CALL FOR PAPERS – IFLA SYMPOSIUM ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 2026
The University of the Free State, IFLA Information Technology Section and IFLA AI SIG, is hosting the event in collaboration with LIASA, National Library of South Africa and the National University of Lesotho, from the 09th -13th November 2026, Parys, Free State, South Africa.
We invite librarians, practitioners, scholars, technologists, and innovators to share evidence-based experiences, research findings, and visionary projects that demonstrate how AI can be responsibly integrated into library ecosystems.
Theme: Building an AI-Empowered World: Practical/Real-World Applications of AI
We invite proposals for paper presentations, panels and poster presentations on topics including, but not limited to:
- Practical Applications of AI
- Case studies of AI-driven cataloguing, recommendation engines, or automated reference services.
- Implementation frameworks, workflow integration, and lessons learned.
- Data sovereignty in the AI world
- National or regional perspectives on AI strategy, access, and policy
- AI: Beyond the Horizon
- Explorations of cutting-edge AI research with potential library impact, for example generative models, multimodal retrieval, and semantic search.
- Futuristic concepts such as AI-mediated learning spaces or autonomous collection development.
- The Human-AI Synergy
- Studies on collaborative workflows where librarians and AI systems co-create value.
- Collective intelligence and hybrid decision-making systems
- Ethical considerations, bias mitigation, and strategies for preserving human judgment and privacy.
- Evaluations of AI frameworks, policy, and principles in practice; evaluating the human in the loop
- Economic and Societal Transitions in an AI World
- Future of work, skills, and reinventing learning, incorporating creativity
- AI as a mentor, collaborator, and co-creator.
- Human-AI teamwork in research for enhancing digital scholarship and publishing
- Sustainable and Inclusive AI Future
- AI for sustainable development, innovation and resilience
- Social justice, inclusion, and equitable access to AI technologies
- Indigenous knowledge and cultural based AI design
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts should include the following:
- Title of the paper presentation/panel/poster
- Abstract of 300-350 words
- Author(s) and affiliation(s)
- Contact information for the corresponding author
- Type of presentation
- Special requirements if applicable
- PDF format only
Please submit your abstracts via email to
aiconference@ufs.ac.za
Important Dates
- 31 May 2026 — Deadline for submissions
- 10 July 2026 — Notification to authors
- 21 October 2026 — Submission of PowerPoint slides
- 09-13 November 2026 — Symposium dates
Contact
For enquiries regarding submissions, formatting, or sponsorship, please contact
aiconference@ufs.ac.za