The Governing Board has set the date for the IFLA General Assembly 2022: It will take place on 25 August and will be organised in a hybrid format so that as many Members as possible can attend. The time of day has yet to be determined.

The Board wishes to offer clarification around this timing, which is the consequence of a much earlier decision by the Governing Board to hold the Congress and Assembly separately.

This decision to split the Congress and Assembly was taken in the light of the ongoing uncertainty at the time around COVID-related travel restrictions, and so the lack of possibility to book cheap air tickets in the long term. As a result, we were aware that travel to Congress was likely to be harder than usual for many of our Members, and so it was important to find an alternative and more inclusive way of organising the Assembly as the key moment in the membership year, drawing on the new technical and statutory possibilities to hold it virtually.

In addition, the Congress programme is also shorter than in previous years, meaning that it is all the more important to free up time for sessions organised by volunteers and others. As a result, the General Assembly is not included in the programme, which was published some time ago. The end of August is also the usual time at which the General Assembly is held.

We hope that this provides helpful clarification, and very much look forward to seeing as many of you as possible both at our Congress and Assembly.