Gala dinner (Wednesday 7 June) venue: The Old Ship Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 1NR. Tel: +44 (0)1273329001
Below is a map showing the locations of the venues:
And if you want to find out more about what Brighton has to offer, then the VisitBrighton website is a good place to start.
ACCOMMODATION
This year, the conference venue is a short journey away from the city centre by train (10 minutes to Falmer station) or bus (25 minutes), so we suggest staying in Brighton centre/seafront area so that you’ll have easy access to transport links and the evening social/gala dinner venues, and of course an opportunity to go to the beach!
A range of hotels/B&Bs in Brighton are available to book at preferential rates via our dedicated accommodation booking page, provided by the lovely people at VisitBrighton.
Additionally, there is a centrally located Premier Inn and a Travelodge (both budget hotel brands of a good standard).
You can also search for other places to stay using sites such as booking.com.
The closest airport is London Gatwick, from where there are frequent trains to Brighton taking 30 mins, or the journey time by car is 45 mins.
DATES / START AND FINISH TIMES
We begin with the optional pre-conference workshop (9.00am to 12.30pm) on Tuesday 6 June, followed by the main conference which begins at 1.30pm. The conference will finish on Thursday 8 June at approximately 4.30pm.
If you have booked a place, you will be sent detailed joining instructions via email approximately 2 weeks before the conference begins. These will include further information about getting to and from the venue, details of registration and the social programme, and anything else useful that we can think of!
Questions?
If you have any questions about any of the above please contact Marisa who will be happy to help.
We are aware that the cost of our conference might be out of reach for library staff working in public libraries and further education. This year we are once again offering 2 sponsored delegate places in recognition of this fact. As an organisation that also actively seeks to support diversity, we are also offering an additional sponsored place to a BME delegate (from any sort of library) who otherwise could not attend.
What do the places cover?
The sponsored places cover attendance at both the full conference and the pre-conference workshop, but excludes accommodation and travel.
How to apply
Please send an email to admin@uxlib.org titled ‘Sponsored place application’ or ‘Sponsored place application – BME’ by Friday 31 March 2023.
In the body of the email detail in 300 words or less why you wish to attend the conference and also how you hope to put your learning into action afterwards.
When will I hear if I have a place?
We will email the successful applicant(s) by 14 April 2023.
If you have any questions about sponsored places please email Andy Priestner.
In the unfortunate event that you can no longer attend the conference and need to cancel your place, please be aware of the following important dates:
If we receive your cancellation by Tuesday 9 May 2023, you will receive a full refund.*
If you cancel from 10-23 May 2023, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel from Wednesday 24 May 2023 (inclusive) onwards you will not receive a refund.
If you do not contact us to cancel your place before 24 May 2023 then the invoice will stand in full.
* We regret that any bank/payment charges incurred by UX in Libraries cannot be refunded.
If you are cancelling under exceptional circumstances you may be entitled to a full refund – please contact us to discuss.
NOTE: In most cases it will be possible for you to simply send a replacement delegate if you yourself cannot attend – please let us know as soon as possible if this is the case.
Below you can find links to some of the wonderful presentations that were delivered at the UXLibsVI conference in June 2022. More will be added as they come in.
In addition to our keynote, plenary and workshop speakers we are delighted to announce our talented paper presenters, who were selected via a blind review process way back in February 2020. Find out who they are and what they will be presenting on below…
Left to right: Nadia Marks (UK), Larissa Tijsterman (Netherlands), Naomi Baguley (UK), Harri Endersby-Marsh (UK).
NADIA MARKS London School of Economics (LSE), UK
Paper: Winning them over one by one: four years of trial and error in embedding UX culture at an academic library Abstract: This paper explores the work-in-progress of spreading a UX mindset at an academic library so that the recommendations of research are put into action and a UX design approach becomes routine. Success so far has required winning colleagues over one by one in different ways. Navigating personalities and politics, it has variously involved being opportunistic, accommodating, adaptable, cunning, wily, emphatic, and determined. The paper will describe the different strategies employed and the ups and downs of the process with practical examples. It will be ‘warts and all’, with plenty of fails and false starts as well as unexpected successes.
