IDEATHON 2026
IIT Delhi
📌 About the Event
Part of the ETD 2026 (Electronic Theses and Dissertations) symposium, this Ideathon is a high-octane sprint dedicated to the evolution of Library and Information Science (LIS). It’s a “Hackathon for Librarians,” where the goal isn’t just to code, but to solve systemic challenges in how humanity accesses and organizes knowledge.
ℹ️ Event Overview
- Category: Collaborative Innovation Sprint / Ideathon.
- Theme: Transform Libraries through Tech & Strategy.
- Venue: Physical Symposium (Day 2 of ETD 2026).
- Target Audience: Library professionals, technologists, faculty, and students.
- Team Size: 2–5 members (Interdisciplinary teams are highly encouraged).
📅 Critical Timeline
- Team Formation: October 23, 2026 | 6:15 PM.
- Problem Reveal: October 24, 2026 | 09:30 AM.
- Innovation Sprint: October 24, 2026 | 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
- Pitch & Presentations: October 24, 2026 | 5:40 PM.
🏗️ Potential Challenge Tracks
While the exact problem statements are secret until the morning of the event, they will likely fall into these high-impact zones:
- Agentic AI for Libraries: Using LLMs for automated metadata generation, ETD discovery, or “smart” reference librarians.
- UX & Accessibility: Redesigning stale library catalogs into modern, mobile-first, and accessible interfaces.
- Research Analytics: Visualizing citation networks and research impact through data analytics.
- Metadata Interoperability: Solving the “silo” problem—making sure different research repositories can talk to each other.
🛠️ Submission Requirements
You have roughly 3.5 hours to build and prepare. You must deliver:
- Working Prototype: This can be a functional code demo, a high-fidelity Figma mockup, or a detailed new workflow/PoC.
- Slide Deck: 5–7 slides covering the Problem, Solution, Features, and Impact.
- The Pitch: A 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges.