USETDA 2026

“Navigating the Winds of Change“

The USETDA and the University of Toledo are co-hosting USETDA 2026, the 16th national US conference on ETDs, to be held September 23-25, 2026 at the Renaissance Hotel in Toledo, Ohio and as an online hybrid event via Webex. This conference is co-organized by the USETDA (United States Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Association) and the University of Toledo College of Graduate Studies.

About

USETDA 2026 will provide excellent educational opportunities for graduate school, disability and student services, library, information technology, academic and industry professionals and others who work with electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), institutional repositories, graduate students and scholarly communications. Our goal is to offer relevant, practice-oriented content that supports ETD productivity improvement and ETD professionals. This includes the advancement in ETD operations, the encouragement of the formation of regional ETD associations and networking communities, as well as providing useful and innovative resources, standards, and technology for the development and support of ETD programs. Proposals are welcome from graduate school, disability and student services, library, information technology and industry professionals as well as graduate students, and faculty.

Theme

The conference theme, Navigating the Winds of Change, will delve into academic processes and technologies as they impact various aspects of the creation and dissemination of scholarly works. Amidst constraints and challenges in areas such as access, accommodation, representation, fairness, inclusivity and rapid technological change, how can we establish direction and order? Furthermore, how can we best manage the forces of change to achieve the desired outcomes for our faculty and students? We will also explore new and emerging ETD practices, needs, and influences that impact administrative, graduate school, and library professionals.

Details

The USETDA 2026 conference will be held as hybrid event at the Renaissance Hotel, near the University of Toledo downtown campus in Toledo, Ohio. All in-person sessions will be recorded via Webex and will be available online during a post-conference viewing session. Group discount lodging at the rate of $110 per night will be available at the Toledo Renaissance Hotel. The program will include plenary panel presentations, breakout sessions, flash talks, user group meetings, poster presentations, workshops and tutorials in which participants can join in the live discussions. Additionally we will host in-person networking activities offering a variety of social engagement opportunities for participants including a welcome reception, networking breakfast and dine arounds. Through our Call for Proposals, we welcome your experiences as well as how to provide new capacities to re-envision the future, best practices and policies. Selected papers will be invited to participate in a special issue of the Journal of Electronic Theses and Dissertations, (J-ETD). Presentation materials (slides, papers, posters, videos) will be included in our online proceedings.

Important Dates

  • Call for proposals
    • Announcement: March 20, 2026
    • Submission deadline: May 15, 2026
    • Presenter notifications: May 29, 2026
  • Registration: May 15 – September 13, 2026
  • Conference Dates: September 23-25, 2026

USETDA 2026 Conference Organizing Committee

  • Lily Compton (Iowa State University Graduate College)*
  • Valerie Emerson (George Washington University Libraries)*^
  • Sally Evans (George Mason University Library)*
  • John Fudrow (University of Pittsburgh Libraries)*^
  • Teri Green (University of Toledo College of Graduate Studies)*^
  • John Hagen (Renaissance Scholarly Communications, USETDA Executive Director)*^
  • Erin Kaufman (University of Iowa Graduate College)*^
  • Ruth Lu (Ohio University Graduate College)*
  • Kristin Terrill (Iowa State University Graduate College)*
  • G.W. Swicord (University of Florida Libraries)*

*USETDA Board Member
^Program Committee Member

Conference Resources

  • Accommodations
  • Call for Proposals
  • Conference Invitation
  • Proceedings
  • Program (pdf)
  • Program Schedule
    • Presentations List
  • Registration Information
  • Scholarship Program
  • Sponsor Exhibits
  • Sponsors
  • Sponsorship
  • Welcome to Toledo
  • Welcome to USETDA 2026
  • Workshops