LIBER’s 2017 Year In Review

In 2017, LIBER worked with some 430 research libraries to fulfill our mission of Enabling World Class Research. We shared knowledge, inspired library leaders and improved access to information.

It was a year for new initiatives

• Launching our 2018-2022 Strategy: Powering Sustainable Knowledge in the Digital Age
• Starting a new Working Group for Digital Humanities & Digital Cultural Heritage
• Publishing 5 Principles for Open Access Negotiations With Publishers

It was a year of being active

• Pushing for library-friendly copyright reform by speaking at the European Parliament, calling for a TDM Exception and outlining Four Essential Points for Copyright Reform. We also earned a spot on Politico’s Copyright Power Matrix!
• Inspiring library directors at our LIBER Journées leadership course in Paris.
• Running Open Science Cafés and publishing a Do-it-yourself Open Science Café Toolkit, as part of our activities in 9 funded projects.

And a year to notch up some impressive numbers

• 3,900 downloads of our Research Data Services survey
• 17 new LIBER libraries. Welcome to Aalto University Learning Centre, Bocconi University Library, Charles University Library, De Montfort University, German National Library of Medicine, Gdansk University, Hellenic Open University, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Loughborough University, Märlardalen University Library, National Library of Spain, Nicosia University, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Södertörn University, University Library in Bratislava and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
• 149 volunteers on our Working Groups, Steering Committees and Executive Board. Thank you for all your dedication!
• 330 people at LIBER 2017 in Patras. We hope to see you again in Lille for LIBER 2018!
• And over 100 selfies taken at the Annual Conference.

That wasn’t all. We ran webinars, published a FAIR Data factsheet, endorsed the European Open Science Cloud Declaration and signed new Memoranda of Understanding with CLARIN ERIC and DARIAH-EU. Our team also evolved with the arrival of a new Executive Director, Secretary-General and two Executive Board members.

Thanks to everyone in the LIBER community for your support and hard work in 2017, and here’s to more great collaboration this year.