#ASL 2026
Abstracts and Biographies
Keynote Speakers
Speakers
Jane Buggle, IADT
Diamond Ireland: Advancing Diamond Open Access Scholarly Publishing in Ireland
Diamond Ireland is a National Open Research Forum (NORF) funded project which aims to build the network, capacity, and sustainability of the pilot national Diamond OA publishing platform, Diamond Ireland Press. Diamond Ireland builds on the foundations laid by the earlier NORF-funded PublishOA project. The project is led by Dr Frank Houghton (TUS) and Dr Johanna Archbold (ATU).
The key deliverables of the Diamond Ireland project will include the Diamond Ireland Hub of resources on Diamond OA publishing, a bibliodiversity and publishing ethics consultation and report, a bibliodiversity toolkit, a Diamond OA publishing summit, an OA book publishing microgrant scheme, publisher/journal engagement and expansion, governance framework structure and terms of reference, Diamond Ireland Hub business plan, a tiered partnership model, and sustainable funding strategy. The Diamond Ireland Press will also include a discovery layer for all Diamond OA journals and books published in Ireland whether or not they are published on Diamond Ireland Press.
This presentation will demonstrate the relevance and significance of the Diamond Ireland project for all stakeholders in scholarly publishing in Ireland.
Biography
Jane Buggle is the Institute Librarian at the Institute of Art, Design + Technology in Dublin. She is the Convenor of the IFLA Library Publishing Section and the Co-Founder and Manager of the IOAP (Irish Open Access Publishers) Community of Practice. She is the Managing Editor of the new IADT Journal of Research + Creativity. She is on the Advisory Boards of the Open Institutional Publishers Association (OIPA), the Health Sciences Library Journal, and the DBS Applied Research and Theory Journal. Jane is a partner on the NORF-funded Diamond Ireland Project on which she is Co-Lead of WP2. She is a member of the Library Association of Ireland and of the newly merged LAI Open Scholarship and Library Publishing Group.
Stephanie Chen, University College Cork
What does Librarianship mean to you? Putting your values into practice.
As libraries navigate rapid social and technological change, the values that guide library staff are more important than ever. But do the lived values of library staff today align with the values articulated by national library associations? Through guided reflection and interactive activities using online tools (for example, Padlet, Vevox), attendees will identify the values that shape their own professional purpose and articulate their own understanding of what librarianship means. Building on this collective exploration, the session will present a thematic and textual analysis of national codes of ethics for librarians from Ireland and across the world to allow attendees to reflect if their values align with those espoused by library associations.
The session will finish by translating insights into action, offering practical examples of how values can inform daily practice, from small, intentional choices to larger projects. Attendees will leave the session with a better understanding of their own professional identity, a shared definition of librarianship co-created during the session, and ideas for putting values into practice. The collective outputs and other learnings can be published on LibFocus to extend the conversation beyond the conference.
Biography
Stephanie Chen is currently Learning & Teaching Librarian in University College Cork Library. Prior to this role, she was the Digital Learning Specialist in UCC Library. Previously, she has been a solo Librarian at the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (RSAI) in Dublin, a Library Assistant in Cork Institute of Technology Library, and a Library Assistant in UCC Library in the Services Desk Team. She holds an MSc in Information and Library Management from Dublin Business School.
Dr Bláithín Hurley, Waterford Library/The Open University
Custodianship and Collaboration: Reimagining Anglican Diocesan Libraries as Special Collections
Irish Anglican diocesan libraries occupy an ambiguous position within Ireland’s library and heritage landscape: neither fully embedded in professional library networks nor entirely separate from them. This case study examines four historic diocesan libraries within the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory to explore how librarianship can be reimagined through changing understandings of purpose, practice and possibility.
Using examples from Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford City; St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny; St John the Baptist’s Cathedral, Cashel; and St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore, Co. Waterford, we discuss practical responses to risk, resource constraint, and governance gaps. Three collections were transferred to third-level institutions, where professional cataloguing, conservation, and environmental control ensured their survival. These outcomes demonstrate the value of cross-sector collaboration but also highlight tensions around access, local identity, and the loss of contextual meaning. In contrast, the Cotton Library remains in situ, revealing both the vulnerabilities and unrealised potential of collections without sustained professional oversight.
This case study provides a lens through which to reconsider the contemporary purpose of Anglican Diocesan Libraries. Rather than viewing them as static legacies, it proposes practice-based, collaborative models that position historic libraries as active resources for research, education, and community engagement within a reimagined librarianship framework.
