessible suites:  Sheraton Boston.

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Can I share my registration with my colleague?

No.

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Can I send you a check for my registration?

Yes, first please create the order online and press check out. Please send your check with your invoice number on it to: Museums and the Web LLC, 703 Dale Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.

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I want to bring my friend/spouse to the reception. Can I buy a tickets?

Additional tickets for events can be purchased at the registration desk.

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Who else is coming to the Conference?

Go to the conference site, go to “conference” tab, and click “Attendees”  You should be able to see the names and orgs of attendees.  We do not share the email addresses. Please make sure you are logged in before proceeding.  Only the registrants can view the list.

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Do Program Committee members receive a discount on registration?

Please log in, and you’ll see the program committee rate when you go to register. You’ll also get a $200 discount applied to your hotel bill.

Volunteers + Scholarships

Scholarships and Volunteers: A Woman Holds a Smartphone

Who can apply for volunteer positions?

The MuseWeb volunteer program is for the small organizations, non-profit, and students.

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Can volunteers present sessions and lead workshops?

Attendees who have been accepted in the MuseWeb volunteers program can present sessions, however, volunteers cannot be workshop leaders.

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Who can apply for scholarship positions?

To be eligible for scholarship positions you must have made a significant contribution to the development of a cultural or heritage website or digital initiative, and must demonstrate that you would not be able to attend the meeting without support. You must prove you are a current employee of a cultural institution (including educational institutions, libraries, archives, etc.). As a scholarship awardee, you may be asked to give a small presentation on your work during the conference. Recommendations and references must be sent along with the application.

Proposal Submissions

Proposal Submissions: A cup of coffee and an open computer

How do I add multiple authors to my paper proposal?

Add co-authors/presenters to your proposal by entering their email addresses in the fields provided in the proposal submission form, which you can access from the profile page of the lead author/proposer. If you have more than four co-authors please complete the four fields available for co-authors in the form, and hit save/update. You will then be able to add additional co-authors.

In order for your co-author to show in the program s/he needs to create an MW profile at https://www.museumsandtheweb.com/profile/ using the same email address you used to add them to your proposal.

You can update your co-authors at any time until February 1 before the conference by editing your original proposal.

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How do I submit a proposal?

To submit a proposal you need to create a free account on the MuseWeb website. Your MW username and password are the same for all MW sites and updating your password on any site will update it for all. Please fill in all the proposals required fields as instructed.

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What are the differences between the types of sessions?

There are more than a dozen ways to participate in a MuseWeb conference!

