Dear Friends,

We are proud to present the May 2022 issue of the IFLA Asia & Oceania Regional Newsletter, which features thoughtful articles from seven countries in the region.

In February, we highlighted that the 87th IFLA World Library and Information Congress would be held in person at Dublin, Ireland from 26 to 29 July 2022. Based on the update from IFLA,  more than 1,000 colleagues have already registered for the event! If you have not signed up for it, you can find out more and book your ticket through the official IFLA WLIC 2022 website. We look forward to reuniting with friends from all around the world in Dublin.

I would also like to bring your attention to The World through Picture Books programme, spearheaded by the IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section. This initiative aims to create an annotated list of picture books from around the world, recommended by librarians. The list could be used as a means to celebrate and promote the languages, cultures, and quality of children’s books from the participating countries. The Section has been working on the third edition of The World through Picture Books since 2021 and would be extending the submission deadline to 30 September 2022. The submission requirements are available on the website.

Special thanks to all our article contributors and supporters. I hope everyone will enjoy reading this issue as much as I do. If you are finding another perfect read to complement this issue, check out the SDG story posted by the Philippines (National Library of Philippines’s Book Cart Programme Provides Growth Opportunities to Street Children) on the IFLA Library Map of the World.

Happy reading!

Written by: Soh Lin Li, Manager, IFLA Regional Office for Asia and Oceania