Biography
Dr Bláithín Hurley holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, an MA from the University of Warwick, and a BAMus and PG Cert (Education) from University College Cork, as well as a PG Dip LIS from Aberystwyth University. She is an Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Open University and a Librarian with Waterford Library Services. Her research and publications span sixteenth-century Italian art to contemporary Irish libraries, with a forthcoming chapter in Tomb Monuments in Medieval Europe (Shaun Tyas, 2026).
Margaret Irons, DIAS
Expanding Legacy Publishing: Celtica goes Open – Librarians Leading the way
This case study engages with the conference theme of re-imagining librarianship through the lens of scholarly publishing. It examines the transition of Celtica, a long-established journal in Celtic Studies published by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), from a traditional print only model to a Diamond Open Access journal. While the traditional role of the Celtic Studies library has centred on the care, preservation, and interpretation of printed materials, this case study explores how that role is expanding to encompass open, digital forms of scholarly communication. The transition of Celtica to Diamond Open Access was driven by a desire to translate the fundamental values of librarianship—access, preservation, and scholarly integrity—from the physical collection into the digital publishing environment. Sustained library advocacy secured Institutional approval in 2022, leading to the publication of Issue 35 (2023) as the journal’s first freely available online issue via the DIAS Journals platform. Using Open Journal Systems (OJS), the library supported platform implementation, metadata creation, DOI assignment, and redesigned editorial workflows. This talk presents a vision of librarians honouring print stewardship while leading sustainable open access publishing.
Genevieve Larkin, Marino Institute of Education
Choosing What Matters: Enacting Library Values Through Strategy in a Small HE Library
Dolores Mee, Maynooth University
Building Ethical Futures: The Rainbow Library Network and the Evolving Mission of Libraries in a Diverse World
The ethical foundations of librarianship – equity of access, intellectual freedom, inclusivity, and community care – are being tested in an era marked by rising social polarisation and scrutiny of public cultural spaces. The formation of the Rainbow Library Network (RLN) within the LAI presents a decisive, ethically grounded response to these challenges. Established as the first LGBTQ+ network in the Association’s history, the RLN aims to foster a supportive, inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ and allied library professionals and patrons, while advocating for equitable representation and diversity within Irish library services.
In a context where far‑right agitation has led to harassment of library staff, threats of book removal, and attempts to censor queer literature, the RLN’s emergence underscores the vital role of professional networks in safeguarding both staff wellbeing and library collections. Through community-building, professional development, advocacy, and the sharing of best practices, the RLN demonstrates how libraries can enact their ethical mission not just through collections and services, but through the cultivation of resilient, inclusive professional communities.
This presentation will show that initiatives like the RLN provide a model for how library organisations can respond constructively to social challenges: by championing inclusivity, empowering marginalised voices, and reaffirming the library as a space of belonging for all.
Biography
Ann O’Sullivan, A&L Goodbody LLP
30 years of navigating new information landscapes: purpose, practice and possibility – relections on an evolving career
Over the past 30 years, the information landscape has undergone huge transformation – shifting from predominantly physical collections to increasingly complex digital environments shaped by emerging technologies. Throughout these transitions, the core purpose and values of librarianship have remained constant: to champion authoritative information and knowledge, to enable access and to support informed decision making.
During this presentation Ann will reflect on her career from UCD to ALG – a career spent navigating this changing landscape and will explore how professional practice is continually evolving and is reshaped by new expectations, new technologies and new ways of engaging with and consuming information.
Colm O’Connor, Innopharma Education
Demystifying Publishing: A Librarian-Led Model for Research Dissemination at Innopharma Education
Innopharma Education launched its in-house academic journal, Innopharma Insights, in December 2024. It offers a dedicated, accessible platform for learners, faculty, alumni, and industry partners to share their expertise and practice-based scholarship in life sciences.
The journal recognises learner and faculty expertise, bridging academia and industry in areas like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital transformation, and food innovation. Led by the College Librarian as Editor-in-Chief, the editorial process is highly supportive. It centres on developmental feedback, structured templates, and mentoring, guiding first-time authors to transform assessments or professional projects into publication-ready scholarship.
Accessibility is Key. Designed for mature, part-time learners who often view academic publishing as exclusive, the journal demystifies the process through diverse formats like opinion pieces, capstone summaries, and research articles. Volumes 1 & 2 have featured contributions from learners across multiple programs from QQI level 6 to level 9.
Available in print and open-access digital editions (Volumes 1 here and 2 here), the journal enhances discoverability of Innopharma Education research. This strategically positions our scholarly output amid discussions on digitalisation, sustainability, and professional practice. Early outcomes demonstrate a strengthened scholarly identity among contributors, with potential as a replicable model for librarian-led publishing in similar institutions.
