April Community Engagement Meeting

Join us April 15, 2026 (2:00 – 3:00 PM EST) for Savor the Art of E-“Tea”-D (Part 2). Featuring Dr. Ruth Lu (Ohio University Graduate College) performing a ceremonial tea using purple clay teapots, alongside Shari Lowes (The Ohio State University Libraries) presenting “Brewing Exchange and Empire.”

Anyone interested in signing up to participate in the group should complete this form to subscribe to the mailing list.

“If we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.” 
—Malala Yousafzai

ETD 2025-USETDA 2025 Conference Highlights

Here are the highlights from the ETD 2025-USETDA 2025 Conference:

  • The Big Event: It was the 28th international ETD symposium (ETD 2025) and the 15th US national ETD conference (USETDA 2025), held together!
  • When & Where: This joint event was totally virtual via Zoom on September 25-26, 2025.
  • The Vibe: The theme was “Exploring Global Connections.”
  • What was included: The program packed a punch with two big panel discussions, two workshops, sixteen 50-minute deep-dive presentations (including user group meetings), and lots of chances to network.
  • Missed a session? No worries! Everything was streamed live and recorded on Zoom.
  • Thursday’s line-up: We held an intensive workshop (“ETDs for Beginners“), a panel on research ethics, and parallel sessions covering stuff like cataloging, accessibility, converting PDFs to HTML, using LLMs for library discovery, and Vireo updates. Plus, there was an opening reception and a virtual cocktail party!
  • Friday’s action: Highlights included a hands-on workshop on using AI (Elicit) for literature reviews, a panel comparing “Open Science” in India and the US, and parallel sessions on Digital Accessibility for LaTeX, dissertation structure, drafting AI-use policies, collection migration, AI copyright, ETD formatting, community talks, machine learning, national ETD repositories, and management in Canada.
  • Wrapping Up: Friday finished with a Closing session, recognizing Jannette Wright (UAEU Libraries) for the NDLTD Leadership Award, and sneak peeks at future conferences.
  • Keep the Party Going: We encouraged everyone to stick around the global ETD community, participate in group activities, and check out the NDLTD and USETDA member lists for colleagues.
  • Wanna see the videos? Videos are available to all USETDA members via login. There are free and paid membership options.
  • Heads up on videos: The 2025 conference video series will be posted on the USETDA YouTube channel in the coming months.
  • Resources for you: 
  • Conference Program (pdf)
  • Program Schedule (at-a-glance)
  • Presentations List (including abstracts)
  • Proceedings
  • Sponsors
  • Sponsor Exhibits
  • Videos
USETDA 2025 - ETD 2025 Conference Logo

August Community Engagement Meeting

Subject: Join Us August 27 – Level Up! Grant Writing as Academic Professionalization

Dear colleagues,

We invite you to join us for our next Community Engagement Group meeting—a special session focused on grantsmanship.

🗓️ Workshop Title: Level Up! Grant Writing as Academic Professionalization
📅 Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
🕑 Time: 2:00–3:00 PM EST / 1:00–2:00 PM CST
📍 Location: Virtual via Zoom

Together, we’ll explore the role of grant writing in academic professionalization. Here’s the agenda:

 2:00–2:30 PM EST | Presentation & Discussion

Led by Drs. Kristin Terrill and Ruth Lu, this interactive workshop will cover:

  • Getting the funding 
  • Applying for the funding 
  • Managing the funding 
  • Hidden myths about funding 

Kristin will take the lead in guiding this discussion, and both presenters will share personal stories and experiences with grant writing.

 2:30–3:00 PM EST | Interactive Q&A and Group Discussion

We’ll open the floor for questions, reflections, and shared experiences.
To help spark conversation, we’ll prepare a few prompts and discussion questions.

🔗 Interested in joining? Please register here to receive virtual access to the event:  https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/opsGDU6xRJWJoXO87FQGww

Bring your questions, concerns, and curiosity—we look forward to an engaging and collaborative session!

Warm regards,
Kristin & Ruth
USETDA Community Engagement Group Co-Chairs

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