27 June 2026
Qwin Saikia, University of Sheffield
The 49th Annual UKSG was held from March 30th to April 1st at the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow. The event welcomed over 700 attendees from around the world, representing backgrounds in publishing, academia, librarianship, and beyond. As for myself, the sponsorship was a privilege for me to dive deep into the knowledge and resources that occur at intersections of all the sectors. I personally had a wonderful experience learning, networking, and staying connected with several people through friendships that have budded since the conference.
I have gathered several takeaways from every session I attended, and I could see that the sessions fell under several themes that are essential for thriving in our respective professional settings. They are collaboration, integrity, leadership, collaboration, inclusivity, creativity, and crisis management.
Collaboration and open learning: As someone actively under the open research umbrella, open education resources (OER) had been a key interest of mine, and three of the sessions I attended mostly emphasised how collaboration helps facilitate open learning.
i) From the perspective of lower-income regions and underfunded institutions – OER was presented as a practical way to widen participation, improve access, and support more inclusive teaching practices. The speakers who were from University of Cape Coast, Ghana emphasised that openness is not only about free content, but also about collaboration, adaptability, and the ability for educators to localise materials for different cultural and institutional contexts. Challenges such as sustainability, digital infrastructure, staff capacity, and quality assurance were also discussed, highlighting that successful OER initiatives require institutional commitment and shared international partnerships.
ii) In light of pedagogy-led ‘Open First’ Learning Resource Approach, Sylla has been found very effective for Coventry University. Dal Badesha who is the Head of Development and Learning spoke about how an “open first” approach was useful to learning resources by prioritising Open Educational Resources (OER) over traditional commercial textbooks. Framed around pedagogy rather than cost-cutting alone, the initiative focused on aligning learning materials directly with module outcomes while preserving academic freedom. Using the Sylla platform, the university mapped OER content to teaching needs, enabling academics and library teams to collaborate more strategically on resource selection. I was particularly inspired by the wider cultural change, showing how executive support, improved workflows, and a stronger openness mindset helped embed OER into everyday teaching practice. Overall, the session positioned open-first resource strategies as a practical way to improve student equity, accessibility, and long-term sustainability in higher education.
iii) I equally enjoyed the session “Assembling an ecosystem around OER publishing, discovery and adoption” that presented how Leeds University Libraries is building a coordinated ecosystem to support Open Educational Resources (OER) through partnerships with Sylla and Pressbooks. The discussion focused on improving the full lifecycle of OERs from creation and publication through to discovery and classroom adoption, so that all students can reliably access the materials on their reading lists. A key theme was equity, with the work grounded in the University’s commitment to the Knowledge Equity Network and its wider goal of open, collaborative knowledge creation. The speakers described how combining platforms and partnerships helps surface high-quality, relevant resources while reducing costs for students and improving efficiency for teaching staff. It definitely helps me build perspectives on the practical side of OER adoption, parallelly ensuring resources are not only open but also discoverable, pedagogically aligned, and easy to integrate into modules.
Integrity: The breakout session ‘Research integrity and open access models: insights from Retraction Watch and OpenAlex’ examined how open scholarly data can support transparency, accountability, and trust in research publishing. The session highlighted the growing importance of research integrity in an environment shaped by increasing publication pressures, paper mills, and retractions. Using data from Retraction Watch and OpenAlex, the presenter Ben Rawlins from the University of Kentucky demonstrated how open datasets can help libraries, publishers, and institutions identify problematic publication patterns and monitor research quality.
Overall, the session emphasised the role of libraries and open scholarship initiatives in promoting ethical research practices, improving data transparency, and strengthening confidence in academic publishing systems. I had several takeaways from the discussion that emphasised the value of open access infrastructure in improving discoverability and enabling more responsible scholarly communication. Participants in the session raised several interesting questions – one of them was curious about how AI is affecting the whole landscape, and the speaker said that AI is like the ‘genie’ who is already out of the bottle and can’t be put back. So the usage is evident, but it’s also important to be aware and use it ethically.
