IRRT International Reception Committee

Statement of Role, Purpose, and Function

Locate, organize and host the international visitors reception at the ALA annual conference. Coordinate the ALA President's Citation for International Library Innovation.

2023 International Librarians Reception in Chicago, IL

International Librarians Reception

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Location: Chicago Public Library

Winter Garden, 9th Floor

400 S. State Street (main entrance on 401 S. Plymouth Street)



Description: Please join the ALA International Relations Round Table (IRRT) in welcoming and celebrating with librarians from more than 70 countries at the ALA Annual Conference. Open to all conference attendees, this reception offers a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world. Join us for a mixing of culture and ideas, regional cuisine, hors d’oeuvres and open bar. ALA President, Lessa Pelayo-Lozada, will announce the recipients of the ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Projects. Winners of the Bogle Pratt Award and the Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award for International Librarianship will be announced.

2022 International Librarians Reception in Washington, D.C.

The 2022 International Librarians Reception was held at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Great Hall

ALA President Patty Wong presents the 2022 President's Citation for Innovative International Library Projects..

2020-2021 International Librarians Reception were Virtual (due to COVID)

The 2021 President's Citations for Innovative International Library Projects.. were awarded to: Caring Calls Project - South Shore Public Libraries, Nova Scotia, Canada; Lighthouse Heritage Research Connections - Run Run Shaw Library, City University of Hong Kong; VIRL Connect Team - Vancouver Island Regional Library; Virtual Library Info Lit Race Challenge - Nazarbayev University Library, Kazakhstan; Warm Up Week Initiative - Red River College Library, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The 2020 President's Citations were awarded to: Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Indigenous Voices Initiative – Canada; Journey Around the World in Guangzhou Library- China; Smartphone? Yes, Please! – Face-to-Face Training for Seniors, Public Library “Fran Galović” Koprivnica, Croatia; Igniting the Public’s Passion for Reading: The Taiwan Reading Festival, National Central Library.

2019 International Librarians Reception in Washington, D.C.

The 2019 International Librarians Reception was held at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Great Hall

ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo presents the 2019 President's Citation for Innovative International

Library Projects.. to: Biblioteca Pública Central Estatal for Sustainable Library, Mexico; Tor Browser in

Toronto Public Library, Toronto Canada; Libraries without Borders/Bibliothéques Sans Frantiéres,

Paris, France; Milton Public Liblrary, Ontario, Canada.

Thank you for joining us in D.C.! View pictures!

2018 International Librarians Reception in New Orleans, LA

The 2018 International Librarians Reception was held at the BB King's Blues Club . The 2018 winners of Bogle Pratt Award, Humphry/OCLC/Forest Award and the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects were recognized. Librarians from all over the world enjoyed networking.

ALA President's Citation for International Library Innovation Projects: Darkht-e Danish

Online Library for the Women of Afghanistan, Calgary Canada, Digital Center enters

Mongolian Yurts, Inner Mongolia, China, La Biblioteca Movil, Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala,

Little Migratory Birds Project, Suzhou, China., Boggle Pratt and Humphry/OCLC/

Forest Award 2018 recipients

2017 International Librarians Reception in Chicago, IL

The 2017 International Librarians Reception was held at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, IL. The 2017 winners of Bogle Pratt Award, Humphry/OCLC/Forest Award and the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects were recognized. Librarians from all over the world enjoyed networking.

2017 Presidential Citation Awardees :Rural Internet Hotspot Lending

Programme Welington County Library Canada, Project FryskLab, Europe’s

First Mobile Library Leeuwarden, Netherlands, Augustana Human Library,

Alberta, Canada

2016 International Librarians Reception in Orlando, FL

The 2016 International Librarians Reception was held at the Cuba Libre Restaurant in Orlando. The 2016 winners of Bogle Pratt Award, Humphry/OCLC/Forest Award and the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects were recognized. Thank you to all who attended!

View the rest of the images...

2015 International Librarians' Reception at the San Francisco Public Library in San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Public Library hosted the International Librarians' Reception on June 29, 2015 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. A very special feature was the presentation of the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offered a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world.

The 2015 ALA IRRT Awards- President's Citation for Innovative International Library Projects and l to r. Robin Kear,

IRRT Chair, Jane Mirandette-John Ames/Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award, |NLB Mobile app by the National

Library Board of Singapore-​Lee Kee Siang| Establishment of Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies (TRCCS)-

Dr. Dr. Chihfeng P. Lin,|Digital Literacy as a Core Service at Edmonton Public Library-Pilar Martinez, |The Science

and Technology Academicand Research-Based Openly-Operated Kiosks (STARBOOKS) Project in the Philippines-

Raymund Liboro and Louise Ian T. De Los Reyes| ALA President Courtney Young, and the Chair of the International

Reception, Athena Michael

2015 International Librarians Reception photos

2014 International Librarians' Reception at the Marjorie Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, NV

Description: The 2014 IRRT International Librarians' Reception was held at the Marjorie Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas on June 30, 2014 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. A very special feature was the presentation of the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offered a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world.

The 2014 ALA President's Citation for Innovative International Library Projects.. l to r. representatives from The

Jagodina Public Library in Serbia and its five village library branches |The In-House Library Training Program

Supporting Roma People at the Public Library Fran Galovic,’Koprivnica in Croatia,| ALA President Barbara Stripling |

The Topic Room iPad Application at the ZLB Library, Berlin in Germany, |The Edge, State Library of Queensland in

Australia, and the Chair of the International Reception, Loida Garcia-Febo.

