Excitement and innovation at UKSG 2016
Momentum is gathering as nearly 1,000 library professionals, publishers, content providers, intermediaries and technology vendors from around the world prepare to converge on the Bournemouth International Centre for this year’s UKSG Annual Conference (11 to 13 April).
The conference is an opportunity for staff and professionals in the information community to connect, exchange ideas, learn best practices and engage with thought leaders on the latest innovations and most pressing issues of the industry. This year’s programme is designed around a selection of keynote themes – Impact, User Experience, and Innovation and Inspiration.
There is much anticipation around the presence of Emma Mulqueeny, CEO of Elbi Digital and founder of Rewired State. Mulqueeny, whose personal mission includes finding a way to mainstream alternative education options, will share illuminating perspectives on the ‘Google – Digital Child’.
Donna Lanclos, associate professor for anthropological research at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and, perhaps, better known for her work under the guise of ‘Anthropologist in the Stacks’ will be revealing insights into ethnographic approaches to the practices of scholarly communication.
Cameron Neylon, a professor of research communications at the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University, and previously advocacy director at PLOS, will be exploring innovative approaches to funding of research communications based on his experience and as an advocate of open research practices.
The event will also feature a series of lightning talks with key industry updates and offers an array of breakout sessions.
Topics include: eTextbook provision models, research data management, open source software implementations in library catalogues and workflow management, library analytics tools, measuring effectiveness of indexed discovery services, new strategies for collection development, and the changing role of the subscription agent.
Responding to the needs and expectations of researchers is also a common theme among the breakouts, with sessions dedicated to the role of libraries as publishers, user-driven innovation, and an introduction to the new tools and services that are now available to support the scholarly communications infrastructure.
As ever, the conference social programme features a quiz night, and a return to the seaside means that the conference dinner will be accompanied by a funfair.
