New Zealand delegates sing a traditional Maori song to welcome IFLA members to Auckland for WLIC 2020.

IFLA Looks toward Athens and Auckland

August 30, 2018

Honors and awards Vicki McDonald, representing IFLA’s Professional Committee, awarded the organization’s new Dynamic Unit and Impact Award, which recognizes outstanding examples of the work and impact of IFLA units, to the Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section. Catharina Isberg, secretary of the section, accepted the award. The runners-up, the Public Libraries Section and … Continue reading IFLA Looks toward Athens and Auckland


IFLA President-Elect Christine Mackenzie at the World Library and Information Congress, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Let’s Work Together

August 29, 2018

Five speakers each focused on one of the 10 different opportunities listed in the IFLA Global Vision Report through the lens of collaboration. Allison Dobbie, principal development advisor for the Auckland (N.Z.) Council, addressed Opportunity 10: “We must give young professionals effective opportunities to learn, develop, and lead.” Dobbie and Mackenzie cofounded the International Network … Continue reading Let’s Work Together


Clockwise from top left: Stephen Wyber, policy and advocacy manager.for IFLA; May Chang; Helga Schwarz; and Sandy Hirsh

Blockchain in a flash

August 28, 2018

Helga Schwarz, corresponding member of the IT section, opened with a quick tutorial on blockchain and how it works. Possible uses for the technology include decentralized energy use, e-payments, research data management, and real estate transactions. Disadvantages include its slow speed, massive energy use, inability to delete transactions (even inaccurate or illegal ones), and overall … Continue reading Blockchain in a flash


“Marrakesh Treaty in Force” presenters, from left: Hiroshi Kawamura, Victoria Owen, Dipendra Manocha, and moderator Kirsi Ylänne.

Marrakesh and More

August 28, 2018

Victoria Owen, chief librarian at the University of Toronto Scarborough, provided an overview of several guides on Marrakesh implementation—published by IFLA, Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), the World Blind Union (WBU), and other organizations—and their target audiences and purposes. Some guides are geared for libraries and librarians, while others are more suited for government decision … Continue reading Marrakesh and More


Muy Cheng Peich, director of education, contents, and training for Libraries Without Borders, describes the Ideas Box at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Safe Spaces and Social Media

August 27, 2018

Leonee Ariel Derr, team leader at Stonnington Library and Information Service in Melbourne, Australia, came down squarely against the safe-space idea, explaining through examples drawn from her many years working in several Melbourne-area public libraries that safety for patrons and staff—whether physical or emotional—cannot be guaranteed. The risks of working in an all-welcoming public space … Continue reading Safe Spaces and Social Media


Multiple IFLA leaders take the stage in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From left: Claudia Lux, IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner, Ellen Tise, Sinikka Sipilä, Ingrid Parent, Glòria Pérez-Salmerón, and Donna Scheeder.

IFLA President’s Program Reunites Leaders

August 26, 2018

Traditionally libraries have looked to the past: collections, archives, and access to existing information. However, she said, libraries have an obligation to create citizens, not consumers. What do the citizens of the future need? Touching on themes from her Opening Session address, Pérez-Salmerón urged delegates to resist passivity and maintain optimism despite social, political, and … Continue reading IFLA President’s Program Reunites Leaders


Gamelan musicians perform at the 2018 IFLA WLIC Opening Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

IFLA Honors the Transformative Power of Libraries

August 26, 2018

The congress theme, “Transform Libraries, Transform Societies,” includes the tagline “Reaching out to the hard to reach.” Many sessions and programs this year are emphasizing the role of libraries in national development. There are also strategies for increasing awareness of the value and impact of library services. “Libraries must continually innovate and evolve to best … Continue reading IFLA Honors the Transformative Power of Libraries