Vol. 3, No. 8: The Networks Issue 🌐

Welcome to the August IFLA Newsletter, focused on Networks!

August 2023  —  Vol. 3, No. 8 View in your browser → THE NETWORKS ISSUE Welcome to the August IFLA Newsletter! The start of the World Library and Information Congress is now just days away. My colleagues and I on the Dutch National Committee have been looking forward to welcoming the world to Rotterdam for a long time. We're proud of the work we've done, and I am personally deeply grateful to everyone who has helped to make it possible. Through our theme – Let's work together, let's library – we want to show how Dutch libraries, and indeed all libraries, are all about action, innovation and inclusion. Theo Kemperman Chair of the Dutch National Committee Read the full editorial → WLIC 2023 UPDATE Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands to deliver keynote WLIC 2023 in Rotterdam Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands will be delivering the keynote address at the 88th edition of the International World Library and Information Congress in Rotterdam Ahoy on Monday, 21 August. During the opening ceremony, Princess Laurentien will be delivering a speech and reflecting on the role of libraries in the future. The Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robbert Dijkgraaf as well as the State Secretary Gunay Uslu for Culture and Media for the Netherlands will also speak as part of the opening ceremony. Read more → Don't miss the Cultural Evening! Attention delegates: you're invited to an evening of strolling across the butterfly paradise of Amazonica, cruising among the creatures of the Great Barrier Reef, and wandering between elephants, rhinos, and giraffes — oh dear, did we just give the location away? IFLA WLIC 2023 is thrilled to announce the Cultural Evening will be hosted at the Diergaarde Blijdorp —  the Rotterdam Zoo! Read more → Live AI interpretation at WLIC 2023 Charge your smart devices, and prepare your favourite earphones for the congress— we're bringing live AI interpretation to WLIC 2023! 🎧📱 Wondering how it'll work? Watch this short video for an overview of what to expect from our live AI interpretation during the congress! Watch the video → Meet online at WLIC 2023 Hubs Registered online attendees can look forward to a new feature we're launching this year via the Hubs sessions. Good news it is available for onsite attendees, too! As a virtual delegate, you'll be able to access the Hubs sessions via the conference's digital platform. Curious about the WLIC 2023 programme and themes to be covered in the Hubs? Be sure to take a look at the full Hubs programme! To the Hubs Programme → IFLA WLIC 2023 App out and about! The IFLA WLIC 2023 conference app is a conference must-have! Download the #WLIC2023 app and get the full conference programme, create your own agenda, access ePosters, live streaming, IFLA Hubs, Braindate, networking features and much more in one simple click. Download the App → What's your #WLICWOW moment? We're looking for the most inspiring post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram that highlights your personal #WLICWOW moment. Did you connect with somebody new at WLIC? What inspired you the most? Tell us and show us how this has happened for you during WLIC 2023! You can share either a photo or a brief video, but make sure to include a hashtag #WLICWOW + a caption or a short story. The competition begins on Monday 21 August at 08:00 CEST and ends on Wednesday 23 August at 17:00 CEST. Check it out! → Catch up with IFLA's leadership at WLIC Interested in how IFLA's Governing Board is working for its members and volunteers? Make the most of the opportunities to meet with its members at our Congress to ask your questions and find out more.   Read more → Help us shape a new IFLA Strategy at this year's WLIC IFLA's current strategy comes to an end next year, and so it is time to start reflecting on how it has worked, and what should follow. This year's World Library and Information Congress provides an opportunity to start gathering feedback – we're looking forward to your views! Get involved → Convening Notice for IFLA General Assembly, August 2023 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands The IFLA General Assembly 2023 – the primary opportunity for our Members to take decisions about our Federation – will be held on Wednesday 23 August 2023 (16:00 – 18:00 CEST) and Thursday 24 August 2023 (15:00 – 17:00 CEST) in hybrid format, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and online. The formal Convening Notice sets out the agenda and opportunities for participation. Read more → Rotterdam walking tours on 25 August The last day of the Congress offers opportunities to visit Dutch and Belgian libraries with the Day-long or Half-day tours by coach. Prefer to stroll around Rotterdam to see more of the city? Join one of our walking tours! Walking tours → How to get to Ahoy Convention Centre in Rotterdam How will you travel to the Convention Centre? You can do it the Dutch way and pedal your way there on a bicycle. But perhaps the best option in Rotterdam is to use public transport. Here's some useful guidance! Plan your trip → Dutch for beginners Children in the Netherlands start learning English in primary school— that's why most Dutch people are sufficiently