2023

The 38th Pre-Conference of the Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section of IFLA was held in The Hague, The Netherlands, on the 17-18th of August, hosted by the House of Representatives of The Netherlands (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal). About 130 participants attended a full two-day programme with presentations, round table discussions and several afternoon break-out sessions. The Pre-Conference’s theme was “Towards sustainable and innovative Parliamentary Library & Research Services”. The programme included an icebreaking activity, with pictures and short presentations of the attendants’ libraries and research services, a concise presentation of the History and Work of the House of Representatives, regional updates, and the keynote speech by Kirsten van den Hul, former Member of Parliament and director of DutchCulture. The Pre-Conference also included an animated speech by the Secretary General of the Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Mr. Geert Jan Hamilton, before the official dinner, a guided tour at the Tweede Kamer as well as a visit at the National Library of The Netherlands (KB – Nationale Biblioteek). The final drinks on Friday evening marked a successful two-day conference and all the participants left with plenty of new ideas, echoing the sentiment of the opening speech of the conference: IFLAPARL, Moving Forward!

All presentations can be found at the Pre-Conference website, provided and hosted by the Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal.

(This short presentation is based on the 38th Pre-Conference report by Louise Schets, included in IFLAPARL February 2024 Newsletter)

In addition to organising its own Pre-Conference, IFLAPARL had a vivid presence at the 2023 IFLA World Library Information Congress, held in Rotterdam on 21-25 August 2023: Open SC meeting on the 20th of August; a presentation of its actions by the outgoing Section Chair Josefa Fuentes, at the President’s session (22 August); a joint session on Artificial Intelligence, co-organized with AI SIG, Government Libraries Section, Government Information and Official Publications Section, and Law Libraries Section, and finally the section’s open session (24 August), themed “Leveraging digital to support inclusive, accessible and innovative parliamentary services”.

(More details on IFLAPARL activities during the 2023 WLIC and the 88th IFLA General Conference included in IFLAPARL February 2024 Newsletter)

2022

The 37th annual IFLAPARL Pre-Conference was themed “The parliamentary life of information: how library & research services provide value for parliaments, Members and citizens”. The event was originally scheduled to take place in August 2020, as the 36th Pre-Conference, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 37th Pre-Conference was held in Dublin, Ireland, hosted by the House of the Oireachtas (Tithe an Oireachtais), on 22 July 2022, and it was a satellite event of the 87th IFLA World Library and Information Congress, held in Dublin on 26-29 July 2022. The Pre-Conference was a one-day event, with selected sessions of its programme livestreamed. Apart for the livestream programme and the in-person break-out discussions, virtual break-out sessions were provided for the colleagues unbale to attend in person, in order to discuss live and engage in networking. The House of the Oireachtas provided the official webpage of the Pre-Conference and the livestreaming, while the virtual break-out sessions were provided directly through IFLA/IFLAPARL Zoom account.

The event’s details, its programme and the livestreamed presentations can be found at the 37th Pre-Conference webpage; more details on the virtual break-out sessions can be found at the IFLAPARL December 2022 Newsletter.

As the 2021-2023 IFLAPARL Chair Josefa Fuentes put it in her closing speech “In a world where everything and everyone became more connected every day and where a virus spread to all nations, once again, experience has taught us, or rather reminded us that solidarity and sharing knowledge is the way to confront any deficiency or provide a solution to widespread problems. […] All these efforts will lead us to remember this 37th annual Pre-conference as the moment that enabled us to share, in person and from a distance, virtually, our experiences, hopes and projects” (the full speech can be found at the IFLAPARL December 2022 Newsletter).

2021

The Covid-19 Pandemic still ongoing, and after the cancellation of the section’s 36th Pre-Conference, IFLAPARL joined forces with the Inter-Parliamentary Union for the Virtual Conference “Parliamentary library & research services – towards an agenda for the next decade”, held on 6-8 October 2021. The conference had several sessions of presentations and panel discussions on a variety of issues, including a presentation of the results of the 2021 Covid-19 Survey of parliamentary services; parliamentary strengthening support for library and research services; data collection; accessibility; service strategies; and a workshop day of particular interest to new and developing services and to younger professionals and managers. More details on the conference here; full report on the event here.

2020

NEWS UPDATE: The 36th Satellite Conference for Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section has been cancelled.

The World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) and 86th IFLA General Conference and Assembly will be held in Dublin, Ireland 15-21 August 2020. The meeting is organized under general theme ‘’Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect.”  The Standing Committee of IFLAPARL is pleased to invite proposals for presentations at its open session for this year’s WLIC.Deadline for submissions is March 6, 2020.

The Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section (IFLAPARL) had been planning to hold the 36th Pre-Conference to be hosted by the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament), Dublin, Ireland, from 12 – 13 August, 2020.

