The very popular UKSG Forum includes topical papers, networking and a dynamic exhibition designed to bring together our diverse membership for key conversations. This year’s theme is “Our profession in 2030: publishing, sharing and curating content now and in the future.” We welcome all but free admission is available to member institutions.
When
Where
Thursday, December 5, 2024 – 09:30 GMT
to
Thursday, December 5, 2024 – 17:15 GMT
Leonardo Royal Hotel
245 Broad Street
Birmingham, B1 2HQ
United Kingdom
About
Sponsors
Programme
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About the Event
Registration
Please register here
FREE TO UKSG MEMBERS*! Check the UKSG member list
We welcome members and non-members alike, however a small charge is made for non-members of £75+VAT.
Consider becoming a UKSG member.
If you are interested in sponsorship or a table top exhibit at the event please visit our UKSG Forum 2024 – Sponsorship and table top stands page
- Please note there will be a limit of 6 people from one institution.
Summary
The UKSG Forum is one of the key benefits of being a UKSG member and attendance is therefore free to anyone working within a UKSG member organisation. In line with its charitable status, UKSG also wishes to encourage attendance by members of the wider community and therefore subsidises the event so that a nominal charge applies to non-members.
The theme this year is ‘Our profession in 2030: publishing, sharing and curating content now and in the future’.
What will our profession look like in 2030 and what are the practical steps we can take to prepare ourselves and shape our landscape?
Programme chairs: Katherine Rose, Magaly Bascones, Tim Leonard
What can I expect at the UKSG Forum?
- sessions on best practice and interesting projects
- ample, good-quality networking opportunities
- a table top exhibition
The Forum is the place for ideas, debate, provocations and short briefings. The programme consists of short lightning talks that provide “food for thought”, appealing to a broad range of interests and levels.
“A laid back event, just right for networking, and a good combination of timings for lightning talks, meetings and networking.”
“The short presentations made the day very flexible. I was able to attend the sessions, switch to the exhibition.”
Accessibility
We’re committed to running accessible training and events. We want you to feel welcome, included, and able to fully engage in our sessions.
To help us, please share any access needs you have when prompted by our booking form. We may be in touch to ensure we’re making the right adjustments.
If you have particular accessibility needs or questions about this seminar/webinar, we encourage you to contact events@uksg.org to discuss further.
The hotel’s accessibility features include:
- A number of bedrooms suitable for wheelchair access
- Accessible toilets in public areas
- Lifts to all floors
Directions
The hotel is well located and close to all key transport links in Birmingham, please click here for more details.
Do note: The hotel is situated in Birmingham Clean Air Zone (CAZ) which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is designed to reduce vehicle emissions inside the city centre. To view details, as well as check your vehicle compliance with the scheme, please visit https://www.gov.uk/check-clean-air-zone-charge
Social
- X (formally Twitter) UKSG and hashtag #UKSGForum2024
Sponsorship & Exhibition
If you are interested in sponsoring and/or exhibiting there are a limited number of opportunities and table tops available – click here for more information and to secure yours (it will be first come first served). We will let you know that you have been successful.
With thanks to our sponsors
Programme
- Thursday 5 December
Time
Programme
Speakers
09.30
Registration & Refreshments
10.00
Welcome and introduction
Charlie Rapple
Kudos
See Biography
Charlie Rapple is co-founder of Kudos, which works with researchers, funders, publishers and universities to showcase stories around research and ensure it is more widely found, understood, used and cited. With a background in scholarly publishing technology and marketing, she is passionate about helping academics communicate more effectively to build their visibility and reputation. She has a BA from the University of Bristol and postgraduate MDip from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and holds a number of voluntary positions in the scholarly information community, including Chair of UKSG, editorial board member for UKSG Insights, and blogging in The Scholarly Kitchen.
10.10
Infoscapes: Libraries Engineering Knowledge
Futures
Josh will position libraries as dynamic hubs of innovation. He will discuss the transformative impact of emerging and evolving technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), which presents both significant challenges and promising opportunities. This keynote will explore how libraries can respond effectively and actively develop knowledge futures that advance research, teaching, learning, and the public good. Through this lens, Josh will emphasise the critical role that academic libraries and their partners will play by enabling our communities to navigate and shape tomorrow’s information landscapes and the knowledge built upon them.
Josh Sendall
University of Leeds
See Biography
Josh leads three large-scale associate directorates: Student Learning and Experience, Research and Digital Futures, and Content and Discovery. He works collaboratively with the executive team to enable the strategic delivery of “Knowledge for All: Libraries’ Vision for 2030” in alignment with the institutional strategy: “Universal Values, Global Change. He is a trustee for UKSG, connecting the academic knowledge community and spanning the diverse interests and activities of academic librarians, publishers, intermediaries, and technology vendors. Josh promotes open knowledge, freely accessible libraries, and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as essential elements of healthy, resilient cultures and communities.
10.45
Open Access and the increasing skill list of our profession
The emergence of the diamond publishing model has created opportunities for our profession to support academics and researchers within a changing publishing landscape. For library staff working at smaller non-research-intensive institutions this presents additional challenges as we often lack the infrastructure and scale to engage with emerging publishing models.
In this talk I will reflect on some of the skills needed to harness the opportunities and management potential challenges of the increasing diversity in OA publishing models from the perspective of working at a smaller university. The impact of financial challenges approaches to support for library staff will be considered.
Sharon Stevens
University of Worcester
See Biography
Sharon is the Head of Open Scholarship and Content Management joining Worcester University in later 2023. As strategic lead for open scholarship, much of her role focuses on promoting the open access across agenda across the University. Sharon has over 15 years’ experience of working within higher education, non-for-profit and the NHS in the UK and Canada in a variety of roles supporting researchers. Sharon has a particular interest in the role libraries can play in supporting research and open scholarship.
11.00
Bridging the gap: transferable skills and career growth in academic libraries
This session explores the core competencies and transferable skills involved in development pathways within academic libraries.
Our Career and Skills Development map, designed for the University of Southampton Library, opens development opportunities by providing transparent information about job roles and associated development, alongside practical resources to support people to gain experience and skills.
Drawing on personal experience we will use the example of specialist roles in open research to demonstrate that a focus on skills, activities and experience rather than job title can open career opportunities.
Nicki Clarkson
University of Southampton
See Biography
Nicki began her career in 1998 as a Library Assistant, spending time in the 2000s working part time while raising 2 children who are now old enough to go to bed later than she does.
Nicki moved to the role of Engagement Librarian at the University of Southampton in 2017 and works across several themes. She is part of the Curriculum Engagement team, teaching research skills to undergraduates, and line manages within the Open Research & Publication Practice team. Nicki is a strong advocate for open and equitable access to research outputs and champions open educational resources.
Lucy Marr
University of Southampton
See Biography
Lucy Marr is the Library Learning and Development Lead at the University of Southampton. As a learning and development professional, she has extensive experience of how learning links to career progression in different occupations. After a year and a half of working in the Library, she is still discovering the diversity of Library roles. A true believer in life-long learning, Lucy helps people shift their mindset, and develop the behaviours and skills they need to adapt and be successful.
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lucymarr
11.15
Q&A
11.20
Break and exhibition viewing
11.45
How will data and technology shape our services and what impact might financial challenges have on the future of our sector?
Ian’s presentation will examine how data and technology will shape library services and the potential impacts of financial challenges on the sector’s future. This session will explore how libraries can leverage emerging technologies, such as AI, and adopt data-driven purchasing practices. Additionally, it will discuss the rise of Open Educational Resources (OER) as a means to navigate today’s challenging market conditions.
Ian Moroz
Bibliu
See Biography
Ian Moroz leads the commercial teams in the UK at BibliU, collaborating with over 150 universities and 2,000 publishers to expand access to essential learning resources. Driven by a strong commitment to equitable access, Ian is dedicated to ensuring students have the best educational tools and opportunities. His work focuses on building partnerships that support inclusive and effective learning experiences for all students.
12.00
Useful, Interesting, Rare: a modern approach to collection management and content supply
This presentation will discuss the underpinnings of the Library Collections Transformation Plan at the University of Sheffield. It seeks to conceive of library content as serving differing functions and to compartmentalise collections accordingly. The proliferation of open scholarly content, and the role of libraries in enabling it, has progressed existing notions of facilitated collections. Elsewhere, collective initiatives (the UKRR and the UK PBC) are evolving the conservational obligations of research libraries. With a better understanding of its other core functions the Library can then think about how it presents the unique and cultural significant content within its lager collections.
Peter Barr
University of Sheffield
See Biography
Peter Barr leads a team with responsibility for library acquisitions and collection management at the University of Sheffield. He was appointed to oversee the development of the Library’s Comprehensive Content strategy, part of which has now become the Collections Transformation Plan. His professional interest lies in these areas, particularly the role libraries can play in the transformation of scholarly publishing towards a more ethical, non-commercial and community owned future.
