2020

NEWS UPDATE: The 36th Satellite Conference for Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section has been cancelled.

The World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) and 86th IFLA General Conference and Assembly will be held in Dublin, Ireland 15-21 August 2020. The meeting is organized under general theme ‘’Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect.”  The Standing Committee of IFLAPARL is pleased to invite proposals for presentations at its open session for this year’s WLIC.Deadline for submissions is March 6, 2020.

The Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section (IFLAPARL) had been planning to hold the 36th Pre-Conference to be hosted by the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament), Dublin, Ireland, from 12 – 13 August, 2020.

By agreement between the IFLAPARL Standing Committee and the Houses of Oireachtas Service, the IFLAPARL 2020 Satellite Conference has been cancelled.  We thank the Houses of the Oireachtas Service for their cooperation to date and wish them all the very best in dealing with this crisis situation. We thank all of the IFLAPARL section members, and in particular those who made proposals to speak, for your interest and investment in IFLAPARL 2020 up to this point.

2019

The 35th annual IFLAPARL pre-conference was held in the Hellenic Parliament on 22nd – 23rd August 2019 in Athens, Greece.  The theme of the meeting was ‘Parliamentary libraries and research services: Supporting Dialogue for Change’. Please see the detailed information about the 2019 IFLAPARL Pre-conference.

The Section was also active during the 2019 IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC), with its own open session, co-sponsoring the annual Knowledge Café, and holding two Standing Committee meetings to which everyone is invited.  Please see the details of the section’s contributions to the 2019 WLIC.

2018

The 2018 IFLAPARL pre-conference was held in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 24th August 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  The theme was ‘Transforming parliamentary libraries and research services to meet changing clients’ needs’. Presentations and papers from the pre-conference are available here.

In additon, the Section organized an open session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Kuala Lumpur and collaborated with several other sections on joint sessions. Details of these can be found here.

2017

This year’s IFLAPARL pre-conference was held in Warsaw on 15-18 August, hosted by the Sejm Library and the Senate Analyses, Documentation and Correspondence Office, Parliament of the Republic of Poland. The theme was ‘Information as the foundation for social solidarity: the role of parliamentary libraries and research services’, and the conference attracted 130 delegates from all over the world. The pre-conference was preceded by an invitation-only capacity building programme the 13-14 August, sponsored by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). You will find the full pre-conference program and presentations here.

In addition to organising its own session at the 83rd IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Wroclaw, Poland, 19-25 August 2017, it cooperated with other IFLA sections to arrange a popular knowledge café on the changing role and development of information professionals, and a session with government libraries on supporting UN sustainable development goals.

2016

The Section held its 32nd annual pre-conference from 11 to 13 August 2016, hosted by the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. The theme of the pre-conference was “delivering parliamentary library and research services in an interconnected world”.  One hundred and forty-five participants attended the pre-conference which was preceded by an invitation-only capacity building programme, 8-9 August, sponsored by the US House Democracy Partnership and the US Agency for International Development.  Presentations from the pre-conference can be found here.

The Section also collaborated with several other IFLA Sections to organise sessions at the 82nd IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Columbus, Ohio, 13-19 August 2016.  A group of IFLPARL members also toured the Ohio Statehouse and met with library staff of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission during the WLIC.

2015

The Section held its 31st annual pre-conference from 12 to 14 August 2015, hosted by the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town. The satellite meeting focused on the theme Development, Transformation and Co-Operation in Library and Research Services in Parliaments. It explored how parliamentary libraries, research and information services evolve and innovate to respond to the information and documentation needs of the Parliament and other users. A call for papers was posted in early 2015.

Papers and presentations of the pre-conference, including highlights of the workshop on guidelines for parliamentary research services are now available.

The Section also collaborated with several other IFLA Sections to organise sessions at the 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Cape Town, 15-21 August 2015.  Papers from the Section’s session on Parliamentary Libraries – Evolving to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century can be found here.

2014

The Section held its annual 30th annual pre-conference from 12 to 14 August 2014, hosted by the French Assemblée Nationale in Paris. The overall theme of the pre-conference was  Parliamentary Libraries: Past and Future, and the theme for the Section’s day of the preconference (14 August) was Research and Library Services working together to meet client needs.  Additional workshops were planned for 12 August and for 15 August, and a Pre-Conference website was created. The list of papers, presentations and photographs (where available) can be found on the Section’s page on the 2014 pre-conference in Paris.

In additon, the Section organized a session and several joint sessions at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Lyon. Papers and presentations can be found here.

2013

The IFLA Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments held its 29th pre-conference in Singapore, 15-16 August 2013, in cooperation with the Parliamentary Library of Singapore and Li Ka Shing Library (Singapore Management University). The theme of the pre-conference was “Making better laws – the unique role of parliamentary library and research services”. During the main IFLA Congress, the Section sponsored an individual session “Library and Research Services for Parliaments Research resources for  Parliamentarians” and several joint sessions. Additional information can be found here.

2012

The IFLA Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments held a rich pre-conference and exciting programme at the World Library and Information Congress: 78th IFLA General Conference and Assembly 11-17 August, Helsinki, Finland.

Further information on the Sections activities during the pre-conference and at the Congress is available on these webpages:

2011

World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
13-18 August, San Juan, Puerto Rico

2010

Satellite Meeting, 6-9 August 2010, Swedish Riksdag in Stockholm, Sweden

World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
10-15 August, Gothenburg, Sweden
Theme: Libraries providing access to knowledge that supports democracy

2009

  • Satellite Meeting: 19 August 2009, Italian Parliament, Rome, Italy
    Theme: “Digital information for democracy: management, access and preservation”

2008

2000-2007