LARISSA TIJSTERMAN
University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Paper: Standing alone together; your secret UX buddies might be hiding in other departments Abstract: Implementing UX can be a daunting task especially when you alone. The best way to learn is by doing but how do you get things done when the hierarchy is strong, you are starting at the bottom and everyone is spread out over several locations throughout the city? Well, not start at the library at all! I first worked together with other departments which not only empowered me but connected like-minded people across the university and got the sceptics on board. You do not have to start your journey alone your buddies might just be hiding in another department.
NAOMI BAGULEY & HARRI ENDERSBY-MARSH
University of Cambridge / Durham University, UK Paper: A fresh perspective: the impact of interns on research and culture
Abstract: We were hired in September 2019 as interns at Durham University Library, with the joint purpose of integrating UX into our Library, after our colleagues were inspired by Claire Browne’s presentation on the UX research of an intern at UXLibs V. Our presentation will show how internships can be utilised to break down barriers within the Library and provide fresh perspective, and how we as interns integrated UX into a culture of unawareness. We’ll also be giving insight into the new ethnographic technique that we developed that can be adapted for use in other libraries.
Left to right: Åsa Forsberg (Sweden), Nick Russell (UK), Nathalie Clot (France), Maxime Szczepanski (France).
ÅSA FORSBERG Lund University, Sweden Paper: The photo challenge: a national collaboration among university libraries Abstract: In 2019-2020 librarians at twelve Swedish academic libraries collaborated to do UX research about students with reading disabilities. The objectives were (1) to better understand the study situation for this student group and (2) for the participating librarians to learn how to do UX research and design.
The data collected in the study was analyzed together in an affinity mapping workshop, to address the first objective. To evaluate if we had fulfilled the second objective we asked the librarians about their experience of conducting a UX study. In Spring 2022 we conducted a follow-up survey, and the data collected will be included in the study.
NICK RUSSELL Sheffield Hallam University, UK Paper: ‘Ask the Experts’: student support interventions designed and delivered by students Abstract: Do you want to put students at the fore in designing and delivering interventions for their peers? ‘Ask the Experts’ involves training pairs of students who have been through a particular experience or transition such as starting university or going on placement, to deliver one-off workshops to students going through – or preparing for – the same experience.
The model was devised for the purpose described but we believe it can be used to facilitate an extended programme of co-production with students and become iterative with each new phase with students recommending changes and developing the model itself.
NATHALIE CLOT & MAXIME SZCZEPANSKI University of Angers, France Paper: Training outsiders to grow insiders through active library staff visits Abstract: “Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.” (Luke 4:24)
#BUApro is a project of professional visits from external library staff to our library to train ourselves, our own staff and our visitors in UX tools and techniques, thereby inspiring and advocating for a UX mindset and culture both in our own and other libraries. We will talk about how to organise and practice a workshop with complete beginners on both sides and reflect on how to, as a senior manager, you can encourage a UX team culture in middle management.
Left to right: Natacha Leclercq Varlan (France), Carrie Donovan (USA), Sarah Halliday (UK), Peter Hanna (UK).
NATACHA LECLERCQ VARLAN University of Lille, France Paper: Step by step: how to involve staff in UX projects on a long-term basis (case study at the University Libraries of Lille) Abstract: A coordinator for UX and Patron Studies was appointed at the University Libraries of Lille in 2017. The refurbishing of the Law Library “Culture Zone” was a first shot to involve colleagues in a user-centered approach and to show the necessity of this coordination, in newly merged University Libraries. Three years after this experiment, many new projects emerged. Keeping a cross-functional view of Libraries activities, testing methods on projects with different scales and being flexible enough to follow the organization’s priorities were key elements to disseminate UX to a larger scale, from frontline staff to senior management.
CARRIE DONOVAN University of Pittsburgh, USA Paper: Trust the process: re-envisioning library organizations through user-centered practice Abstract: Professional identities and organizational cultures carry with them a sense of power that, once developed, is resistant to change; however, academic librarians can apply what we know about user experience in order to transform ourselves and our organizations. The critical reflection and flexible mindsets that are central to user-centered practice are also helpful for reframing our professional roles and workplace cultures. This presentation will explore opportunities for re-envisioning the foundational elements of libraries, as well as approaches for building trust among ourselves and with our communities in a user-centered context.
