The IFLA National Libraries Section

The IFLA National Libraries Section is seeking proposals for ignite talks to be presented at a session to be held at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Astana, Kazakhstan, 18-22 August 2025. The session will begin with a 15-minute presentation after which there will be four five-minute ignite presentations and a panel discussion with the presenters.

Title of Session: Collecting in a Digital World: Inclusivity and Sustainability

National libraries today face a growing responsibility: to reflect the full diversity of their nation’s stories in a rapidly shifting digital landscape. From YouTube videos and photographs from mobile phones to social media and oral histories, born-digital content now forms a significant part of our documentary heritage. But how do national libraries ensure this digital content is inclusive, ethical and sustainable?

We invite ignite presentations that explore how national libraries around the world are responding to this challenge. Presentations should focus on approaches, lessons learned and ideas in the following areas:

Community Collaboration – How are national libraries working with communities to build inclusive and representative digital collections? How are libraries inviting communities into the decision-making process of collecting? Are these collections co-created or handed over by communities?

Ethical Considerations – How are ethical issues—like consent and representation—being addressed in the collection of born-digital materials?

Skills for a Digital Age – What new skills, roles or forms of expertise are needed within national libraries to support these efforts?

Each presentation should be five minutes with a maximum of five slides and in English if presented in person. If it is a video presentation in a language other than English, it should have English subtitles. On-site presenters will also be invited for the panel discussion.

Proposals must be submitted in an electronic format and must include the following information:

Title of proposed presentation.
Abstract of the proposed presentation (no more than 300 words).
Name(s) of presenters and positions and/or titles.
Employer or affiliated institution.
Contact information, including email address and telephone number.
Short biographical statement of no more than 100 words.
Confirmation that you can attend the IFLA congress and present in person if selected. If not, please confirm that it will be a video recording.

Send proposal abstracts (300 words or less) by 21 May 2025 to:
Tan Huism – Email: tanhuism@yahoo.com.sg

Important dates

WLIC is 18-22 Aug 2025

21 May 2025: Deadline for submission of abstract
2 May 2025: Notification of acceptance
11 August 2025 (Monday): Deadline for submission of slides

Please note:

At least one of the presentation’s authors must be present during the program in Astana. Abstracts are to be submitted only with the understanding that the expenses of attending the conference will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.
The language of the session is expected to be English.
All presentations presented at the WLIC 2025 will be available online under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
All presentations must be unpublished and not previously presented.
Presenters must disclose whether they have submitted this proposal to another WLIC 2025 session.
Authors who are accepted must complete the IFLA Authors’ Permission Form.
All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation, etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. IFLA does not provide any financial support.