Rob Johnson, Research Consulting (and Chair, UKSG)
Back in 1975, John Merriman went to see his boss, Richard Blackwell, with an idea. He had noticed that nobody ever ‘thought, taught or published anything about periodicals’ and that serials librarians ‘never met together… and never talked to each other’. His idea was to put some of these librarians together in a room with a group of publishers and get them to ‘discuss the important issues of the day’.
The guest speaker at that very first conference was, somewhat inauspiciously, Robert Maxwell – famous at the time for building an academic publishing empire, but latterly for committing spectacular financial fraud. So I found it particularly gratifying to read Merriman’s account of that first meeting, in which he notes that a ‘very tough periodicals librarian’ from the University of Sheffield gave Maxwell ‘hell all the way through the lunch about his pricing policy’.
I love that story, not because – I hasten to add – Maxwell is in any way representative of the publishers in our community, but because it illustrates UKSG’s commitment to open conversation and robust debate about the key issues facing the information community.
That first conference led to the formation in York, on 10-12 April 1978, of UKSG as we know it now. It established many traditions that have persisted since that time – the quiz, dancing and late night drinks will be familiar to anyone who’s attended one of our annual conferences. Others, like the conference song and choir (sample refrain: ‘…wherever you are and wherever you be, UKSG is the conference for me’) are perhaps best consigned to history.
Yet as we approach our 50th conference in 2027, what strikes me most is how little the subjects of debate have fundamentally changed, even if the language has evolved. Few people today still talk about ‘serials’ or ‘periodicals’, but the financial sustainability of academic journals is as acute a concern as ever. Automation of the information supply chain, resource sharing, the flow of information from producer to user – these are still live challenges in the era of open access and artificial intelligence, and they show why UKSG is just as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.
Investing in our people
UKSG has always been about people and the relationships we enable. As a Board, we have been reflecting carefully on how to make the most of this very special anniversary, and I want to give you a foretaste of what you can expect from UKSG next year, closing with a request for your help.
If UKSG’s first fifty years have been about building a strong community, my hope is that our fiftieth can be an opportunity for widening it. That’s why we’re delighted to expand the number of Sponsored Places for the Annual Conference and Exhibition available for 2027. These places are designed to open doors for students and early career professionals, individuals who have not previously had the opportunity to attend the conference, and those who can bring valuable perspectives that are currently underrepresented within our sector.
Looking to the future is just as important as celebrating our past and so we’re launching a special anniversary initiative: the UKSG Future Leaders Award. This new award will recognise and champion individuals who embody UKSG’s values and have the potential to shape the future of scholarly communications, knowledge sharing, and information management. Our Future Leaders will be celebrated at the conference and given a platform to share their ideas, ambitions, and vision for the future of the sector.
And finally, COUNTER is donating the entire July 2027 cohort of its COUNTER Academy education programme to UKSG members. This gesture serves as a way for COUNTER to give back to the community in recognition of UKSG’s pivotal role in COUNTER’s foundation in 2003.
Further details on how to apply for Sponsored Places and nominate candidates for the UKSG Future Leaders Award will be announced soon, and we’ll let you know how you can apply for one of the 25 free spaces on COUNTER’s popular 16-week training programme early next year.
UKSG Insights and autumn conference
Lorraine Estelle and Steve Sharp, the indefatigable co-editors of our journal, Insights, have convened a dedicated Editorial Board to curate an Insights Anniversary edition on the theme of Trust in Scholarship. For me, trust is the defining issue we face as an information community, and so I’m delighted our anniversary issue will be engaging with it closely. AI-generated content, changing discovery pathways, research integrity and the increasing fragility of the scholarly record are pressing concerns that we all need to be aware of in our day-to-day work. Trust is a theme we will also be taking up in this year’s autumn conference, running over four afternoons during the week commencing 30 November 2026 (UK time).
UKSG regional events
Our 50th annual conference will be very special, but we know that budgets are tight right now and that only a small section of our community will be able to attend in person. UKSG started with meetings of fewer than 100 people, in person, in university lecture theatres and publisher venues, up and down the country, and I’d like our anniversary year to do the same. So alongside the conference, we are planning a programme of UKSG50 regional events through 2027: half-day gatherings, hosted by members, at venues across the UK. The idea is simple, and it flips our usual model on its head. You normally come to us. In our 50th year, we’d like to come to you.
UKSG will cover the costs, hosts provide a venue and a warm welcome, and we will create the programme together. We already have wonderful hosts lined up in the South East, the East, and the East Midlands, but a truly national celebration needs more. In particular, we are looking for hosts in the South West and Wales, the North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
This is where you come in. If your library, your press, or your organisation would like to put your part of the country on the UKSG50 map, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can register your interest through our Expression of Interest form: https://www.uksg.org/uksg-at-50/uksg50-regional-events-call-for-expressions-of-interest-to-host/.
Fifty years ago, UKSG started because one person thought people who never talked to each other really ought to. That instinct still serves us well and I’m excited that we will be spending 2027 acting on it in many different ways.