09.30 – 10.00

Registration and coffee 

10.00 – 10.10 

Welcome and introduction to the conference from SCONUL Co-chair Anna O'Neill

10.10 – 11.00

Keynote speech: It's a temptation to get it to do the work: Student experiences of GenAI and the implications for libraries and information services

Dr Stephen Gow, Leverhulme Fellow, Department for Learning and Teaching Enhancement at Edinburgh Napier University

Generative AI is part of the everyday reality of university life. Students are using AI tools to explore ideas, make sense of complex material, support their writing, organise their studies and navigate a demanding academic environment. But their experiences are far from uniform: alongside confidence and experimentation, there is uncertainty about what constitutes appropriate use, how far AI outputs can be trusted, and where institutional expectations and boundaries lie. Understanding what students are actually doing with AI - not simply what we assume they are doing - is essential if universities and their libraries are to provide the guidance, skills and support students need to use these technologies critically, confidently and responsibly. And libraries need to consider how these student behaviours will require the reshaping of our own services.

Dr Stephen Gow will share new insights into changing student behaviours, reporting on his recent extensive study looking at student experiences of navigating the generative AI landscape in UK higher education.

11.00 – 11.50

Panel discussion and Q&A: Doing things differently

Academic and research libraries are operating in an increasingly challenging financial environment, with rising costs, constrained institutional budgets and growing expectations of what libraries should deliver. But financial pressure also creates an imperative to think differently. This panel brings together library directors to explore how libraries can respond creatively and strategically: rethinking approaches to content and collections, making smarter choices about technology, and considering how teams, roles and skills might evolve. Rather than focusing simply on what libraries may need to cut, the discussion will ask a more ambitious question: how can we use this moment to reshape services, deploy resources differently and ensure that libraries continue to deliver maximum value to their institutions and communities?

Confirmed speakers:

• Robin Armstrong Viner, Associate Director: Head of Library at Swansea University
• Anna Clements, Director Library Services and University Librarian at University of Sheffield
• Eleonora Gandolfi, UKRN Institutional Lead / Associate Director (Research and Innovation) at University of Surrey
• Justine Rush, Head of Library Services at University of Kent

11.50 - 11.55

SCONUL EDI group relaunch

11.55 – 12.10

Coffee & tea break

12.10 – 13.00

Workshops (sessions tbc)

13.00 – 14.00

Lunch

14.00 – 14.50

Keynote speech: Truth & democracy (taking things back to the core)

Dr Gianfranco Polizzi, Assistant Professor in Digital Media and Communications, Department of Linguistics and Communication, University of Birmingham

At a time when weaponised misinformation, AI developments and polarised public debate are transforming how we encounter and understand information, the role of higher education libraries is critical. Libraries are more than gateways to knowledge: they are champions of intellectual freedom, trusted evidence and informed debate. By giving students and researchers the skills and confidence to question what they see, interrogate sources, recognise misinformation and engage with different perspectives, libraries help build communities that are curious, critical and resilient. In an increasingly complex information landscape, defending access to reliable knowledge and empowering people to think for themselves is not simply part of the library’s mission – it is fundamental to a healthy democracy.

14.50 – 15.05

Coffee & tea break

15.05 – 15.55

Panel discussion and Q&A: Advocacy through storytelling

How we talk about libraries matters. At a time when higher education is under significant financial and strategic pressure, demonstrating value is not simply about presenting evidence—it is about creating compelling narratives that connect the library’s contribution to the priorities of the institution. This panel explores advocacy through three complementary perspectives: positioning the library as a vital knowledge service at the heart of the university; what senior leaders really see, hear and value when they think about their libraries; and how the techniques of storytelling can transform evidence, impact and expertise into narratives that resonate. Together, our contributors will consider how libraries can move beyond describing what they do to tell a more powerful story about why they matter.

Confirmed speakers:

• Gary Elliott-Cirigottis, Director of Library and Knowledge Services at The Open University, will speak about repositioning the library as a knowledge service.
• Libby Homer, Chief Student Experience Officer at Buckinghamshire New University, will share her perspective as a senior institutional leader.
• Professor Stephanie Schnurr, Professor in Sociolinguistics and Director of Postgraduate Research Studies in Applied Linguistics at University of Warwick, will talk about using organisational narratives and storytelling techniques as a tool for advocacy.

15.55 – 16.00

Concluding remarks from SCONUL Co-chair Rachel Beckett

16.00

Close