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Unit 15: Promoters of Library and Information Services

to set up an international committee with representatives of national library associations was Notes
accepted. This was acted upon during the British Library Association conference in Edinburgh,
Scotland in 1927, when an international library and bibliographic committee was created by the
representative associations from fifteen countries. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in
1971. The name was changed to International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
in 1976. Its headquarters is located at the Royal Library, the national library of the Netherlands,
in the Hague.

15.3.1 Objectives

The federation is an independent non-governmental and non-profit making professional
organization. In 2004, the Governing Board decided to endorse a new model for IFLA’s operations,
the three pillars that are supported by the infrastructure offered by the Federation’s governance
structures, its website and its Headquarters (HQ) in The Hague. These three pillars are – Society
Pillar, Professional Pillar, and the Members’ Pillar.
Society Pillar: It focuses on the role and impact of libraries and information services in
society and the contextual issues that condition and constrains the environment in which
they operate across the world. Those issues are addressed currently through FAIFE, CLM,
Blue Shield, and the advocacy in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and
other arenas.

Profession Pillar: It focuses on the issues covered by the long established Core
Activities – ALP, ICADS (webmaster: formerly known as ICABS), PAC, UNIMARC – and
the Sections and Divisions. They lie at the core of our professional practice and help
libraries and information services to fulfil their purposes and to shape responses to the
needs of the clients in a rapidly changing global environment.

Members Pillar: It is of course central to IFLA. It includes the services they offer to members,
management of their membership of IFLA, conferences and publications. We must work
together to make IFLA more vibrant and attractive and beneficial for members throughout
the world.

15.3.2 Organization

The governing structure of IFLA has been revised and came into force in 2001. The General
Council of Members is the supreme governing body, consisting of delegates of voting Members.
It normally meets every year during the annual conference. The Governing Board is responsible
for the managerial and professional direction of IFLA within guidelines approved by Council.
The Governing Board meets at least twice every year, once at the time and place of the annual
World Library and Information Congress. The Executive Committee has executive responsibility
delegated by the Governing Board to oversee the direction of IFLA between meetings of this
Board within the policies established by the Board. It is the duty of the Professional Committee
to ensure coordination of the work of all the IFLA units responsible for professional activities,
policies and programmes (Sections, Core Activities, and Special Interest Groups).

15.3.3 Membership

Till 2009 IFLA have 1600 Members approximately in 150 countries around the world. IFLA has
two main categories of voting members: Association Members and Institutional Members.
Besides these, it has also Honorary Members (Honorary Presidents, Honorary Fellows, and
IFLA Medal). Over the years, the membership has been expanded to include individual libraries,
library schools and other appropriate institutions as well as personal affiliates.

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