IFLA Finale: A Party, Followed by Serious Business

Traditional Puerto Rican dancers perform during the IFLA Cultural Evening

IFLA President Ellen Tise introduces Marta Terry of Cuba during the Cultural Evening in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Print

Local organizers of the 77^thWorld Library and Information Congress in Puerto Rico pulled out all the stops Tuesday for a “Cultural Evening,” the high point in a conference peppered with local flavor. A section of the convention center was transformed into an enormous nightclub against a streetscape of old San Juan. Musicians and dancers entertained in traditional dress, while IFLA delegates dined from a plentiful Puerto Rican buffet. IFLA President Ellen Tise of South Africa welcomed the SRO crowd and introduced Marta Terry of Cuba, longtime IFLA leader whose delegation of 12 to the congress was delayed and reduced to 10 because of U.S. visa rigmarole. Terry led the crowd in singing a rousing song in Spanish.

On Wednesday, the IFLA general assembly highlight was a departing speech by President Tise, whose term ended with this conference as Ingrid Parent of Canada took the reins. Tise, who has represented the federation across the globe since 2009, emphasized that “libraries must continue to drive access to knowledge for all.” Tise said she found librarians in all parts of the world, despite cultural differences, to be welcoming and united in their dedication to serving their communities and societies. “Providing information remains the core of our business,” she said, “like pouring old wine into new bottles.” The assembly stood and lavished Tise with applause as though they did not want it to end.

At the general assembly, Tise announced that Jennefer Nicholson had been reappointed IFLA secretary-general at the federation’s headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, for the term 2011–2014. Nicholson announced a final attendance figure for IFLA 2011 of 2,593 and delivered a report on IFLA activities, followed by a financial report from IFLA Treasurer Barbara Schleihagen of Germany. The treasurer reviewed revenue and expenditures, noting that in view of the world financial crisis, IFLA had sound reserves and was not nearly as hard-hit as many other cultural organizations. Schleihagen said that the good news is that membership numbers are up; the bad news is that because new members are in lower-priced categories, membership revenue is down. Registration for the Puerto Rico conference was also down; projections anticipated that about 700 more people would attend. Nevertheless, she said, IFLA finances are “sound and stable.” (Details of the awards, the budget, and the annual report are available on the IFLA website.)

At IFLA’s closing session Thursday, awards were presented, with Paul Sturges of the U.K. receiving the prestigious IFLA Medal and U.S. delegate Christie Koontz sharing the Scroll of Appreciation award with Luisa Vigo-Cepeda, chair of the Puerto Rico National Organizing Committee. Maija Berndtson, who is chairing the organizing committee for IFLA’s 2012 congress in Helsinki, Finland, showed a film about her city, and urged IFLA delegates to take advantage, while they are in Finland, of her country’s proximity to St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallinn, Estonia. She offered yet another inducement to come to Helsinki by announcing that a free public transportation voucher for the city would be included in registration. President Tise then revealed that Singapore had been selected to host the 2013 IFLA World Library and Information Congress.

At the conclusion of the final session, President Tise received a warm standing ovation and passed the presidential gavel to incoming president Ingrid Parent, who commended Tise for her “inspiring leadership, passion, and energy.” Parent announced that her presidential theme would be “Libraries: A Force for Change.”

Local sponsors of this year’s IFLA congress were the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, Puerto Rico Does It Better, and the Convention Center District Authority. Corporate sponsors were OCLC, Infor Library and Information Solutions, De Gruyter Saur, Gale Cengage Learning, SirsiDynix, and Elsevier.