The format of the Annual Conference has, with the approval of the LIBER Board, been completely revised. A significant number of new sessions has been introduced into the Programme. The effect of these changes will be to enhance still further the role and position of the Annual General Conference as one of the leading Conferences in Library and Information Science in Europe.
LIBER is pleased to present its Outline Programme for the 38th Annual LIBER Conference in Toulouse in 2009. A Conference Committee, chaired by Dr Paul Ayris as Vice-President-Elect of LIBER, has been meeting since the Summer of 2008 to compile a Programme for the Toulouse meeting.
Parallel Master Classes, the aim of which is to introduce major new developments in Europe to a LIBER audience
Master Class 1. SPARC Europe Members meeting
This is a meeting where members of SPARC Europe, and those interested in its aims and objectives, can discuss how this organisation can best meet the needs of its members and of European researchers in the new Information environment.
Master Class 2: Advocacy: making the case for the Library in the University
The purpose of this session is to identify how University Libraries can present themselves to achieve maximum impact in their University.
Master Class 3: How to write a European Research Project
The aim of this session is to equip those attending with the skills and confidence to submit a project bid for EU funding.
Current Issues. 6 Plenary sessions on Current Issues for Europe’s research libraries will delivered by emerging professionals in LIBER libraries, who will brief the LIBER membership on new developments in their chosen area of study :
Copyright
This session will give an overview of current copyright issues for research libraries.
Collaborative Tools
Social and collaborative software is not just a hype, it influences profoundly, and for the long term, the services and processes of research libraries. This session will demonstrate the possibilities of these tools for developing new and attractive products and services to end users.
Digitization/Europeana
This session will look at the European digitisation landscape and demonstrate how LIBER and EBLIDA are making a difference.
Quality
This session will present the results of the last IATUL conference in June 2009 in Leuven with Quality as a central theme.
Digital Curation. Speaker: Rory McLeod (British Library)
The purpose of this session is to look at the outputs of the second phase of the LIBER-supported LIFE project (Lifecycle Information For E-literature), with special reference to LIFE’s work on digitisation outputs and the comparison of longer-term curation costs between analogue and digital formats of the same content.
International licensing
This session will look at the possibilities for the international licensing of digital resources across national boundaries.
5 Plenary Conference sessions. Each of these sessions will be devoted to an emerging theme in LIBER libraries
The Library in its Political and Technical Context
The purpose of this session is to identify how senior University Officials view the Library and its activities, to identify new areas where the Library can make a difference, and to look at new collaborative partnerships in the University.
E-Science: a role for Libraries ?
E-Science is a big topic and it is important that Libraries explore what their role in this brave new world should be. The session will present complementary presentations from researchers and service providers who are engaged in the E-Science agenda.
Re-Skilling Librarians
What skill sets do we need in our research Libraries? Where do we find these people? How do we train and reskill our librarians for these new roles? How important is collaborative work for the internal organisation of the Library? How do we implement innovation as a constant element in our work flows? How much do we need to invest in professional training? How important is succession planning?
The Library as Physical Space
The needs of Library users are changing. What is the role of the Library as a physical space, when much of the research support in Science, Technology and Medicine is now delivered remotely to the user at their desktop? The shift from the Library as a collections space to the Library as a collections and learning space has had a profound impact on how users use library space, and what this space should look like.
E-Learning
E-Learning has the potential to revolutionise the way that Libraries offer services. The speakers in this session will look at practical developments in E-Learning in their organisations, the added value that collaborative E-Learning developments make at a national level, and the potential role of E-Books.
The aim of the LIBER Organising Committee is to attract leading European speakers to address the LIBER Conference on these issues.
Poster sessions on 2-3 July 2009
The aim of these sessions is to allow LIBER Libraries an opportunity to share information and learning about new projects and developments in their Libraries with the LIBER membership. It is intended that aspiring professionals will be able to attend the LIBER Conference and present the results of their projects in their home Library to attenders at the Conference. A separate call for posters will be issued to LIBER members via the liber-all mailing list by Christmas 2008.
4 Breakout Sessions, where each LIBER attender will be assigned to one Breakout Group
The purpose of these sessions is to stimulate debate and contributions by LIBER attenders on the four themes of LIBER’s new strategy:
Scholarly Communication
Stewardship of research resources
Leadership
Services
There is an option for multilingual break-out sessions, with reporting back in English.
4 Product Reviews, where attenders will be presented with cutting-edge developments for Research Libraries by sponsors and friends of LIBER.
Social Programme. A lively Social Programme is being planned, giving opportunities for discovering the beautiful, historical city of Toulouse. The opening Conference Reception will be in the historic Cloisters of the University. There will also be Receptions in the Hôtel Assézat and in the City Hall, and a Conference Dinner. The Social Programme will also include the option for a visit to the Airbus factories. Nearly 11,500 people are employed at sites in Toulouse, where the final assembly of all Airbus aircraft takes place (except for the A318, A319 and A321 which is performed in Germany).
The final version of the Programme for the LIBER Conference in Toulouse will be available early in 2009. LIBER members should continue to consult the Conference website for updates to the Programme, and for practical details concerning registration, accommodation, travel and the accompanying social Programme.
