The STEM Librarians South conference, now in its thirteenth year, brings together information professionals and academics from across the Southern U.S. and beyond to share their ideas, current research, best practices, and unique insights that help librarians advance the cause of STEM education and research.
The conference generally includes a keynote address, full-length presentations and “lightning talks” covering collections, data management, digital scholarship, information and data literacy, outreach, science education, and research, to the various services and programs libraries provide to support the STEM disciplines. Traditionally, the conference convenes mid- to late-July.
The University of Texas at San Antonio hosted the first STEM Librarians Conference in 2011. STEM-focused librarians throughout Texas discovered the need to share and benefit from the opportunity of a regional gathering to discuss professional interests and trends.
An open business meeting is held each year to plan the following conferences. In 2014, an informal steering committee formed to guide the conference and generated handbook which is passed to the next hosting institution, facilitating continuity and practical instructions for hosting a successful event. Subsequently, a repository was formed to help track presentations of the conference through the years.
The conference was given a regional designation in 2016, rebranded from Texas STEM Librarians, after a recognition that a significant proportion of attendees regularly came from areas outside of Texas, including some from outside the U.S. Organizers changed the name to STEM Librarians South Conference, reflecting its wider audience.
Thanks to the following people who provided information detailing the conference’s history: