The idea for RELINDIAL SIG (Religions: Libraries and Dialogue) was conceived during the 75th IFLA General Conference in Milan in 2009. During a meeting of libraries representing the three monotheistic religions, held at the Ambrosiana Library, the chair of IFLA conference 2009, Professor Mauro Guerrini, proposed the creation of a Special Interest Group (SIG) to promote dialogue between religions. In 2013, the RELINDIAL SIG was established, with Odile Dupont as chair.

The SIG worked to promote libraries’ commitment to dialogue between religions and cultures. Under its auspices, three books and numerous articles were published. The group has been associated with some twenty events within and outside IFLA. It has supported the development of the Diamond (formerly Al-Kindi) software and launched several initiatives. Its most successful achievement is the RELINDIAL Cartonera project, which brings together people from different backgrounds to discuss spiritual and philosophical topics, and creates books dedicated to these themes using recycled materials. RELINDIAL has also demonstrated its versatility by collaborating actively with the IFLA sections and external librarian associations.

Amongst its other achievements, RELINDIAL has:

  • Co-organised the 51st Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship and the 26th International Forum on Research on School Librarianship, held in Rome in 2023
  • Co-organised the the IFLA Midterm Meeting of the IFLA Sections ENSULIB, LIBTHEORY, PRESCONS, SCHOOL, and SIG LIBHIST, held in Rome in 2024.
  • Organised three webinars on Green Libraries, in collaboration with ENSULIB, in 2025.
  • Presented its final panels at the WLIC annual Congresses in 2023 and 2025.

As of August 2025, the RELINDIAL SIG concludes its twelve years of activity. Its work in promoting dialogue between religions via libraries has been valued by the IFLA community. The SIG’s work has had a lasting impact and its members are recognised for their dedication and service.