Conferences

International Conferences

LIDA

LIDA is an international conference that has been organised since 2000 by the Department of Information Sciences at the University of Osijek, the Department of Information Sciences at the University of Zadar and the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. LIDA brings together researchers, practitioners and students from around the world to discuss the challenges facing libraries and other information institutions in the digital age, as well as the latest trends in the field of library and information science. From 2000 to 2009, LIDA was held annually in Dubrovnik and on the island of Mljet, while since 2010 it has been held every two years (Zadar, Osijek, Dubrovnik).

Conference Co-Directors:

  • 2000 – 2014 Tefko Saracevic (RU) and Tatjana Aparac-Jelušić (FFOS/UNIZD)
  • 2016 – 2025 Sanjica Faletar (FFOS), Drahomira Cupar (UNIZD), Marie Radford, Ross Todd (RU)
  • 2026 – Kornelija Petr Balog (FFOS), Martina Dragija Ivanović (UNIZD), Marija Dalbello (RU)

Themes

  • 2000 – Positioning libraries on the Internet and using Internet in libraries.
  • 2001 – The Internet: ethics and legal issues and Information services – practice and research
  • 2002 – Integrating information seeking and IR and Information services – practice and research.
  • 2003 – WWW and information retrieval and WWW and libraries
  • 2004 – Human information behaviour and Competences for digital libraries
  • 2005 – What can digital libraries do that traditional cannot? Or do in addition? & Building a small digital library and digital library network
  • 2006 – Cultural, social and institutional effects and place of digital libraries & Building a digital library for children and young adults
  • 2007 – Users and use of digital libraries & Economics and digital libraries
  • 2008 – Education and training in digital libraries and Reference in digital environments
  • 2009 – Reflections – Changes brought by and in digital libraries in the last decade & Heritage and digital libraries – digitization, preservation, access.
  • 2010 – Digital scholarship: support by digital libraries & Digital natives: challenges & innovations in reaching out to digital born generations
  • 2012 – Changes in the world of library services: Evolution and innovation & Changes in the world of electronic resources: Information and digitization.
  • 2014 – Qualitative methods in assessing libraries, users, & use: applications, results & Altmetrics – new methods in assessing scholarly communication and libraries: issues applications, results
  • 2016 – Digital Library Curation and Collections
  • 2018 – Social Justice, Community Engagement and Information Institutions: Access, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • 2020 – Reshaping Identity in The Digital Age: People, Libraries, Data, Technology & Ethics
  • 2023 – “Information Everywhere
  • 2025 – Navigating Disruptive Times: Embracing Uncertainty, Ensuring Credibility
Tatjana Aparac Jelušić, Full Professor with tenure
Tatjana Aparac Jelušić, Full Professor with tenure

BOBCATSSS

BOBCATSSS is an annual symposium organised by students from several universities across Europe. It is held under the auspices of EUCLID (European Association for Library and Information Education and Research) and focuses on topics in library and information science. Each year, the symposium is managed by students from Eastern and Western European universities who share a common educational background in library and information science. The target groups of the BOBCATSSS conference are information professionals, students, professors involved in library and information science education and research, and employees of libraries and information departments.

The name BOBCATSSS is an acronym describing the university network and refers to the first letters of the cities whose universities initiated the first BOBCATSSS symposium in 1993: Budapest, Oslo, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Tampere, Stuttgart, Szombathely and Sheffield. In recent years, the cities of Borås, Riga, Kharkiv, Moscow, Tallinn, Toruń, Warsaw, Sofia, Ljubljana and Kraków have also joined.

The conference is unique in that teams of students, under the supervision of professors, plan and implement both the programme and management of the symposium. Students are responsible for every aspect of organising the conference, from marketing and financing to logistics and the management of abstracts and posters.

