For authors and presenters of papers

If you have been accepted or invited to present a paper at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) these guidelines are for you.

All papers should reflect in some way the conference theme: Dynamic Libraries: Access, Development and Transformation.

This theme, chosen for the WLIC in Cape Town, complements the Presidential theme of IFLA President, Sinikka Sipilä: Strong Libraries, Strong Societies.

Submitting your paper

Please ensure you complete the author permission form as soon as you can, with the accurate title of your paper. You must then submit a paper using the template below to the coordinator of your session.

  • Authors' permission form
  • Template for formatting your paper [DOC]
  • Submit your completed paper to your session coordinator by the date given by them. Early submission is encouraged so that your paper can be checked, made available online and translated by the groups of volunteer translators.
  • The session coordinator may also request some personal information by which the Session Chair can introduce you.
  • Session coordinators: after completed papers have been thoroughly verified that they meet the WLIC paper template requirements, please send final versions to papers@ifla.org.

Preparing your presentation

Please check the following guidelines for speakers:

  • Speaker Guidelines [PDF]
    this paper can be printed and gives you important information for preparing your presentation and uploading it at the WLIC venue.
  • WLIC logos
    you have the option of using these if you would like.
  • How to make visual presentations accessible to audience members with print impairments [PDF]
    please read this important advice.
  • Presentations can be made in any of the official IFLA languages but you should check with your session coordinator in plenty of time what language(s) is preferred, whether there will be any possibility for translating your paper before the WLIC and whether there will be simultaneous interpretation in the room in which your presentation is given.

Attendance at the WLIC

  • All speakers should register to attend the Congress through the normal WLIC registration channel and are expected to cover their own costs for attending the conference. Limited funds may be available to cover the day registration fees (but not other expenses) of speakers from other disciplines who would not normally attend the IFLA Congress. Contact your session coordinator to find out more.
  • Letters of invitation/VISA requirements if needed.
  • IFLA cannot pay any travel or accommodation costs of attending the Congress, however, a number of Conference participation grants are available.
  • Please see the WLIC pages for further details of the programme, region, travel, accommodation options and tours.

Translation and interpretation

Many WLIC papers are translated by volunteers to make information and presentations accessible to a wider audience. If you have been informed by your session coordinator that the session in which you will present will have Simultaneous Interpretation (SI) then it is important that you make your paper available as much in advance as possible and align your presentation with the contents of the paper as much as possible. This means that the interpreters can prepare their interpretation in advance which will give a better result to the live interpretation on the day.

Session coordinators

After completed translations have been thoroughly verified that they meet the WLIC paper template requirements, please send final versions to papers@ifla.org. The speaker guidelines listed above will give you guidance on how to present your paper but the following are also offered for background information:

Other information

Please contact the Section that sponsors your session for more information or assistance.

Last update: 13 April 2015