To mark IFLA’s centenary in 2027, the Library History Special Interest Group is coordinating an ambitious volume with De Gruyter that will comprehensively examine the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ (IFLA) 100-year history.

Building on a call for chapters issued in July 2024, the project has brought together more than 30 authors representing every world region from Australia to South Africa, Finland to Mexico, Japan to the United States, reflecting IFLA’s truly global reach and diversity of experience.

The IFLA 100 Authors’ Symposium, held at the Royal Library of the Netherlands (KB) in The Hague on 5–6 November 2025, convenes these contributors to share research findings, exchange perspectives on draft chapters, and engage in cross-chapter dialogue. The goal of the symposium is to ensure an intellectually coherent and globally inclusive book that captures IFLA’s evolving role within the transnational history of libraries, information, and cultural cooperation.

A Global History of Libraries and Librarianship

Across two days of in-person and virtual sessions, authors and editors will explore four major thematic threads:

  • Global Impact:  tracing IFLA’s engagement with UNESCO and international movements for universal access to information, and its influence on the democratic ideals underpinning public libraries worldwide.
  • National and Regional Impact: highlighting IFLA’s presence and partnerships across contexts as varied as Turkey, Germany, Finland, Mexico, Croatia, the former Soviet Union, Japan, and Indonesia with reflections on the organization’s legacy in the Global South and post-socialist regions.
  • IFLA’s Development: examining the formation of sections, professional networks, and working groups—from art and law libraries to parliamentary and school libraries that have defined IFLA’s institutional growth and professional influence.

Contributors include senior scholars, practitioners, and emerging researchers. Their collective work spans more than twenty countries and represents an unprecedented collaborative effort in documenting the global history of librarianship through the lens of IFLA’s centennial reflection.

The symposium will culminate in a closing session devoted to synthesis and next steps for manuscript revision and publication. By bringing together this international community of authors and editors, the IFLA 100 Authors’ Symposium will shape a landmark volume that not only commemorates IFLA’s past but also contributes enduring insights into the transnational dynamics of library and information history.