A warm welcome to Access Lab 2026, with an overview of what’s in store at this year’s event and what attendees can look forward to.

Jon Bentley, Commercial director, OpenAthens

The Director of research at the Royal Northern College of Music, will welcome attendees to the venue and open the day’s program.

Wiebke Thormählen, Director of research, Royal Northern College of Music

A session with the OpenAthens Product & UX team looking at the work undertaken across our products in 2025. From usability work and technical improvements to exciting new projects, find out what we have been doing in the past year and what is on the cards for 2026.

Richard French, Senior product manager, OpenAthens

Ian Wareing, Senior product manager, OpenAthens

Who will win our 2026 UX Award? Our two finalists have worked hard to show our judges the effort and thought behind their user experience projects, but there can only be one winner!

Michael Smith, Senior marketing officer, OpenAthens

This session will explore how librarians can leverage data insights from the OpenAthens administrator console to identify and support students who may be struggling. Drawing on case studies from institutions such as UNC Charlotte and Anglia Ruskin University, we will examine AI-powered research tools that can help deliver targeted support. The session will also discuss how libraries can develop practical interventions for at-risk students while addressing the challenges and limitations of the AI-powered resources that are currently available for the academic market.

David Leffler, Discovery & Access Librarian, Liberty University

A chance to use and test a variety of publisher and OpenAthens products. Whether you’re a service provider hoping to get real life user feedback, or a librarian wanting to stress test new products this session is for you. This will be a live “guerilla” testing session where anyone can drop in and take part in a user test. It’s a great way to get feedback from in person users and find out what they really need.

Sarah Underwood, UX designer, OpenAthens

This session examines how the University of Johannesburg balances open access and privacy using secure repository workflows and SAML authentication, supporting ethical research sharing for librarians, repository managers, and information professionals.

Mutali Lithole, Institution repository manager, University of Johannesburg

Unlock smoother access with OpenAthens in this insightful panel session. Hear practical tips, smart integration tricks, and real-world advice from OpenAthens specialists and library practitioners who work with the service every day. Bring your questions and get the insider guidance you need to make your OpenAthens setup seamless!