This 4-day conference, held across the two hosting campuses was attended by a total of 150 delegates including sponsors and vendors. The following countries were represented by delegates at the conference – Antigua, Australia, Canada, China, Czechia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK, and USA – which enabled opportunities to broaden professional networks, initiate and strengthen partnerships and collaborations, and to make new friends.

The successful translation of the conceptualisation of an event of this nature and stature is made possible by the efforts, grants and contributions of individuals, institutions and organisations that resonate with the theme of the Conference. Sponsors included Almandumah, Clarivate, CNKI, EBSCO Information Services, ELSEVIER, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, SAGE Publishing and WILEY. Additional support was received from Dubai Business Events and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Dubai.

After three years of disruption precipitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent transition to a hybrid way of working and engaging, the rationale for this fully in-person conference was “an exploration of forward-thinking in academic libraries and information services, spaces, and resources to add value to our organizations”.  

The interpretation of the conference theme Libraries Pushing Boundaries enabled the sharing of wide-ranging perspectives that reflected not only the dynamism of professional practice but also forward thinking across regions. While international trends may be seen as both enablers of change and disruptors to practice, it is fascinating to observe how these trends are interpreted and applied successfully to different regional contexts albeit developed or developing. The conference succeeded in highlighting the common thread of how libraries and librarians continue to add value to their respective constituencies through a deliberate awareness of the changing needs of the contemporary student and researcher, and the demands of the job in a fast-evolving digital environment. It was also evident that conscious efforts are being made to create environments within which services and engagements are driven by a greater awareness of social justice. We must also be mindful of geopolitics and how it impedes professional development and exchange. And so, when pondering the various perspectives of the Conference, what are the critical questions we need to ask ourselves as library leaders and decision makers to ensure continued relevance to the academic and broader social justice imperatives.

Nick Poole, the CEO of CILIP (UK) set the scene for the conference with his excellent and thought-provoking presentation on Enduring Values, Perpetual Evolution. In reinforcing the enduring purpose of libraries and its contract with society through the ages as the “crucible of knowledge and learning”, the cognition of librarianship as a process and not a destination is critical for understanding how the role and function of librarianship is evolving within a global professional context. The shift of librarians from information managers to information leaders is driven by the changes in information, how it is being produced and used, and the needs and behaviours of our users. It requires a practice paradigm shift towards engendering a learning organization where the combination of technical, professional and the softer generic skills are addressed, so that library staff are prepared and equipped to embrace these changes in the information landscape.

• How do we create a common understanding of our purpose and relevance among our staff?
• What are the values that drive underpin our purpose?
• To what extent have we created learning organisations and what are the elements of a learning organization?
• How do we identify and nurture talent within this learning organization?
• How do we embed continuing professional development (CPD) as a strategic imperative? 
• How do we measure our responsiveness and ability to adapt to change?

The sessions on Vision, Leadership and Professional Development highlighted how libraries are becoming inclusive places and the review of library education for social relevance are producing librarians who are consciously empowering their communities towards economic independence and elevated standards of living.  

The role and function of libraries, librarians and librarianship within this social justice context, which is premised on access to resources, equity, participation, diversity and human rights are to:

• facilitate access to knowledge and information resources that connect people to solutions and enable informed decision-making
• have equitable experiences in spaces and places that are designed for active participation by communities they serve. Michelle Blake of the University of Waikato shared the Aotearoa (New Zealand) experience in locating the Waikato principle (it’s all about people) at the centre. It is the identity and values of the local Maori communities that becomes central to and connects with the library and the university
• curate collections that reflect the diversity of humankind and indigenous knowledge systems. The Mohammed bin Rashid Library and its Treasures of the Library is a testimony to the development of Arabic thought, penmanship and literature. The panel discussion highlighted the efforts to develop a culture of reading in the UAE and the efforts, through the Wikimedia project, to raise the visibility and profile of Arab writers and literature.
• proactively address global priorities as embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and societal challenges that restrict personal freedoms and perpetuate the violation of human rights. Ragil Tri Atmi of Airlangga University, Indonesia how through the adoption of libraries by the Govt of Indonesia as places of social inclusion to improve the quality of life of local communities in support of the SDGs coupled with the introduction of a course in entrepreneurship within a redefined library and information studies curriculum, libraries and librarians are making a difference and demonstrating their relevance to local communities.
• make the right of access to information a reality by understanding where and how information is produced, who controls the flow of information and how to connect people to information for solutions and decision-making. At the core of this are the professional ethics that underpin practice, which are crucial to position us as trusted professionals. This is reinforced by the CILIP seven ethical principles which guide the behaviours and conduct of members as trusted information  professionals. These are:
  • human rights, equalities and diversity, and the equitable treatment of users and colleagues
  • public benefit and the advancement of the wider good of our profession to society
  • preservation and continuity of access to knowledge
  • intellectual freedom, including freedom from censorship
  • impartiality and the avoidance of inappropriate bias
  • confidentiality of information provided by clients or users and the rights of all individuals to privacy
  • information skills and information literacy

Posters are a highly effective visual representation of a project, service, or a product. 