Biography
Grace O’Connor & Áine Brennan, DCU Library
Leaving Your Toxic ‘X’: Rebuilding library engagement in a post-Twitter world
In 2024/2025 DCU Library doubled its social media interactions compared to the previous academic year. This is notable: we closed our Twitter account mid-year, and in addition to Instagram we started focusing further on Bluesky and TikTok. All during a global decline in social media use, especially among young adults.
With the collapse of Twitter, and the migration of active followers to other platforms, we needed to rethink how to rebuild our online community. This presentation will share the practical, low-resource strategies we used to reestablish our digital presence and strengthen engagement.
The Outreach and Engagement team moved away from text-heavy images and meme-based videos to content featuring staff and library locations. Collaborations amplified our reach, as did the intentional use of creative tools (ie: Canva, Capcut). Analysis of statistics and consultation with people who are active on social media kept this strategy sustainable.
We will discuss how trends and high quality staff-led content consistently drew more eyes to us in spite of social media’s unpredictability. We hope to offer insights for library content creators navigating a post-twitter social landscape, showing how small, intentional changes can build community, boost engagement, and make social media interactions feel more human again.
Biographies
Grace obtained a joint BA in English and History from UCC back in 2006, and has worked in libraries for over a decade, starting at Trinity College Dublin, and later joining DCU in 2011. In 2022, she took on the role of Senior Library Assistant for Outreach & Engagement. Professionally, she’s passionate about leveraging social media to promote libraries and ensuring a user-friendly experience for students. In
her downtime, Grace enjoys cheese, wine, and classic Simpsonsame
Áine Brennan is a Library Assistant at DCU Library, who works primarily with the Outreach and Engagement team.
Her background in Visual Arts (a BA in Fine Art from NCAD and an ongoing practice) informs her creative approach to promoting library resources on social media, exhibition curation, and events planning. She is rarely seen without her beloved bicycle.
Jenny O’Neill, Asiera
Reimagining Librarianship Beyond the Library: Emerging Competencies for National Research Infrastructure
As research practices, technologies, and infrastructures evolve, so too do the skills and identities of librarians. This case study explores how core library competencies, organising information, teaching and community engagement, are increasingly essential within national‑level research infrastructure initiatives. Drawing on my transition from academic librarian to Research Engagement Officer at Asiera, I reflect on how librarianship continues to shape my professional practice, even outside a traditional library setting.
The case study highlights two national projects—EOSC Ireland and Sonraí: Irish Data Stewardship Network—as examples of how librarians contribute to shaping emerging research ecosystems. Through EOSC Ireland, librarianship skills inform stakeholder engagement, governance development and planning for a national node that will connect Irish researchers to European Open Science infrastructures. In Sonraí, a community‑led initiative advancing data stewardship skills and professional recognition, librarians lead curriculum development, micro‑credential design, and community sustainability planning. These projects illustrate how librarianship’s enduring values, openness, equity, collection management and service, align with emerging technological demands and new national competencies. Ultimately, this case study argues that librarians are expanding their reach, embedded in the infrastructures that underpin the future of research
Biography
Emma Rothwell
Cardigans and Communications: balancing traditional curation with outreach demands in 2026
In the age of the “attention economy”, libraries are forced to compete with a host of other entities as they try to promote their collections and services. Austere research libraries used to be infamous for limiting access to the well-connected elite, but now they grapple to be noticed in a world of trending memes, going viral, e-vites, ticketing platforms, webpages, mailshots, reels, posts, branding, tagging, and on and on. Is marketing and communications the librarian’s job? In a small library, there may be no one else to do it. In a large institution, you may worry the library’s story will not be told accurately without your input. The reality is, for researchers to find our collections, we must engage with communications work. This case study will share some of the challenges faced regarding library outreach and communications at the Royal Irish Academy Library over the past two years. It will describe how this work was measured, the decisions made after reviewing the numbers and how we increased footfall by 10%. Finally, the case study will outline how an outreach librarian can infuse their communications with traditional library work and still achieve results in a new information age.
Biography
Beth Tyrell, SETU Carlow
The Make and Mend Library Porject – Sustainability and Community in SETU
The Make and Mend Library project at SETU Carlow is a Community of Practice focussed on sustainable fashion and supported by SATLE funded library resources. These resources include a book collection, a LibGuide, and a lending library of textile making and mending tools and materiaIn the age of the “attention economy”, libraries are forced to compete with a host of other entities as they try to promote their collections and services. Austere research libraries used to be infamous for limiting access to the well-connected elite, but now they grapple to be noticed in a world of trending memes, going viral, e-vites, ticketing platforms, webpages, mailshots, reels, posts, branding, tagging, and on and on. Is marketing and communications the librarian’s job? In a small library, there may be no one else to do it. In a large institution, you may worry the library’s story will not be told accurately without your input. The reality is, for researchers to find our collections, we must engage with communications work. This case study will share some of the challenges faced regarding library outreach and communications at the Royal Irish Academy Library over the past two years. It will describe how this work was measured, the decisions made after reviewing the numbers and how we increased footfall by 10%. Finally, the case study will outline how an outreach librarian can infuse their communications with traditional library work and still achieve results in a new information age.ls.
