Call for papers for the 21st SLA annual Conference
Serbian Library Association (SLA) is announcing the first call for papers for the 21st SLA annual Conference Librarians’ Work Environment
Pančevo City Library, 12–14 December 2024
By organizing the 21st annual international conference Librarians’ Work Environment, the Serbian Library Association (SLA) puts this significant topic in the focus of the professional community – the work environment of librarians as a motivating, encouraging, and/or challenging factor. A comprehensive approach to this topic includes the physical environment of librarians, as well as all elements of organizational culture in libraries that positively or negatively affect their workplace welfare.
The objective of the Conference is to empower the library and information professionals and other experts and partners in the field of culture, then to research development models of organizational culture in libraries, to promote the culture of well-being in the work environment, as well as to encourage leaders to establish, develop, and nurture organizational cultures among librarians, and finally to create policies and practices to empower librarians to make choices that contribute to preserving health and satisfaction in the workplace.
The Conference is open to theoretical considerations and sharing practical information and experiences, examples of good practice, and successful projects realized with quality results and adequate responses that affect the transformation of work environments in libraries.
The organizers invite interested authors to submit their full-text papers that can provide current and innovative insights within one or more proposed subtopics of this year’s conference:
1. Physical environment and workspace of librarians (interior; lighting; ventilation; rest and break area; safety at work).
2. Psychologically safe working environment (mental and emotional well-being at workplace; management of stressful situations; psychological support for employees in libraries).
3. Workload and creation of work tasks (optimal workload; meaningful definition of work tasks; multitasking; acquisition and development of skills; independence in work).
4. Recognition and appreciation (evaluation of employees’ contributions and achievements; verbal praise; rewards and incentives; advancement opportunities).
5. Balance between work and personal life (flexibility in work schedule and organization; remote work; flexible working hours).
6. Communication and transparency (open and clear communication; transparency in decision-making; building relationships of trust; informing employees about goals, policies, and changes in the work of institutions).
7. Leadership in libraries (leaders who contribute to a positive working environment; support for young leaders).
8. Equality, inclusion, and accessibility (creating equal working conditions for all employees; developing a sense of belonging, appreciation, and respect).
9. Organizational culture in libraries (influence of the existing norms, values, and experiences on motivation, efficiency, and work results; encouraging creativity in the workplace).
10. Encouraging employee engagement (strategies and examples of good practice in different types of libraries).
11. Adapting to changes in the work environment (acquisition of new skills; advantages and challenges of digital and social transformation; dealing with emergency situations).
Since the proposed subtopics are frameworks for thematic thinking, the organizers encourage authors to be creative in proposing papers that correspond to the main topic of the Conference.
FORMATS AND SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
The Conference will include working sessions, panel sessions, an invited lecture, poster presentations, and presentations by IT and sponsorship companies.
SLA encourages the use of Libre Impress or PowerPoint presentations, audio-visual content, Pecha Kucha, as well as other dynamic interactive ways to present ideas in a short form.
Panel sessions and workshops, lasting from 45 to max. 90 minutes, enable a dialogue between the panelists and the audience, that is, interactive participation and teamwork. The proposals for panel sessions and workshops should be submitted with a working title, an explanation of the topic, and a list of panelists or the target group for the workshops.
All authors interested in presenting papers within the working sessions are invited to submit full-text papers limited to 30,000 characters (with spaces) that should be prepared according to the instructions for authors located at.
https://bds.rs/bibliotekar/index.php/1/about/submissions#authorGuidelines
Interested authors of poster presentations, panel sessions, and workshops should submit summaries in Serbian and English of up to 300 words, with information on authorship, participants (for panel sessions) or target group (for workshops), and contact information in one document (Word, ODF or PDF format).
We invite all interested authors to submit full-text papers, or summaries for poster presentations, panel sessions, or workshops, and information on the format (whether it is a proposal for a poster presentation, panel session, or workshop) to the email: bds2024@bds.rs.
The languages of the Conference are Serbian and English, with software translation via application.
REGISTRATION
The Conference registration fee includes admission to all working sessions, conference materials, and refreshments between working sessions. The Conference registration fee is 8,000 dinars or 70 euros for foreign participants. The registration fee for authors of accepted papers, posters and panel sessions is 4,500 dinars, or 40 euros for foreign participants.
Regular SLA members (with a paid membership fee for the current year) and students up to 27 years of age do not pay the registration fee.
Conference participants cover the travel expenses and other costs of participation.
IMPORTANT DATES
–Рок за достављање радова: 10. 9. 2024. Радови достављени након назначеног датума неће се прихватати.
∙ Deadline for submission of papers: 10 September 2024. Papers submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
∙ Notification of acceptance: 20 October 2024
∙ The programme of the 21st Conference will be published on the Conference website by 1 November 2024
∙ Registration for the Conference: 1 October to 15 November 2024
∙ Conference days: 12–14 December 2024
∙ Proceedings: 2025
We are looking forward to your submissions and enjoying some great times in Pančevo!