  1. Contribute to MWX, MuseWeb’s digital exhibition initiative: propose exhibits and interactive experiences as well as written papers and presentations about transformative uses of technology in museum studies, digital curating and/or contemporary art practice. Full papers (required, up to 5,000 words) will be peer-reviewed and considered for publication in the digital and printed proceedings of the conference. Sept 30 is the deadline for formal papers and sessions; Dec 31 for demonstrations of digital experiences emerging from or inspiring contemporary art practice.
  2. Offer a Pre-conference Workshop: Are you an expert in your field? Share your expertise by leading a half-day or full-day pre-conference workshop! Workshops are held the day before the conference begins and workshop leaders are compensated for their teaching. No written paper is required.
  3. Present a Formal Paper: Share your leading work in the field through a written paper (required, up to 5,000 words) and an oral presentation in a conference session (approx. 20 min. plus discussion). All formal papers are published on the MuseWeb site, and selected papers are published in the printed proceedings of the conference. Formal papers should go beyond demonstrating a single project (“demonstrations” are the correct proposal type for single project presentations) and aim at distilling critical learnings that will be broadly applicable in the field (i.e. beyond the organization of origin). To avoid taking on an ‘advertorial’ or promotional tone, panels should include museum professionals or representatives of a cultural non-profit if the lead proposers are commercial partners.
  4. Lead a Professional Forum: Convene a one-hour discussion or debate about timely and critical topics of interest to the museum community. No written paper is required.
  5. Teach a How-to Session: You have one hour to demonstrate and teach a practical skill or best practices for a museum topic. A written version of your session (required, up to 2,500 words) will be published on the MuseWeb site to serve as an on-going reference both for attendees of your session and others.
  6. Demonstrate your project and explain the designs and the decisions that went into it to colleagues in an exhibit-booth setting. Demonstrations are only open to museum professionals and projects created in a non-profit environment. (Commercial organizations are invited to demonstrate their products and projects in Exhibitor Briefings.)
  7. Give a Lightning Talk in a 1.5 hour session that includes 10 lightning talks of 7 minutes each. [N.B. changed session format] Slides and recordings of the lightning talks will be published on the MuseWeb site, and presenters are invited to blog about their topics (up to 1,000 words) on the MW site.
  8. Participate in a Crit Room: Panels of leaders in the museum field will provide a free assessment of your web or mobile project for accessibility and other best practices. Sign up before the conference for a critique on a first-come, first served basis (approximately four projects can be assessed in each 1.5 hour crit session).
  9. Participate in a “Birds of a Feather” round-table: lead the discussion or dip into several while enjoying breakfast with colleagues. Topics are proposed by participants during the MW conference in the run-up to the breakfast.
  10. Participate in the GLAMi Awards: propose your project or vote for your favorites! Help us share the best of museums’ digital work in a wide range of categories to inspire the global community. Nominations for the GLAMies open in February each year.
  11. Exhibit your commercial products and services in the Exhibit Hall, and/or sponsor the conference proceedings, delegates’ bags, website and special events.
  12. Sponsor and/or participate in a Community of Practice meeting around a question, problem, or platform of common interest in the field. Communities of Practice include suppliers of innovative products and services as well as cultural heritage professionals. Through focused conversations, shared research and pan-institutional collaborations, communities of practice aim to formulate, promulgate, and raise best practice in the field.
  13. Propose a tour in your community.  Submit the tour proposal for the pre-conference tour day (Tuesday) of the conference week.
  14. Join the Local Committee and help showcase the Cleveland cultural scene!
  15. Be there: the best part of MW is always meeting informally with some of the most creative and innovative museum professionals from around the world and enjoying the warmth and generosity of this community. Join us!

Performances? Hack-a-thons? Maker Faires? Other interactions or services? Propose any other format of participation + explain how it works. We’re open to new ideas.  Please submit your idea and select “other” under the category.

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When filling in the MW paper proposal form, does it autosave? Or do I press submit? I’m not finished.

Once submitted, you can edit your proposals, papers, workshops, professional forums, and how-to sessions through September 30, and demonstrations and lightning talks through December 31.

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I have submitted my proposal but haven’t gotten any confirmation email, why?

Please check your spam folder and whitelist MuseWeb email addresses. Should you have any other issues please contact us.

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How/when do I know if my proposal has been accepted?

Lead authors are usually notified if their proposals have been accepted by November 30 of the year before the conference. Please check the key dates page on the conference website to know more.

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Can I submit a proposal about the same project in more than one category?

Yes, as long as the different proposals reflect the diversity of the formats.

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If my proposal hasn’t been accepted for the category I have selected, can I resubmit the proposal for a different category?

Yes, if your initial proposal was not included in the draft program, feel free to resubmit your topic if it also suits other formats for which the call for proposals is still open.

Authors and Workshop Leaders’ Registrations and Papers Submissions

Authors and Workshop Leaders: Crowded room full of MWXX attendees in 2016.

How do I update my abstract, summary, and co-authors’ info?

Go to your profile in the Conference website. Click on the title of your original proposal in the proposals list. You can then update your originally submitted info there – NOT in the page you submitted your paper through.

Please note that co-authors’ info will not show up in the online program until they have created a profile in the Conference website. In addition, you must list them as co-authors in your proposal using the same email address you used to add that co-author to your proposal.

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Help! My co-author/presenter is not showing up in the online program!

In order for your co-author to show in the program s/he needs to create an MW profile at https://www.museumsandtheweb.com/profile/ using the same email address you used to add that co-author to your proposal.

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How do I edit my paper once I’ve submitted it?

Go to your profile in the Conference website and click on the title of the paper. Only the person who submitted the paper can edit it, as that person has to be logged into the Conference with their profile credentials to edit.  If you need to share the paper after submission with colleagues, we recommend you make a PDF of the paper from its page on the Conference website and circulate that PDF by email etc. The “lead author” or person who submitted the paper will need to compile feedback and edits from colleagues and do that work directly in the online version of the paper.

