staff and their generosity with sharing knowledge and experiences, and how welcomed and well looked after they have been. They return to their own institutions filled with inspiration and buzzing with new ideas sparked by sessions and discussions with the British Library colleagues and their fellow delegates. CILIP is the second largest library association in the world. Our CEO and some members are actively involved in the work of IFLA: the International Federation of Library Associations and our partnership working in this area with the British Library is happily going from strength to strength, with ILIG also being actively involved.
CILIP is proud that we have been chosen to host the 2027 IFLA conference in London. The 2027 conference marks 100 years since IFLA was started and CILIP (then The Library Organisation) was the first library organisation to sign up to join. It is symbolic that that first conference was held in the UK, in Edinburgh, and 100 years later it will be back in the UK.
Library professionals across the globe make a difference and this programme is a shining example of how relationship building and working together can amplify that impact. I look forward to next year already. IP
British Library.
had sessions on conservation, digital preservation, collection displays, audio archiving, metadata and creative applications, and on the uses of AI in libraries. Their session on strategy gave them a chance to look at the British Library’s overarching strategy and the golden thread that runs through its work, and to reflect on their own institutions’ strategies and values. They were able to explore the British Library’s growing role in the community, examining the policies around diversity and inclusion, including its Race Equality Action Plan, around sustainability and Green Libraries, and around learning and community engagement. And perhaps of overarching interest to many, there was a session on how the British Library is recovering from the devastating cyber-attack that they endured just over 18 months ago. Earlier this year, the British Library published an impact report, Knowledge without Borders: How we made a difference with our global partners in 2023/24 (
https://tinyurl.com/47mx98pz). It describes the admirable and comprehensive range and depth of the work that the Library is doing across the globe. It illustrates exactly why the British Library is revered around the world and why they get those 100 applications for this coveted annual seminar, despite the costs associated. This is an extremely popular and respected programme which delivers, both on experience and value for money. As is written in the report: “This week-long professional devel- opment course for library and archive professionals gives them the chance to see what we do and how we do it, through work- shops, talks and tours from our teams. It gives us the chance to play a part in training the library leaders of tomorrow.” Also referenced is the work on Green Libraries and Sustain- ability, funded initially by Arts Council England, which CILIP has been a part of since its early beginnings with the public library network. This is gaining in international significance as more organisations across all library sectors, as well as associated organisations such as The Reading Agency, sign the Green Libraries Manifesto and actively look to see how we can make a difference in this area through our wider sec- toral networks, both at home and overseas. On the programme’s final morning, there was a presentation and a round table on advocacy and Why Libraries Matter! I was thrilled to be able to be part of that discussion, which is the bedrock of everything that we do.
Feedback from delegates has been incredibly positive. Many have commented on the openness of the British Library’s
Winter 2025 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 25 ‘‘
CILIP is proud that we have been chosen to host the 2027 IFLA conference in London.
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