It’s a creative way of capturing the attention of a target audience, convey key information and engender a response. The eleven poster presentations at this Conference addressed the efforts towards developing capable citizens and how services are being adapted to synergise with digital transformation and new skills required to navigate information overload. The posters showcased the excellent work being done by librarians and their interpretation of new trends (digital skills transformation, AI and robot-mediated outreach, citizen science), application and use of new tools such as LinkedIn Learning towards developing capable citizens. It also demonstrated the adaptability of librarians to new demands and conditions as seen with the review of information literacy instruction and revision of information provision, harnessing social media as a marketing tool and making connections with users, enhancing research visibility and revamping spaces to suit user needs. Information and digital literacies have emerged as a priority amongst most libraries hence I would recommend broader participation in the IATUL SIG-IL so that a global exchange of best practices may be facilitated.

The questions to ponder are:

• To what extent are our libraries socially inclusive places?
• How do we create socially inclusive spaces?
• How are we contributing to the realization of the SDGs?
• What is in place to equip our staff to transition from information managers to information leaders?
• To what extent are librarians involved in communities of practice so that benchmarking and best practices are embedded in practice?
• What are our contributions towards developing capable citizens and their ability to use information ethically?

In a world of rapid digital transformation with significant advancements in machine learning (the most recent being ChatGPT) and the uptake in the use of such technologies, Aaron Tay (Librarian and Lead, Data Services, Singapore Management University) speculates to what extent the use of such technologies will impact the quality of learning. 

Will an over-reliance on summaries lead to superficial learning? Are we creating a generation of people who have low levels of understanding and/or critical thinking? He surmises that in the face of the potential power and creativity of ChatGPT users need to be educated in the use of such tools and to be made aware of the weaknesses of generative AI. He further affirms the importance of deep expertise to ascertain the impact of such tools on the generation of fake news and the long-term effects in the use of such technologies. Given the core competencies of librarianship, the prevalence of these technologies in the learning environment creates opportunities for new roles and responsibilities for academic librarians.

“Be the human in the room” said Sallyann Della Casa (Founder and Chief Identity Hacker of GLEAC). What are the feelings that arise when confronted with new technologies and having to introduce innovations in the library? Instead of giving in to fear, uncertainty or feeling threatened, she advised library leaders and managers to adopt an explorer mindset towards tools that may seem intimidating at first but could become the basis of new ways of learning and engagement. Seize the moment to embrace new roles for greater effectiveness with a mix of qualifications.  Be the driver to engage with disruptors as they begin to challenge our core business. Be a co-creator with users for new services and spaces so that feelings associated with the library innovations are enhanced positively. In a highly competitive world understand the business model of libraries and its place within a changing higher education landscape. As the advancing digital context within which we function tend to create new distances, Della Casa recommended the importance of human interaction with users and creating spaces (recording studios) and opportunities in the library where our human stories are shared and preserved such as podcasts.  Be creative in embracing the use of digital technologies to foster closer connections as human beings.

She further posed the following questions:

• What is the business model of libraries?
• As a librarian, what is your mindset towards your practice?
• What are the metrics used to measure innovation?
• How has your library changed to meet user demands and needs?
• What is in place to foster greater human interaction and creativity in your library?

The challenges of the last few years have confirmed that the world within which we function is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA), as asserted by Dr Shirlene Neerputh (University of the Western Cape, South Africa). 

While it may have challenged library leadership differently depending on their regional contexts, Diane Jobs (University of Birmingham) asserts library decision makers have had to become “forward thinkers” to focus on the sustainability of library services as well as practice. It has increasingly become evident, through shared narratives, that the focus on strategic development and management of library services and collections has strengthened the academic library’s ability to support the teaching, learning and research endeavours of the university. The seamless transition to during and continuance after the global lockdown as a virtual library service have demonstrated the sophisticated technologically enabled environments within which we function and our ability to free ourselves from being defined by the physical building. The resilience and adaptability of practice in the face of crises have all contributed to positioning the academic library as a trusted partner and collaborator within the university.

While the University of Cape Town Libraries was coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s renowned Jagger Library, which housed significant Africana collections was destroyed by fire on 18 April 2021. A secondary disaster, the flooding of the basements which housed primary manuscript and audio-visual collections, was precipitated by the water used to douse the fire. Ujala Satgoor (University of Cape Town, South Africa) shared the salvage and disaster recovery efforts undertaken and the lessons learnt from this experience. Given the nature and scale of the disaster:

• Time is of the essence
• Decisive and diffused leadership – focus on the goal
• Strategic thinking and planning – disaster management and recovery should be guided by available international resources IIFLA, NEDCC)
• Business continuity of other aspects of the library
• Bring in the experts – salvage, preservation and conservation, and project management
• Stakeholder relations – staff, institutional, sectoral, national, alumni and donors
• Communication – centralized, clarity of message and a designated spokesperson
• A systems (integrated) approach and a team mindset
• Values – respect, integrity, trust, honesty, empathy and professionalism

The emotional health and well-being of staff and creating an organizational culture that embraces a renewed humanity premised on care, kindness and compassion emerged as a priority for library leadership during crises. This gives us the opportunity to interpret “being the human in the room” differently so that libraries become people-enriched institutions.