By agreement between the IFLAPARL Standing Committee and the Houses of Oireachtas Service, the IFLAPARL 2020 Satellite Conference has been cancelled.  We thank the Houses of the Oireachtas Service for their cooperation to date and wish them all the very best in dealing with this crisis situation. We thank all of the IFLAPARL section members, and in particular those who made proposals to speak, for your interest and investment in IFLAPARL 2020 up to this point.

2019

The 35th annual IFLAPARL pre-conference was held in the Hellenic Parliament on 22nd – 23rd August 2019 in Athens, Greece.  The theme of the meeting was ‘Parliamentary libraries and research services: Supporting Dialogue for Change’. Please see the detailed information about the 2019 IFLAPARL Pre-conference.

The Section was also active during the 2019 IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC), with its own open session, co-sponsoring the annual Knowledge Café, and holding two Standing Committee meetings to which everyone is invited.  Please see the details of the section’s contributions to the 2019 WLIC.

2018

The 2018 IFLAPARL pre-conference was held in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 24th August 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  The theme was ‘Transforming parliamentary libraries and research services to meet changing clients’ needs’. Presentations and papers from the pre-conference are available here.

In additon, the Section organized an open session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Kuala Lumpur and collaborated with several other sections on joint sessions. Details of these can be found here.

2017

This year’s IFLAPARL pre-conference was held in Warsaw on 15-18 August, hosted by the Sejm Library and the Senate Analyses, Documentation and Correspondence Office, Parliament of the Republic of Poland. The theme was ‘Information as the foundation for social solidarity: the role of parliamentary libraries and research services’, and the conference attracted 130 delegates from all over the world. The pre-conference was preceded by an invitation-only capacity building programme the 13-14 August, sponsored by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). You will find the full pre-conference program and presentations here.

In addition to organising its own session at the 83rd IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Wroclaw, Poland, 19-25 August 2017, it cooperated with other IFLA sections to arrange a popular knowledge café on the changing role and development of information professionals, and a session with government libraries on supporting UN sustainable development goals.

2016

The Section held its 32nd annual pre-conference from 11 to 13 August 2016, hosted by the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. The theme of the pre-conference was “delivering parliamentary library and research services in an interconnected world”.  One hundred and forty-five participants attended the pre-conference which was preceded by an invitation-only capacity building programme, 8-9 August, sponsored by the US House Democracy Partnership and the US Agency for International Development.  Presentations from the pre-conference can be found here.

The Section also collaborated with several other IFLA Sections to organise sessions at the 82nd IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Columbus, Ohio, 13-19 August 2016.  A group of IFLPARL members also toured the Ohio Statehouse and met with library staff of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission during the WLIC.

2015

The Section held its 31st annual pre-conference from 12 to 14 August 2015, hosted by the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town. The satellite meeting focused on the theme Development, Transformation and Co-Operation in Library and Research Services in Parliaments. It explored how parliamentary libraries, research and information services evolve and innovate to respond to the information and documentation needs of the Parliament and other users. A call for papers was posted in early 2015.

Papers and presentations of the pre-conference, including highlights of the workshop on guidelines for parliamentary research services are now available.

The Section also collaborated with several other IFLA Sections to organise sessions at the 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Cape Town, 15-21 August 2015.  Papers from the Section’s session on Parliamentary Libraries – Evolving to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century can be found here.

2014

The Section held its annual 30th annual pre-conference from 12 to 14 August 2014, hosted by the French Assemblée Nationale in Paris. The overall theme of the pre-conference was  Parliamentary Libraries: Past and Future, and the theme for the Section’s day of the preconference (14 August) was Research and Library Services working together to meet client needs.  Additional workshops were planned for 12 August and for 15 August, and a Pre-Conference website was created. The list of papers, presentations and photographs (where available) can be found on the Section’s page on the 2014 pre-conference in Paris.

In additon, the Section organized a session and several joint sessions at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Lyon. Papers and presentations can be found here.

2013

The IFLA Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments held its 29th pre-conference in Singapore, 15-16 August 2013, in cooperation with the Parliamentary Library of Singapore and Li Ka Shing Library (Singapore Management University). The theme of the pre-conference was “Making better laws – the unique role of parliamentary library and research services”. During the main IFLA Congress, the Section sponsored an individual session “Library and Research Services for Parliaments Research resources for  Parliamentarians” and several joint sessions. Additional information can be found here.

2012

The IFLA Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments held a rich pre-conference and exciting programme at the World Library and Information Congress: 78th IFLA General Conference and Assembly 11-17 August, Helsinki, Finland.

Further information on the Sections activities during the pre-conference and at the Congress is available on these webpages:

2011

World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
13-18 August, San Juan, Puerto Rico

2010

Satellite Meeting, 6-9 August 2010, Swedish Riksdag in Stockholm, Sweden

World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
10-15 August, Gothenburg, Sweden
Theme: Libraries providing access to knowledge that supports democracy

2009

  • Satellite Meeting: 19 August 2009, Italian Parliament, Rome, Italy
    Theme: “Digital information for democracy: management, access and preservation”

2008

2000-2007