Conference Proceedings as Primary Sources of Information | LIS Notes

byIshfaq Hussain Wani
0

Topic: Conference Proceedings as primary information sources (print and electronic) or Primary Information Source: Conference Proceedings

Topic: Conference Proceedings as primary information sources (print and electronic) or Primary Information Source: Conference Proceedings Definition: Conference proceedings are a collection of academic papers presented at professional meetings, symposiums, or conferences. These documents serve as a primary source of current research and developments in various fields, often published in print and increasingly in electronic formats. Chronological Development (Global & Indian Examples) 1. Early Print Proceedings First Known: Royal Society’s Conference Publications (UK) Year: 17th–18th century (as informal communication) Published Form: Incorporated into Philosophical Transactions (1665 onward) Organization: Royal Society of London Nature: Abstracts, summaries, and transcripts of scholarly discussions 2. Modern Conference Proceedings (Print) Became more organized and systematically published in the 19th century. Example: Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Year: 1849 Country: USA Format: Print Content: Papers and discussions from annual meetings Electronic Conference Proceedings 3. ACM International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS) Founded: 2002 Organization: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), USA Nature: Peer-reviewed papers in computer science and IT Access: https://dl.acm.org/conferences Format: PDF, HTML Updated: Regularly with each conference 4. IEEE Conference Proceedings Founded: 1963 onward (IEEE formed), formal proceedings digitized later Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA Subjects: Engineering, electronics, IT Access: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp Format: PDF, interactive e-papers Updates: Continuous throughout the year Indian Conference Proceedings Another list of some of the important Conference Proceedings in the field of Library and Information Science, separated into International and National (India) categories. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (Chronological) 1. International Library and Information Congress (IFLA WLIC) Started: 1928 (Edinburgh, Scotland) Organizer: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Frequency: Annual Proceedings: Published on www.ifla.org Notable: One of the oldest and most influential international LIS conferences 2. American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) Annual Meeting Started: 1937 (as Documentation Institute) Organizer: ASIS&T, USA Frequency: Annual Proceedings: Published in ASIS&T Digital Library Focus: Information Science, Digital Libraries, User behavior 3. International Conference on Digital Libraries (ICDL) Started: 2004 (First at New Delhi, though organized with international scope) Organizer: TERI (India), with UNESCO and other international bodies Frequency: Biennial Proceedings: Published online and in print Special Note: Though hosted in India, it has global participation and is recognized internationally 4. International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries (TPDL) Started: 1997 (as ECDL - European Conference on Digital Libraries) Rebranded: 2011 as TPDL Organizer: European DL community Frequency: Annual Proceedings: Published by Springer in Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) 5. International Conference on Open Repositories (OR) Started: 2006 Organizer: Open Repositories Community Frequency: Annual, location rotates globally Focus: Institutional repositories, open access, scholarly communication 6. International Conference on Knowledge Management (ICKM) Started: 2004 Organizer: Knowledge Management Organization (KMO) in collaboration with various universities Proceedings: Indexed in databases like IEEE and ACM 7. iConference (iSchools) Started: 2005 Organizer: iSchools Organization Focus: Interdisciplinary LIS research Proceedings: Published online (often through Springer or ACM) NATIONAL (INDIA) CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (Chronological) 1. Indian Library Association (ILA) Annual Conference Started: 1933 Organizer: Indian Library Association Frequency: Annual Proceedings: Published as part of conference volumes Notable: India’s oldest LIS conference 2. Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centres (IASLIC) Conference Started: 1955 Organizer: IASLIC, Kolkata Frequency: Biennial Proceedings: Printed and digital formats Focus: Special libraries, documentation services 3. Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) Seminars Started: 1962 Organizer: DRTC, Bangalore (Under Indian Statistical Institute) Focus: Classification, indexing, knowledge organization Notable Events: Seminar on Classification Research (1964) Workshops on KO and Ontologies 4. National Seminar on Knowledge Management in Libraries Started: 2004 onwards Organizers: Various university departments like University of Hyderabad, Central University of Tamil Nadu, etc. Proceedings: Published by the hosting institutions Themes: Digitization, open access, ICT, library automation 5. CALIBER (Convention on Automation of Libraries in Education and Research Institutions) Started: 1994 Organizer: INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar Frequency: Biennial (till 2015) Proceedings: Available on https://inflibnet.ac.in Last Held: 2015 (Shifted focus to IRs, Shodhganga, etc.) 6. National Conference on Library and Information Science (NACLIN) Started: 1998 Organizer: DELNET (Developing Library Network) Frequency: Annual Focus: Library networking, resource sharing, open access Proceedings: DELNET publications 7. International Conference on Digital Libraries (ICDL) – Mentioned above but hosted by India Years Held: 2004, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 Organizer: TERI, UNESCO, IGNOU, and others 8. National Conference on Academic Libraries Started: 2010s (Multiple universities) Organizer: University libraries (e.g., University of Kashmir, AMU, DU) Focus: Academic library roles, NEP 2020, E-resources 9. National Conference by Society for Advancement of Library and Information Science (SALIS) Started: Early 2000s Organizer: SALIS, Tamil Nadu Frequency: Annual Themes: ICT in libraries, knowledge resource management Additional Notes: Most national conferences rotate among universities. Proceedings are sometimes ISSN/ISBN registered and published in journals or digital repositories (e.g., Shodhganga, university IRs). After 2020, many conferences also have hybrid or virtual proceedings, accessible via Google Scholar or university websites. Notable Changes Over Time Pre-1900s: Conference content was mostly informal or later reported in journals. 1900s: Full papers began appearing in printed bound volumes. 2000s onward: Conferences adopted electronic platforms, and proceedings were uploaded online with searchable formats. 2010s and beyond: Open access models, DOI assignments, and interactive digital proceedings (HTML/PDF) became standard. Key Features First-hand accounts of original research May include abstracts, full papers, poster sessions Often peer-reviewed, especially in technical fields Contain cutting-edge, pre-journal research Useful for identifying trends and emerging topics Often the only source for certain niche studies Major Publishers and Repositories IEEE, ACM, Springer, Elsevier (Procedia Series), IFLA, INFLIBNET, DELNET, Shodhganga, OATD, and ResearchGate are key repositories of conference proceedings globally and in India. Many university repositories also preserve faculty and student contributions in conference formats. Search Tools for Proceedings Use academic databases like Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, ACM DL, Scopus, Web of Science, or Shodhganga. For LIS-specific Indian conferences, check INFLIBNET, DELNET, and IATLIS archives.
Primary Sources of Information (Print and Electronic Resources): Conference Proceedings


