LIBER 2018: Annual Conference Survey Results

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Thank you to everyone who participated in our feedback survey for LIBER’s 2018 Annual Conference in Lille, France.

The main findings are listed below and will be used to improve our 2019 conference in Dublin, Ireland (26-28 June at Trinity College Dublin). Presentations and recordings from LIBER 2018 can be found here, and highlights are summarised on the conference website.

LIBER 2018 was sold out with 440 delegates attending.

The survey was completed by 43 delegates, who gave LIBER 2018 an 8/10 rating overall.
80% said they would recommend LIBER 2018 to others.
The highest ranking keynote talk was that of Prof. Frédérique Vidal. She launched France’s National Plan for Open Science at the conference. Her speech was recorded and can be seen here.

Delegates appreciated the networking opportunities, new formats, friendly staff and good organisation of the event.

Networking opportunities were mentioned specifically by half of survey respondents as a highlight. Other positives included the:

Overall vibe and enthusiasm of fellow attendees
New formats such as the Newcomers’ Session and 5-minute presentations.
“I really liked the Newcomer session. It was a good way to get an introduction.”
Better understanding the Open Science movement
Learning more about what colleagues across Europe are doing
Inclusive, friendly and professional atmosphere; helpful hosting staff
Catchbox microphone

We asked about improvements to make for LIBER 2019 and delegates suggested:

A new printed programme. Survey respondents expressed strong interest in a shorter printed programme with full details available online. Many also said they would prefer a mobile conference app. We are exploring ways to reinvent the programme for LIBER 2019!

“I’d like a smaller programme book that fits in the badge holder with just titles and locations. Abstracts and bios can go online.”
“Developing a conference schedule app would seem to me an essential development for the conference.”
Other ways of featuring sponsors. Some of you expressed concern about the role that sponsors play in the conference. An explanation of how the conference is funded and the importance of sponsors is on the conference website. We are considering different ways to feature sponsors in future.

Encouraging presenters to include ‘lessons learned’. Delegates are very interested in the practical considerations of projects: issues encountered, constraints, tips for next time.
“Don’t just introduce a project. Talk about how it runs, works, what does not and why.”