Welcome to the November 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 November 2025 LIBER Mailing, our final member update of the year. We would like to thank all our members for their participation and contributions throughout the past year, whether through Working Groups, trainings, events, or many of our other activities.

Although there is still some time left before the year concludes, we’re already looking ahead. 2026 promises to be an event-filled year, including our 55th Annual Conference in Trondheim, Norway, the continuation of our leadership programmes: the Emerging Leaders Programme Cohort 7 will complete, and the fifth LIBER Journées will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. In early May, the LIBER LAG Seminar will return, this time hosted in Dublin, Ireland. And there is one more special event planned for later in the year, be sure to read to the end of this mailer for the Save the Date!

Alongside these events and trainings, we’re also excited to deepen our engagement with member libraries, with exciting initiatives on the horizon. With such a packed programme ahead, we encourage you to follow LIBER news and stay connected on our social media channels for all upcoming updates. We look forward to welcoming you to the activities ahead.

Kind regards,

Anja Smit
LIBER Secretary General

WELCOMING OUR NEW MEMBERS
LIBER is thrilled to introduce its newest participant to the network. In the past month, we have welcomed:

• National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance, Sports (INSEP) Library, Paris, France

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE WORLD OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES?

Nominations for the LIBER Executive Board are now open!

In 2026, LIBER is looking for 3 passionate librarians who want to take their professional development to the next level and become 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 2026, for the following vacancies on the LIBER Executive Board:

Three new LIBER Board Members  

LIBER Executive Board Members serve a 2-year term and can be reappointed twice. LIBER Board Members are active in several roles, such as Steering Committee Chair for one of LIBER’s strategic goals.

LIBER aims to be inclusive, representing Participating Libraries and Organisations in all geographical regions of Europe. Nominees from areas which are not represented in the LIBER Board are invited and therefore particularly welcome.

The role of Vice-President will become vacant in 2026. Following the Statutes, Rules and Regulations of LIBER, the current LIBER Executive Board can appoint a Vice-President from among its members. For the year 2026, this role will be appointed by the current LIBER Executive Board, and hence the candidate will not be selected from the 2026 nominated candidates.

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 Anja Smit by email (anja.smit@dans.knaw.nl). The closing date for Nominations is Friday, 8 May 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Please note that the LIBER Executive Board welcomes candidate nominations from libraries in countries in all parts of Europe and from younger candidates.

If you have any questions about this call, please send your inquiry to anja.smit@dans.knaw.nl.

MEMBERSHIP FEES 2026

The LIBER Annual Contribution Fees for 2026 have been reviewed and proposed at the Meeting of Participants during the Annual Conference in July 2025. Please find the fees for the year 2026 here.

VACANCY: LIBER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LIBER is seeking an Executive Director to coordinate and implement our strategic actions, manage the LIBER Office, and LIBER Foundation, and advocate for our research library members at the European level. This position is a critical member of the organisation helping to make LIBER more visible, and to stimulate, inspire, and co-ordinate our activities.

The candidate will take over the role from the current Executive Director Martine Pronk who will leave LIBER in the end of February 2026 to begin a new role as Head Librarian of Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

Help us spread the word! Share the vacancy with your network and those who may be interested to apply. The position is open to candidates based in the Netherlands. Read the full description and learn how to apply here.

LIBER JOURNÉES FOR LIBRARY DIRECTORS 2026 – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

We invite participants to the fifth Journées for Library Directors, taking place from 27-29 May 2026 at the Copenhagen University Library/Royal Danish Library in Denmark. This highly rated development programme, themed ‘Charting the Future? Strategic leadership of research libraries,‘ is designed to senior library leaders who are looking ahead at delivering strategic change in their libraries.

The application deadline is 15 December 2025. For more information about the seminar and the application process, see the LIBER Journées 2026 website.

LIBER 2026: TRONDHEIM, NORWAY – CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The 55th LIBER Annual Conference will be held on 1-3 July 2026 at the NTNU University Library in Trondheim, Norway. The theme of the 2026 Conference is: ‘The Power of Libraries in an Uncertain World‘.

Abstract submission is now open, and we extend the invitation for our members to submit a proposal – presentation, workshop, poster, or panel session – that fits this year’s theme.

You can read the full call for proposals here. The deadline for submissions is midnight (23:59 CET) on Monday, 5 January 2026.

LIBER ANNUAL CONFERENCE: CALL FOR A HOST

Could your library be the stage for an upcoming LIBER Annual Conference? The search is on and we’re looking for hosts for 2028 and beyond to bring together Europe’s research librarians and information professionals.

Have questions or want to express interest in hosting our field-leading research library conference? Please contact LIBER Executive Director Martine Pronk by email (martine.pronk@libereurope.org).

LIBER ARCHITECTURE SEMINAR 2026

The 22nd LIBER Architecture Seminar will be held on 6-8 May 2026 at Technological University Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. The theme of the seminar is ‘Invest – Involve – Inspire: Shaping the next generation of Library Buildings‘.

Visit the official website for full seminar information, now including the newly posted keynote speaker biographies. And don’t forget to follow our channels, registration news will be announced later this year.

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