Half a Year of Action: Six Months of Delivering on the IFLA Strategy 2019-2024

Six months ago today, IFLA launched its new Strategy 2019-2024. Under the vision of a strong and united library field powering literate, informed and participatory societies,it provides both a roadmap for IFLA and a framework for libraries everywhere to strengthen their impact on society.

On 26 August 2019, IFLA launched its new Strategy 2019-2024. In front of a global audience at the World Library and Information Congress, IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner set out the results of over two years of consultations, conversations and co-creation.

Six months on, and there is work taking place around the world to deliver on the mission to inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library field. To mark the day, we want to look back at successes so far, and to look ahead.

A Strategy for Everyone

The Strategy builds not only on the results of the Global Vision discussion – the biggest and most inclusive conversation ever held in our field – but also on the thousands of ideas submitted to the IFLA Ideas Store, and countless discussions with members and professional units.

IFLA Secretary-General Gerald Leitner said:

The launch of our Strategy has been a high-point of my time with IFLA to date. But this is just the start, and I am so proud to see libraries globally engaging, taking ownership of it, and making it a reality. We are IFLA!

The IFLA Strategy: Open for All

The Strategy has been created to be used by the whole global library field. Therefore, we have not only translated it into all of our seven official languages but have also welcomed five further translations.

Take a look at whether the Strategy is available in your language. If it isn’t there yet, let us know if you want to translate it:

So far, the IFLA Strategy can be accessed in 12 languages, while many more are expected to come! English, Español – Spanish, Français – French, Deutsch – German, РуÑÑкий – Russian, 中文 – Chinese, العربية – Arabic, Äeština – Czech, Lietuvių kalba – Lithuanian, Português – Portuguese, Türkçe – Turkish, اردو  – Urdu

The Strategy in Action!

The IFLA Strategy is not only a document to be read, but to be used, because everyone in the global library field has a role in building our future.

IFLA’s Professional Units have already produced action plans which, together, will help to deliver on across all of the Strategic Directions of the Strategy.

We have also had two regional workshops so far, in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in the Middle East and North Africa, giving representatives from almost 50 countries the knowledge and skills needed to use the Strategy both in their own planning, and to find opportunities for synergies with the rest of the library field.

And of course, at IFLA Headquarters, we are working hard to support delivery across all areas of the Strategy, around the world.

We’re already seeing great spontaneous action at the national level. For example, the IFLA Strategy has inspired this year’s Festival of Latvian Libraries 2020, organised by the Library Association of Latvia in close collaboration with the National Library of Latvia.

They have incorporated the IFLA Strategy as the conference’s theme and they will be hosting many presentations closely connected to the IFLA Strategy, alongside our IFLA President Christine Mackenzie’s keynote speech.

Equally important is the fact that the theme of Library Week will be in line with the IFLA Strategy 2019-2024. IFLA will be following this inspiring activity and will be sharing outcomes with the global library community.

Looking Ahead

The next six months will be no less busy – the journey continues!

We are looking forward in the next months to a further regional workshop in Asia-Pacific, important announcements about our Governance Review, and of course lots more work in our Professional Units, members and Headquarters.

Go and get inspired, engaged, enabled and connected by those actions related to the IFLA Strategy! Take action, play your part, be part of our success!