Welcome to the March 2025 LIBER Mailing
This mailing is sent directly to LIBER Libraries and is posted publicly on the LIBER website. Please feel free to share this mailing with others.
Dear participants, members and friends of LIBER,
Welcome to the March 2025 LIBER Mailing.
This is the first LIBER Mailing of 2025, an issue where you will find many exciting updates and news that will unfold throughout the year, including the Executive Board Elections, Emerging Leaders Programme, Annual Conference, and more.
As announced to LIBER Participants in early January, the refocus of our Association’s activities will gradually take shape over the course of the year. During this transitional phase, we remain committed to our current projects, collaborations, events, and trainings – continuing the core work of LIBER. To prioritise this, the next LIBER Winter Event will not take place in 2025. For our core community to still meet in person this year, we warmly welcome all members to join us at the Annual Conference in Lausanne this July.
With the changing research and science landscape in Europe, it’s more vital than ever for research libraries to stay closely connected and continue their valuable work. During this time, we thank all our members and broader network for their unwavering support and look forward to all activities and collaborations ahead.
Kind regards,
Anja Smit
LIBER Secretary General
WELCOMING OUR NEW MEMBERS
LIBER is thrilled to introduce its newest participants to the network. In the past months, we have welcomed:
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Panteion University Library and Information Center, Athens, Greece
- University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedicine and Health Library, Rijeka, Croatia
- Centre de l’Information Scientifique HES-SO (CISO), Carouge, Switzerland
- Masaryk University, Institute of Computer Science, Czech Republic
CALL FOR NOMINATION’S TO LIBER’S EXECUTIVE BOARD
Candidates have until 16 May 2025 to submit their nomination to join the LIBER Executive Board.
This year, LIBER is looking for 4 passionate librarians who want to take their professional development to the next level and become a member of the LIBER Executive Board. By serving on our Executive Board, you will
- Be part of a dynamic and active group of library professionals, who are committed to furthering the work of research libraries across Europe.
- Have a key say in setting LIBER’s strategic priorities, advising on, and advancing the work of the association.
- Network, exchange best-practices, and share your expertise with library leaders within Europe and globally.
- Gain hands-on experience with strategic planning, budget-setting, and reporting.
Being on the Board is a fantastic way to make new connections and grow professionally. In accordance with the Statutes and the Rules and Regulations of the LIBER (Stichting) Foundation, appointments are due to be made at the Meeting of Participants (i.e., Annual General Meeting) in July 2025, for the following vacancies on the LIBER Executive Board:
Four new LIBER Board members
LIBER Executive Board Members serve a 4-year term and can be reappointed once. LIBER Board Members are active in several roles, such as Steering Committee Chair for one of LIBER’s strategic goals.
In 2025, the role of Treasurer of LIBER will become vacant. After the elections, the Executive Board will seek to fulfil this role within the then Executive Board Members. Candidates with affinity with finances and business acumen are therefore very welcome to apply.
Three seats will be available for election by LIBER Participants, and one will be appointed by the current LIBER Executive Board. The elections will take place during LIBER Annual Conference 2025 in Lausanne, Switzerland. More details on the voting process will follow in the May 2025 Quarterly Mailing.
LIBER aims to be inclusive, representing Participating Libraries and Organisations in all geographical regions of Europe. Nominees from areas that are not represented in the LIBER Board are invited and therefore particularly welcome.
Nomination process
Board Members Appointments to the LIBER Executive Board are open to nominated candidates in all current LIBER Libraries in the Institution and Organisation categories. Candidates may be proposed by the nominee’s home library or by another LIBER Library. The consent of the candidate should be obtained by the proposer in all cases before a nomination is submitted. Candidates from current LIBER Libraries can also nominate themselves with the support of a proposer.
Completed nominations on the Nomination Form should be returned to the Secretary-General by email (anja.smit@dans.knaw.nl). The closing date for Nominations is Friday, 16 May 2025.
The LIBER Executive Board welcomes candidate nominations from libraries in countries in all parts of Europe and from younger candidates.
Questions? If you have any questions about this call, please send your inquiry to anja.smit@dans.knaw.nl.
CALL FOR MENTORS – EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAMME
Are you looking to make a difference in the library community? Become a LIBER mentor and share your expertise with the next generation of library leaders.
LIBER’s Emerging Leader Programme offers a unique opportunity for established European academic and research library directors to mentor promising librarians.
- Engage in regular discussions throughout the year, support and advise the mentee in navigating challenges and objectives to step up for the next stage in their career.
- Welcome the mentee for a one-week immersive placement in your library, where they will shadow your work and observe leadership strategies in action.
Interested in becoming a LIBER mentor? Read the full call and get in touch with a LIBER representative today by contacting us through an open application at calls@libereurope.org.
Meeting of Participants 2025: How to Vote
All Participants from the Institution and Organisation categories are welcome to vote on issues to be discussed at the Meeting of Participants, taking place on Thursday 3 July 2025 during the Annual Conference. Participants unable to vote in person at the Annual Conference can vote by proxy. The application form to do so can be found here.
If you are the official representative of your organisation and have the right to vote, please indicate this in the registration form for the 2025 LIBER Annual Conference. You will receive your voting slips at the registration desk.
Supportive Membership Programme
In 2025, 21 libraries stepped forward for the Supportive Membership Fee (SMF) Programme. These contributions included an additional premium, replacing the standard membership fee.
These outstanding contributions support the work of LIBER and enable us to carry on our mission in fostering a powerful research library network in Europe and enhancing the work of library and information professionals across our community. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all institutions that took part in this year’s campaign.
Stay tuned for the Supportive Membership Programme 2026!
We’re pleased to announce that the SMF Programme will return for the year 2026. We hear our Participants’ wishes, as voiced at the Meeting of Participants 2024, and will launch the campaign earlier than previous years. This way, you can opt for Supportive LIBER Membership as early as June 2025. More details will follow in the coming months.
LIBER Annual Conference 2025 in Lausanne
We’re happy to announce that registrations for the LIBER 2025 Annual Conference taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland, are now open.
Book your tickets today and join us at the Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire Lausanne in Lausanne, from the 2-4 July 2025. This year’s conference is themed ‘Engage, collaborate, innovate: libraries working to address global challenges’.
- Early Bird Registration: Open until 15 April 2025
- Standard Registration: Open until 31 May 2025
For details on how to register, visit the LIBER 2025 website registration page. Do you have questions about the registration process? Contact liber2025@vitalis-events.com.
We look forward to welcoming you to #LIBER2025!
Executive Board Minutes
At their February 2025 meeting, the LIBER Executive Board formally approved the Minutes of the October 2024 Executive Board meetings, published here. The Minutes of the February Executive Board meetings are expected to be approved in July 2025.
If you have any queries about the content of this mailing, or if there is any further information that we can provide, please contact us at liber@libereurope.org.
Kind regards,
Anja Smit
Secretary-General
LIBER EUROPE
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