IFLA Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 1

Welcome to the first IFLA Newsletter of 2022!

I wanted therefore to start by wishing you all a very happy, healthy New Year.

Health is of course something we should value highly, especially now. We continue to live with the consequences of a very real health crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic – leaving a trail of suffering, disruption and uncertainty.

While it can hardly be called a positive, the pandemic has at least made it clearer than ever that health is, to a major extent, an information issue.

This is an issue for medical professionals themselves, who rely on up to date information in order to treat patients effectively, as well as for governments in their own decision-making.

Yet, crucially, access to reliable information, and the skills to use it, also matters for individuals, in order to protect them from the effects of mis- and disinformation. In each of these areas, libraries have an essential role to play, given the support and recognition needed.

This edition of the newsletter therefore has a focus on health.

We hear from the Pan American Health Organization about the role of libraries in their work to manage health crises and promote better health, as well as looking back to discussions at WLIC 2021 on the importance of a right to health.

We also look forward to plans for strengthening the capacity of the health library field, and securing their recognition in 2022.

Beyond this, get the latest on our exciting plans for WLIC 2022 in Dublin, celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Section on Libraries Serving Multicultural Populations, discover the 2021 Update of IFLA’s Trend Report, nominate someone to receive an IFLA Honour or Award, and much more!

Sign up to read the full issue and stay connected with the global library field all year round!

My best wishes to all for a very good 2022.

Gerald Leitner
IFLA Secretary General