SARAH HALLIDAY & PETER HANNA University of Hertfordshire, UK Paper: Ripples of UX: sharing techniques and practice with students and staff Abstract: At Hertfordshire we are creating ripples of UX by taking what we’ve learned from our library-focused UX projects and encouraging others across the University to adopt our approach. In this session we show how we’ve shared our thinking and how it is being put into practise across the university, most particularly with our Students’ Union. Attendees will learn about the tools and techniques we’ve developed to help others adopt a UX approach, understand how we’ve gone about sharing these with both students and colleagues (from inside and outside the library service), and see outcomes achieved in different areas.
Left to right: Paul Harding (UK), Ned Potter (UK), Ashley Brewer (USA).
PAUL HARDING & NED POTTER University of York, UK Paper: Ask not what your organisation can do for UX, ask what UX can do you for your organisation Abstract: tl;dr: Let’s sell by doing. Longer version: You can’t change a culture by talking about it; you have to change a culture through actions. Rather than focusing on the features of UX to advocate its use in our organisations, we should showcase and celebrate its benefits through truly user-driven change.
Using a UX-led catalogue improvement project as a case study, this session will illustrate how to overcome resistance to change by reframing the internal conversation to not being about UX so much, overcoming cynicism through the sheer quality of the work, and asking for neither permission nor forgiveness.
ASHLEY BREWER Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Paper: The Web User Experience Working Group: one academic library’s grassroots and outside-the-org-structure effort to build an inclusive culture of UX Abstract: In the absence of a UX department or anyone with UX in their title, how can a library scale and resource UX research for informed web and service design decisions? This paper will share one library’s attempt to build a culture of UX outside the organizational structure lines through the creation of a diverse, cross-divisional working group, convened by the Web Systems Librarian (now the Senior Web and User Experience Librarian) and charged with shared learning about UX methods and best practices and with helping the Libraries’ web team conduct UX research. Now in its fourth year, we’re examining the group’s successes and struggles — and the actual sustainability of such a model.
Left to right: Jarmo Schrader (Germany), Ninon Frank (Germany), Leonie Kamminga (Netherlands), Julie Willems (Luxembourg).
JARMO SCHRADER & NINON FRANK
University of Hildesheim, Germany Paper: “Did you already post that in our library channel?”: Instant messaging as a tool to improve staff engagement in discussing user-related issues Abstract: The COVID-induced shift to remote working prompted Hildesheim University Library to introduce the instant messenger ‘Rocket.Chat’ as a means to improve communication within and between teams of the library. A major goal was to increase participation in discussions around user- and service-related issues.
We will use structured interviews with all members of staff as well as analyses of individual discussion threads to assess how the introduction of Rocket.Chat affected daily communication among library staff and whether using an instant messaging tool can encourage a more open and equitable communication style.
LEONIE KAMMINGA
Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands Paper: Using student experience sessions to improve information literacy education Abstract: The Education Experience team at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) was established to help to improve information and services for and communication with students and teachers. Using Customer Journeys, Design Thinking (DT), and Mind Mapping sessions, the user needs and experiences are mapped. For WUR-Library a DT session was conducted to assess the desires, wishes, and expectations of students involved in information literacy education. During my presentation I will elaborate on the organization, outcomes, and perspectives of this DT session and on how the Education Experience team in embedded within WUR.
JULIE WILLEMS
University of Luxembourg Paper: How UX methods helped the transition of the library team into a new library building Abstract: A year and a half before the opening of the new University library building, how do you prepare three small teams from different campuses to merge into their new work environment, the Luxembourg Learning Centre? How do you empower the staff to take ownership of the new infrastructure and to adopt a new service culture?
The presentation will outline how UX methods used internally can help improve the quality of service and develop a user-centered organisational culture and how important it is to consider the library staff as a user and to consciously conceive and design services for both library users and its library staff.
A huge thank you to this year’s corporate sponsors without whom UXLibsVI could not take place. Please click on the logos below to visit their websites.
ProQuest, part of Clarivate, supports the important work of the world’s research and learning communities. The company curates six centuries of content – one of the world’s largest collections of journals, ebooks, primary sources, dissertations, news, and video – and builds powerful workflow solutions to help libraries acquire and grow collections that inspire extraordinary outcomes. ProQuest products and services are used in academic, K-12, public, corporate and government libraries in 150 countries, helping these organizations achieve better research, better learning, and better insights.
SILVER
EBSCO has partnered with libraries for more than 70 years by providing quality research content, powerful search technologies and intuitive delivery platforms. We innovate through research and relationships, and we learn from customers and their users. Because our goals are those of our customers, we enable the greatest value in our services. We offer technologies that make workflows easier for all.
