Lidia Putziger has been working with IFLA for 17 years and is currently the Nominations and Elections coordinator. Here, Lidia shares some information about IFLA’s upcoming 2023 Elections: 

What role does IFLA HQ play in the nominations and elections process and what role do you play in supporting volunteers, members and other nominees?

IFLA is committed to conducting an open and transparent nominations, elections and appointments process. A team of staff at IFLA HQ have been preparing for several months, with current volunteers contacted and informed about the opportunities available.

We have encouraged our Members and Affiliates to check their Section registrations (this determines where you can make nominations and vote) and have prepared communications resources to explain the process.

The Nominations and Elections Coordinator guarantees all deadlines are met and the information aligns with the IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure. The Elections team is now responding to the needs and questions of our current and potential future volunteers, Members and Affiliates.

What are your goals for this term’s election cycle?

One thing identified in the lessons learned from the previous years was the need to inform current and potential volunteers and IFLA Members and Affiliates in advance so they can prepare for the elections and particularly the nominations process.

Our main goals are to reach out to all involved in the IFLA elections ahead of the Call for Nominations in January 2023. This work is already underway with IFLA Volunteers, Members and Affiliates contacted in early November.

How did the new Governance structure impact the 2021 elections process?

Because of our broad consultations with Members, Affiliates and volunteers during the governance review process, our community was better informed than in previous years. The number of nominations received in 2021 almost doubled in size. The introduction of the six Regional Divisions and the formation of a new Regional Council has boosted the interest of individuals to seek nominations in their regions.  I am looking forward to an increased count of incoming nominations across IFLA in March 2023!

If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact the team at elections@ifla.org, and check out our Elections Guide.