IFLA Literacy and Reading Section

09/08/2026

Great business meeting of the Literacy and Reading Section at 2026 in Busan, South Korea.


IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
IFLA World Library and Information Congress

21/07/2026

We look forward to seeing you in the "City of the Future"!

, will be the host of the 2028 World Library and Information Congress. We look forward to welcoming you to the "City of the Future"!

Read IFLA's press release: https://tr.ee/B3y3XY

20/07/2026

Join us for an exciting IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2026 Satellite Session in Seoul!

We are highlighting two key speakers from the LITREAD Committee who will share their expertise:

🇺🇸 Dr. Marianne Martens, Secretary, LITREAD Standing Committee
🇨🇳 Dr. Peng Xiao, LITREAD Standing Committee Member

Together, they will discuss: "Transforming Reading for Children and Young Adults"

🗓️ Date: Friday, August 14, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:30 AM
📍 Location: National Library for Children and Young Adults, SEOUL

07/07/2026

📢 Heading to Busan for IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions WLIC 2026? You won't want to miss this! 🗺️

Join us for an inspiring and impactful open session hosted by IFLA's Sections on Literacy and Reading and Libraries for Children and Young Adults.

Why attend? Literacy isn't just about reading; it's a lifelong journey. Come discover innovative strategies, share global perspectives, and connect with fellow passionate educators and advocates.

See you in Busan! 👋



IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section IFLA World Library and Information Congress

31/05/2026

Join the IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions LITREAD Section at WLIC 2026! We have three exciting sessions scheduled on transforming literacy and libraries.

Don't miss these opportunities to connect, learn, and shape the future of literacy. See you there!

13/03/2026

Today I wish to present my dear colleague Olimpia Bartolucci
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She has long been working in the field of culture, libraries and reading promotion. She is Head of the Section “Libraries, Historical Archives, Publishing, Reading Pacts and Cultural Welfare” at the Regione Umbria, Italy.

Her work promotes libraries as community spaces that foster inclusion, personal growth and wellbeing — a free space where people learn how to learn, exercise creativity and imagination, address every form of illiteracy. She has contributed to the design and implementation of cross-sector reading promotion strategies involving public institutions, social and health services, educational networks and cultural organizations.

From 2015 to 2018 she served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the national Center for Book and Reading, in 2024 coordinated the National Commission for Public Libraries of the Italian Library Association and she is currently regional coordinator of the national programme “Born to Read”.

She holds a background in languages and literature, librarianship, public administration with a focus on cultural policies and management.

14/01/2026

And now our Czech colleague Lenka Prucková
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She studied mathematics and descriptive geometry and lectured mathematics at a technical university for several years.
In 2000, she became director of the Olomouc City Library, a municipal library with 13 branches in a historic city of 100,000 inhabitants surrounded by beautiful parks, with a multi-faculty university and two other large libraries. During her tenure, the library underwent changes in terms of services and design, transforming into a modern and pleasant community space. In 2026, she succeeded in opening a completely new, redesigned branch (with a children's slide) in a residential area with a population of 30,000.
She is an enthusiastic member of the Association of Librarians and Information Workers of the Czech Republic and, within this framework, represents Czech librarianship in the international organization IFLA, first for eight years in the Public Libraries Section and now in the Literacy and Reading Section.
Her activities within the Czech Republic are based on her professional interests, which are global library architecture and the care of small rural libraries. She often gives lectures on the topic of community rural libraries, placing the greatest emphasis on three pillars: appearance, collection, and activities. She is the supervisor of the Best Rural Library of the Year competition and also represents librarians on the jury of the Best Municipality of the Year competition.
She participates in the organization of some national library events, leads seminars and training courses, and cooperates with the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic in updating subsidy titles.
Her hobbies include traveling, reading and knowledge competitions.

14/01/2026

Here we have our Swedish colleague Nina Olsson, librarian in Malmö
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My name is Nina Olsson and I live in Malmö, a diverse city in the south of Sweden.
I hold a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and Italian. I have worked in bookstores, publishing houses, international poetry festivals, and as a translator of Italian poetry. Since 2005, I have been working at the City Library of Malmö, promoting literature and reading in many different ways — from driving our mobile library for several years to developing literary and poetry projects. I am also one of the coordinators of our “Writer’s Stage,” where we invite authors from all over the world.
My path into IFLA began when I had the opportunity to attend the conference in Malaysia in 2018, where I presented A Million Stories, a two‑year EU project in which four European libraries documented the stories of Syrian and Afghan refugees who arrived in 2015. The project resulted in a digital collection of narratives: https://refugeelives.eu/about/. I joined the Literacy and Reading Section in 2019 and have since participated in WLIC conferences in Athens, Dublin, and Rotterdam.

02/01/2026

The first presentation of 2026 is our MENA colleague Saif Aljabri.
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Saif has more than 30 years of experience in library management. He has worked in different levels of library management and administration. He has an optimistic vision of library development and its future role and he always encourages young people in the Arab region to enter the field and join the world of knowledge professionals.
Beside his duties in library administration, he teaches in the Business communication department and the Information Studies department. He chaired the MENA Regional Division Committee, IFLA 2023-2025 and play an active role in the in the LIS field in the MENA region, as well as serving as a member of the Literacy and Reading Standing Committee. Saif is one of the founders of the BSLISE (Building Strong Library and Information Science Education) working group when he was chairing the IFLA Section on Education and Training (SET) standing committee. He chaired the SAL/AGC (Special Library Association/ Arabian Gulf Chapter) twice and was a member of the AFLI (Arabic Federation for Library and Information) board for two terms.

30/12/2025

And now our faboulous SC Secretary, Marika Simon
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Marika Simon is a Lecturer in the School in Teacher Librarianship at Charles Sturt University with more than 20 years of experience in primary education and teacher librarianship.
Marika’s focus is on leveraging research and providing practical information to help teacher librarians improve their practice and realise their professional passions. As part of that goal, she is active in professional organisations at the state, national and international levels.
Marika began serving as the Secretary for the Literacy and Standing Committee in an acting role at the end of 2024 and is happy to have been elected by the committee to continue in that role through 2027.