About the conference
Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge:
Action for Europe
14 April 2011 – 15 April 2011
Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands
The Hague, Netherlands
The IFLA Presidential Meeting 2011 is a two-day conference jointly organised by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the Netherlands Library Forum (FOBID).
Under the theme Libraries driving access to knowledge: Action for Europe, this conference will have prominent and inspiring speakers to address current issues for libraries concerning copyright, open access and human rights. The audience is open for anyone who is interested. Also invited are stakeholders, politicians and decision-makers from European political institutions, UN bodies, international NGOs, private sector and industry, library organizations and the press.
Europe's libraries are the driving force behind the knowledge society. They provide access to the information that underpins the continent's creativity and economic growth. Libraries are unique spaces for sharing, learning and research for all members of society, regardless of their knowledge needs.
The digital environment offers libraries many opportunities, and library services are adapting to take advantage of this situation. New forms of access, new attitudes to information sharing, and a complex European legislative framework demand clear policies to help libraries fulfill their objectives.
IFLA is the premier organisation representing libraries at a global level, and it is to IFLA that the library community across Europe, and the world, looks for leadership on the important issues facing libraries in the digital age. This conference will address three key topics on the agenda for libraries today: the challenges libraries face from the current copyright system; open access and the changing role of libraries in providing access to scholarly information; and the fundamental question of delivering access to information as a human right in the knowledge society.
Audience
The audience is open for anyone who is interested in the areas of copyright, open access and human rights. Also invited are stakeholders, politicians and decision-makers from European political institutions, UN bodies, international NGOs, private sector and industry, library organizations and the press.
To bring you this latest Presidential Meeting, IFLA and FOBID have partnered with the following European organizations: EBLIDA, LIBER, and SPARC Europe.
Sponsors
IFLA gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following sponsors:
Since 2007, IFLA has organised a series of Presidential Meetings linked to the IFLA Presidential theme. The theme of 2009-2011 IFLA President Ellen Tise is Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge.
Parallel to the European conference, another conference will be held on 7-8 April 2011 in Pretoria, South Africa for African Librarians with a specific focus on the African region.
For more information, please contact events@ifla.org