We are excited to announce that after a 2-year hiatus, the Empirical Librarians Conference will return on March 9-10, 2023! Empirical Librarians (https://www.lib.utk.edu/emplibs/) is a small conference that specifically focuses on the unique place of original research and original researchers in the larger information environment. We are a place where librarians who do research and librarians who support research can come together to share ideas and insights about original research by patrons and librarians.
The 7th Empirical Librarians conference seeks presentation proposals from librarians, library professionals, and LIS students on our two conference topic tracks:
Supporting original research, through faculty and graduate outreach, scholarly communications, etc.; and
Performing research in libraries.
Proposals can be concurrent sessions, either as presentations or panels, or can be short lightning talks. In Track 1 we especially encourage presentations that focus on the unique needs of patrons who are doing research, and how working with researchers is different from supporting non-researcher patrons. In Track 2 we especially encourage discussions of practical methodology, including why research could be or was done a certain way and what lessons were learned that may help attendees do their own research.
EmpLibs 2023 will be a hybrid conference, with attendance able to be in person at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, or virtual (unless we must change format to all-virtual due to public health warnings).
The deadline to submit proposals is September 2, 2022. Proposal authors will receive notice of acceptance or requests to revise with feedback by October 3, 2022.
Presenters will be expected to register as regular attendees. Registration will open in November. Thanks to support from our sponsors, University of Tennessee Libraries and the VCU Libraries, we have been able to maintain a modest registration rate. We anticipate registration to cost $65 for virtual and early bird in-person registration. After February 1, registration for in-person will be $85. Virtual registration fee will stay the same.