Registration now open!

IFLA’s Library Services to Multicultural Populations and Local History and Genealogy Sections, in collaboration with the National Academic Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan,  are pleased to invite you to take part in the free satellite meeting “Uniting Knowledge, Building the Future: Libraries Serving Multicultural Communities through Local History and Genealogy” on 15 August 2025 in Astana, Kazakhstan. 

The meeting will provide best practices for expanding collections to include underrepresented voices, creating inclusive programming, and utilizing new technologies to assist patrons with family history research. Topics will include strategies for preserving multicultural histories, using digital tools for genealogical research, engaging communities in history projects, and addressing challenges in representing diverse genealogies. Ethical considerations in genealogical research and collaboration with local cultural groups will also be discussed.

The satellite meeting will also include an informal idea exchange. Feel free to bring any brochures, flyers, bookmarks, or other literature from your libraries that you’d like to share with attendees. This is a great way to share how we promote our libraries’ collections and services.

The satellite meeting is free, but registration is required. You can find the registration link above. Registration is limited to 60 registrants with a waiting list. If you register and are unable to attend, contact Jennifer Brannock to allow someone on the waiting list to attend.

Registration closes on 31 July 2025.

Programme

8:00    Registration

8:30    Introduction and Greeting

8:45    Session 1

Moderator, Leili Seifi, University of Birjand, Iran

Speaking Out in the Stacks: Oral History Project of LGBTQIA+ Librarians
Lucan L. Eugenio, University of the Philippines, Philippines

Bringing The Margins to the Centre of the Collection
Muhammad Shahrul Bin Bahro, PMI Victorian History Library, Australia
Nadzrah Mohamad Othman, Pustaka Institute

Libraries’ Efforts in Saving Community Voices Through Local Oral History : A Case Study from National, Public, Academic and Rural Perspectives
Xiaofang Zhang, Xiangtan University, China

9:45     Break

10:00   Session 2

Moderator, Michell Hackwelder, Department of Culture and Tourism, United Arab Emirates

Establishing a Long-Term Relationship with National Minorities Through a Council
Elisabet Rundqvist, Department of Collaboration, Research Collaboration Unit, Sweden

Emerging Role of Generative AI from a Genealogical Perspective in Exploring Information about Surnames
Takashi Nagatsuka, Tsurumi University, Japan

The Language of the Conquerors: Opening the Lost World of the Turkic Empires for Genealogical Research
Jonathan McCollum, FamilySearch International, United States of America

11:00    Break

11:15    Session 3

Moderator, Cherie Bush, FamilySearch International, United States

Preserving Abu Dhabi’s Heritage: Collaborative Efforts in Education and Cultural Preservation
Michell Hackwelder, Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, United Arab Emirates

Leading and Managing a Future Ready Library in the Philippines: A Multiple Case Study
Rosela D. Del Mundo, Jose Rizal University, Philippines

Multiculturalism in Family History Roadshows – Some Examples from Europeana 1914-1918 and Europeana Migration projects
Cristina Roiu, National Romanian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Romania

12:15   Lunch on your own

13:45   Session 4

Moderator, Jingzhu Wei, Sun Yat-sen University, China

Share All About It: Facilitating Partnership-Centered Digitization Projects
William Schlaack, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States of America

Unlocking Historical Treasure: Optimizing the Utilization of Manuscripts at National Library of Indonesia in the Digital Age
Sadariyah Ariningrum Wijiastuti, National Library of Indonesia, Indonesia
Aditia Gunawan, National Library of Indonesia, Indonesia

14:30   Break

14:45   Session 5

Moderator, Jennifer Brannock, The University of Southern Mississippi, United States of America

Designing an Ontological Model for Documenting Cultural Objects in the National Library of Iran Using CIDOC-CRM
Soheila Faal, National Library and Archives of I.R. of Iran (NLAI), Iran
Reza Shahrabi Farahani, National Library and Archives of I.R. of Iran (NLAI), Iran

Wikipedia Town: Initiatives to Develop “Regions” and “Interactions Between People”
Yukiyo Hasegawa

15:30 – 16:30   Library Tour

Venue

National Academic Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Dostyq St 11
Astana 020000
Kazakhstan

Contact

If you have questions, contact planning committee member Jennifer Brannock.