The IFLA Bibliography Section is seeking proposals for papers to be presented at its Open Session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2023 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

National Bibliographic Agencies and individuals responsible for National Bibliographic services are invited to showcase their National Bibliographic projects at all development stages, from the very established to the newly (re-)created, and in all formats, from paper to online (catalogue, website, dataset…).The session will provide an overview of the state of National Bibliographies, one year on from the publication of the new Common Practices for National Bibliographies in the Digital Age, and at a time when we are looking at Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC) and IFLA Metadata standards to keep them relevant (see our joint pre-conference satellite meeting with IFLA Cataloguing and Subject Analysis and Access Sections at KBR : “Universal Bibliographic Control at the crossroads: the challenges of unifying IFLA bibliographic standards”).UBC, from which National Bibliographies directly stem, was created jointly by IFLA and UNESCO as part of a global effort to ensure better access to information.

In a widely different global context, we are reaffirming the role of libraries in building a sustainable future, and the matter of access to information is more crucial than ever. We want to examine concrete examples of National Bibliographies reinventing themselves for this new future and give the opportunity to practitioners around the world to showcase their achievements and share ideas with colleagues and institutions worldwide.

We would like to invite papers particularly, but not exclusively, on the following sub-themes:

  • Challenges of creating, re-creating or maintaining a National Bibliography today (technological, scientific, political) – and practical solutions implemented
  • Creating a National Bibliography today in a country that has never had one or hasn’t had one for a long time: questions, challenges, tools, proposed or implemented solutions
  • Use of the Common Practices for National Bibliographies in the Digital Age and National Bibliographic Register in the creation, re-creation, or maintenance of a National Bibliography – and limits/improvement needs
  • Cooperation with other organizations to create or maintain a National Bibliography
  • Challenges in improving interoperability of a National Bibliography
  • Specific projects/challenges: use of AI, linked data models, LRMisation…

Each presentation will be 15 minutes and in English or one of the other official IFLA languages. Time for Q&A will be scheduled after the paper presentations.

Proposals must be submitted in an electronic format and must include the following information:

  • Name, title, institution, country, and email of speaker(s)
  • Brief biographical statement about each speaker (max 100 words)
  • Title of proposed presentation
  • Abstract of presentation (max 500 words)
  • Language of presentation

Send proposal abstracts (500 words or less) by 7 May 2023 to:
John DeSantis (John.C.DeSantis@dartmouth.edu),
Isabel Ayres Maringelli (imaringelli@pinacoteca.org.br), and
Mathilde Koskas (mathilde.kokas@lilo.org).

Important dates:

7 May 2023 (Sunday): Deadline for submission of abstract

22 May 2023 (Monday): Notification of acceptance

17 July 2023 (Monday): Deadline for submission of presenter information and final paper

Please note:

The conference gives the priority to the face-to-face dimension. At least one of the paper’s authors is strongly encouraged be present to deliver a summary of the paper during the Open Session in Rotterdam. A video recording could be accepted, as an exception.

The paper, if supplied, must be an original submission not presented or published elsewhere. All papers that are presented at the WLIC 2023 will be made available online via the IFLA Repository under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Authors of accepted papers must complete the IFLA Authors’ Permission Form.

All expenses for attending the Open Session (including conference attendance fees, travel, accommodation, etc.) are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA.

Congress participation Grants:

List of opportunities for support is available on the Apply for Grants & Awards webpage.