On 14 July 2025, the Women, Information and Libraries Special Interest Group (WILSIG), in partnership with IFLA’s Management of Library Associations Section (MLAS) and the
New Professionals Special Interest Group (NPSIG), hosted a special webinar to celebrate WILSIG’s achievements, honor its founders, and look to the future of empowering women and
girls through libraries. A full video recording of the event is available on the MLAS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPFjKgN4Y8Q

Moderated by Jelisaveta Blagojević, on behalf of WILSIG, MLAS, and NPSIG, the event brought together members of the global library community for an inspiring and thoughtful
discussion. Jelisaveta also presented the first WILSIG Newsletter, highlighting its diverse contributions — with articles authored by colleagues from Zimbabwe, Peru, Slovenia, Croatia,
Serbia, Montenegro, and China — showcasing global perspectives on gender equity and libraries. Newsletter is available here:https://repository.ifla.org/handle/20.500.14598/4386

The program opened with warm welcome remarks by Loida Garcia-Febo, Chair of MLAS, who underscored the importance of sustaining efforts to advance gender equity and leadership
development in the profession. She also expressed her deep appreciation to all of WILSIG’s former convenors and members for their dedication and contributions over the years.
Participants also heard about a project to develop a bibliography of children’s books on women’s empowerment, presented by Antonella Lamberti. She described the concept, objectives, and anticipated impact of this initiative — which is currently in its development phase — emphasizing its potential as a valuable tool for libraries and educators to inspire and in form young readers about gender equality.

Screenshot of six women in a WILSIG webinar with varied virtual and real backgrounds

Former Convenors Share Their Journey 

The centerpiece of the webinar was a roundtable discussion featuring WILSIG’s former convenors, who shared their personal reflections and professional insights on WILSIG’s
evolution and impact.

The discussion focused on three key themes:

  • What WILSIG has accomplished so far — milestone projects and initiatives that have promoted women’s rights and inclusion worldwide.
  • What WILSIG has meant personally and professionally — how serving as convenor helped them develop leadership, advocacy, and collaboration skills that continue to shape
    their careers.
  • What lies ahead — their vision for how libraries, IFLA, and global networks can continue supporting women and girls through access to information and empowerment.

We were privileged to hear from:

  • Maria Cotera — WILSIG co-founder and co-convenor. Research Workflow Solutions Manager, Academic – EMEA, Digital Science
  • Mathilde Koskas — Head of the French National Bibliography (Monographs), National Library of France
  • Evivva Weinraub Lajoie — Vice Provost, University Libraries, University at Buffalo

The convenors reflected on how WILSIG has grown from its beginnings into a vibrant, international community — and emphasized how the skills, experiences, and networks they built through WILSIG leadership have been instrumental in their professional lives and in championing gender equity in their own contexts.

Continuing the Legacy
As WILSIG concludes its formal work within IFLA in August 2025, this event served as both a celebration of its rich legacy and a call to action for continued advocacy. The discussion highlighted the transformative power of libraries to promote equity, education, and leadership for women and girls globally — and charted pathways for advancing gender equity in the global library field and beyond.We sincerely thank all our panelists, moderator, partners, and attendees for making this celebration meaningful and inspiring. Together, we honor WILSIG’s contributions — and continue to build a future where libraries are at the forefront of empowerment and inclusion.