12.20
Q&A
12.30
Your Metadata, Your Responsibility – Applying the Cataloguing Code of Ethics in the Metadata Ecosystem
This presentation will briefly introduce the Cataloguing Code of Ethics 2021 and illustrate it’s practical application in cataloguing and metadata work in GLAM, the publishing industry; or within the companies that sell content, systems or records.
It will focus upon the common requirements for us to know our audiences or markets; the importance of our collaborations and business partnerships; and the need for us to identify and accommodate workforce development and education so that together we can create, share, enrich and preserve the metadata that defines the quality of search, discovery and access experiences now and in the future.
https://sites.google.com/view/cataloging-ethics/
Jane Daniels
Cataloguing Ethics Steering Committee
See Biography
Jane’s background is in cataloguing and metadata management in the Higher Education sector. She was a member of the WHELF Cataloguing & Metadata Group; the Jisc NBK Phase 2 Task & Finish Group for Metadata Quality & Standards – Plan M; and the Ex Libris Community Zone Management Group. Jane was also Chair of the CILIP Metadata & Discovery Group 2018-2020. In 2019 Jane joined the USA, Canadian & UK Cataloguing Ethics Steering Committee, which produced the CILIP endorsed Cataloguing Code of Ethics 2021. Since retiring in 2022 she has continued to advocate for the Code’s use and endorsement by GLAM organisations.
12.45
Envisaging the future of metadata
As a Product Manager at OCLC, it’s my job to look into the future. The crystal ball I look into is the problems, issues, and trends of today. If I do everything right, I can help ensure that as that future I have seen approaches, we as OCLC can help libraries by offering exactly what they need when they need it.
In this presentation, I will share what I have seen in this year’s crystal ball, as it pertains to the future of the library industry.
Who or what will be creating metadata in 2030, and for which types of content? What role will linked data, knowledge graphs, and AI play, especially when used together? How will data be open and accessible while also being sustainable and persistent? And how will we link knowledge in large global graphs while at the same time allowing diverse perspectives on what truth is?
Annette Dortmund
OCLC
See Biography
Dr. Annette Dortmund ( https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1588-9749) has worked for OCLC in various roles since 2001.
In recent years she has examined the adoption and integration of persistent identifiers in scholarly communication, their business and sustainability models, and their potential role in the transition of library data to MARC formatting. As a Senior Product Manager, she currently focuses on the challenges and needs associated with implementing next-generation metadata workflows in libraries and other cultural heritage institutions.
Annette graduated with a Magister Artium in Book Studies, Latin Philology and Comparative Literature from the University of Mainz and received her PhD in 1998.
13.00
Q&A
13.10
Lunch, exhibition viewing and networking
14.30
Towards a more open and equitable publishing future
cOAlition S’s “Towards Responsible Publishing” proposal aims to advance responsible publishing practices. A global stakeholder consultation on this topic revealed support for preprint posting and open peer review, but highlighted the need for seamless integration across publishing workflows and sustainable infrastructures. Building on the consultation, this presentation will highlight opportunities for libraries, institutions, publishers and more to enable and support innovative publishing practices in the coming years. The presentation will also emphasise the importance of a phased yet confident approach towards the creation of a more open, equitable and responsible publishing ecosystem, considering potential barriers and unintended consequences and continued collaboration with the global research community.
Andrea Chiarelli
Research Consulting Limited
See Biography
Andrea Chiarelli is an experienced consultant at Research Consulting, focusing on scholarly communication, open science, and university management. His work involves providing strategic guidance and practical solutions to universities, funders, publishers and other stakeholders in the research ecosystem, building on his diverse educational background and expertise. Andrea holds an Engineering PhD and an MBA, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
15.00
The Digital Library: Redefining Access and Engagement
This presentation will:
– Showcase our online Library and Digital Skills learning space, as well as showcase our new online Infoskills programme.
– Consider how Library and Digital Skills resources have been embedded into subject specific courses, including the introduction of AI and the possibilities it brings.
– Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a fully Digital Offer, including the challenges faced with regards to basic digital literacy for students.
– Discuss support provided for staff presently and how those skills will need to develop in the coming years.
– Look ahead at how we meet and adapt to the challenges of our ever changing sector, including potential financial limitations.
Olivia Edmonds
University of Wales Trinity St David
See Biography
Olivia is currently an Academic Liaison Librarian at the University of Wales Trinity St David (Birmingham) Prior to that, she was a former Secondary English teacher of 10+ years and former Learning Resources Manager at Sixth Form level for 6 years.
Olivia is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion, literacy and reading for pleasure. The best part of Olivia’s job is discussing books with all who will listen, advocating for Libraries across the age ranges and the life skill of bringing the power of reading and all you can learn from it to communities everywhere.
Tarandeep Johal
University of Wales Trinity St David
See Biography
Tarandeep is currently a Digital Skills Advisor at the Birmingham campus of University of Wales Trinity St David.
He has an interest in developing IT skills of students from a variety of different backgrounds and skillsets, and using his experience of a PGCE/PCET, Tarandeep also helps to build and develop a structured VLE to support learners in building their digital confidence.
Before this, he was working in colleges as a lecturer, digital skills advisor and librarian.
15.20
Break & exhibition viewing
15.40
Beyond Books: Library Professionals as Champions in the AI Revolution
Library professionals work beyond books, providing direction on the ethical use of information. The AI revolution has provided challenges and opportunities for information search and use. The two speakers will dwell on the similarities and differences between search strategies and prompt engineering with a focus on academic integrity. Library professionals today are drawn into a demanding shift both in their roles and skills as they race to keep pace with the advancements in AI tools. It is envisaged that this discussion will raise the value of librarianship in the information society thus creating AI champions.
Janice Fernandes
University of West London
See Biography
Dr. Janice Fernandes is the Academic Support Manager and Subject librarian at the University of West London. She is a passionate researcher with a rich experience of 34 years and over 25 research papers. She truly believes that embracing new skill sets and trusting change to steer the way forward, has led to milestones in her professional career. She is a keynote speaker at various conferences and is on several panels for assessing FHEA applications, doctoral studies, journal submissions and book reviews. She is probably the newest member of the M25 Consortium Task Group 4.
Mary Blomley
University of West London
See Biogrpahy
Mary Blomley is an Assistant Librarian working for the content and scholarly communications team at University of West London. She has worked in various roles within academic libraries. Having witnessed and experienced the changes within the academic libraries, she has developed an interest in library technology and the impact on user information seeking behaviours. However, she is a skeptical optimist when it comes to AI
16.10
Our profession in 2030: politics, people, and progress
This keynote will look to the future of our profession via some deliberations on our past and our present, reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in front of us. In particular, it will consider:
- the current political, cultural, and financial context, and the challenges of future gazing under pressured circumstances
- the people that make up our profession and how we are changing to meet the needs of the future
- the progress we’re making within a changing landscape, whether that’s digital transformation, working to support the civic university agenda, or working beyond our traditional boundaries
As a librarian of more years than she would like to count and as a current library leader, Sarah will be framing this keynote partially as a personal reflection, but also setting it within the context of the wider information and knowledge community, linking libraries to our partners within the information ecosystem.
Sarah Pittaway
Birmingham City University
See Biography
Sarah Pittaway is Director of Library and Learning Resources at Birmingham City University. Previously she was Head of Libraries at the University of Gloucestershire, and Head of Library Academic Engagement at The Hive in Worcester, Europe’s first integrated public and university library. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds a PhD in Medieval Studies, having flirted with an academic career prior to embracing life as a librarian. She currently sits on the Mercian Collaboration Steering Group and the Sconul Horizons Strategy Group, and has previously been involved with UKSG as part of the Outreach & Engagement Committee.
16.40
Closing remarks & summary
Feedback
“I had a brilliant experience talking at the 2023 UKSG. I was well supported from the moment my proposal was accepted and the organisation made my first in-person speaking appearance a breeze! The forum is an excellent event. UKSG always put together an excellent programme with an exciting range of speakers that spark interesting conversation.”
Previous delegate
A great variety of presenters from speakers at all stages of their careers and it was good to hear from younger speaker
Previous delegate
Fantastic speakers. A good variety of topics covered and all very informative.
Previous delegate
Contact
General queries – events@uksg.org
Cancellations
For member registrations we are anticipating significant interest in the event, we kindly request that if your plans change, and you find you are unable to attend, we would greatly appreciate it if you could promptly notify us at events@uksg.org at your earliest convenience.
For non member registrations the closing date for cancellations is Thursday 14th November, after which date cancellations will not be eligible for a refund. Cancellation should be sent into writing to events@uksg.org.
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