LIBER Welcomes New President: Giannis Tsakonas of Library & Information Centre, University of Patras
At LIBER’s 55th Annual Conference, Dr. Giannis Tsakonas, Director of the Library & Information Centre of the University of Patras, was appointed as the Association’s 14th President.
The president serves in the LIBER Executive Board, along with the Vice-President, Secretary General, Treasurer, and other Executive Board members, elected by LIBER Participants. After serving as LIBER’s Vice President for four years (2022-2026), a role in which he also chaired the Conference Programme Committee, Giannis assumed the presidency for a two-year term.
Over the coming years, strengthening our Association and its members will be a key priority, alongside positioning them strategically in discussions that shape our future. By the end of this term, LIBER will have developed a new strategy grounded in the real needs of research, education, and society, ensuring that research libraries remain central to the vital processes of cohesion, growth, and innovation.
Dr. Giannis Tsakonas
In the role, Giannis succeeds Julien Roche, Director of Libraries and Learning Centre at the University of Lille, France, who served as LIBER President from 2022-2026. Julien has been a long-standing Executive Board member, serving on the board in various roles for the past 16 years.
New Executive Board Members
Following the 2026 Executive Board Elections, three new members have been elected by the LIBER membership. The elections took place during the Meeting of Participants at the LIBER Annual Conference 2026 in Trondheim. The new members of our governing Executive Board include:
- Katja Hilska-Keinänen, Director of Services, National Library of Finland
- Liz Jolly, University Librarian, University College Cork
- Salomé Rohr, Scientific lnformation Service Group Leader, CERN
We warmly welcome our new Executive Board members and thank all candidates who took part in the nomination and election process. Our deepest gratitude goes to the Board members who finished their terms in 2026: Julien Roche, Cécile Swiatek Cassafieres, Dr. Adam Sofronijević, and Sara Lammens.