At the end of IFLA’s Closing Ceremony, our current Governing Board will end its term, and a new one take up its mandate. The outgoing Board met for the last time, on 19 August, at the Ahoy Convention Centre in Rotterdam.

You can read the highlights and key actions from the meeting below.

In summary, the Board:

  • Acknowledged the August Update on the Plan for Securing IFLA’s Future.
  • Welcomed further progress in developing IFLA’s approach to identifying, managing and responding to risk.
  • Approved the organisations that will host IFLA’s Regional Offices for 2024-2026, including a new centre for the MENA region – we will be welcoming them shortly in a news story.
  • Agreed updates to the IFLA Handbook to reflect better the work of our ISBD Review Group – once the new version is ready, it will be uploaded to our repository and shared with our incoming officers. They also agreed to a new way of working between the Committee on Standards and the Resource Description and Access (RDA)*.
  • Welcomed efforts within IFLA Headquarters to promote the best possible working environment.
  • Noted the half-yearly financial report, and what was anticipated for the rest of the year, as well as resolving membership fees for 2024.
  • Welcomed good levels of registrations for the Congress this year, however, also noted high numbers of people being denied visas, despite applying in good time. The Board agreed that a review of the current WLIC model should be a priority for the incoming GB.
  • Welcomed an overall presentation about the work carried out in the context of IFLA’s Strategy, highlighting key achievements. You can find this presentation online here.
  • Appreciated the mid-term report on IFLA’s work with the support of SIGL (Stichting IFLA Global Libraries), available here.
  • Confirmed 126 new members and affiliates since April 2023.
  • Finally, the President, as well as the Professional and Regional Council Chairs thanked their board colleagues for their support.

There are plenty of opportunities to engage with the Governing Board at WLIC, both at open sessions and individually. Take a look at our news story here for more.

Barbara Lison, IFLA President on behalf of the IFLA Governing Board.

*This article was amended on 21 August, correcting the term “Resource Description and Access (RDA)”.