About the Conference

Missions in Motion: From Service to Empowerment in the Era of AI and Digital Capitalism is an international conference dedicated to exploring the evolving roles, identities, and social responsibilities of academic libraries in a rapidly transforming higher education landscape.

📅 17–19 September 2026
📍 Zagreb, Croatia (in-person only)

The conference brings together researchers, librarians, educators, and professionals interested in critically examining the transformation of academic libraries in the context of artificial intelligence, digital capitalism, and shifting institutional and societal expectations.

Academic libraries are undergoing profound transformations shaped by technological change, new governance models, and evolving expectations within higher education. Increasingly positioned between service provision and broader societal engagement, libraries are called upon to rethink their missions, professional roles, and contributions to knowledge production and democratic life.

The programme is designed as a focused, single-track event, combining keynote lectures, selected presentations, a poster session, and a thematic round table, with space for discussion, reflection, and networking.

The conference will also include a dedicated doctoral track (KIKZ.02), conceived as a focused, one-day workshop for doctoral students in information and communication sciences. Organised as a co-located event within the KRIK conference, the doctoral track is designed as an interactive and developmental space, with a focus on methodological reflection, academic writing and publishing, and critical engagement with contemporary research challenges, including the role of artificial intelligence in doctoral work. It will provide opportunities for peer exchange and discussion with senior scholars, supporting participants in reflecting on the broader academic and societal relevance of their research.

The official language of the conference is English.

Participation is free of charge; however, registration is mandatory due to limited capacity.

The conference is organised as part of the KRIK project – a four-year research initiative that critically rethinks the role of librarianship in higher education. The project explores how digital transformation, neoliberal governance, and evolving academic structures shape the professional identity, autonomy, and social mission of academic librarians.

Organisers and Support

The conference is organised by the Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.

It is held as part of the KRIK project, a four-year research project funded by the European Union, through the NextGenerationEU instrument (NPOO).

The conference is also supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Zagreb through the project ZNADEM – Knowledge for Democracy: Norwegian-Croatian Dialogue on the University’s Third Mission.

Views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.