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May I continue to edit my paper after submission?

You may, but please be aware that the version you originally submitted by the deadline is what the peer reviewers are now looking at, so any changes you make now will not be reflected in the version they are reviewing.

Please avoid making edits after the paper has been published on the Conference website, since after the editor has finished his initial work with you, he/she will not be able to go back to your paper again to ensure that your new edits haven’t created new errors or problems. If you discover a substantive error in the information provided in your paper, however, you may contact us to let us know that a correction is necessary in order not to mislead readers.

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What if I disagree with the reviewers’ comments and suggested changes?

You may of course disagree with your peers, and the final content of your paper is your responsibility. You may not, however, argue with the MW editor, whose word is law when it comes to copyediting and the MW house style! Please send notes to Nancy Proctor on any substantive areas where you will not follow the peer reviewers’ recommendations, especially if they are unanimous (and they often won’t be, so you’ll have to make judgement calls).

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When will my paper be published online?

As soon as you and the MW editor agree that the paper is final, it will go live on the Conference website. We will frequently tweet a link to your paper and share it on social media, so please include your and your co-authors’ Twitter handles in your MW profile if you want to be tagged in those tweets.

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Since my paper has been peer reviewed, am I guaranteed that it will be included in the selected conference proceedings?

No. Papers are selected for inclusion in the proceedings on the basis of their perceived enduring value for the field as well as the quality of the research and writing. Many great, timely papers are unfortunately left out of the printed book each year due to space constraints, but the online papers get a huge amount of visibility and use including over the long term.

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How do I switch the main author on the proposal?

You will not be able to switch the main author who submitted the proposal.  You will need to contact info@mwconf.org to request the change of main author.

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How do I add my colleagues on the proposal?

Please make sure your colleagues have created a MuseWeb account. Once the account is approved, you can find the name of your colleagues from the drop down menu in the proposal page.

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When do I need to register by in order to present?

In order to present at the conference, one of the author (main author or co-authors) will need to be registred.

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Can my colleagues and I submit a nomination for GLAMi Award even if we can’t come to the conference?

Yes. You do not have to be present at the conference to win.

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How do I get my workshop teaching credit (hotel credit of $750)?

Both workshop leaders and presenters are given hotel credits which are applied to the presenter’s hotel bill upon checkout. No other action is required of the presenter other than to stay at the conference hotel and MW takes care of the rest.

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At the conference site/room, what do you provide for my presentation?

We offer projector, screen and PC laptop in the room as well as the table microphone at the podium and microphones for the panel speakers/co-presenters.

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Can I request whiteboard or easel pads at my presentation?

Yes, you can make the request to info@mwconf.org.

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I want to use my own laptop to present.  Can I connect my laptop?

Yes.

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I have MAC laptop.  Can I use my MAC to present?

Yes, you can bring your own dongles and connect to the projector.

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What kind of connecting do you have on your projector?

We have VGA and HDMI.

Exhibitors and Sponsors

Exhibitors and Sponsors: Interior view of the HIlton Cleveland Downtown Hotel

Are there sponsorship opportunities?

Check out information on sponsorship opportunities.

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What am I permitted to pass out to attendees?

At the Exhibit Hall, you are allowed to pass out your marketing materials, give-aways, and candies.  If you would like to serve the food and beverages, you will be using the Conference Hotel’s designated cater.

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What kinds of equipment can I bring?

You can bring projector, screen, large monitor, laptop, etc.  You can order the equipment through designated AV and Exhibiting company listed under the Exhibit page on our website.

Proceedings and Other Resources

Proceedings and Other Resources: Man Holds a Mobile Phone

How do I find conference proceedings and other resources?

The MW proceedings are published every year and freely available online: https://www.museumsandtheweb.com/bibliography/

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Live streaming of the conference?

There is no live streaming of the conference at the time. A few sessions are recorded, you can find them on the MW YouTube channel or on the conference website. You can also follow the conversations happening at the conference on social media, especially on Twitter, following the official hashtag #MW19 and/or following @museweb.

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What is the conference hashtag?

#MW19