Conference

We’re launching our first two day conference in 2026 with our call for contributions and our booking site, both now open. (See below). This page will evolve as we add more details about the conference, including suggestions around “reasons to attend”, social event suggestions, and more. We suggest using #NLISN26 as the conference hashtag – our main social media platform for the conference will be BlueSky.

NLISN Conference, 16th & 17th July 2026.

St George’s Centre, Leeds.

We’re pleased to open the call for contributions for the first NLISN conference.

We welcome short talks, longer talks, workshops, and wildcards from neurodivergent library and information workers for both days, or from neurotypical allies for the 2nd day (17th July).

Submissions are welcome on anything related to neurodivergence and library, information, or archive work.

The first day (16th July) will be exclusive to neurodivergent attendees only, with the conference opened up to neurotypical allies too on the 2nd day (17th July). Conference fees will be kept to a minimum, at £95 for 1 day, or £150 for both days for ND members, slightly more for neurotypical attendees on the 2nd day only. We hope to also have some free places if possible, but will be unable to confirm this until we can judge the level of bookings / income. Fuller details can be found on the Eventbrite bookings page which is now open.

Details may vary slightly depending on suggested contributions received, but we expect:

Short talks will be 20 minutes plus between 5 and 10 minutes for questions.
Longer talks will be 45 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions.
Workshops will be 55 minutes.
Wildcards will be negotiable in format and length.

Submissions should be via this form and will ask you a series of short structured questions that will come together as the final abstract. If you wish to present but will struggle to do so live, there will be an option to record a talk beforehand which can be viewed by attendees. If you are willing to share your slides, recordings, or a write up of your submission, please tick the appropriate box(es) on the form and we will get in touch with details of how this will work after the submissions form closes on 2nd April 2026. We will contact successful contributors by the end of April 2026.

There is also the option to submit a presentation in video format for any small numbers of people who may struggle to present live at the conference.

The main spaces for talks will be set out “cabaret style” (chairs set around tables), with a dedicated quiet area with soft furnishings off the same corridor. There may also be the option to use a small outdoor space off one of the rooms, depending on the weather. There will be no option to rearrange rooms between sessions into alternative layouts.

The conference location will be St George’s Centre in central Leeds (LS1 3DL). The venue is accessible, is all on one level, is a short walk from public transport, and is linked to the charity who provides support to the homeless and vulnerable of Leeds from their base in the crypt next door. The catering is provided by Nuture Catering, part of St George’s Crypt.

General car parking is not available on-site, but a number of public car parks are nearby. If you need disability related parking we may be able to book a space for you as the venue has a very small number available, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Any questions about the call, please contact nlisncontact@gmail.com

Accommodation is not included, but there are many choices of rooms in central Leeds, including multiple locations of the ever reliable Premier Inn, even cheaper options (depending on dates) like easyHotel, or grander options like the Queens Hotel. We do not recommend any one hotel over another.

Social Events are not included as part of the conference, but closer to the dates we will suggest locations for attendees to meet informally, including for food on the Thursday evening.

Getting to Leeds is hopefully relatively easy, whether driving (close to the M1 and M62 motorways, though you will have to pay to park), using public transport (a large bus station, plus the train station is on the TransPennine and East Coast lines), or flying, with two airports close by (Leeds Bradford is closest, but Manchester has a direct train link between the airport and central Leeds).

Reasons to attend will follow in more detail soon, particularly for those who might otherwise to struggle to express the benefit to their employers. Our work in progress (definitely not the finished version) can be seen here and a work in progress summary below.

Neurodivergent attendees are expected to grow their networks of support, to share and learn good practice, and to learn from others how to be more effective at work in their own right, as well as more effective in supporting their colleagues. We hope the conference will also (longer term) contribute to reduced sick leave and turnover of staff due to Neurodivergent burnout.

Neurotypical attendees are expected to broaden their knowledge on how to build diverse and effective teams, leveraging the benefits of neurodivergent workers, and managing neurodivergent workers more effectively. NT attendees’ increased knowledge may (longer term) contribute to reduced sick leave and turnover of staff.

A code of conduct will be available before the conference, making it clear how we expect attendees to act with respect to one another, including on social media, and reserving the right to remove anyone from the conference venue who fails to comply with this code of conduct.