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09.30 – 10.00
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Registration and coffee
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10.00 – 10.10
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Welcome and introduction to the conference from SCONUL Co-chair Andrew Barker
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10.10 – 11.00
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Keynote speech: Collaboration and Shared Services in HE: engaging with the inevitable shift
Professor Mark Thompson, Professor in Digital Economy at University of Exeter.
Mark will present the view that organisations in the HE sector differentiate themselves, and generate value, through research, teaching, and impact: everything else is ‘fair game’ for consuming collectively. At a time when the sector – including libraries - faces unprecedented, possibly existential, financial challenges, contemplating a transition towards consolidated operating models based around standard back-office functions appears increasingly less radical than might once have been the case. This, intentionally disruptive, talk will make the case for such a consolidation, and (based on a recent EPSRC study) will articulate practical suggestions for a way forward.
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11.00 – 11.20
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Coffee break
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11.20 – 11.50
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Presentation and Q&A: The library technology landscape
Speakers: Anna O’Neill, Librarian at University of Warwick and Ann Rossiter, Executive Director at SCONUL.
Anna and Ann will present the findings of The Library Technology Landscape, the results of SCONUL’s inaugural technology survey which will be launched at the conference. The report captures a detailed picture of the complex set of interoperable technologies employed by libraries, and identifies which technologies are used most widely as well as perceptions of their functionality and value for money.
They will highlight interesting findings and explore how the results can be used to support procurement decisions for SCONUL members. They will also consider how the insights and opportunities from the report can inform our consideration of the sector’s use of technology and how we can make the best use of our collective investment.
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11.50 – 12.40
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Panel discussion and Q&A: Digital transformation of the library
Panellists: Liam Earney, Managing Director for Higher Education and Research, and Executive Director of Digital Resources at Jisc, Fiona Greig, Director of Knowledge & Digital Services at University of Winchester, Mark Hughes, Head of Libraries at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Wendy White, Director Library and Learning Services (University Librarian) at University of Southampton.
This panel discussion will explore the current and future landscape for libraries around the deployment of technologies and teams and will ask radical questions about how we might rethink the way that we work to meet the challenges we face.
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12.40 – 13.30
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Lunch
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13.30 – 14.15
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AI showcase
Delegates have the opportunity to freely move between four breakout rooms where providers will be showcasing their latest AI developments. The text below has been provided by the companies involved:
- Clarivate™ is a leading global provider of transformative intelligence. In this session, Cristina Blanca-Sancho, Senior Director of Product Management at Clarivate, will explore the transformative impact of AI in academia. Drawing on Clarivate's extensive experience and innovative solutions, she will share insights into the latest AI capabilities developed by Clarivate. The session will also highlight new developments in this space as well as best practices for integrating AI into academic environments, ensuring data security, and maintaining the integrity of scholarly content.
- EBSCO Information Services is a leading provider of online research content and cutting-edge search technologies serving libraries, healthcare and medical institutions, corporations, and government agencies worldwide. Richard Burkitt, Director of SaaS Innovation, will take you through EBSCO’s approach of care and diligence, whilst bringing to libraries and their communities Generative AI services that will enhance user experience and maintain a grounded, authoritative service. Challenges and opportunities are quickly evolving, and EBSCO seeks collaboration and engagement, specifically with librarians, to jointly react to how the space is forming and ensure the services that are jointly delivered are secure and appropriate in their application.
- H5P Group is the company behind H5P, a suite of online tools that allows instructors to create interactive content. The use of AI can reduce the time instructors spend creating interactive learning materials. In this session you learn from Trond Skeie, Key Account Manager, how H5P's Smart Import can automate this process and enable anyone to create interactive content.
- OpenAlex is a comprehensive index of scholarly metadata: works, authors, institutions, funders, citations and more, all in one place, disambiguated, interlinked, and free to anyone. They’re using AI to build and curate their knowledge graph, and they’re powering AI tools that summarize research, find experts, and discover trends. Jason Priem, CEO at OurResearch, will be demoing their newest developments, including a soon-to-be launched research analytics app that takes seconds to answer questions that take days to answer now.
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14.15 – 15.00
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Lightning talks and Q&A: Business intelligence for libraries
Speakers: Dominic Dixon, Head of Assessment and User Experience at Cambridge University Libraries, Michelle Halpin, Digital Services and Content Developer at University of Sunderland, Thomas Kistell, Systems Support Specialist at Sheffield Hallam University, and Amy Stubbing, University Librarian at Solent University.
- Dominic's talk explores how Cambridge University Library is developing its use of data to support decision-making. As the university’s new Data Office focuses on building trust and confidence in data at an institutional level, we are strengthening our capacity to better understand and demonstrate the library’s impact – while also rethinking what innovation in this space really means.
- Michelle will give an overview of the different approaches that University of Sunderland Libraries and Learner Development are taking to connect, analyse and share data insights – leveraging Alma Data Visualisation, PowerBI and machine learning modelling to enable agile data access and inform best value procurement and service delivery.
- Thomas will talk about the Library Data Hub created to showcase internal reports and to help staff talk about their data needs at Sheffield Hallam.
- Amy will walk us through a new data fluency self-assessment tool created for staff at Southampton Solent. She will cover the collaborative approach taken by the library and the data governance team to build a University-wide approach to data fluency.
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15.00 – 15.30
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Coffee break & Jisc’s Digital Transformation Library Lens drop-in
Delegates have the opportunity to attend Jisc's drop-in session presented by Peter Findlay, Subject Matter Expert for Digital Scholarship, (content and discovery) and Paola Marchionni, Head of Engagement, (content and discovery).
Jisc’s Framework for digital transformation in higher education aids universities to act strategically when deploying digital technologies. What role do libraries play in this? Come along to this drop-in session and find out how Jisc is working with higher education libraries on the Digital Transformation Library Lens initiative and how to get involved.
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15.30 – 16.15
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Panel discussion and Q&A: The Systems Librarian in 2030
Panellists: Adnan Adil, Systems, Subscriptions and Licensing Manager at London South Bank University, Caroline Cooke, Deputy Director, Library Services at Royal Holloway, University of London, Georgina Dimmock, Head of Library Systems, Skills, Collections and Archives, University of Northampton, and Sue Egleton, University Librarian, University of Reading.
The Systems Librarian is a strategically vital role for libraries, supporting a complex range of interoperable technologies and acting as a bridge between different stakeholders.
This session will include details of the findings of a survey conducted by SCONUL on the future of the systems librarian which will be launched at the conference. A panel discussion will debate the future shape of the systems librarian role including exploring the strengths and weaknesses of library systems support structural models; pay, recruitment and succession planning; and the skills and attributes the role requires.
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16.15 – 16.25
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Concluding remarks from SCONUL Co-chair Libby Homer
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16.25
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Close
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