BRONZE
OpenAthens is the gateway between the online world of subscription-based content and those who want to access it via their organization. It is the dashboard that makes librarians’ lives less complex. It is the portal that extends the audience of publishers. It is robust, reliable and ever-evolving.
We have no current plans to cancel the UXLibsVI conference due to COVID-19. However, we are of course monitoring the situation very closely. Official advice regarding events like ours (200 international delegates) may change. Also, institutions and/or countries may take decisions that will have an impact on whether we can hold this year’s event. At the moment, we are still taking bookings and preparing for the event as normal, but if this situation changes we will contact all registered delegates immediately and post an update here and via the mailing list.
As published on our website, the cancellation deadline for a full refund is 11th May 2020, but if the conference is cancelled or a later cancellation date is necessary due to travel restrictions or underlying health issues you will be entitled to a refund given the exceptional circumstances.
Social evening (optional) venue: Pitcher & Piano Newcastle – 108 The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 3DX. Tel: +44 (0)191 232 4110
Gala dinner venue: The Biscuit Factory – 16 Stoddart Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE2 1AN. Tel: +44 (0)191 261 1103
ACCOMMODATION
Below you’ll find a map showing the locations of the conference, social evening and gala dinner venues, as well as many of the hotels within walking distance – click on the icons to see further information, or see the text below the map.
A. 93a Grey Street Apartments
One bed apartment from £220 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
City Centre. 13 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.3 on booking.com
B. Maldron Hotel
From £169.10 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 17 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.1 on booking.com
C. Dream Apartments City Centre
Two bed apartment from £258 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
City Centre. 16 min walk from conference venue.
D. Hampton by Hilton Newcastle
Queen/twin room from £192 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (incl. breakfast)
City Centre. 17 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.6 on booking.com
E. Grey Street Hotel
Twin room from £144.50 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 12 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.6 on booking.com
F. Sleeperz Hotel
Double room from £106 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 17 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.4 on booking.com
G. Vermont Hotel
Double room from £178.40 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (incl. breakfast)
City Centre. 15 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.4 on booking.com
H. Motel One
Double room from £138 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (£9.50 extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 14 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.0 on booking.com
I. Premier Inn Quayside
Double room from £74 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (Breakfast extra)
Quayside. 13 min walk from conference venue.
J. Travelodge Newcastle Central
Double room from £82.50 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (incl. breakfast)
Quayside. 8 min walk from conference venue.
K. Dream Apartments Quayside
One bed apartment from £220 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
Quayside. 9 min walk from conference venue. Score of 7.8 on booking.com
L. Staybridge Suites
One bed apartment from £207 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
Quayside. 8 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.3 on booking.com
N.B. When booking check a site such as booking.com to see if any special rates are available.
TRAVEL
By air: There are regular direct flights to Newcastle Airport https://www.newcastleairport.com from Paris, Amsterdam and London Heathrow. The Airport is 8 miles north west of the City Centre.
Take the Metro between the Airport and the City:
The Metro rail system is the easiest and cheapest way to get between the Airport and Newcastle City Centre: https://www.nexus.org.uk/metro. There are trains every 12-15 minutes from approximately 5.38am (Sundays 6.26am) to 00.06am. The journey to the Metro stations in the City Centre (Haymarket, Monument or Central Station) take around 20 minutes and one-way fares are around £3.70 only. Manors is the closest station to the conference venue – 4 minutes’ walk, while Monument is the closest to the centre. The Metro is super easy to use and has great UX – Andy swears by it and used to go to school via it when it was brand new in the late 70s!
Take a taxi between the Airport and the City:
The alternative is to take a taxi which will cost around £25. The dedicated Airport on-site taxi service is Arrow Cars: tel: +44 (0)191 2449966, email: newcastlebookings@arrowcars.co.uk.
By train:
Newcastle Central Station is 5 to 10 minutes’ walk from the City Centre and 20 minutes’ walk from the conference venue. There are direct trains to Newcastle from most major UK cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The event will start on the afternoon of Monday 6 June with the optional pre-conference workshops followed by a social evening. The conference will finish on Wednesday 8 June at approximately 4.30pm.
Questions?
If you have any questions about any of the above please contact Marisa who will be happy to help.