Libraries Powering Sustainable Knowledge in the Digital Age

Implicit in the concept of access to knowledge is the idea of sustainability. As the idea that we should move towards a more open approach to conducting and disseminating research takes hold, it is incumbent on libraries to ensure that, in this shifting environment, that the accessibility, usability, and long-term availability of research outcomes are taken care of. This is a proactive role requiring leadership, vision, innovation and a flexible approach to partnering with researchers and infrastructure.

In our vision for the research landscape 2022, LIBER has identified 5 goals to work towards:

1. Open access is the predominant form of publishing
2. Research data is FAIR
3. Digital skills underpin a more open and transparent research lifecycle
4. Research infrastructure is open, participatory and scaled to the needs of diverse disciplines
5. Tomorrow’s cultural heritage is built on today’s digital information

CONFERENCE THEMES
In light of the imminent launch of the LIBER Strategy 2018-22, we invite papers or posters that contribute to this forward looking discussion in the following areas:

Strategy and Innovation

-Innovations in library development and services
-Strategies for libraries under economic pressure
-Which services should research libraries provide in future that the digital economy will not?
-Innovations in metrics

Sustainability

-Sustainability of open infrastructure and services
-Fostering of new open access initiatives
-Evolution of digital repositories
-Digital decision workflows (not only scientific but also decisional workflow)
-Shared services

Vision

-Expected and unexpected impact of Open Science
-Understanding and addressing the whole Open Science workflow
-The role of libraries in responsible research and innovation
-Engaging in Citizen Science
-Partnering in digital humanities
-Potential of new technologies (e.g. blockchain)

Leadership and Capacity Building

-Leadership & vision- changing hearts and minds
-Mobilising the library
-Library Carpentry and software skills for librarians
-Modelling the research library workforce of the future
-Embedding digital skills in research

Knowledge and Data Management

-Emerging issues in managing data, software and tools
-Ethics of knowledge discovery
-Text and data mining tools and services
-Future proofing born digital material
-New knowledge out of old: making the most of special collections

We invite submissions of:

-Future oriented thought-pieces arising out of current research
-Research papers presenting theoretical solutions, but with a clear illustration on how these solutions can be applied
-Position papers presenting opinions on some aspect of practice, or describing work that is still in progress, but sufficiently mature to warrant attention
-Posters outlining experiences and case studies specifying requirements, challenges or opportunities
-Best practices

NEW! This year we are also seeking proposals that will be pitched during a plenary panel session. We are seeking 3- 4 separate 5 minute pitches that either propose adopting a new local or national solution at European level or for a completely radical innovation/idea that is ripe for exploration by European research libraries.

Selection Criteria
The Programme Committee will select abstracts based on the following criteria:

-Relevance for the Call for Papers
-Originality
-Level of innovation
-Impact on the wider library community
-Quality of the abstract

How to Submit Your Abstract
To submit an abstract of your paper or poster go to https://www.conftool.net/liber2017

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 12 February 2017

Submission Guidance
-Accepted contributions will be limited to one paper and/or poster abstract per author. Similarly, we aim to avoid more than 1 paper on a single initiative/project.
-Papers from commercial providers will not be considered.
-All submissions will be automatically considered for the LIBER Award and for the LIBER Annual Conference Fund.
-Abstract length should be a minimum of 250 words and should not exceed 500 words.
-The language of the conference will be English. The Committee will only accept submissions in this language.
-All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers who will evaluate them on the basis of the criteria mentioned above.
-Authors are encouraged to submit their accepted papers for publication in LIBER Quarterly, which is now a fully peer-reviewed journal. Instructions for this can be found on the journal website; you may also contact the Managing Editor, Raf Dekeyser, at: dekeyser@bib.kuleuven.be

Please Note: all presenters are responsible for their own registration and travel costs.

LIBER Conference Programme Committee Members

Jeanette Frey, Chair (Switzerland)
Susan Reilly, Co-ordinator (Netherlands)
Ann Matheson (United Kingdom)
Claudia Fabian (Germany)
Kurt De Belder (Netherlands)
Julien Roche (France)
Elena Macevičiūtė (Lithuania)
Kristina Pai (Estonia)
Susan Reilly (Netherlands)
Bo Öhrström (Denmark)
Jo Rademakers (Belgium)
Sylvia Van Peteghem (Belgium)
Anna Lunden (Sweden)
Marc Martinez (France)
Adam Sofronijevic (Serbia)
Wilhelm Widmark (Sweden)
Giannis Tsakonas (Greece)
Birgit Schmidt (Germany)
Martin Moyle (United Kingdom)
Jana Ķikāne (Latvia)
Raf Dekeyser (Belgium)
Pirjo-Leena Forstrom (Finland)
Kimmo Tuominen (Finland)
Liam Earney (UK)
Hilde van Wijngaarden (NL)
Cécile Swiatek (FR)
Karin Grönwall (SE)
Bruno Sagna (FR)
Maaike Napolitano (NL)