Conferences

Our 2026 ARLIS UK & Ireland Conference will be held in Leeds.

ARLIS UK & Ireland Conference Working Party 2026

We’re looking for volunteers to take part in organising the 2026 ARLIS UK & Ireland Conference, to be held in Leeds in late June / early July 2026.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in one of the most enjoyable aspects of ARLIS UK & Ireland’s activity and a brilliant chance to work collaboratively as part of a small, friendly team to create a compelling and relevant event for those who work in art libraries and archives around the UK, Ireland, and beyond. Being a member of the ARLIS UK & Ireland Conference Working Party offers a rewarding way of enriching both your CV and your CPD experience and will give you a fantastic opportunity to contribute your ideas and skills to ARLIS UK & Ireland’s work and to network with colleagues in different art and design library contexts. 

We’re aiming to gather together a Working Party which represents people working in art libraries at every level, from entry level to senior management. We particularly welcome interest in joining the team from people who can bring a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, such as those belonging to under-represented and marginalised communities and sectors, including, but not limited to: Black and Global Majority; LGBTQIA+; those with disabilities and those who are neurodivergent. 

Planning meetings will be held online so we welcome participation from any location across the UK and Ireland.

If you are interested in taking up this opportunity, we’d be delighted to hear from you with details of:

a) why you would like to join the team, and

b) the skills, experience and ideas you can contribute.

We are especially keen to hear from anyone interested in sharing or developing the following skills:

• Graphic design
• Webpage maintenance
• Social media 
• Inclusive events planning
• Presentation skills
• Team work
• Supporting a hybrid-event that uses online conference and online engagement platforms

Please send any queries and applications (250 words max.) to chair@arlis.net

Testimonial:

Volunteering with the Conference Working Party has been a real highlight in my career. Besides all of the confidence, experience and knowledge I have gained, getting to work alongside other art librarians who are so accomplished and passionate about their work is really invigorating. Crucially, I’ve also had a lot of fun! This has been so good for me and I can highly recommend it to anyone who feels they might like to get involved.

-Aoife Larkin, Collections Librarian, Leeds Arts University