Colleagues from across Latin America and the Caribbean will meet in Buenos Aires and Santiago from 20 to 26 November for a series of workshops, seminars and other events focused on developing connections, networks and skills to support sustainability. This work is made possible by the financial support of Stichting IFLA Global Libraries.

Following on from successful examples in Bangkok in 2022, and then Nairobi and Brussels in 2023, we are happy to be holding a workshop in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

With participants drawn from the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Division Committee and other associations and libraries – and for the first time a group of emerging leaders – there will be a busy schedule:

  • A workshop focused on the ingredients of library field sustainability, including future planning, leadership, community-building, impact evaluation and advocacy for partnerships
  • A workshop specifically exploring how associations and others can drive learning for effective service delivery, with a focus on working around copyright
  • A celebration of the 50th anniversary of IFLA’s Latin America and Caribbean Section (a Division since 2021), as well as 20 years since the first World Library and Information Congress in South America
  • A conference at the United Nations, exploring potential for partnership between libraries and UN agencies
  • Opportunities to engage with local library communities in Argentina and Chile
  • A meeting of the Regional Division Committee, followed by a conference focused on libraries and AI

Watch out for news and social media, as well as details about how to follow the UN conference live on 25 November.

We are grateful in advance to the Library of Congress of Argentina, the Library of Congress of Chile, the National Library of Chile, and the Biblioteca Hernan Santa Cruz, at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for hosting these meetings, and to SIGL for funding this. SIGL is a foundation established by IFLA to administer the Legacy Grant awarded by the Gates Foundation to support IFLA’s work to strengthen the global library field.