DRAFT: SIGPLAN Video Recording Policy

SIGPLAN expects every plenary keynote and every talk in the main technical program of POPL, PLDI, ICFP, OOPSLA, and Onward! (Papers and Essays) to be recorded and published on the ACM SIGPLAN YouTube channel. The primary motivation is equity of access: many members of our community are unable to attend conferences in person due to financial constraints, visa restrictions, disability, caregiving responsibilities, or other barriers to travel. Recorded talks ensure that the research presented at SIGPLAN’s flagship conferences reaches the widest possible audience.

This policy covers recording for later publication, not live streaming. General Chairs may choose to live-stream if they wish, but there is no obligation to do so.

Co-located workshops, tutorials, and other events are not covered by this policy, though their organizers are welcome to arrange recording independently.

Responsibility

The General Chair of each conference is responsible for ensuring that recordings are produced and delivered for upload to the SIGPLAN YouTube channel. SIGPLAN does not mandate a particular recording method; the General Chair has discretion to choose an approach suited to the venue, budget, and local circumstances. Options include, but are not limited to:

  • Simple Zoom screen recording on the speaker’s laptop, managed by a volunteer or session chair.
  • Existing lecture-capture or AV recording equipment at a campus or venue.
  • A local AV provider or volunteer recording team, which is often significantly cheaper than a full professional AV contractor.
  • Author-submitted pre-recorded talks, uploaded through the existing conference publication coordinator (e.g. CPC) infrastructure as part of the camera-ready process (possibly at a separate, later deadline).
  • Any combination of the above — for example, professional AV for keynotes and Zoom recording or volunteers for contributed talks.

General Chairs should include recording costs in their conference budget.

Speaker notification

Speakers should be informed in advance, and their consent should be sought in accordance with ACM requirements. This information and consent request should appear in both the call for papers and the acceptance notification, stating that their talks will be recorded and published on the SIGPLAN YouTube channel. Speakers with concerns should contact the General Chair to discuss accommodations.