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25 August 2016

82nd IFLA General Conference and Assembly: new trends and guidelines

On 13-19 August, the 82nd General Conference and Assembly of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) took place in Columbus, Ohio (USA). The theme of this annual congress of library and information services sector was Connections. Collaboration. Community.

The Conference was attended by more than 3,500 participants from over 120 countries and covered various librarianship and information science topics: world cultural heritage protection, copyright, information access, service development and other trends were discussed.  The representatives of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania – Director General Prof. Dr. R. Gudauskas and Deputy Director of Information Resources Department Alma Masevičienė – also attended the Conference.

One of key events in the 82nd IFLA General Conference was the new IFLA Trend Report supplementing the document published in 2013, which identifies five high-level trends shaping the global information environment. The new version of the document presents information about integration of modern technologies such as 3D printers in the library activities and introduces the changes in the role of libraries by ensuring investment into development of skills and smooth coordination of the sector.

The new IFLA Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development: Principles and Best Practices were also presented in the Conference. These Guidelines supplement the recommendations published in 2006, which were based on the provision of the IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto of 1994 stating that the continuing education of librarians is indispensable to ensure adequate services. The main principles of the new Guidelines indicate that the responsibility for continuing education and professional development is shared by the librarians, their employing institutions, professional associations, and educational institutions.  Human resources and professional ethics statements should recognize the obligation of the institutions to ensure that library staff have access to and take advantage of continuous learning opportunities.

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Photo Credit: IFLA
Photo Credit: IFLA