Zimbabwe University Libraries Consortium

 2024 Biennial CONFERENCE

Positioning Libraries in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

CALL FOR PAPERS

You are cordially invited to submit a paper to the 5^th Biennial Conference of the Zimbabwe University Libraries Consortium (ZULC) from the 4^th – 6^th of June 2024 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The theme of the conference is Positioning Libraries in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has brought rapid technological advancement through the convergence of different technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), and big data. These technological advancements have transformed the way we live, work, learn, communicate, and interact with others. The revolution has affected different sectors and library and information services are no exception. The 4IR presents opportunities that libraries should embrace and use to improve library services and access to digital information. In addition, the 4IR has presented challenges that libraries should find suitable solutions for. The conference is a platform for different stakeholders to share experiences, find solutions for challenges, and deliberate on strategies that can be employed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the 4IR.

You are invited to submit papers addressing the theme and/or sub-themes below:

 Sub-Themes

• Managing change in libraries.
• Ethical and legal implications of Artificial Intelligence in libraries.
• Designing library spaces, collections, and services in the 4IR.
• Exploiting disruptive technologies to improve library products and services.
• The role of user experience in library service provision.
• The role of libraries in heritage-based education.
• Strengthening open science through libraries.
• Leveraging on Big Data: Opportunities and challenges in libraries.

NB: All submitted papers will be subjected to a double-blind peer review process. Participants will be given a soft copy certificate of attendance and the conference proceedings will be published in PDF on the conference website

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Author instructions for abstracts for papers, posters, and lightning talks

The abstract should:

• Be written in the English language;
• Be approximately 300 – 500 words, double-spaced and Times New Roman, 12 pt.;
• Provide a summary of the author(s) details (name, affiliation, position) and a brief biographical statement of no more than 50 words;
• Be structured to include the Title of the paper, Introduction, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusion; and
• Use APA 7^thedition style of referencing.

The conference editorial board reserves the right to edit abstracts to ensure blind peer review.

PRESENTATIONS

• Paper presentations – 15 minutes
• Lightning talk presentations – 5 minutes
• Poster – 1 hour in-person presence

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

Papers to be submitted to Conference Secretariat, BUSE University Librarian: conference@zulc.ac.zw.

IMPORTANT DATES:

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Information Professionals
• Authors
• Book Distributors
• Publishers
• Exhibitors
• Policymakers
• Academia
• Researchers
• IT/Systems Managers, Technicians etc.
• Students

CONFERENCE FEES