2013 International Librarians' Reception at the Harold Washington Atrium in Chicago, IL

Description: The 2012 IRRT International Librarians' Reception was held at the Muzeo on June 25, 2012 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. A very special feature was the presentation of the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offered a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world.

The 2013 ALA President's Citation for Innovative International Library Projects.. l to r. The e-Books on Demand of the EOD European Libraries Network, ALA President Maureen Sullivan with OSU Children's Library Fund citation, AUN e-Library Project — American University of Nigeria accepting Amed Demirhan, IRRT Chair Loreine Roy who founded the ALA President's Citation.

2012 International Librarians' Reception at the Muzeo in Anaheim, CA

Description: The 2012 IRRT International Librarians' Reception was held at the Muzeo on June 25, 2012 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. A very special feature was the presentation of the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offered a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world.

The 2012 ALA President's Citation for Innovative International Library Projects.. l to r. The Urban Office — Helsinki City Library (Finland),The World is Just a Book Away (Projects in Indonesia), ALA President Molly Raphael, Chinese Medicine Digital Projects — Hong Kong Baptist University, Riecken Community Libraries (Projects in Guatemala and Honduras),

2011 International Librarians' Reception at the Generations Hall in New Orleans, LA

Description: The 2011 IRRT International Librarians' Reception was held at the Generations Hall on June 27, 2011 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. A very special feature was the presentation of the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offers a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world.

ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovative Library Projects Award Recipients for 2011

• Rise Videoconferencing Network - Michelle Toombs and Steven Pattison , Project Leaders
• Quest Library Reading Program. - Zulkifli Bin Amin, National Library Board of Singapore
• E-Publication System Platform Project - Pei-Lei Tsai, National Central Library of Taiwan
• Expanding Information Accesss for Visually Impaired People - Bac Nguyen and Matthijs Balfoort, FORCE

l.to r. Steven Pattison, Michelle Toombs, Roberta Stevens ALA President,

Pei-Lei Tsai, Matthijs Balfoort, Zulkifli Bin Amin, and Bac Nguyen 2011 recipients.

2010 International Librarians' Reception at the Library of Congress Great Hall in Washington, DC

Description: The 2010 IRRT International Librarians' Reception was held at the Library of Congress Great Hall on June 28, 2010 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. A very special feature was the presentation of the ALA President's Award for International Innovative Library Projects. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offers a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world.

ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovative Library Projects Award Recipients for 2010

• The Fondation Connaissance et Liberté / Fondasyon Konesans Ak Libète (FOKAL) Community Libraries Initiative
• International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL)
• Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University’s Box Library Extension (ABLE)
• The Library Society of China’s National Library Volunteering Project
• World Digital Library (WDL)

Photo by Joan S. Weeks

l to r Erick Toussaint (FOKAL), Dr. Anne Weeks (ICDL), John Dixon (ABLE), Dr. James Billington,

Librarian of Congress, Bingsi Fan and Yulin Yang (Library Society of China), Dr. John Van Oudenaren (WDL)

2009 International Librarians' Reception in Chicago

Description: The International Relations Round Table (IRRT) celebrated its 60th Anniversary with international librarians, from more than 80 countries, at the ALA Annual Conference. The International Librarians Reception was held at the Harold Washington Library Atrium.



ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovation Award Recipients for 2009

• Hester J. Hodgdan Libraries for All Program - Jane Mirandette, President
• Lubuto Library Project, Inc. - Jane Kinney Meyers, President
• Tongji University Library - Dr. Jinhau Shen, Library Director

Photo by Sha Li Zhang

2008 International Librarians' Reception in Anaheim

Description: The International Relations Round Table (IRRT) welcomed and celebrated with all conference-attending international librarians, from more than 80 countries, at the ALA Annual Conference. The International Librarians Reception was held at the MUZEO, a new museum complex of the arts and culture. Its front entrance is the former Anaheim Public Library, built in 1908. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception offered a unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world. Participants found a mixing of culture and ideas, regional cuisine, hors d'oeuvres and open bar.

Sponsors: We would like to thank our sponsors for the 2008 International Reception

• Blackwell Book Services
• OCLC/ WebJunction
• Elsevier Science
• Innovative Interfaces
• VTLS: Visionary Technology in Library Solutions

2007 International Librarians' Reception in Washington, DC

Place: Library of Congress - Madison Building, Montpelier Room

Description: The International Relations Round Table (IRRT) welcomed and celebrated with librarians from more than 80 countries at the ALA Annual Conference. Open to all conference attendees, but free to International Librarians outside the U.S., this reception at the Library of Congress Montpelier Room offered an unique opportunity to network with hundreds of information professionals from around the world. With a panoramic view of Washington, DC, this event provided a mixing of cultures and ideas, regional cuisine, hors d' oeuvres and open bar.

Documents

2007 International Reception-Pictures

All photos courtesy of Mitch Freedman

Please tag the photos with names or comments.

2007 International Reception-Video

By American Libraries Magazine

2004 International Reception-Pictures

2003 International Reception-Pictures

Chairs

Committee Roster (Full contact information requires log in).

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