Attendees at an OpenAthens event

Access Lab 2023: Call for speakers

31 October 2022 • Laura Bloomfield, senior event manager

Access Lab 2023 call for speakers is now live! If you would like to join our leading industry conference to discuss challenges and opportunities across the globe, send us your proposal by Friday 25 November 2022. 

Are you a publisher or a librarian? Would you like the opportunity to discuss your challenges, with your peers and find solutions that could make your life easier? We are looking for speakers for Access Lab 2023 and you could be ‘the one’. 

What is Access Lab?

Access Lab is our international conference, which takes place each year in March. Over the past five years, libraries, providers and library users have been meeting at our annual event to discuss challenges facing the information industry. The conference explores industry developments, provides real life case studies and holds topical panel discussions where you get the chance to ask the questions.

Our focus for 2023

We know Access Lab generates interest globally, so we want to help you join from wherever you are. This year we will be holding two online events at different times to allow maximum participation from all around the world. We know online doesn’t suit everyone, so we will also be holding in-person regional forums to build connections, learn from your community and find practical takeaways. Keep your eyes peeled for dates and further information which will be released soon! 

Why should you attend Access Lab?

Libraries and providers continuously face challenges and barriers in accessing knowledge. As a result, you may need to seek advice and guidance from peers and experts within the industry. Access Lab provides a safe space to share learnings, discuss and debate. The conference also has a great reputation for panel debates, which have previously covered topics such as; user privacy, the importance of data, and cookies. Publishers, providers and library professionals will also share knowledge and highlight a variety of case studies from around the world.  

Best publisher UX award 2023

At the conference, we will also be announcing the winner of the OpenAthens 2023 best publisher user experience award.

The award puts the spotlight on publishers who put users at the heart of their service design. All with the simple aim of providing easy access to content. The deadline for publishers to enter the awards is 18 November 2022.

Join as a speaker

You can submit proposals for plenary talks, panel debates, roundtable discussions and case studies. The following topics are suitable: 

  • Customer experience
  • Sustainability
  • Moving away from IP Proxy
  • Resource management and reporting
  • Library systems integration
  • Software and platform migration
  • Library digital strategy, processes, plans and budgets
  • Data and infrastructure

Get inspired to speak at Access Lab 2023 by watching our Access Lab 2022 sessions.

Man at event listening to speaker