The Bibliography Section wishes IFLA fellows and the entire library community a wonderful and successful new year!

On this occasion, we are delighted to share with you the highlights of a productive 2024.

Key Initiatives and Working Groups

In late 2023, the Bibliography Section established new working groups to address key areas including Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC), new technologies in national bibliographies, and accessibility metadata. These groups are developing a revised UBC Statement, a guidance document on new technologies and national bibliographies, and a survey on accessibility practices in national libraries and bibliographic agencies. The existing NBR Working Group has worked on updating the National Bibliographic Register and devised a new template to streamline data collection and comparison.

Webinar Series: Topics in National Bibliographies

To enhance knowledge sharing and provide insights into key aspects of national bibliographic work, we launched a webinar series titled “Topics in National Bibliographies” and delivered three webinars across two tracks: Track 1, “Inside National Bibliographic Agencies”, featured “Building a National Bibliography: Models from Around the World, (30 April 2024) and “National Bibliographies: Wider Perspectives” ((27 June 2024); Track 2 , “New Horizons,” presented “Linked Open Bibliographies: Exposing, Linking, Reusing” (27 November 2024). The webinars’ success—marked by excellent programmes high-profile speakers, and strong attendance—motivated us to even more engaging content in 2025.

UBC Statement Revision

To review and revise its 2012 UBC Statement, the Bibliography Section, leading the effort, established the Working Group on UBC in fall 2023. The group includes members from the Cataloguing Section (co-chair), the Subject Analysis and Access Section, and the Advisory Committee on Standards. The Working Group coordinates with the National Libraries Section, which provides consultation on relevant matters. The UBC Statement Revision aims to reaffirm the core principles of UBC and reflect current realities in information creation and dissemination.

Collaboration and Network Building

The Bibliography Section, in collaboration with five other IFLA units, sponsored the IFLA Accessibility Metadata Network, leading to the establishment of the first IFLA Network. The Network is dedicated to developing standards for improved resource discovery and inclusivity in library catalogues. The Section is actively participating in the Network’s work through two of the four working groups of the Network.

Outreach and Engagement

In 2024, the Bibliography Section expanded its outreach and engagement efforts. A new Communication Plan significantly improved information dissemination and promoted the Section’s work. Two new members were co-opted and have been successfully integrated into our activities. We further enhanced our online presence by updating the Section’s website with dedicated project and Working Group pages, launching social media profiles on X and LinkedIn, sharing our webinar recording on the Section’s YouTube Channel, and maintaining an active blog, fostering broader engagement and collaboration with other IFLA Sections.

We thank all our collaborators for their contributions to our work and look forward to a productive 2025 with individual and joint projects.

Best wishes and wonderful start of the year!

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