The International Society of Medievalist Librarians seeks speakers with an academic background in Medieval Studies to join a *hybrid* roundtable taking place at the International Congress on Medieval Studies taking place May 14-16, 2026, at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.
Session Description: Many Medieval Studies students express an interest in library careers, but they are often unsure what qualifications are needed for positions in the cultural heritage sector. Similarly, traditional teaching faculty often don't have enough information to advise students on becoming a librarian or searching for entry-level library jobs. Using their own career paths as a starting point, librarians and archivists will share up-to-date advice about cultural heritage work and engage in a productive discussion with attendees about how medievalists can break into this field.
We welcome contributions from established and emerging professionals in libraries, archives, and other cultural heritage institutions. Similarly, we welcome representatives from across this diverse field, from curators to catalogers, from acquisitions staff to digital media specialists, and from reference librarians to program developers. The preponderance of time in the session will be spent responding to questions from attendees about training, qualifications, and career pathways for the cultural heritage sector.
Anyone interested must submit through the conference portal (https://icms.confex.com/icms/2026/prelim.cgi/Session/7119). Please include information about your job and your Medieval Studies background in your abstract, as well as if you expect to participate in person, virtually, or are undecided. Proposals are due by Monday, September 15th.
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Allison McCormack
Original Cataloger for Special Collections
University of Utah
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