The reviews are in! Reflections on the Brighton conference

Here are some of the key points and insights following feedback from members in attendance at our Brighton conference. A few choice quotes, kept anonymised, give a good sense of how well this return to in-person events was.

Overall, the conference was seen as ‘really well organised’ and our members described it more than once with words like ‘welcoming’, ‘wonderful’, ‘informative’ and ‘enjoyable’. Some noted the positive impact on wellbeing from getting together for a few days with fellow professionals, post-lockdowns. The itinerary was popular, particularly the balance of ‘lighter’ activities such as visits and hands-on icebreaker (the book hack). Whilst the pacing was generally well received, perhaps the only area to address at future conferences is the need for a bit more down time between the ‘meat’ of the conference in the day and the evening activities – visits and dinner(s).

What were the main take aways for our attendees?

There was a common thread of the sense of community, collaboration, and inspiration that attendees experienced – including the opportunity for informal networking with delegates and invited speakers, ‘sharing concerns’. In terms of specific themes/topics, there was a great variety:

• Community engagement- exploring this beyond your immediate workplace
• How to develop ideas from previous conferences and putting them into practice
• The importance of a ‘consistent library offer’, a strong focus on academic skills delivery and promotion; maintaining a central programme of events and taking care with how those are named/described
• “Inspiration and hope from the talks on sustainability, waste, circular economy and the future.”
• Alternative induction activities – engaging things like the pop-up book hack!
• Recommended reading from various inspiring speakers – books, ideas and inspiring speakers to share with academics at our own institutions

As one new member noted:

“As someone new to the field of architecture and interior design, the knowledge and enthusiasm I gained from the tour of Brighton Pavilion, the talk about architecture, climate and sustainability, the visit to the Brighton Waste House, and the architectural walking tour of Brighton is really valuable. Besides the i360 and conference dinner, these were the best bits of the conference for me.”

Finally, what did attendees think about future themes or sessions for ARCLIB events? It seemed that everyone had different ideas that we could draw on – more on visual literacy; a focus on information literacy specifically for architecture students; a look at incorporating climate justice and EDI into teaching, promotion of print collections and perhaps a more detailed look at architecture books and publishing; digging into the ‘top 10 things a new architecture librarian should know’; changes to architectural education, etc. In general, the revival of in-person events has been well-received plus enthusiasm for events in the Midlands and North.  

One last quote:

“It was a barnstormer of a return to in-person events for the group. Well done!”

Report by David Stacey | University of Bath