2026 Call for Proposals

Are you an academic librarian with liaison responsibilities in business, finance, or entrepreneurship? In the Southern US? If so, the Southern University and College Academic Business Librarians Conference (SOUCABL) is for you! SOUCABL is a great opportunity to meet other information professionals, develop your regional network of colleagues, share ideas, and brainstorm solutions.

We are now accepting proposals!

https://forms.gle/MvjRNsSAymgSftJD9

Timeline

  • Proposals are due Friday, January 9, 2026
  • Proposals confirmed no later than Friday, January 30, 2026

We especially encourage proposal submissions from librarians who work at smaller institutions or for whom providing public and technical services for business, finance, sports management, or entrepreneurship education and programming is only part of their job.

Priority will be given to participants from the District of Columbia and 14 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

About the Conference

What: The SOUCABL Conference: Chapter 7 - "Striving & Thriving"

When: Wednesday, May 13  - Thursday, May 14, 2026

Where: Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Cost: No registration fee.
  • Breakfast and lunch will be provided in addition
  • There will be a welcome reception on Wednesday and closing reception on Thursday
  • Speakers are responsible for covering their own travel and lodging

Pre-Conference Literacy Lab

The preconference will explore strategies for teaching a range of business information literacies—including data, financial, and related competencies—within the context of today’s evolving landscape of resources, technologies and ethical questions. Sessions will emphasize practical approaches for maximizing the impact of available resources, and highlighting creative methods of instruction. We especially encourage workshops that critically examine pedagogical practices through an ethical lens, considering issues such as equity, accessibility, and responsible use of information. The aim is to inspire attendees with fresh ideas,  and equip them with practical tools and reflective frameworks. Tell us how your workshop might help our community to enhance our teaching in meaningful and conscientious ways.

Striving & Thriving: Start Where You Are, Use What You Have, Do What You Can

The theme of the 2026 conference is “Striving & Thriving.” We invite business librarians to share their creative, practical, and impactful approaches to supporting business information needs with the resources at hand or have sourced new funding in new ways. Whether you’ve developed innovative programs, forged strategic partnerships, leveraged technology in new ways, or found small changes that made a big difference, we want to hear your story. Proposals should highlight successes, lessons learned, and strategies for thriving despite today’s shrinking budgets.

Suggested topics may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Have you adapted or repurposed existing tools, collections, or spaces in ways that had a significant impact?
  • What partnerships have helped you extend your reach or offer new services?
  • Have you used technology creatively or inexpensively to enhance access, engagement, or efficiency?
  • What lessons have you learned from experimenting with new approaches, and how have they shaped your current practice?
  • How do you measure or demonstrate the impact of your work on a budget?

Formats

  • Pre-conference Workshop: 55 minutes including all interactive elements
  • Lightning talk: 10 minutes (includes any Q&A), limited to 5 slides maximum

We are open to accepting different formats. Sometimes a lightning talk can be expanded into a workshop, sometimes a workshop can condense into a lightning talk. We are looking for events that provide impact with the quickest return for time invested. We are also open to innovative formats. If you have an idea to develop it into a program, we’d love to hear from you. We are of course happy to consider different modalities for those who have specific requests.

Please contact Twyckoff@fsu.edu for suggestions for the program or proposals.
Please contact hd.mckay@vanderbilt.edu for any questions about travel and hospitality related to the conference.

Submit your proposals here: https://forms.gle/MvjRNsSAymgSftJD9