Make plans to join us:

The Charleston Conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair
Friday, October 9, 2026
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Micro-conference in Hall 4.1 Innovation Stage

9:00 am Fireside Chat

Anja Smit (Secretary General, LIBER) and Lisa Hinchliffe (Founder and Principal, Librarian in the Loop, LLC)

How are changing economics, emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence reshaping the relationship between research libraries, publishers, and research institutions? In this candid fireside chat, two librarians will share perspectives on how libraries are adapting and what they need from their publishing and research partners.

The conversation will explore shifting priorities and decision-making, the practical impact of AI on library strategy and services, evolving approaches to open science and sustainable scholarly communication, and the misunderstandings that can complicate relationships across the community. Looking ahead, we’ll consider where the greatest opportunities—and challenges—lie for libraries, publishers, and research institutions over the next five years.

The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, offering attendees an opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with the speakers.

10:00 AM Beyond the Journal: The Reorganization of Knowledge

• Heather Staines, Delta Think (Moderator)
• Toby Green, Coherent Digital
• Vida Damijonaitis, American Medical Association
• Kimberley Williams, Princeton University Press
• Wolfram Horstmann, Berlin School of Library and Information Sciences, Humboldt University

This session explores how scholarly knowledge is being reorganized as new research outputs challenge the journal article’s role as the primary unit of scholarly communication. It examines emerging forms of research outputs and learning objects, from the addition of audio and video content alongside books and journals and the significance of non-peer reviewed industry reports and gray literature. We will also explore the ways in which trust, validation, synthesis, and reuse are being reconstructed around them.