Opening the Book has a great reputation for delivering inspiring and useful presentations. Our speakers are lively, easy to follow and connect well with audiences.

Some examples of topics covered in the last 10 years:

• Rachel Van Riel ran a series of webinars in 2010 and 2011 on The Reader-friendly Library Service and Reader-friendly Library Design for Texas State Library & Archives Commission and for the State Library of Kansas.
• Reaching Readers – Rachel Van Riel gave the opening keynote speech at the PAGES Conference Edmonton, Canada, 2010.
• Putting Readers First – Rachel Van Riel at the RA in a Day Conference for the Ontario Library Association, 2010
• Ønskebok.no – experiences of developing a website based on Universal Design – Rachel Van Riel at MediaLT’s International conference: Do Web Accessibility Guidelines guarantee Universal Design?
• Learning from retail – the psychology of library design – Rachel Van Riel at Umbrella, 2009
• Librarians and architects – Rachel Van Riel to architects and project managers working with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Libraries, 2009
• Opening the Book – a reader-centred approach – Rachel Van Riel at the Signs of the Times regional library conference, Lillehammer, 2009
• Building a customer-centred space – using observation to inform library design – Rachel Van Riel at the CofHE (Colleges of Further and Higher Education) National Conference, 2009
• Improving the customer experience – Rachel Van Riel at the CILIP Career Development Group National Conference, 2009
• Anne Downes participated in the Salzburg Global Seminar on recognising and promoting the critical role of translation in a global culture in February 2009. Anne gave a speech about promoting work in translation to readers to delegates from 57 countries.
• What’s in it for readers? – Promoting translations in English culture – Rachel Van Riel at the Chartered Institute of Linguists conference on literary translation, 2008
• Books and knowledge – a reader-friendly future – Rachel Van Riel at the Library & Information Show, 2008
• Reading and watching – what does the written word have that images don't? Rachel Van Riel chaired the international conference organised by the Dutch Reading Foundation in 2008 in Amsterdam
• Connecting authors to readers in the digital age – Rachel Van Riel at the Canadian Library Association Conference, Vancouver, 2008
• Reader development and strategic change in libraries - Rachel Van Riel for regional and public libraries conference with MUSA, in Stockholm, 2006
• The reader-friendly library service - Rachel Van Riel at the Country Public Libraries Association of New South Wales Conference, 2006
• Literature – lost in the market? - Rachel Van Riel at the Prague International Book Fair, 2005
• The secret pleasures of reading – Rachel Van Riel at the Ministry of Culture Conference to celebrate the Laeslyst reading campaign, Copenhagen, 2004
• The reader-centred approach to library layout – Rachel Van Riel gave a lecture and masterclass at the 10th Online Conference in Amsterdam, 2004
• Putting readers first – Rachel Van Riel at the Gothenburg Book Fair, 2004
• Readers on the web – Olive Fowler at the Multiliteracies Conference, Flemish Library Association, 2003
• Selling the sizzle - Fiona Edwards at the Children and Literature Conference, Copenhagen, 2003
• The future of reading and the e-book – Rachel Van Riel at a British Council Seminar, 2003, with participants from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, Norway, Oman and Sri Lanka
• Reader-centred reading groups – Anne Downes at Kosmpolis international literature festival, Barcelona, 2002
• The reader-centred approach – Rachel Van Riel at The Business of Reading in Africa Conference organised by Southern African Book Development Education Trust in association with the Zimbabwe International Bookfair, 2001
• ICT and reader development – Olive Fowler, Informatie Conference, Antwerp, 2001