From 1993 to 1998, the conference was held in Budapest (Hungary). In 1994, the conference theme was The future of librarianship. In 1995, the conference discussed the topic Marketing and development of new information products and services in Europe. In 1996, the conference was dedicated to the topic Quality of information services. The theme of BOBCATSSS in 1997 was New book economy, while in 1998 it was Shaping the knowledge society. BOBCATSSS was held in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 1999 under the theme Learning society – learning organisation – lifelong learning. In 2000, the conference was held in Kraków (Poland), and the theme was Intellectual property versus the right to knowledge? In 2001, the conference was held in Vilnius (Lithuania) with the theme Knowledge, information and democracy in the open society: the role of the library and information sector. In 2002, the symposium was held in Portorož (Slovenia) with the theme Hum@n beings and information specialists: future skills, qualifications, positioning. BOBCATSSS was held in Toruń (Poland) in 2003 and was dedicated to the topic Information policy and the European union. In 2004, the conference was held in Riga (Latvia), where the topic Library and information in multicultural societies was discussed. The following year (2005), the symposium was held in Budapest (Hungary) under the theme Librarianship in the information age. The conference held in Tallinn (Estonia) in 2006 addressed the topic Information, innovation, responsibility: information professional in the network society. The symposium held in Prague (Czech Republic) in 2007 was dedicated to the theme Marketing of information services. The theme of BOBCATSSS held in Zadar (Croatia) in 2008 was Providing access to information for everyone. The conference held in Porto (Portugal) in 2009 discussed the topic Challenges for the new information professional. In 2010, the conference was held in Parma (Italy), and the theme was Bridging the digital divide: libraries providing access for all? BOBCATSSS 2011 was held in Szombathely (Hungary) and was dedicated to the topic Finding new ways of library use. BOBCATSSS 2012 was held in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), and its main theme was Information in E-motion, with the accompanying subthemes E-media in motion, My information, Organisations 2.0 and Access to public information. The conference held in Ankara (Turkey) in 2013 discussed the theme From collections to connections: turning libraries “inside-out”. BOBCATSSS was held in Barcelona (Spain) in 2014, and its theme was Library (r)evolution: promoting sustainable information practices. The conference held in Brno (Czech Republic) in 2015 focused on the theme Design, innovation, participation.

BOBCATSSS 2019 – Osijek, Croatia

The 27th conference was held from 22 to 24 January 2019 in Osijek and was organised by:

  • the Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek,
  • Linnaeus University (Sweden),
  • Uppsala University (Sweden),
  • The Hague University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands).

The main theme of the conference was “Information and technology transforming lives: connection, interaction, innovation”, with an emphasis on the role of information and communication technologies in shaping contemporary society.

The conference brought together numerous presenters and participants from across Europe and beyond, with discussions focusing on innovations in information science, new models of interaction between users and information systems, and the ways in which technology affects everyday life and social change.

The website can be accessed here.

ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS

The Archives, Libraries, Museums: Possibilities for Cooperation in the Environment of Global Information Infrastructure seminar (known by the acronym AKM) was launched based on the idea that cooperation among archives, libraries and museums is essential in order to provide users with the most complete, accurate and competent response possible through unified and coherent access to various information resources.

The conference has been held since 1997 and is organised alternately in cooperation with three professional associations:

  • Croatian Archival Society,
  • Croatian Library Association,
  • Croatian Museum Association.

The National and University Library in Zagreb, the Croatian State Archives and the Museum Documentation Centre also regularly participate as co-organisers, with the support of university departments of information sciences (Zagreb, Osijek, Zadar).

The purpose of the seminar is to bring together professionals and researchers dealing with theoretical principles and practical solutions related to the processing and use of materials, encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience, and explore opportunities for cooperation in the creation of and access to information.

Participation of the Department of Information Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek
The Department of Information Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, actively participates in organising the conference.

AKM 2025 – Osijek
This year’s conference will be held in Osijek from 24 to 26 November 2025 and will bring together archivists, librarians, museum professionals and information professionals from across Croatia and beyond. The theme of this year’s conference is: The Fifth Information Age – A Paradigm Shift in the AKM Community.

