In December 2024, the first-ever IFLA Guidelines for Libraries Supporting Displaced Persons were published! Since March 2025, they are also available in Serbian on the IFLA Repository.

In the face of the largest global refugee crisis since World War II, one of the most vital things we can do as a library community right now is to support displaced people through libraries. Libraries play a crucial role as trusted community spaces and welcoming havens for all, regardless of their displacement, state of limbo, or any kind of intersectional vulnerability they may face simultaneously, such as gender identity, childhood, old age, or disability. With this work, libraries contribute to a two-way integration process: They empower displaced people to integrate into host communities and help them recover from their traumata, while at the same time enabling displaced people and host communities to learn from each other and appreciate cultural diversity.

The guidelines aim to be a practical guide for libraries that support or wish to support displaced
communities. They will serve as a vehicle to expand the traditional role of libraries and librarians.

Project Group
Despina Gerasimidou (Greece), Nancy Bolt (USA), Helen Chan (Hong Kong), Ingrid Källström (Sweden), Maela Rakočević Uvodić (Croatia), Anne Siebens (Germany), Anna Kolozwksa (USA), Anette Mjöberg (Sweden), Grace Liu (Canada), and Ann Okerson (USA).