Definition:
Conference proceedings are a collection of academic papers presented at professional meetings, symposiums, or conferences. These documents serve as a primary source of current research and developments in various fields, often published in print and increasingly in electronic formats.

For Journals click >>> https://www.libraryinfoscience.in/2025/06/journals-primary-source-of-information.html


Development of Conference Proceedings (Global & Indian Examples)

1. Early Print Proceedings

First Known:

1 Royal Society’s Conference Publications (UK)
Year: 17th–18th century (as informal communication)
Published Form: Incorporated into Philosophical Transactions (1665 onward)
Organization: Royal Society of London
Nature: Abstracts, summaries, and transcripts of scholarly discussions

 2. Modern Conference Proceedings (Print)

Became more organized and systematically published in the 19th century.
Example:
Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Year: 1849
Country: USA
Format: Print
Content: Papers and discussions from annual meetings

Electronic Conference Proceedings

3. ACM International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS)

Founded: 2002
Organization: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), USA
Nature: Peer-reviewed papers in computer science and IT
Access: https://dl.acm.org/conferences
Format: PDF, HTML
Updated: Regularly with each conference

4. IEEE Conference Proceedings

Founded: 1963 onward (IEEE formed), formal proceedings digitized later
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA
Subjects: Engineering, electronics, IT
Access: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp
Format: PDF, interactive e-papers
Updates: Continuous throughout the year
Indian Conference Proceedings 

Another list of some of the important Conference Proceedings in the field of Library and Information Science, separated into International and National (India) categories. 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

1. International Library and Information Congress (IFLA WLIC)

Started: 1928 (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Organizer: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
Frequency: Annual
Proceedings: Published on www.ifla.org
Notable: One of the oldest and most influential international LIS conferences

2. American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) Annual Meeting

Started: 1937 (as Documentation Institute)
Organizer: ASIS&T, USA
Frequency: Annual
Proceedings: Published in ASIS&T Digital Library
Focus: Information Science, Digital Libraries, User behavior

3. International Conference on Digital Libraries (ICDL)

Started: 2004 (First at New Delhi, though organized with international scope)
Organizer: TERI (India), with UNESCO and other international bodies
Frequency: Biennial
Proceedings: Published online and in print
Special Note: Though hosted in India, it has global participation and is recognized internationally

