IRRT Chair, 2021-2022
"Global libraries are agents of leadership in our post pandemic world"
The first sub theme is Global Libraries Reopening and Refreshed. How do we build on the innovations and creative strategies of the past year and not just return to the previous normal? How do we share and learn from these experiences and these new approaches to serving our communities around the world?
The second sub theme is Global Libraries As Advocates For Information Policy Change. What are the persistent and new policy issues that libraries across the world must focus on? How can we strengthen our ability to influence legislative and legal change, and participate in the political process on the local, national and global levels?
The third sub theme is Global Libraries As Agents of Social Justice. Where should we effectively focus: racial justice, gender justice, health justice, environmental and climate justice, information justice, economic justice, voting justice, food and water justice, education justice, LGBTQ+ justice? Where do libraries around the world fit into the battle for human rights?
2021-2022 Initiatives
With the announcement that the 2021 IFLA Congress will be conducted as a virtual event, the International Relations Round Table will be seeking to promote and enable IRRT member participation and attendance. We will also be exploring a wider program to embrace other international conferences of interest to library workers.
This initiative has three goals:
- to identify and bring to the attention of IRRT members virtual library conferences with the expectation that remote attendance and participation will become an accepted norm
- to encourage and support IRRT member participation in these conferences through submission of paper, panel and poster session proposals
- to assist with the registration fees for attendance at these virtual conferences through a competitive application process, and with a plan to raise funds for this initiative