15 January 2026
Lorna Goudie, Acquisitions Coordinator (Collections & Archives Team), Edgehill University
Reflecting on the UKSG conference, I’m struck by what an incredible experience it was. I’m still working through all the notes taken, freebies received, resources signposted, and returning to conversations had with delegates and suppliers. I’d encourage anyone thinking of applying for the John Merriman Award in future to go for it, as I was delighted to find out my application had been successful and remain grateful for the opportunity to attend.
Any trepidation I might have felt on attending my first UKSG conference soon dispersed at the first timers’ gathering, where I was fortunate to meet some lovely individuals. It was great to encounter librarians holding different positions in institutions across the globe and gain insight into the challenges facing them in their roles. A laugh was shared when I found myself in conversation with two individuals from Liverpool Hope University and University of Manchester. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the geographical proximity of our institutions that caused us to find each other in an unfamiliar territory! The longer we talked, it transpired that we all had areas of commonality in our job roles and were all attending the conference on scholarships too. After connecting so easily, I’m hopeful the location of our workplaces will help us to facilitate visits to each other’s institutions to assist with knowledge exchange and benchmarking. Making new connections was a definite highlight for me, as was catching up with colleagues from past roles and institutions. As conference veterans they were great at introducing me to new people, whilst keen to ensure I wasn’t too overwhelmed – thankfully I wasn’t! The jury’s out on a collective noun for librarians, but whatever we’re calling a group of information professionals I can testify that the UKSG crowd undoubtedly hold a friendly and welcoming space to be in.
Prior to the conference I acknowledged in my scholarship application that the challenge with AI is that we need to be proactive as opposed to reactive, and yet it’s hard to prepare for something so fast paced. Whilst we have a working group within our department, for those of us not involved, AI can remain an abstract and intimidating concept. I was therefore especially keen to attend the AI Plenary. I loved that in response to a question about what we can do about AI, Leo Lo’s response was to upskill library workers. He went on to say that there’s not as much gain from webinars, and whether you’re for or against AI, it’s wise to get some AI literacy and then your arguments will be stronger. I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment as despite attending webinars on AI, I haven’t found them to significantly improve my understanding. Similarly, I really welcomed Kate O’Riordan’s assertion that ‘we can’t control the future, but we can control how we behave’, as it rails against the inclination to bury our heads in the sand, and I think it could be helpful to apply this sentiment to all walks of life, both professional and personal. I felt so strongly about this phrase I shared it with my team on returning to the office. Whether we’re talking about AI or life in general, it’s a good way of looking at things. Further to this plenary, I found that informally chatting to colleagues from other institutions about AI really helped to reduce my imposter syndrome as I encountered a diverse range of attitudes to it, with some more on board and confident about it than others.
I especially welcomed the Plenary on ‘Empowering Neurodivergent Staff, Learners and Researchers.’ Whilst I don’t currently have any diagnosis of neurodivergence, I found Caroline Ball’s, Andrew Walsh’s and Jo Fitzpatrick’s narratives highly relatable. Their references to feeling like the world was on ‘hard mode’ and the liberation of getting to work in a different way that suited them in terms of lockdown in the pandemic, were something I have experienced myself. The panel’s assertion that it’s better for design to include everyone, rather than needing to fix things afterwards was insightful, and I think it could really affect improvements for individuals if it were taken on board by institutions designing academic libraries. It’s true that when this is carried out, everyone benefits, it’s just that some benefit more. In terms of this plenary being selected for the conference, I think it’s really encouraging to see neurodivergence represented in a professional context. Personally, whenever I hear neurodivergent experiences shared, they often feel like the norm to me and can therefore be incredibly validating. It’s a reminder that when I jump between tasks, or am easily distracted, or struggle with bright lights in a shared office, I’m not alone. For others who might not relate to these narratives, it’s even more important for them to be heard. I’m fortunate to work in a wonderful team, with compassionate and empathetic colleagues and I often refer to my workplace as ‘a safe space’ and feel comfortable being myself and sharing any concerns or difficulties. I am however aware that this is not guaranteed in every workplace. As such, anything that shines a light on individual differences and increases understanding and awareness is incredibly positive. Being made aware of NLISN and their mission to normalise conversations around neurodivergence is incredibly empowering, and as such I’ve already shared knowledge of this network with my team in the hope it benefits others too.