Leadership (through introversion):
There are often preconceived notions about leadership. If we think back to our school days, we often remember that those chosen as class or school captains were among the smartest, well-spoken, extroverted, popular, and surrounded by many friends. But with time, people have been increasingly aware and inclusive of different personality types. The session by Rick Anderson from Brigham Young University explored how leadership in libraries and publishing is often shaped around extroverted behaviours, even though many professionals in these sectors identify as introverts. It argued that effective leadership does not depend on being the loudest person in the room; introverted leaders often excel through careful listening, empathy, preparation, and thoughtful decision-making. The discussion highlighted how quieter colleagues can be overlooked in fast-paced meetings and networking spaces, despite offering valuable insight. I noticed most of the chairs were occupied, which reflected the interests of people who are in a similar situation but wanting to grow. As an introvert myself, I was truly encouraged to see how simple mental frameworks can help break myths among ourselves as well as in the wider society.
Inclusivity: The plenary ‘The value and impact of EDI-focused resource lists’ by Alex Mormoris and Lizzie McCauley from the Open University explored how EDI-focused resource lists can shape more inclusive learning and research environments within higher education libraries. Drawing on work at their University, the speakers described how curated collections centred on themes such as diversity, wellbeing, and sustainability help surface voices and perspectives that are often underrepresented in traditional reading lists. Rather than being static collections, the lists were presented as evolving tools that respond to student needs, institutional priorities, and wider social conversations. The session also highlighted the role of accessibility, user experience, and discoverability in ensuring these resources are genuinely usable and impactful. Importantly, the speakers argued that EDI work in libraries should move beyond symbolic representation towards measurable influence on teaching, research, and student engagement. Overall, the presentation positioned curated EDI resource lists as both practical learning tools and catalysts for broader cultural change within academic institutions.
Creativity: For a change, me and my ‘new friends’ decided to explore a session which was not part of the original plan. The session “Panels with purpose: the art of graphic storytelling in library engagement” explored how libraries can use comics, graphic novels, and visual storytelling to improve engagement with students and academic communities. I was very impressed to see how visual narratives make library services more accessible, inclusive, and appealing to diverse audiences, including learners from the neurodiverse community. The session also emphasised the growing academic value of graphic media and the importance of developing collections that reflect changing reading habits. Collaborative and creative activities, such as comic workshops and co-created projects, were shown to strengthen community building and user participation. Kudos to the efforts of the team from Lancaster University!
Crisis Management: As a Data Steward by profession, my key focus on my role has been how to inculcate best practices in data management. Storage and preservation are two essential facets upon which the future systems rely. In the talk entitled “ Digital preservation: What the scholarly community can- must- do about digital preservation” by Alicia Wise, emphasis was laid on how digital preservation is now a core strategic responsibility for the scholarly community. Long-term survival of research outputs are under threat from platform failure, funding cuts, and geopolitical disruption. The speaker highlighted that much of today’s scholarly record is inadequately preserved, meaning valuable research risks being permanently lost. This creates serious consequences: institutional memory gaps, weakened scholarly integrity, and a growing reliance on unstable access routes such as links that may break over time. The session highlighted several ways by which libraries, publishers, and universities must move beyond dependency on individual platforms and instead invest in resilient, cross-sector preservation infrastructure that can withstand organisational and political change.
It was also evident from the follow-up talk entitled “Disappearing data: Responding to government web content takedowns” where the focus centered on the aftermath of taking down government data. The speakers shared examples from recent rescue efforts, including initiatives like the Data Rescue Project, which works to preserve at-risk US government datasets. Speakers described the challenges of capturing “grey literature” and disappearing materials from government-funded programmes and websites, where valuable information can be removed without warning. The discussion underscored the urgency of coordinated preservation efforts across institutions to protect public knowledge and ensure continued access to essential governmental and research data. I carry several reflections from the above sessions, and I definitely bring them to the team I am working with in Sheffield Library.
Apart from the talks, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibitions. As I explored the products on display, I noticed a striking duality within what UKSG offered. On one hand, panels, plenaries, and breakout sessions focused on AI as a potential threat or challenge. On the other, the exhibition floor was filled with AI-integrated tools and products. This contrast appeared tricky to draw clear conclusions about what to embrace and why. While we may still be far from finding the “right answer,” platforms like UKSG undoubtedly provide an important reality check on the complex world we are navigating.
In addition, the informal events, including the supper and Gala dinner, unfolded with many delightful surprises. I very much appreciated the choice of venues, especially the Science Museum, where the Gala dinner was hosted, as well as the bagpiper who offered a warm welcome, and the DJ and music that made it impossible for us to resist dancing on the dance floor.
Thank you UKSG2026 for the breadth of experiences you have offered, I will be looking forward to next year!
(Editor’s note: all of the videos of presentations are available at https://https://uksg.underline.io/ and the slidedecks at https://www.slideshare.net/UKSG)