4. International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries (TPDL)

Started: 1997 (as ECDL - European Conference on Digital Libraries)
Rebranded: 2011 as TPDL
Organizer: European DL community
Frequency: Annual
Proceedings: Published by Springer in Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)

5. International Conference on Open Repositories (OR)

Started: 2006
Organizer: Open Repositories Community
Frequency: Annual, location rotates globally
Focus: Institutional repositories, open access, scholarly communication

6. International Conference on Knowledge Management (ICKM)

Started: 2004
Organizer: Knowledge Management Organization (KMO) in collaboration with various universities
Proceedings: Indexed in databases like IEEE and ACM

7. iConference (iSchools)

Started: 2005
Organizer: iSchools Organization
Focus: Interdisciplinary LIS research
Proceedings: Published online (often through Springer or ACM)

NATIONAL (INDIA) CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

1. Indian Library Association (ILA) Annual Conference

Started: 1933
Organizer: Indian Library Association
Frequency: Annual
Proceedings: Published as part of conference volumes
Notable: India’s oldest LIS conference

2. Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centres (IASLIC) Conference

Started: 1955
Organizer: IASLIC, Kolkata
Frequency: Biennial
Proceedings: Printed and digital formats
Focus: Special libraries, documentation services

3. Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) Seminars

Started: 1962
Organizer: DRTC, Bangalore (Under Indian Statistical Institute)
Focus: Classification, indexing, knowledge organization
Notable Events:
Seminar on Classification Research (1964)
Workshops on KO and Ontologies

4. National Seminar on Knowledge Management in Libraries

Started: 2004 onwards
Organizers: Various university departments like University of Hyderabad, Central University of Tamil Nadu, etc.
Proceedings: Published by the hosting institutions
Themes: Digitization, open access, ICT, library automation

5. CALIBER (Convention on Automation of Libraries in Education and Research Institutions)

Started: 1994
Organizer: INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar
Frequency: Biennial (till 2015)
Proceedings: Available on https://inflibnet.ac.in
Last Held: 2015 (Shifted focus to IRs, Shodhganga, etc.)

6. National Conference on Library and Information Science (NACLIN)

Started: 1998
Organizer: DELNET (Developing Library Network)
Frequency: Annual
Focus: Library networking, resource sharing, open access
Proceedings: DELNET publications

7. International Conference on Digital Libraries (ICDL) – Mentioned above but hosted by India

Years Held: 2004, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019
Organizer: TERI, UNESCO, IGNOU, and others

8. National Conference on Academic Libraries

Started: 2010s (Multiple universities)
Organizer: University libraries (e.g., University of Kashmir, AMU, DU)
Focus: Academic library roles, NEP 2020, E-resources

9. National Conference by Society for Advancement of Library and Information Science (SALIS)

Started: Early 2000s
Organizer: SALIS, Tamil Nadu
Frequency: Annual
Themes: ICT in libraries, knowledge resource management

Additional Notes:

  • Most national conferences rotate among universities.
  • Proceedings are sometimes ISSN/ISBN registered and published in journals or digital repositories (e.g., Shodhganga, university IRs).
  • After 2020, many conferences also have hybrid or virtual proceedings, accessible via Google Scholar or university websites.

Notable Changes Over Time

Pre-1900s: Conference content was mostly informal or later reported in journals.
1900s: Full papers began appearing in printed bound volumes.
2000s onward: Conferences adopted electronic platforms, and proceedings were uploaded online with searchable formats.
2010s and beyond: Open access models, DOI assignments, and interactive digital proceedings (HTML/PDF) became standard.

Key Features

  • First-hand accounts of original research
  • May include abstracts, full papers, poster sessions
  • Often peer-reviewed, especially in technical fields
  • Contain cutting-edge, pre-journal research
  • Useful for identifying trends and emerging topics
  • Often the only source for certain niche studies
  • Major Publishers and Repositories
  • IEEE, ACM, Springer, Elsevier (Procedia Series), IFLA, INFLIBNET, DELNET, Shodhganga, OATD, and ResearchGate are key repositories of conference proceedings globally and in India. Many university repositories also preserve faculty and student contributions in conference formats.
  • Search Tools for Proceedings
  • Use academic databases like Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, ACM DL, Scopus, Web of Science, or Shodhganga. For LIS-specific Indian conferences, check INFLIBNET, DELNET, and IATLIS archives.
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