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The June 2025 IFLA Asia and Oceania Regional Division Newsletter includes editorials from the Chair of the Asia-Oceania Regional Division Committee, the Manager of the Regional Office for Asia and Oceania, message from IFLA president-elect 2025-2027, and news from IFLA, the region and beyond.
The 'IFLA Entry Point to Libraries and AI' is intended to be a tool to support librarians in the assessment of ethical AI use. The document provides librarians with a list of key considerations and scenarios to evaluate and discuss the benefits and risks of adopting AI use within library premises. While it is not designed to serve as a standalone decision-making instrument, we encourage individuals and organizations to use it to engage in broader discussions with colleagues, peer-organizations and other libraries.
Ms. Jinwoo Lee, former director of the Seongbuk-gu Library in Seoul, was elected as the 32nd president of the Korean Library Association on April 15. She is the first president from the public library sector since the association was founded in 1945, a position previously held almost exclusively by professors.
I firmly believe that through collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to excellence, libraries will continue to serve as essential pillars of knowledge, inclusion, and societal progress. I look forward to engaging closely with the international library community especially through IFLA as we collectively advance a vibrant, impactful, and future-ready librarianship.
At the heart of the project is "Immersive Literacy Journey", a digital anthology of recorded readings featuring seven selected literary works that embody Macao’s rich cultural and linguistic heritage. Students and staff from participating institutions will narrate these texts in their mother tongues, including Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin), Portuguese, English, and the endangered Macanese Patuá creole.
the SLIIT library thought of creating a platform to celebrate these accomplished women in the community and to share their unique stories with a wider audience, imparting this tacit and intangible knowledge among the community members. Thus emerged the ‘Sheroes Human Library’ initiative at the SLIIT.
The IFLA Social Science Libraries Section proudly hosted an international webinar that attracted an impressive turnout of over two hundred participants from across the globe. Materials of the webinar (video recording with transcription, presentations) are available at the IFLA Repository.
This practical workshop focused on how to evaluate and measure the impact of library services and, crucially, how to use that data to tell powerful stories that resonate with stakeholders and communities. The training is part of a global IFLA initiative to build capacity among public library staff to better articulate their value and outcomes.
The IFLA Strategy 2024-2029 has been translated into two major South Asian languages – Hindi and Bengali – following a call from the IFLA Regional Council and IFLA Regional Division Committee for Asia and Oceania (RDCAO).
Libraries in our region operate in some of the most linguistically, culturally, and geographically diverse environments in the world. Our region is home to Indigenous practitioners and many others who serve as custodians of rich knowledge systems, both ancient and emerging. Our work often takes place at the intersection of tradition and innovation, inclusion and disruption, equity and aspiration. I believe that the global library field has much to learn from our region, and that we must continue to amplify our unique voices, perspectives, and leadership on the world stage.
WLIC has a unique power to catalyse energy and growth in host countries and regions, as well as to offer new perspectives for all participants. Meeting in Astana will provide an exceptional opportunity for discovery and learning for colleagues in the heart of Central Asia, a unique crossroads of cultures.
Welcome to the latest edition of the IFLA Asia and Oceania Regional Newsletter. In this issue, we are pleased to share messages from Mr Edy Irwan bin Zulkafli, the newly appointed Director-General of the National Library of Malaysia, and Ms Jinwoo Lee, President of the Korea Library Association. We wish them all the best for their new appointments and look forward to their strong leadership in shaping the future of libraries and information professionals in our region.
As my term as Chair for Regional Division Committee for Asia and Oceania comes to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues and friends for the support over the past two years. It has been a privilege to serve with a committed and passionate group of individuals.
The webinar ‘Promoting Discovery Tools for Library Services’ organized by the IFLA Regional Division Committee for Asia Oceania took place on 4 June 2025.
The IFLA General Assembly 2025 will be held on Wednesday, 20 August 2025, in hybrid format, in Astana, Kazakhstan, and online.
The below message was distributed to IFLA's members and volunteers directly by e-mail in IFLA's official languages from 30 May 2025.