Shanghai International Library Forum 2026 (SILF 2026) will be held from October 21 to 23, 2026 at the Shanghai Library. This forum is organized by the Shanghai Library, co-organized by the Shanghai Society for Library Science and the Shanghai Society for Scientific & Technical Information.

The theme of the forum is “Reimagining Libraries: Mission· Vision· Function". The conference will focus on hot issues, research achievements, novel concepts, advanced technologies, and latest progress related to the theme, and conduct in-depth and extensive academic discussions. Well-known experts and scholars will be invited to present keynote speeches and specific reports. To ensure the academic quality of this forum and promote academic exchanges and cooperation, scholars of library and information science, and professionals from all fields at home and abroad are invited to submit papers and attend the conference.

I. Topics of the Conference

1. Inheritance and innovation of library mission
   Suggestions: preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage; expansion of knowledge sharing and public cultural services, etc.
2. Library transformation empowered by smart technologies
   Suggestions: artificial intelligence and innovation of library services; construction of smart library platform; application of digital humanities; data safety and privacy protection, etc.
3. Development and sharing of library resources
   Suggestions: optimization of information resource system in the context of open science; digitalization and transformation use of library resources; digital resource long-term preservation; cross-institution development and sharing of resources, etc.
4. Innovation of reader services and culture spreading
   Suggestions: brand building of national reading promotion; all-media mode of reading service; reading disorder of special groups; cultural inheritance and construction of reading spaces; IFLA award-winning case analysis, etc.
5. Library cross-border integration
   Suggestions: cross-border cooperation mechanism; innovation through cooperation between enterprises, universities, and research institutions; cultural construction and combination of libraries and cities; approaches of international exchange and cooperation, etc.
6. Library management and personnel training
   Suggestions: library management in the new era; improvement in digital competences of the professionals; fostering interdisciplinary competences; industry standardization, etc.

II. Paper Submission Guidelines

1. The paper to be submitted must be the original work of the author(s), closely related to the theme of the conference and is not published on any journals at home or abroad or given as a speech at any conference. The paper does not involve any classified information, there is no plagiarism, and the author takes sole responsibilities for his or her views.
2. The paper contains 5,000 words or less, including an abstract within 300 words. The paper should be reasonable in structure, clear in viewpoint, and concise in writing style.
3. Format:
   • The paper should be arranged in the following order: topic, title, author’s name, author’s organization, abstract, keywords, text (sections indicated with numbers, such as 1., 1.1, 1.1.1......) and references.
   • At the end of the paper, please indicate the author’s contact information (telephone, e-mail, mailing address and zip code).
   • The title of the paper, author's name, author’s organization, abstract, and keywords must be in English; keywords should be separated by semicolons.
   • The national standard "Rules for content, form and structure of bibliographic references" (GB/T 7714-2015) is recommended for the format of references.
4. Submission: Please download and fill out the form and email to silf2026@libnet.sh.cn together with your paper.
5. Authors agree that the SILF Organizing Committee can revise or edit their papers and disseminate the papers accepted digitally, unless the Organizing Committee is otherwise notified.
6. Deadline for the submission of abstracts: March 20, 2026
7. Deadline for the submission of full papers: April 20, 2026
8. All papers will be reviewed by the duplicate checking system and the forum's Academic Committee. Accepted papers will be included in the officially published electronic conference proceedings. Selected excellent papers will also be recommended to such Chinese core journals as the Library Journal.

III. Secretariat

Rui SHU (Domestic), Tel: 86-21-64455555-61439 E-mail: 467798636@qq.com (not for paper submission), Library and Information Sciences Research Institute, Shanghai Library

Jean JIN (Overseas), Tel: 86-21-64455555-61435 E-mail: silf2026@libnet.sh.cn, International Cooperation Division, Shanghai Library

Conference website: https://silf.library.sh.cn/

Shanghai Library
Organizing Committee of Shanghai International Library Forum

December 2025