At our regional workshop on strong and sustainable library fields in Sub-Saharan Africa, Djalo Iaguba representing the Guinea-Bissau Association of Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists, shared the story of how librarians there engaged with the UN Development Programme to put the country's libraries, in a difficult state after repeated wars, on the right path.
Do you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to IFLA or to the global library field? IFLA’s Honours and Awards recognise those who have given significant service and made distinguished contributions to the profession.
From the 4 to the 8 of December 2023, IFLA participated at the UNCTAD eWeek that was held at the CICG in Geneva. The global voice of libraries remains relevant in these conversations as libraries hold significant value in the digital economy as they ultimately contribute to the growth of a digitally skilled and economically empowered community.
As part of "Publish and Share Your Research: Suggestions from Editors and Librarians Seminar Series", this webinar focused on the tips and tools on literature search and research publishing. Through this seminar series, researchers at the University of Hong Kong and around the world could gain insights on formulating research topic, conducting research, and publishing and promoting research.
In celebration of the Open Access Week this year from 23 October 2023 to 29 October 2023, the University of Hong Kong Libraries hosted several events including seminar, online social media campaign, and an online quiz that not only targeting the local community, but also drawing attention from the global academic community.
A key role of IFLA as the international organisation for libraries is to facilitate exchange between colleagues around the world. As part of its 2021-2023 action plan, the Regional Division Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean committed to facilitate 'pasantías' or job-shadowing schemes to allow people to spend time seeing how libraries in different countries in the region work. The results are now in!
Over three days, IFLA’s Governing Board met for its first in-person meeting since Rotterdam, in a week that marked 100 days since it took office. The time spent together was an opportunity not just to look back at what had been achieved, but also to advance key projects, opening the way to further delivery in 2024.
This week the IFLA Governing Board met in The Hague, The Netherlands. The meeting coincided with our first 100 days.
Local governments are not just a key stakeholder for many libraries, but also a key ally in making the case for a stronger recognition of the role of culture, cultural institutions and cultural actors in advancing sustainable development. We were therefore very happy to join United Cities and Local Governments' Culture Summit, focused on building recognition of this role, and to sign a memorandum of understanding allowing us to take this work further.
Volume 3, Number 2 (December 2023 issue) of the IFLA ENSULIB Newsletter has been published and is available online as a downloadable PDF.
IFLA participated at the 2023 World Assembly on Adult Education, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of our sister organisation, the International Council for Adult Education. Engaging with professionals and activists from around the world, we underlined the ability and readiness of libraries to realise their potential to make a reality of learning for all.
The world is waking up to the importance of information integrity as a precondition for success in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals. Fortunately, libraries have long not just understood the need for reliable, verifiable and accurate information, but have delivered it. They can contribute much to any future policy framework here.
IFLA is excited to invite colleagues from the library and museum fields, as well as from the Permanent Delegation of the UAE to UNESCO, to join us in a discussion at the Greening Education Hub. We will explore how cultural actors help implement lifelong greening community strategies, and integrate these perspectives into the work programme of the UNESCO Greening Education Partnership.
Over 50 colleagues from across Europe came together in Brussels on 21-23 November 2023 to explore tools and share views on how to ensure a strong future for our field on the continent, working hand-in-hand with other library organisations and external partners.
In October a call for candidates for co-opted members of the Europe Regional Division Committee has been announced. We are happy to share that as a result the EURDC welcomed two new members: Dagnija Baltiņa from Latvia, Director of the Special Collections Department at the National Library of Latvia and Kateryna Aleksieienko from Ukraine, Partnership Coordinator at the "Library Country" Charitable Foundation.
Digital technology is becoming indispensable to everyday life and participation in society (EuroDIG Forum, 2023). Work, schooling, commerce, banking, and government services all increasingly have digital components or may even be conducted entirely online. Digital inclusion is a crucial aspect of modern society that cannot be ignored. With the rapid advancement of technology, there is a growing need to ensure that everyone has equal access to online or digital resources and information. For people with disabilities, this issue is particularly significant. Read more to find out how Libraries and information organisations can bridge the digital exclusion gap.
The library and information field significantly advances digital inclusion through integrating audiovisual and multimedia resources. These resources play a crucial role in fostering inclusivity by addressing accessibility, cultural representation and participatory opportunities, ensuring non-discriminatory access to knowledge in educational and lifelong learning contexts. Learn more about how the IFLA Audiovisual and Multimedia (IFLA AVMS) section is collaborating to increase accessibility and findability of audiovisual and multimedia resources.
When a person in a wheelchair cannot enter the library because of the stairs - most recognize the obvious discrimination. But what about a reader who is visually impaired and cannot order a book from the library's online catalogue because it is not adapted for screen reading software? Online, just like in the physical environment, there can be digital stairs, too-narrow doors, and other barriers that leave persons with print disabilities behind. Read more about how the IFLA Libraries for Persons with Print Disabilities (IFLA LPD) Section is working to support libraries with their digital inclusion measures.
Promoting digital inclusion is an essential goal for libraries around the world, particularly so in the fields of resource sharing and document delivery. When libraries were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Document Delivery and Resource Sharing section launched the RSCVD (Resource Sharing during COVID) service, an innovative crowdsourced initiative which enabled libraries to continue to meet the information needs of their communities while working remotely. Read more about progress on this ongoing IFLA DDRS service.