Round Table of the Croatian Library Association’s Committee for Adaptation and Accessibility of Library Services

The Round Table is organised every September with the aim of informing participants about current library programmes for people with disabilities and people at risk of social exclusion; raising public awareness of their rights; networking professionals from different fields who are interested in this issue; advocating for the rights of target groups; presenting relevant research and the results of the national campaign for people with reading difficulties and dyslexia “I Want to Read Too!”. The conference seeks to draw attention to the important role and responsibilities of libraries in local communities and to promote the fundamental principle of their activity – ensuring equal access for everyone to materials, spaces, technology, services, programmes and projects.

The Department has actively participated in the organisation since 2022

PUBLISHING – TRENDS AND CONTEXTS

The international conference “Publishing – Trends and Contexts” is organised by the Department of Information Sciences at the University of Zadar, the Department of Information Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Osijek, and the Sa(n)jam knjige u Istri Association, under the patronage and with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia. The conference is held as part of the “Sa(n)jam knjige” Book and Authors Festival in Pula, which has joined the ranks of international book fairs that encourage the exchange of practical publishing experiences, examine opportunities for applying modern technologies and new trends in publishing in general, and support practical and scholarly research into publishing as an exceptional social phenomenon.

The first conference (2013) was dedicated to two main themes. The first theme, The Value of Content, addressed content as symbolic, intellectual and financial capital which today, thanks to new technologies and effective management models, can be revitalised and resold or delivered repeatedly in different forms and on different platforms. The second theme, Successful Business Models in Electronic Publishing: New Content and the Revitalisation of Old Content, Platforms for the Distribution of Publishing Content, sought to address the reluctance of publishers in small markets to accept and develop new business models, particularly those related to electronic publishing.

The second conference was held in Pula in 2014, and its theme was Digital Authors and Electronic Books. The conference discussed whether a new, digital author exists and how such an author behaves in a new social environment that enables diverse and innovative authorial practices; whether the status of an author’s work changes in the digital environment, particularly with regard to its protection and archiving; and whether the study of publishing is theoretically and methodologically mature enough to adequately contextualise and analyse contemporary trends.

InfoDASKA Student Conference

InfoDASKA is a student conference that brings together young information professionals and students of information science and related fields. The conference was launched in 2008, initially under the name Young Librarians’ Days. It is held annually, alternately in Zadar, Zagreb, Osijek and Mostar, and since 2024 also in Sarajevo, and is organised by students and faculty members from university departments of information sciences in these cities.

The aim of the conference is to enhance the knowledge and skills of young professionals while strengthening mutual connections through academic presentations, workshops and discussions, as well as through socialising in a more informal setting. The conference is conceived as a space for exchanging ideas, experiences and visions of the future of information science.

InfoDASKA in Osijek

The conference has been held in Osijek on several occasions, with themes focusing on current challenges in information science and the wider information society:

InfoDASKA 2024 (23–24 May 2024) – Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities

InfoDASKA 2019 (10–11 May 2019) – Information Technologies as Drivers of Change

InfoDASKA 2015 (15–16 May 2015) – Information Institutions – Trends and Adaptations

Discussions held in Osijek have therefore addressed digital technologies, artificial intelligence and their impact on the profession, with an emphasis on the role of information professionals in a changing social and technological environment.

InfoDASKA – Retrospective

  • 2025 – Zagreb (22-23 May)
    The World of Multimedia – The User in Focus

  • 2024 – Osijek (23-24 May)
    Artificial Intelligence – Challenges and Opportunities

  • 2023 – Mostar (11-12 May)
    The Future Is Information Science

  • 2022 – Zadar (3-4 October)
    Information Professionals – Creators of the Future

  • 2020 and 2021
    Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic

  • 2019 – Osijek (10-11 May)
    Information Technologies as Drivers of Change

    • Information professionals’ attitudes towards technology

    • The role of information institutions in the process of change

  • 2018 – Mostar (10-11 May)

    • The Role of Literacy in Building a Knowledge Society

    • In Search of Information

  • 2017 – Zadar (5-6 May)
    Opportunities and Challenges of Cooperation between Information Institutions

  • 2016 – Zagreb (13-14 May)
    Privacy and Data Protection in Information Institutions

  • 2015 – Osijek (15–16 May)
    Information Institutions – Trends and Adaptations