Monday, December 13, 2010

CFP - PIUG 2011 Annual Conference

PIUG 2011 Annual Conference - Call for Papers
URL: http://www.piug.org/2011/an11call.php

We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the PIUG 2011 Annual Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cincinnati, OH on May 21 - 26, 2010. The theme for this 23rd annual meeting is "Best Practices Beyond Free-text: The Value of Indexing and Classification when Searching and Analyzing Patents".

We are particularly interested in papers from information users within corporations, patent offices, law firms, universities, individual or small consultancies and others who are able to discuss one of the following topics:
Indexing and Classification Best Practices in Patent Search, Analysis and Visualization – For this we want to hear from patent information professionals who have worked in areas considered to be the best practices for searching, analysis and visualization of patent information.

New Frontiers and Emerging Technologies in Indexing and Classification – This session will focus on examples of what’s new and what’s on the horizon for indexing and classification, especially with regards to incorporation and implementation of new technologies and tools.

Indexing and Classification, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Case studies on the uses of indexing and classification codes in everyday patent searching including tales of woe or success stories that could not have happened without the use of specific coding, comparative examples of the utility of various coding systems and examples of when one coding system should be used over another.

The History and Current Process of Indexing and Classification – For this session we are interested in speakers who can enlighten us as to the birth and development of the Indexing and Classification schema we rely on so heavily as information professionals. We are particularly interested in receiving submissions from actual indexers and classification practitioners.

Indexing and Classification in End User/Client Interactions and Education – If Indexing and Classification is a mysterious art to many information professionals, it’s an unknown art to our clients and customers. We are interested in hearing about examples where educating our clients in this area has benefited both them and us.
Patent Office Updates – This session will focus on updates with regards to advances and changes in the practices of both major and minor patent offices. Talks from patent office staff, patent office liaisons as well as others having practical knowledge of this aspect are invited.

Patent Law Updates – Patent prosecution and litigation are affected by various court decisions and changes both in the law and from rulings and procedures from the patent offices. In turn, patent information professionals must be aware of these changes and how they affect methods and strategies to insure effective retrieval of proper information. Talks from patent attorneys, patent agents as well as others having practical knowledge of this aspect are invited.

Non-Patent Literature – Non-patent literature is a critical part of the patent information professional’s work. We are interested in hearing from those who have worked in areas considered to be the best practices for searching, analysis and visualization of non-patent information.

The Patent Information Professional – In this session we are interested in hearing from patent information professionals on topics that currently define or may define in the future the role of a patent information professional. For example, topics may include, but are not limited to, best practices, atypical roles for patent professionals in a large organization, starting an independent consultancy and certification.

If the above or related themes fall into your area of expertise or interest then we would like to hear from you!
In addition, the program will contain a session based on the popular and successful round table format used in the 2010 Annual Meeting. If you are interested in participating in the organization of the round table session, would like to suggest topics you feel would be of interest to the PIUG community at large or would like to lead the discussion at one of the tables please let us know.

Please send your presentation title, abstract, proposed speaker name, company name, brief biography and full contact information to bbridgewater @ dow.com (remove spaces) on or before February 5, 2011 for full consideration.

If you think you may be interested in speaking but require management approval beforehand, please let us know so that we can begin to consider your general proposal for a paper in the meantime (submission of just a few descriptive sentences will be sufficient). If you already have management approval to attend the 2011 meeting as a speaker please indicate this in your submission.

The organizers reserve the right to accept abstracts at their discretion in order to assemble the best possible program. Invited speakers may take precedence over other speakers. Please be advised that your abstract submission may be published on the Internet or elsewhere, shortly after receipt or at any time thereafter. Therefore, do not include confidential or business-sensitive information in your abstract.

If you would like to make a recommendation for a speaker on a particular topic or suggest another topic of interest, we would appreciate hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact the 2011 PIUG Annual Conference organizers with your views.

Further news about the program and updates regarding the conference will be posted on the PIUG Discussion Forum (PIUG-DF) and on the PIUG 2011 Annual Conference web pages.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to seeing you at the PIUG 2011 Annual Conference in Cincinnati.

Brian Bridgewater
Chair - Program Committee
bbridgewater @ dow.com