We are planning to be back in person for the 2026 Library Publishing Forum, and there was quite a bit of discussion at this year’s virtual Forum about barriers to attendance. We have heard about cuts to travel funding at some institutions, and we recognize that travel is increasingly risky for a variety of reasons. There is still enough interest to justify an in-person event, but we want to do everything possible to include community members who can’t be there in person. We don’t have the resources for a fully hybrid conference, but there are a variety of tools at the community’s disposal that may be useful in this effort. These include volunteer livestreaming (those of you who have been around for a while may recall that we used to do this!), supporting the hosting of local and regional gatherings), and some of the tools we use during virtual Forum years (like our Discord server).
We are looking for volunteers for a task force that will help us plan and implement a remote engagement with next year’s Forum. This group will work closely with LPC’s Program Committee (which plans the conference program) and the LPC staff responsible for conference logistics. It would be wonderful to have some task force members who are planning to attend in the Forum in person, as well as some who will be relying on the group’s work to participate remotely. You do not need to be at an LPC member institution, or to have attended the Library Publishing Forum, to serve on this group. The group will meet monthly starting in July of this year, wrapping up its work after the Forum next June.
If you’re interested, please fill out the volunteer form by July 18. Email contact@librarypublishing.org with questions.