Call for Papers – UXLibsVI (June 2020)

This year, in response to our theme of UX and organisational culture we want our speakers to explore the following:

  • How have you acquired the support that UX needs at your place of work?
  • What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
  • How did UX prove itself within your organisation through specific projects/initiatives/services?
  • What techniques have you employed to get people on side?
  • How have you made UX part of everyday library operations?
  • How have you influenced and developed a user-centred culture?

If you have something to share that responds to these questions and issues – a project, an experience, a toolkit, an approach – then we want to hear from you through our call for papers. N.B. As ever, we will also consider papers on wider UX topics if the theme doesn’t work for you.

Anticipated/planned UX research
Your paper may be about work you anticipate conducting between now and the conference. This is absolutely fine. It is also OK if your paper ends up diverging somewhat from your initial abstract – within reason obviously! A good UX research and design process often sees the practitioner end up at an entirely different destination.

What do I need to do? Give me all the info!
Paper proposals are due by Friday 31 January 2020. Once this deadline has passed we will follow a blind peer review process and will let you know if your paper has been successful by Friday 14 February. You will have 20 minutes in which to present your paper at the conference and will be speaking to around a quarter of delegates (40-50 people).

If your paper is selected you will receive a 10% discount on this year’s delegate rate in recognition of your contribution. If the paper is going to be co-presented then the 10% discount will be split between you and the other presenter. If we produce a 4th annual yearbook, you will be invited to write up your paper for publication. N.B. Prior to the conference, use of the word ‘paper’ does not mean you need to provide an academic written paper, we are simply referring to your presentation.

Best paper prize
Once again, we will be presenting a prize for the best conference paper (a free place at next year’s conference), won last year by Nathalie Clot.

Scoring Criteria/Submission advice
This year we are trying to be more open about the blind review scoring criteria. Once the paper has been anonymised by the UXLibs Administrator the markers will score each paper (out of 30) accordingly:

  1. How intriguing/exciting/engaging is it? (out of 10)
  2. How unique/innovative is the topic and/or the approach? (out of 5)
  3. Evidence that UX has taken place/strong UX content/specific UX methods cited (out of 5)
  4. Does it fit this year’s theme: overcoming the challenge/influencing org. culture? (out of 3)
  5. Valuable learning outcomes (out of 3)
  6. Discretionary points to account for aspects not covered in the above categories (out of 4)

Also remember that:

  • UXLibs is an informal and friendly conference – this doesn’t mean that we are not interested in research rigour and due process, but if your paper is dry and overly academic it may not be the best fit forour conference.
  • Although the theme is important, don’t get hung up on it. You may persuade us to include a paper on something not connected with this year’s theme.
  • Our definition of UX embraces the user experience of physical and digital, in fact all aspects of library services
  • We see UX as about engaging with users more deeply and meaningfully than you can through surveys. In fact, some of us see the default survey as the antithesis to good UX. If your paper is simply about a survey it won’t get through.
  • You should follow ALL the requirements set out immediately below.

Submission requirements

  • A presentation title.
  • An abstract of no more than 300 words.
  • A brief summary of no more than 50 words.
  • A brief biography (of each author) of no more than 50 words.
  • Your email address.
  • Learning outcomes for attendees.
  • Submit (preferably as a Word doc) by email to admin@uxlib.org by Friday 31 January 2020.
  • Papers may be co-presented but by no more than two people (additional named co-authors are fine, but only a maximum of two can actually present at the conference – please indicate who this will be if applicable).

Please feel free to contact conference chair Andy Priestner on andy@uxlib.org if you want to discuss any aspect of this year’s Call for Papers.

Finally, good luck!

Andy Priestner, Bryony Ramsden, Helen Murphy
The UXLibs Committee