In terms of the many other sessions I attended, the Cyber Security Plenary was also incredibly insightful to me, and I appreciated the authenticity of Rick Anderson and Heather Young, as they shared their experiences of managing a cyber-attack at their institutions. I was surprised to hear that in one instance, the back end of the library catalogue was still only available off-campus, and in Stuart Maxwell’s session, of the psychological impact of cyber-attacks on staff. Prior to this plenary I think I’d only truly considered a cyber-attack ‘in the moment’, without truly envisaging the long-lasting effects on both staff, service users, and the institution in its entirety. With recent cyber-attacks reported in the media on both Marks and Spencer and the Co-op, I’ve been following them with a fresh perspective gained from the conference. The knowledge shared in relation to responding to cyber-attack in the real world really conveyed the importance of transparency, communication and honesty, and using the theory of the Kubler-Ross Change Curve really helped to map the stages required to manage the response to such an attack. Ultimately the advice for hardening defences and mitigating impacts were some of my most useful takeaways from the conference, and I’ve become much more of an advocate for two-factor authentication!
Of the many Breakout sessions I attended, I enjoyed a wide range of perspectives from different institutions, as presenters shared their experiences in adapting to different processes and software, and making developments. In ‘The Art of the Possible’ I gained some great tips from colleagues at JISC and the University of Leeds on ‘mid-tech and low-cost ways to upgrade your skill set’. I’ve already put some of these into practice, by obtaining a free place on a Cataloguing with Confidence Day and attending with a colleague from my team after seeing it on a mailing list. I also maximised the library community surrounding me, in addition to the training itself, which greatly helped my overall learning experience. Another University of Leeds session that I attended, ‘From Cataloguing and Discovery’, was different to what I was expecting, perhaps because I’d misread the programme! That said, I gained a whole new appreciation for cataloguing in relation to their unique classification systems and special collections, and was also intrigued by their ‘Geek Week’ scheme, where employees can apply for days to undertake training and development, whilst enabling them to devote their full attention to it without being held responsible for email inboxes and usual requirements of their roles. I communicated this initiative back to my team, as although we already have a positive attitude to development, I sometimes find it hard to prioritise independent learning within the confines of a busy job role. On that note, it was good to see Power BI put into practice in the ‘Not just JUSP: Beyond the silos, making datasets sing to each other’ and see how Coventry University are utilising it. Within our team, my colleague is already using Power BI in her role, and having seen it in action, through both shadowing her and this breakout session, I’m keen to get to grips with it myself and use it to analyse our Reading for Pleasure collection. The breakout on Controlled Digital Lending at LSE was also informative, particularly in terms of the practicalities in undertaking this. It was a great opportunity to get lots of questions answered and raise new considerations if we were to carry this out within our team.
Following the conference, I returned to the office feeling energised and inspired. Whilst the three days were action packed with sessions and people to talk to, I found that the time I took to reflect by sitting on the Brighton beach in the sunshine was equally beneficial to me. 10/10 on the conference location! I’ve been following up on the many resources I was introduced to, such as the UKSG podcast, ‘Knowing me, Knowing UKSG’. Catching up on the podcast has confirmed to me that career journeys are very rarely (if ever) linear and has been great for my imposter syndrome! I’ve enjoyed hearing about individuals’ experiences, and gained insight into the career paths they’ve taken, and perhaps the roads less travelled too. I’ve also been reading ‘That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America’ by Amanda Jones. Described as part memoir, part manifesto, written by a Louisiana Librarian, the book shines a light on public libraries and censorship in the US and is an interesting, albeit concerning read. I was grateful to receive this book from Bloomsbury on the last day of the conference and will soon be adding it to our library catalogue. As a result of the conference, I’m more curious than apprehensive about areas I’m less confident about and I’m enjoying exploring where my professional interests lie. I’m making the most of the library community and investing time in CPD alongside my daily role. Having shared knowledge gained at the conference with my team, I’m hopeful I can use takeaways from this experience to improve our practices and examine where processes can be improved upon and made more efficient.
(Editor’s note: applications for the 2026 Merriman Award will open shortly – the winner receives an all-expenses paid trip to UKSG 2026 in Glasgow AND to NASIG 2026, in Wisconsin, USA! Keep an eye out on social media for your opportunity to apply)