To mark Banned Books Week 2025, IFLA Management of Library Associations, Library Theory and Research Section and the IFLA Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Committee invite global voices to reflect on the many ways access to information is threatened. From deliberate censorship to the destruction of knowledge during conflict and crisis.

This year, speakers will share updates on inspiring library projects that preserve books and cultural memory in the USA, Lebanon, and Indigenous communities, highlighting how libraries defend the right to read even in the most challenging circumstances.
Because censorship is so 1984 and the freedom to read is more important than ever.

Speakers

Te Paea Paringatai, IFLA President Elect (New Zealand) – Updates about preservation and access for indigenous populations

Martin Garnar, PhD, Director, Amherst College Library (Massachusetts, USA), Editor, Intellectual Freedom Manual, Tenth Edition (ALA Editions) – Access to information trends and issues

Essine El Gemayel Jawhar, Assistant University Librarian for the Conservation and Preservation Division, Head of Conservation and Restoration Center USEK, Representative of the Lebanese Library Association (LLA) and previous collaboration of LLA, IFLA MLAS, IFLA MENA RD and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia – Libraries and the Digital Preservation of Cultural Heritage