Celebrating librarians at Charleston Conference 2025

In recognition of the vital role librarians play, Elsevier has launched Librarians as Impact Makers – a celebration of the incredible but often invisible impact librarians have on their communities.  

Librarians make a meaningful difference every day, supporting students and researchers with things like:

These are just a few examples of how librarians are the true impact makers of the research ecosystem – and we want to say “thank you”. Librarians as Impact Makers is our way of spotlighting, celebrating and thanking the world’s librarians for the work they do.  

We kicked off the celebrations this summer by sharing Librarians as Impact Makers at LIBER in Switzerland, ALA in the US, and the SEA Libraries of the Future Summit in Thailand. Now we’re excited to bring this initiative to the upcoming Charleston Conference in November, where we’ll be sharing more inspiring stories from librarians who are making a real difference.

Join us in Charleston  

The Charleston Conference is an exciting annual gathering of academic librarians, publishers and information professionals. It’s a unique opportunity to learn about the latest trends in library and information science, share ideas and connect with global colleagues passionate about advancing the future of libraries. 

We are delighted to once again run the Karen Hunter Memorial Scholarship Award, which offers the winner a $2,500 travel grant to support their attendance at Charleston. This award honors the legacy of Karen Hunter, a librarian who spent four decades of her career at Elsevier spearheading initiatives in scholarly communications in partnership with the research community.  

How to apply for the Karen Hunter Memorial Scholarship Award 

We want to hear your story of impact in a changing world. To apply for this travel grant, submit a cover letter explaining why you want to attend Charleston Conference and sharing your perspective on this question: 

How are libraries and librarians adapting to demonstrate their impact amid ongoing technological and research transformation?

If you’re a librarian in North America eager to grow your professional network, discover new ideas, and showcase your impact, submit your application for the Karen Hunter Memorial Scholarship Award now for a chance to join us at Charleston Conference in November.  

Submit your application by October 10, 2025 to be considered, and follow the instructions online here for submitting your application. 

Honoring Karen Hunter’s legacy

Karen Hunter was a librarian herself who dedicated her career to fostering strong partnerships between libraries and the research community. Established in 2018, the memorial scholarship award celebrates her commitment to innovation and collaboration in scholarly communications.

At its core, the Karen Hunter Memorial Scholarship Award has always been about recognizing librarians as impact makers. Previous winners are librarians who have found unique ways to demonstrate impact for their institutions and the wider community; for example, Michele Costello (Assistant Professor and Business Librarian at Newman Library, City University of New York) explored the future of librarianship in an AI-enabled world in her application. Jessica Macaulay (Acquisitions and Circulation Specialist at St Mary’s University) focused her application on the evolving open access landscape and its implications for how academic libraries can create impact for their patrons.

This year, we look forward to reading applications which explore the many ways in which libraries are adapting to demonstrate their impact amid a rapidly changing technological and research landscape.

Impact makers in action

At this year’s Charleston Conference, we’ll be celebrating librarians at our interactive lunch session, from 12-2pm on Wednesday November 5^th: ‘Impact makers in action: Librarian stories on AI, innovation, and supporting research excellence’.

Register now to join us for an engaging, inspirational session focused on sharing real-world stories of libraries driving innovation, supporting research with integrity, and strengthening institutional impact. Rather than a formal presentation, this interactive session will allow us to surface practical examples, fresh ideas, and collective insights together.

Can’t wait for the Charleston Conference? If you’re ready to explore real-world examples of librarians creating impact for their communities today, visit our resource hub. It’s packed with stories of impact from around the world, all sharing perspectives on librarians, as trusted partners for their institutions, demonstrating and creating real impact for their patrons.

Together, let’s celebrate the critical role librarians play as impact makers in our ever-changing world. We look forward to hearing your stories of impact and welcoming you at Charleston to celebrate the difference a librarian makes.