2023

Satellite Meeting at Mundaneum

17-19 August 2023, Mons (Belgium)

Title: Preserving Our Origins: Approaches to the Organization, Curation, and Historiography of the Cecord of National and International organizations in Libraries, Information, and Documentation.

Featuring Keynote Address by Dr. Boyd Rayward on “The emergence of a Post World War II international information order: international associations, inter-governmental agencies, political platforms and technological affordances.”

Organizer: Library History SIG, ASIS&T Foundation and History SIG, Mundaneum

Registration: https://www.mundaneumshop.org/events/ifla-2023

Open Session

Conference 24 August 2023, Dock 1, h 11:30 – 12:30

Title: Oral Histories Project: Interviews with Personalities who have a Wealth of IFLA Corporate Memory

The Oral History Project was conceived by SIG Library History in 2019 led by Convenor Kerry Smith. In anticipation of IFLA’s 100th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2027, members of the Library History SIG in 2021-2023 collaborated with the IFLA Sections Preservation and Conservation, Marketing and Management and Library Theory and Research to organize a project of interviews and a complete workflow. The project has been featured as one of several IFLA centenary anniversary highlights.

Organizers: Library History Special Interest Group Management and Marketing Section

Library Theory and Research Section

Chair: Anna Maria Tammaro, University of Parma, Italy

Chair: Peter Johan Lor, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Presentations

  1. Welcome and introduction to explore IFLA’s Legacy: Oral Histories and insights

The session begins with the Convenor Anna Maria Tammaro welcome, and an introduction to the Oral Histories Project, setting the stage for the Open Session, followed by three captivating interviews led by former IFLA Secretary General Peter Lor. In these interviews, IFLA personalities will share their experiences, historical knowledge & insights into IFLA’s remarkable journey and will provide valuable perspectives and anecdotes for the upcoming 100 years anniversary celebration.

  1. First Interview: Tietse van Dorp

Tietse van Dorp, the grandson of Tietse Pieter Sevensma who was the IFLA Secretary General for nearly 30 years from 1929 to 1958.

  1. Second Interview: Sjoerd Koopman

Sjoerd Koopman was the Director of Professional Programmes at IFLA from 1998 until 2011.

  1. Third Interview: Premila Gamage

Premila Gamage is currently a member of the IFLA Asia and Oceania Regional Division (2021-2023), previously she has been elected at the IFLA Governing Board and also appointed to the IFLA Advisory Committee of Advancement of Libraries Programme (ALP).

Business Meeting

First Business Meeting: 21 August 2023, Dock 13, h. 13:00-14:30

Observers are welcome. Remote participation for speakers allowed. Agenda is forthcoming.

Second Business Meeting: will be held online early September 2023. The date and agenda will be announced later.

2022

The Library History SIG open session was held on 26 July during IFLA 2022 Conference in Dublin and was organized as an open conversation aimed to prepare for a commemorative volume of chapters about various aspects of IFLA’s history. The SIG’s theme was: “Sources and Themes for the Historiography of IFLA” and the conversation with participants was opened by Peter Lor keynote paper, “Towards IFLA’s Centenary: Historical Sources and Themes”.

2021

The plans for the postponed IFLA 2020 Conference in Dublin were carried forward for the online WLIC 2021 conference https://www.ifla-wlic2021.com. The SIG’s theme: Librarians learning from the past to inspire, include and sustain, invited papers that covered issues on librarian oral history as a contribution to the SIG’s series of projects on oral histories of the world’s librarians. The presenters were:

  • “Decades of Change. Remembering the Library at Trinity College Dublin, 1950-2000”, by Dr. Mary Muldowney, Ireland;
  • “Narratives through dialogue: A report based on Iran’s LIS Oral History Projects”, by Peymaneh Salehi, Iran;
  • “Preserving the Voices of Librarians at the American Library Association Archives”, by Cara Setsu Bertram, the USA; and
  • “Life of libraries under siege in the war: an oral history”, by Dr. Marica Sapro-Ficovic, Croatia.

2019

The IFLA Library History Special Interest Group (SIG) partnered with the IFLA Section on Genealogy and Local History for a session at the IFLA 2019 conference in Athens in Session 271, Local History Collections, Genealogy and Oral History as Critical Information Services in Libraries.

2018

World Library and Information Congress: 84th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
24-30 August 2018, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Theme: Transform Libraries. Transform Societies: Library Outreach to Marginalized Populations: Historical Perspectives

2017

World Library and Information Congress: 83rd IFLA General Conference and Assembly
19–25 August 2017, Wrocław, Poland
Theme: Libraries in Times of Crisis: Historical Perspectives

2016

World Library and Information Congress: 82nd IFLA General Conference and Assembly
13-19 August, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Theme: Libraries and Immigrants: Historical Perspectives

2015

World Library and Information Congress: 81st IFLA General Conference and Assembly
August 17-23, Cape Town, South Africa
Theme: Library History in Sub-Saharan Africa

2014

Satellite Meeting
August 25-26, Lyon-Villeurbanne, France
Theme: History of Librarianship

World Library and Information Congress: 80th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
August 16-22, Lyon, France
Theme: Building a global network: International librarianship at the confluence of cultures, practices, and standards

2013

World Library and Information Congress: 79th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
August 17-23, Singapore
Theme: Libraries, readers, and book culture in Asia: New perspectives in information and global history

2012

World Library and Information Congress: 78th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
11-17 August, Helsinki, Finland
Theme: Libraries across time and space

2011

World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
13-18 August, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Theme: Libraries in Central America and the Caribbean Region

2010

World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
10-15 August, Gothenburg, Sweden
Theme: Library spirit in the Nordic and Baltic countries

2009

World Library and Information Congress: 75th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
23-27 August 2009, Milan, Italy
Theme: Library collections throughout the ages