comfortable speaking English to have a friendly conversation. But still, Dutch people appreciate it when international visitors manage to speak a few words in Dutch. Are you brave enough to learn and speak a bit of Dutch? Start here! → 👉 Follow the WLIC social media accounts below to ensure you don't miss any updates! POLICY AND ADVOCACY Libraries, information and culture catalysing development: UN High-Level Political Forum 2023 Libraries were on show at the UN High-Level Political Forum 2023, with representatives from every continent underlining both the reach and depth of our contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more → SDG Library Pledge - have you signed up already? We are welcoming signatures from library and information workers, institutions and associations around the world for the Library SDG Pledge, an opportunity to demonstrate to leaders and partners our commitment to supporting efforts to transform our world. Sign up now! → How well does culture feature in 2023 Voluntary National Reviews of SDG implementation? The Culture 2030 Goal campaign has released its review of the place of culture in the reports released by national governments about how they are working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As well as highlighting the different dimensions of culture's contribution, it underlines both the need – and the feasibility – of an explicit culture goal. Read more → PROFESSIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT Generative AI for library and information professionals In January, the AI SIG published a list of resources to support practitioners get up to speed on AI "23 resources to get up to speed on AI in 2023 - selected by the IFLA Artificial Intelligence SIG". The advent of Chat GPT and other generative AI has rapidly reshaped how we think about AI. This called for the SIG to do more work in collecting resources to reflect the uses and challenges of generative AI.   The result is a draft "Generative AI for library and information professionals". The SIG invites comments on the draft – please email the AI SIG Convenor, Andrew Cox, directly at a.m.cox@sheffield.ac.uk. Join their mailing list to keep in touch with the work of the SIG. Read the draft → New IFLA Professional Report: Document Delivery and Resource Sharing: Global Perspectives   IFLA's Document Delivery and Resource Sharing Section has produced a new IFLA Professional Report: Document Delivery and Resource Sharing: A Global Perspective. This publication is intended to provide librarians, library practitioners, as well as teachers, researchers, and students of universities and research organisations and other interested parties, a foundation in resource sharing principles, practices and management. It provides an overview of where things stand today with resource sharing, including key trends, challenges, opportunities, and priorities, and seeks to address international resource sharing, exploring the current state of European and international resource sharing systems and the governing laws and regulations and includes case studies and best practices from various countries. Download the report → IFLA E4GDH Global equity in access to healthcare information Healthcare Information for All (HIFA.org) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are collaborating on a global survey on how to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information. IFLA Evidence for Global and Disaster Health SIG [E4GDH] is pleased to be a technical partner.     The global consultation will be officially launched on 21 August, timed to coincide with the IFLA congress.   We would love to hear from you! Welcome also to our E4GDH open session (hybrid; in-person and online registrants) during the congress to hear more about and engage with this important issue. To the survey → REGIONAL FOCUS Meet the world at the World Library and Information Congress – regional sessions this year IFLA's global reach and geographical diversity will be on show at this year's World Library and Information Congress, in particular through the sessions organised by our Regional Council and Regional Division Committees. Each Committee has worked hard to prepare exciting open sessions, complemented by open business meetings, and our new Hubs Results Session, sharing views from our WLIC 2023 Regional Hubs. Learn more → UPCOMING EVENTS Knowledge Rights 21 Webinar: Access to Knowledge – A Matter of Equity 19 September 2023, 14:00-15:00 CEST 3rd IFLA Symposium on Artificial Intelligence (IT Section and AI SIG) 3-5 September 2023, North West University, South Africa METLIB Conference 2023 (Metropolitan Libraries Section) 2-4 October, Buenos Aires, Argentina Internet Govenance Forum (FAIFE, Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committee) 8-12 October, Kyoto, Japan NEW MEMBERS Welcome to all our new members over the past month! Mongolian Library Association – Mongolia Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) – Canada Shanxi Library – China University of Johannesburg – South Africa We look forward to your engagement and involvement! SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT Want to get featured here? Don't forget to use the #IFLA hashtag! Not yet subscribed? Sign up 📩 to the IFLA Newsletter here → Update your preferences / Unsubscribe