This project is primarily about creating community, while engendering and promoting a culture of sustainable fashion among SETU Carlow students and staff, through skill sharing and peer support grounded in the Community of Practice (CoP) model. The CoP framework has been shown to support a culture of belonging and to assist with identity development amongst participants and to help participants build expertise through shared practice.
SETU, a recently formed Technological University, is going through a period of rapid change and the library is a vital part of the newly emerging institution. By building community in the library through creativity and sustainable practice this project is promoting and energising student and staff engagement in the library as a learning and community space.
In this case study, insights will be shared about the project conception, the funding application process and the project in practice in the context of a busy technological university.
Biography
Dr. Robert Whan, National Library of Ireland
Stewardship, Service and the Space to Imagine: Reframing Librarianship for Today and Tomorrow
While the core values of stewardship, service and access remain central, the contexts in which librarians work are shifting rapidly. This paper reflects on what it means to reframe librarianship for the next generation by drawing on experience across three distinct institutions: the Enlightenment heritage of Armagh Robinson Library, the academic and research-intensive environment of Queen’s University Belfast, and the national cultural mission of the National Library of Ireland. The paper suggests that the future of librarianship rests in how thoughtfully we navigate the space between what we have inherited and what we are becoming.
It will explore how historic models of custodianship can inform contemporary practice, how academic libraries are reshaping services around digital scholarship and user-centred design, and how national institutions are navigating technological change, public engagement and cultural responsibility at scale. Across these settings, librarians are being asked not only to preserve and serve, but also to imagine: to create new forms of value, new partnerships and new ways of connecting people with knowledge.
By examining the ethical foundations, evolving competencies and emerging possibilities of the profession, the paper invites library staff to consider how they might cultivate a practice that is grounded, adaptive and imaginative.
Biography
Dr Robert Whan is a library professional, with experience working in academic, heritage and national cultural institutions. Prior to becoming Head of Service Delivery at the National Library of Ireland (February 2026), he was Customer Experience Manager within The Library at Queen’s University Belfast (2023-2026), Director of Armagh Robinson Library (2018-2022) and Assistant Keeper of Collections for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (2017-2018). His experience spans responsibility for historic collections, research support, public engagement and customer service. Dr Whan is Chair of CILIP Ireland, Co-Chair of the Library Association of Ireland’s North-South Liaison Committee, a National Museums Northern Ireland Board Member, a CSG (Customer Service Group) UK and a CONUL Customer Service Group Committee Member, and a Fellow of both the Royal Historical Society and the Higher Education Academy. He is committed to promoting inclusive, values-driven practice and to strengthening the visibility and impact of library work across sectors.
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Francisca Silva
Beyond the Technical: Redefining Librarianship Through a Website Redesign Project
Since 2022, the Dublin Business School (DBS) Library faced a major challenge: students frequently expressed difficulty in navigating the library website. If the library’s mission is to provide access to resources, a confusing online experience will act as a barrier and frustrate the people who we are meant to support.
This presentation uses the year-long redesign project of the DBS Library website as a case study to explore the evolving role and key skills needed by modern librarians. Beyond technical skills, the project relied heavily on User Experience (UX) principles and methodologies, such as card-sorting exercises and student focus groups, as well as soft skills like collaboration and negotiation to further ensure its success.
The findings suggest that the role of the librarian is no longer solemnly focused on organising collections, but also to design multiple intuitive pathways for patrons to fulfil their information needs.
Biography
Francisca holds a first-class honours MSc in Information and Library Management from Dublin Business School and a Master’s in Political Science and International Relations from Portugal. While working as a part-time Library Assistant, she was awarded third place in the LIR Show and Tell 2023 competition. After being promoted to eResources Librarian at DBS, Francisca managed the library website and oversaw all online resources. She is now the Research Librarian at DBS, offering research support to students and faculty, serving as an Editorial Assistant for the Applied Research and Theory Journal, and acting as Secretary of the Applied Research and Practice Committee. Francisca is also part of the Academic and Special Libraries Committee, ORI, NAIN, and the LAI/CILIP Conference 2026 Committee.
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