BARCELONA, Spain, 19 March 2018 —

Global Vision Report SummaryIFLA’s eagerly-awaited Global Vision Report Summary launches today, Monday 19 March, at the IFLA President’s Meeting 2018, revealing incredible insights into the views of over 31,000 participants from 190 UN Member States across all seven continents.

Overwhelmingly, the most important key finding from the global vision discussion is the discovery that we are globally united in our goals.  Across regions, library types and length of engagement with libraries, we share a deep commitment to the enduring value and role of libraries. 

This gives us a strong foundation in which to explore how a connected library field can meet the challenges of the future.

Highlights and Opportunities

Unveiled alongside this hugely positive key finding are the top 10 highlights and opportunities that now shape the 2nd phase of the IFLA Global Vision discussion, which asks the library field to build a vibrant ‘ideas store’ and explore how we can turn ideas into actions.

The Global Vision discussion highlights show libraries are: 

  • Dedicated to providing equal and free access to information and knowledge
  • Deeply committed to core roles in supporting literacy, learning and reading
  • Focused on our communities
  • Embracing digital innovation
  • Strong advocates for libraries at national and regional leader level
  • Aware that funding is our biggest challenge
  • Eager to work more collaboratively and develop strong partnerships 
  • Desiring to be less bureaucratic and resistant to change
  • Proud to be guardians of the memory of the world
  • Attracting young professionals deeply committed and eager to lead

For each Global Vision highlight there are also ten opportunities for action. And this is where the creative work begins!

Turning ideas into action

 

The Global Vision discussion moves into top gear as IFLA is creating the biggest idea store for actions, a source of inspiration for all librarians and for IFLA in planning for the future. Through a series of workshops and an online platform we want to gather ideas from librarians from all over the world. These will allow us to identify how all regions and library types can play their part. With your ideas, IFLA will create a strategy and action plans that will turn our vision into reality: a strong and united library field powering literate, informed and participative societies.

IFLA Secretary General, Gerald Leitner, who is spear-heading the discussion, is delighted at the positive response from the library community: 

Never before has there been such an initiative, which gives every single librarian in the world the chance to contribute – and never before have so many librarians from so many parts of the world contributed to one global conversation. It is incredible to hear from so many voices. This truly means that the top ten highlights and opportunities are your opportunities. They belong to every library professional in every region of the world. Now we’re going to make all these wonderful ideas held in the summary real. We’re going to create global actions together. Let us make our vision real:

A STRONG AND UNITED LIBRARY FIELD POWERING LITERATE, INFORMED AND PARTICIPATIVE SOCIETIES.”

The full Global Vision report will be presented in August 2018 during IFLA’s World Library and Information Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For now, download your copy of the IFLA Global Vision Report Summary and begin organising your own ideas store!

Our vision, Our Future