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As we reach the end of the year, December is not only a time to wrap things up but also to reflect on what we've achieved and what lies ahead. For IFLA, 2025 has been a year of momentum—building on the foundations laid in 2024 and accelerating the implementation of our 2024–2029 Strategy, with a strong focus on outcomes and impact.
Happy reading! 📊 |
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IFLA President Leslie Weir and Secretary General Sharon Memis joined the meeting of IFLA's Regional Offices in Doha, Qatar (highlighted below), as well as visiting Riyadh to hear about the exciting work taking place in Saudi libraries.
Leslie has also shared updates from our most recent Governing Board meeting and more in her December message to members and volunteers. In addition, you can watch a recording from our recent Townhall meetings with Leslie and Sharon.
Finally, Leslie and Sharon, as well as members of the Governing Board and IFLA staff collaborated to send a message of thanks to all IFLA volunteers on International Volunteer Day on 6 December. |
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How might the IFLA Trends shape Strategy success? |
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We have taken a further step forward in our work to promote the update of the Trend Report. In addition to a workshop with the Professional and Regional Councils, we published the results of a survey on how our members and volunteers felt that the Trends would affect progress towards IFLA's Strategy goals. |
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Just out from IFLA/De Gruyter: Libraries Empowering Society Through Digital Literacy |
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Edited by Heather Todd, Prudence W. Dalrymple, Luisa Marquardt and Ning Zou, "Libraries Empowering Society Through Digital Literacy" (De Gruyter, 2025) explores concepts, frameworks, and practices in digital literacy to foster adoption of initiatives to extend digital literacy to all. |
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Be an Early Bird and save! WLIC 2026 registration now open |
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Registration for the 90th edition of the World Library and Information Congress is now open, with great member and group discounts available.
The website is live and packed with opportunity. Stay tuned as we announce speakers, sessions, and much more over the upcoming months. We look forward to seeing you in Busan, South Korea from 10 to 13 August 2026! |
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Teaching international librarianship – A look at current practice |
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A key focus of IFLA100 will be reflection on the past, present and future of international librarianship. To inform and inspire this work, we looked at how international librarianship is already understood within library and information science education. |
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FAIFE Joins Free Access to Information Roundtable in Zagreb, Croatia |
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The IFLA Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) delegates joined the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Croatian Library Association's Committee for Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression. This year's event, held at Zagreb City Library, brought together Croatian librarians and international guests. |
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Are you exploring new ways to collaborate with your local government and/or UNESCO office on digital inclusion? |
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Join our interactive webinar on January 28 to discover the new UNESCO-IFAP brief written in collaboration with IFLA.
This will be an interactive session to explain the key policy areas for collaboration between libraries and local governments and the possibilities to create these connections in the coming year. |
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Reaffirming the principles of a library-powered people-centred internet – WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting |
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United Nations Member States have endorsed by consensus the outcome document of the WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting. This both maintains a focus in general on ensuring that the internet serves development goals, and specifically highlights the role of libraries. |
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Why Reform Matters: Takeaways from the European Commission Report on Distance Education and Research |
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The results from a new study into the experience of libraries working with copyright and licensing to support remote access are out!
The report, which also covers other research, education and heritage institutions, underlines the shortcomings of the situation today. Read more in the summary on the website of Knowledge Rights 21, which is administered by IFLA. |
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Planning for Partnerships |
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A meeting of IFLA's Regional Offices, kindly hosted by our Office for the Middle East and North Africa at Qatar National Libraries, offered an opportunity to explore in more depth how to work through partnerships to achieve our goals. |
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IFLA Welcomes University of Cape Town Libraries as PAC Hub |
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Hosted in centres of expertise around the world, IFLA's Preservation and Conservation (PAC) Centres are focal points of knowledge on regional and international issues in cultural heritage conservation and preservation. They are a key resource for IFLA's wider work on cultural heritage. |
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The 2026 IFLA PressReader International Marketing Award |
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Win €3500 to attend IFLA WLIC 2026 in Busan, South Korea!
The IFLA Management and Marketing Section, in partnership with PressReader, presents the 2026 International Library Marketing Award, honouring outstanding library marketing projects, promoting marketing in libraries, and offering a platform to share expertise worldwide.
Applications will be accepted through 27 February 2026. |
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Last Call – IFLA Green Library Award 2026 |
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Do you have an innovative, sustainable library project?
Apply now for the 2026 IFLA Green Library Award—administered by the IFLA Section on Environment, Sustainability, and Libraries (ENSULIB) and sponsored by De Gruyter Brill Publishing and Library Juice Academy
Deadline: 30 January 2026. |
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Call for candidates: Join the IFLA ISBD |
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The IFLA International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) Review Group is inviting expressions of interest for new members through IFLA's co-opting process.
The group oversees the revision, management, and promotion of the International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) and serves as a hub for ISBD-related issues within IFLA's metadata standards ecosystem.
Submit your expression of interest by 16 January 2026. |
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Call for short papers on sparking the love of reading |
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The IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults (C&YA) Section invites short papers on innovative ways to inspire a love of reading among children and teens in up to 1000 words, with accompanying photos and captions.
Submit your article, photos, and author details by 12 January 2026. |
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25-27 March University of Macau Library In-person event |
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And before we turn the page on 2025… 💌 |
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SOCIAL SPOTLIGHTWant to get featured here? 👇 Don't forget to @IFLA and use the #IFLA hashtag! |
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