ELIAS Meeting 2026 - Reimagining Africa

 

Practical Strategies for Access, Visibility, and Use of African Library Collections Libraries and archives within the European Libraries in African Studies (ELIAS) network hold rich and diverse collections that are essential to African Studies research worldwide. Yet many of these materials—print, archival, audiovisual, and digital—remain underused due to challenges related to discoverability, access, description, and outreach. 

 

The one-day ELIAS meeting aims to bring together librarians, archivists, and information professionals to exchange practical approaches to improving the visibility, accessibility, and active use of African Studies collections. 

 

By sharing concrete case studies from ELIAS institutions and beyond, the meeting will strengthen professional collaboration and help participants translate shared challenges into actionable solutions. 

 

 

 

Date: Friday 19 June 2026 

Time: 9.00 – 18.00 (followed by optional dinner) 

Location: African Library African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL) Leiden University,  Leiden, The Netherlands 

 

 

Participation is aimed at ELIAS members, but is also open to people who would like to get to know the network or get involved. You can register by sending an email to: asclibrary@asc.leidenuniv.nl.

A registration fee of EUR 50 will be charged on site. 

 

 

Preliminary Programme (PDF)

 

For inquiries about the ELIAS Network contact: Sophia Thubauville (Thubauville@em.uni-frankfurt.de)

For inquiries about the ELIAS Meeting contact: Liesbeth Kanis (l.n.kanis@asc.leidenuniv.nl).