Webinar Series for LIS students organized by IFLA SET at IFLA Division C

“Librarians Shaping the OER Agenda: Navigating Copyright, OER Advocacy, and Infrastructure Solutions” (1 July 2025): report

On the 1st of July the IFLA Section on Education and Training at IFLA Division C successfully held an event from the Webinar series for LIS students entitled “Librarians Shaping the OER Agenda: Navigating Copyright, OER Advocacy, and Infrastructure Solutions”. The keynote speech was given by Nicole Krüger, Open Science Professional in OER and open access at the Library of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Switzerland. In her keynote speech Mrs. Krüger revealed the basic principles of OER focusing on Copyright and Creative Commons licensing. She also presented the good practices of using and promoting OER in ZHAW focusing on the role of the librarians. The keynote speaker reflected on how the rapid growth of AI tools influences the creation, transformation and use of OER. The first student speaker Viktoria İbrahimova, a Bachelor’s student in Library and Information Sciences and Knowledge Management at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies in Bulgaria demonstrated how the AI can be used as a tool for open education in a world of information overload. The presentation of the second student speaker Oladapo Yemisi Oluremi, a PhD graduate in LIS from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, emphasized the strategic importance of integrating OER into health science libraries to foster open access, enhance learning outcomes and contribute to sustainable health information literacy. The webinar focused on various aspects of the very diverse topic of OER that touches upon traditional library skills and tasks but needs stepping up and communication at the same time. As a new field which is under development the OER also need advocacy and awareness amongst librarians, teachers and communities. This requires proactive outreach, communication and collaboration.