DAY FOUR SUMMARY

The energy of the Congress carried on throughout the last day of WLIC 2025, paced by continued reportage and interviews in the Astana Times and national Kazakhstani media.

A lot of live coverage is still ongoing on our Instagram and Facebook stories, so be sure to catch the highlights as they happen and continue reading key moments of the last day of the Congress!

WLIC 2025 brought together voices, ideas, and innovations from around the world to Astana, Kazakhstan.

Over four inspiring days, we shared knowledge, built connections, and looked ahead to the future of libraries and learning. Let’s take a moment to relive the highlights of this unforgettable journey in this wrap up video by our WLIC volunteers!

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President-elect’s Session: Be Bold!

“Be Bold to#FastTrackLibraries.

This session not only shared insights into what libraries can do better, but it also set the pace for actions that will lead the future of libraries forward. The session left me even more curious about how libraries can develop shared language with partners, libraries as dynamic entities, libraries as essential literacy infrastructure, radical innovations in libraries among many others.

This has led me to one major reflection: Challenging the boundaries of what libraries can be.”

— Damilare Oyedele

IFLA Open Access Vocabulary – Second Edition released!

“Launched during WLIC week, this new version of IFLA Open Access Vocabulary includes new terminology and revised definitions.

A shared understanding of the key terminology used in Open Access across regions and languages is essential for awareness raising within the profession and communication with stakeholders. The Open Access vocabulary collates the most widely used terms and definitions, with reference to oﬃcial statements or other documents where these terms are defined. It is intended to be an easy-to-read reference guide. Version 2, launched at the 2025 WLIC, includes new terms, and more translations.

We are looking forward to hearing your stories about how you are using the vocabulary in your country, library, and in conversations with your community. Thank you to the project team led by Wendy Wong, Lilly Ho, all our volunteer translators, and Cristina Baró Miró at IFLA Headquarters.”

— Fiona Bradly, Chair, IFLA Open Science and Scholarship Advisory Committee

What have we learned from library-led AI literacy?

During Thursday’s session, insights were shared from IFLA, Tactical Tech and library partners alongside a preview of the report: “Libraries at the Frontline of Equitable AI Literacy”, to be published on IFLA’s website during the coming days!

Maria De Brasdefer, Policy and Advocacy Officer

Designing for all

Karin Larsson is at home in the realm of IFLA Equitable, Accessible Library Services Section (EALS), where she has been a member for 2 years. She’s worked at the municipality level on disability-related issues before pivoting toward librarianship, where she now is a librarian and accessibility strategist for the Malmö Public Libraries in Sweden.

During Thursday’s session, Karin provided a practical, accessibility-focused outlook on creating inclusive documents for both web and print. The session walked participants through essential practices to ensure organisational materials are accessible to all audiences. She covered the must-know principles of accessible document design, highlighted common mistakes and showcased best practices and valuable resources that could be applied immediately.

In early 2025, both Karin and Maela Rakočević Uvodić, Chair of EALS, worked with IFLA on an accessibility audit of their public and internally facing outputs. The audit raised awareness and led to a review and ongoing updates of the IFLA website, WLIC processes, publications, and internal resources for volunteers.

Meet with Metadata

The library field operates like a wheel, with cataloguing and metadata forming the hub that supports and connects all services. In the way a solid hub enables a wheel to rotate smoothly, standardised cataloguing practices—using MARC, UNIMARC, ISBD, RDA, LRM, related metadata frameworks and appropriate subject access—ensure that every part of the library system works in harmony and provides efficient and effective service to patrons and information seekers.

IFLA’s related committees – The IFLA Advisory Committee on Standards, ISBD, BCM, METATEC and UNIMARC Review Groups, the Accessibility Metadata Network and the Bibliography, Cataloguing and Subject Analysis and Access Sections are a strong, accomplished group of dedicated information professionals who are leading experts in their fields. At Thursday’s standing-room-only session, representatives from each committee gave an accessible entry point into their work, provided updates on current work and responded to questions posed in a lively Q&A. As was mentioned, experts and those seeking to become experts are invited to contact Chairs of these committees to learn more and to get involved.

IFLA WLIC 2025 Closing session

Every two years, the Closing Session is a time to witness the moment when two IFLA Presidencies and Governing Boards come full circle. This year was such a time as a new President, President-elect and Governing Board officially commence their duties at the end of IFLA WLIC 2025. Vicki McDonald made her final address as IFLA President and Leslie Weir made her first.

And as one Governing Board term came to a close, another one began.

During the Closing Session, IFLA President Vicki McDonald reflected on her presidency and the progress achieved through her six commitments, while also highlighting key milestones from her career in both the library profession and within IFLA.

President McDonald and Chair of the IFLA Professional Council, Te Paea Paringatai, then conferred the 2025 Honours and Awards, including the IFLA Dynamic Unit and Impact Awards, Best IFLA Posters, IFLA Scrolls of Appreciation and IFLA Medal.

Read on for a complete list of awards or watch the whole session on YouTube.

The winner of the WLIC 2025 game “Take the Steppe” was also announced as part of the closing session. We thank all participants who took the time to participate in the game and shared their favourite WLIC 2025 experiences with us, as one participant describes it:

“I have walked to and from my hostel for days. It’s a 1.5-hour journey, during which I get a peek into the life of the city. I see families go running in the morning, picnic in the afternoon, shopping in the evening. I see the same shops filled with the morning’s coffee drinkers and the evening dinner crowd. A slice of the ordinary in a very far away land. I see the popular dresses here, trendy coffee shop cups, hear the laughter and the car horn-impatience.”

Representatives of the national committees of WLIC 2025 from Kazakhstan and WLIC 2026 from South Korea also addressed the session, emphasising the value of the World Library and Information Congress for their regions, sharing reflections on their hosting experiences, and expressing anticipation for next year’s WLIC in Busan.

The Closing Ceremony concluded with a speech by incoming IFLA President Leslie Weir, in which she reflected on her experience as President-elect alongside Governance colleagues, shared insights from her professional librarianship background, and outlined her vision for IFLA’s future and enthusiasm for working with the incoming Governing Board members and IFLA Headquarters staff.