While we acknowledge the strength of library leadership across the globe, we cannot ignore the concerns about how regional politics and governance impacts professional consortia, and how the differentiation between local and foreign practitioners precludes the structured organisation of practitioners for continuing professional development. The mobility of non-resident library managers and professionals impacts the stability of the sector in the absence of a critical mass of local practitioners. And so how can the power of the collective, irrespective of citizenship, be harnessed to strengthen librarianship to promote democracy, inclusivity, diversity, transformation, and sustainability? Lisa Lamont and Scott Walter (San Diego State University) demonstrated how the library’s strategic plan actively guided transborder partnerships and collaborations with cultural heritage organisations and faculties for learning and scholarship on the indigenous languages of California, Mexico and Latin America. Gaby Wong (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) strongly recommends the introduction of systems and strategies for developing the leadership skills of academic librarians so that staff may realise their potential and contribute to the library’s performance, effectiveness, innovation, agility, and adaptability. However, this is dependent on available learning opportunities and the personal motivation to go this route. Training programmes, work experiences, social interactions and relations, and self-learning are the keys ways in which leadership development happens. The impact of leadership development enables a diffusion of leadership across a continuously evolving academic library and shifts leadership from being positional to situational for greater meaningfulness and relevance.  

She poses the questions:

• How do librarians build leadership skills in your institution?
• What can library directors do to help their staff develop leadership skills?

Most academic libraries at research intensive universities include impact and surfacing research as part of their mandates. This includes being active advocates for Open Science, developing partnerships with the institution’s research community and management of the institutional and data repositories for access to institutional research outputs and curated research data, as well as creating measures to track and evaluate research outputs and its impact. Kineret Ben-Knaan, Elizabeth Gushee and Angela Clark (University of Miami) shared the development and implementation of Scholarship@Miami, their centralized research information management system (RIMS). Although its implementation took several years and at times a challenge to maintain continued support of leadership and engagement with researchers, by shifting towards an integration of curated research data, scholarly outputs and researcher profiles, Scholarship@Miami has become more effective and impactful. This is an excellent example of librarians understanding the research landscape and locating the library within the research life cycle.

Emily Choynowski (Forum for Open Research, MENA) and Nayanthara S (Central University of Tamil Nadu, India) shared their regional perspectives in planning and supporting the advancement of Open Science policies and practices in research libraries and higher education institutions across the Arab world and measuring India’s progress in adopting Open Science against the Open Science Monitoring Indicators. While India has made tremendous progress with its policies and adoption of Open Science, with 43/50 data repositories being open and 85% of 105 repositories indexed in Open DOAR being institutional repositories, the efforts in the Arab world to promote openness amongst institutions may be challenged by language, the levels of awareness, policies, capacity, and funding. These challenges may be ameliorated by a common understanding of Open Science and its related language, collaborations and partnerships, supporting policies, infrastructure development, capacity building (human and digital), accessible resources and funding. Although Zayed University Library is an advocate for Open Access, and hosts OERs and the institutional repository, Lekoko Kenosi (Zayed University) highlighted that the University archives functions on authorized access basis and is governed by national security and legislation, copyright, protection of personal information, and donor/loan agreements, given the classified nature of the materials held in the archives.

The Virtual Reading Room (VRR) project is a unique collaborative and pilot initiative between the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne. Donna McRostie (University of Melbourne) and Lisa McIntosh (University of Sydney) describe VRR as a successful reference and teaching service that provides “human-mediated remote digital access to collections for research and learning” by using high-resolution cameras and video conference technology in one-on-one online sessions. This service was initiated as a response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to remotely access special collections. This service opens accessibility to rare materials and collections that haven’t been digitized, removes the need to travel or by those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to do so. It also enhances the potential for global collaborations around special collections.

For many delegates the opportunity to attend an international conference is contingent upon presenting a paper or poster. Hence desktop research is undertaken which may not have a direct bearing on services or be incorporated into existing services within their institution. Therefore, this research should be modified to be more meaningful so that it benefits the profession, home institutions or individual practitioners. 

The role of academic libraries and the competencies of librarians are being challenged and guided by the changing research landscape, the need for social inclusion and connecting to local communities. By actively engaging with and training students we are developing capable citizens and giving effect to the continuum of lifelong learning, digital equity and empowering communities.

The 43rd Annual IATUL Conference succeeded in showcasing best and innovative practice, as well as challenging our assumptions. It was a quality conference that drew a wealth of experience from around the world and exposed delegates to the art of the possible when the restrictive boundaries of our thinking are removed.