Charleston Conference Unites Library and Publishing Professionals

The 2026 Charleston Conference Brings Scholarly Publishing to South Carolina

MDPI is pleased to share its role as a Gold Sponsor and exhibitor at the 2026 Charleston Conference 🌟 Meet the MDPI team at booth 123 to discuss open access publishing partnerships and our work in support of research integrity.

— https://x.com/MDPIOpenAccess/status/2118705367777525818

The Charleston Conference returns to South Carolina this November, marking another year for the long-standing, informal gathering of library professionals, publishers, and industry vendors. What began in 1980 as a small meeting of 20 participants has evolved into a central hub for the scholarly publishing sector, drawing nearly 2,500 attendees by 2023, according to the Association of University Presses.

The event is hosted across multiple venues in downtown Charleston, including the Charleston Gaillard Center, the Francis Marion Hotel, and the Courtyard by Marriott Charleston Historic District. Unlike many industry trade shows that prioritize formal presentations, the Charleston Conference maintains a focus on collegial, non-threatening interaction.

The primary utility of the gathering lies in its structure, which intentionally mixes diverse roles within the information ecosystem. Presidents of publishing companies engage in direct dialogue with library directors, acquisitions librarians, reference librarians, and serials managers. This environment is designed to facilitate open debate on the pressing issues currently facing the library and scholarly publishing landscape.

As noted by Wayne State University Press, the conference serves as a vital touchpoint for organizations like theirs to navigate the changing demands of electronic resource management and collection development. For those in the academic publishing community, the stakes involve more than just networking; the event functions as a barometer for how libraries and publishers will reconcile budget constraints with the rising demand for digital access.

The conference remains a singular event because of its commitment to an informal, peer-to-peer exchange of ideas. By removing the barrier between vendors and the library professionals who utilize their materials, the organizers aim to foster solutions that reflect the realities of both sides of the supply chain. With the scholarly landscape shifting toward open access and complex digital licensing models, this November gathering serves as a critical, if informal, forum for setting the agenda for the coming year.