“Open and Trusted – Reassessing Research Library Values”

We live in a perilous and polarized world. People need the assistance of trusted organisations  to be equipped to advance their lives.  Research libraries are gateways to the scientific and scholarly information that is vital to address these critical issues, as well as to reach out to research communities. They are both facilitating flows of scientific information for all and encouraging all individuals and groups to find their own way to data and information.

Capitalising on their central position, research libraries can perform as trusted hubs that reliably connect communities together. Trust is re-surfacing as a concept that should be omnipresent in their mission and activities, from welcoming physical spaces for study and recollection to advanced services for emergent research. Critical responsibilities, such as engagement, adaptation, and sustainability, enable libraries to set up spaces, services and collections that enable their communities to progress.

Topics

We ask our community to submit their proposals for contribution in our LIBER2023 conference describing and analyzing how – in a way that inspires and instils trust – they work on:

• Supporting the pillars of Open Science
• Developing independent and inclusive collections
• Building sustainable infrastructures
• Managing data and information for a new kind of intelligence
• Addressing the post-pandemic challenges in education
• Engaging with libraries’ communities
• Enabling autonomy in scholarly publishing

 Submission Formats

LIBER 2023 invites submissions on the theme and its topic comprising of any of the following content directions:

• Future-oriented, thought leadership pieces arising out of current research;
• Presentation of research-based solutions, with a clear illustration on the methods used, the ways they can be applied, the results;
• Work in progress or pilot descriptions, sufficiently mature to warrant attention;
• Experiences, best practices and case studies specifying requirements, challenges or opportunities.

When submitting a paper, speakers can choose the best format for the content they intend to deliver from the list of options below:

• Presentations: mature works that showcase research, best practices, and case studies, which cover the methods used and open a discussion on the theme and its topics;
• Posters: visually-inspiring displays of an initiative, completed or in progress, processes, and results.
• Panel Session: lively panel sessions, consisting of 3 – 4 brief and engaging presentations related to the theme and the topics of the conference, inviting discussion among the panelists and with the audience.

Note: For all proposals, the Conference Programme Committee may, in some cases, accept an abstract while proposing an alternative format from the initially selected one if it fits better within the programme. In this case, the author will be consulted.

Selection Criteria 

The CPC will select abstracts based on the following criteria:

• Originality/Innovation
• Method/Elaboration
• Interest/Engagement
• Impact/Implication
• Relevance

 

How to Submit Your Abstract

To submit an abstract, please visit the LIBER 2023 submissions portal. The deadline for submission of abstracts is the 8th of January 2023.

Panel session proposals can be submitted via email to: liber2023@libereurope.org.  An abstract of 500 words maximum length, with the names or roles of the panellists, is sufficient. The Conference Programme Committee will review all submitted ideas and select the proposal which best fits the overall conference programme.

 

Guidance and Notes on Submitting

• Accepted contributions will be limited to one paper and/or poster abstract per author. Similarly, we aim to avoid more than one paper on a single initiative/project.
• Submissions advertising commercial products and/or services will not be considered.
• All submissions will be automatically considered for the LIBER Innovation Award. 
• Abstract length should be a minimum of 250 words and should not exceed 500 words (for all forms suggested above).
• Only submissions in English will be considered, in line with the official language of the conference.
• All submitted abstracts (except for the panel proposals) will be peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers, based on the criteria mentioned above.
• Authors are encouraged to submit their accepted papers for publication in LIBER Quarterly, a fully peer-reviewed journal. Instructions for this can be found on the journal website, as can contact details for LIBER Quarterly’s managing editor. LIBER Quarterly is also accepting practise papers, more information for the submission process can be found here.

For tips on writing abstracts, please see this link.