Campaign for the World's Libraries to be unveiled at IFLA Conference

Contact: Deborah Davis


312-280-4393

ALA News Release


For Immediate Release


August 2001

Campaign for the World's Libraries to be unveiled at IFLA Conference

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the American Library Association (ALA) announced a new public education campaign designed to showcase public, school, academic, government and special libraries and librarians around the world during the 67th IFLA General Council and Conference held August 16-25 in Boston.

The campaign is based on ALA's @ your library™, The Campaign for America's Libraries, a five-year public awareness campaign launched during National Library Week last April with the help of First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian and teacher. Libraries in all 50 states are participating in the U.S. campaign.

To help coordinate ALA's efforts outside the United States, ALA and IFLA are co-sponsoring the world campaign. Like its U.S. counterpart, the IFLA campaign will use a trademarked brand, @ your library™, and its official translations, to unify the communications activities of libraries around the world. As part of this partnership, ALA President John W. Berry will present IFLA with a special logo utilizing @ your library™ in IFLA's official languages (English, French, German, Russian and Spanish).

"The IFLA conference is the perfect venue for unveiling this campaign," Berry said. "With the conference theme 'Libraries & Librarians Making a Difference in the Knowledge Age,' we have a wonderful opportunity to speak loudly and clearly about the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century all around the world."

The goals of The Campaign for the World's Libraries are:

  • to raise awareness about the variety of programs and services offered at libraries worldwide;
  • to increase use of libraries at schools, at colleges and universities, in government, at work, and in daily community life;
  • to increase funding for libraries;
  • to involve librarians as stakeholders on public policy issues, such as closing the digital divide; and
  • to encourage librarianship as a profession.

"Our message is that libraries are changing and dynamic places that provide information, education and entertainment, no matter where they are," said Ross Shimmon, IFLA's Secretary General. "Libraries are places of opportunity that bridge the world. They connect even the smallest communities in the smallest of countries to our larger international community."

Through outreach efforts, the campaign will target the general public, educators, government leaders and policymakers, librarians and those who are considering the library profession, the media and strategic partners, including funding agencies.

To assist the international community in learning more about the campaign, IFLA has set up a new Web site at
www.ifla.org/@yourlibrary.htm. The site will provide campaign updates, publicity tools and other resource materials. IFLA also has created a new Advisory Group, comprised of Josche Neven, IFLA communications manager, representatives from the section on management and marketing and the IFLA governing board, to work with ALA on new partnership opportunities. In addition to IFLA's official languages, the @ your library™ logo has been translated into Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic, with more translations to come.

"There was a tremendous response from librarians at the IFLA Conference to a worldwide public education effort," said Deborah Davis, manager of the campaign. "We heard over and over about the need for tools and resources to help librarians tell their stories in their respective countries."

IFLA becomes the most recent partner in The Campaign for America's Libraries. Other founding partners include 3M Library Systems, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, Major League Baseball and Morningstar Foods Inc., maker of Hershey's Milk. ALA also recently signed formal agreements with the Canadian Library Association, Library Association of Alberta, Ontario Library Association and Saskatchewan Library Association to bring the campaign to Canada.

For more information about The Campaign for America's Libraries, please visit the
Web site.