OPENING CEREMONY OF IFLA WLIC 2018: TRANSFORM LIBRARIES, TRANSFORM SOCIETIES

Joynal, KUALA LUMPUR, 25 August 2018

Congress delegates attended the opening ceremony of the IFLA WLIC 2018 together on Saturday, 25 August 2018. The main theme of the official Opening Ceremony will reflect the main Congress theme: Transform Libraries, Transform Societies.

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

  • Welcome Remarks was given by Dato’ Nafisah Ahmad, Malaysia National Committee, Director General National Library of Malaysia & President Librarian Association of Malaysia

The library world global spotlight will shine on Malaysia in August this year when Kuala Lumpur hosts the 84th World Library and Information Congress. The Congress organized by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Librarians Association of Malaysia, and the National Library of Malaysia, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, and the Malaysian Convention & Exhibition Bureau, will be held from 24-30 August 2018 at the Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

This annual IFLA brand flagship professional event is the world’s most significant and identifiable gathering and the most exciting event of library and informational professionals. It is the first time in the history of IFLA that the Congress is being held in Malaysia. In 2016 it was hosted by USA, in 2017 by Poland and it will be held in Greece in 2019.

The Congress will provide an unparalleled opportunity, in a multi-racial and multi-cultural environment to the professional development of its participants. The global aspect of the Congress program also provides excellent networking opportunities for those who attend.

More than 3,000 participants from 102 countries have so far registered for the Conference. Two hundred and forty-nine sessions with over 600 paper presentations will allow participants to discuss, debate and exchange ideas on professional issues related to every aspect of the library profession. Leading edge initiatives will be presented and experts in all areas of library and information science will be present.

In line with the theme of the Congress “Transform Libraries, Transform Societies”, there will be, among other topics, presentations that address the role of libraries in delivering the UN 2030 Agenda, Designing inclusive and sustainable libraries, the use of video games to develop wining strategies for libraries, the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality, and digital scholarship services.

There will be 121 poster presentations from all over the world on diverse topics such as The whole school reading for half an hour (China), Role of NGOs in library development (Bangladesh), and Makerspace at the library (Sweden).

A trade exhibition will be held during the Congress where more than 60 commercial and non-commercial organizations from all over the world will showcase their products and services.

Library visits to 33 Malaysian libraries will be arranged to allow participants to visit the National Library of Malaysia, academic libraries, special libraries, public and school libraries in the public, private and voluntary sector in Malaysia. These visits will allow participants to see the application and adaptation of innovative ideas to the services in these local libraries.

Registration details, the Congress program and other events is available at http://2018.ifla.org.