Interlibrary loan is a service that enables patrons of one library to borrow physical materials and receive electronic documents that are held by another library. The service expands library patrons' access to resources beyond their local library's holdings, serving as "an integral element of collection development" for libraries.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is an international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, IFLA was founded in Scotland in 1927 with headquarters at the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague. IFLA sponsors the annual IFLA World Library and Information Congress, promoting access to information, ideas, and works of imagination for social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic empowerment. IFLA also produces several publications, including IFLA Journal.
The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), also referred to as the Master of Library and Information Studies, is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the Master of Library Science (MLS), or Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS) degree. According to the American Library Association (ALA), "The master’s degree in library and information studies is frequently referred to as the MLS; however, ALA-accredited degrees have various names such as Master of Information Studies, Master of Arts, Master of Librarianship, Master of Library and Information Studies, or Master of Science. The degree name is determined by the program. The [ALA] Committee for Accreditation evaluates programs based on their adherence to the Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies, not based on the name of the degree."
Foster Edward Mohrhardt was a United States librarian. He had a long and illustrious career in library and information science as a scholar, organizer and diplomat, and was listed by American Libraries among "100 Leaders we had in the 20th Century". Mohrhardt is also known for his work to have the United States Department of Agriculture Library re-designated as a national library.
Peter Johan Lor is a librarian and an educator. He was born in the Netherlands and soon emigrated to South Africa. He completed his studies in Librarianship and Library Science at the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Pretoria in South Africa and at the University of Caen in France. Honors from the University of Stellenbosch as well as a Masters in Library Science from the University of Pretoria and also was granted his D.Phil. in Library and Information Science from the University of Pretoria in 1990. In 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Pretoria for his extraordinary professional work in different associations and as a professor and researcher in Library Science.
Ben Gu is a librarian, translator and library science researcher. He received his M.S. degree in Mathematics in Fudan University in 1987, and got his Ph.D. degree in Information Science in Renmin University of China in 2000. He translated many scholarly works in musicology, philosophy, history and library science, and compiled several books in library acquisitions and library cataloging. He was awarded by the State Council for his special contributions in library science.
Qatar National Library (QNL) is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The plans for the new national library were announced by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, on 19 November 2012, during a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Dar Al Kutub Library, in Doha, Qatar, one of the first public libraries in the Persian Gulf region, which had until then been regarded as the national library of Qatar.
Michael S. Seadle is an information scientist and historian. He is professor for digital libraries at the Berlin School of Library and Information Science at Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin. He was Chair of the iSchools from 2014 to 2016. In 2017 he became the Executive Director with a term until March 2020. In 2016 he became one of the founders of the Humboldt-Elsevier Advanced Data and Text Centre at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
Maria Luisa Monteiro da Cunha (1908-1980) was a Brazilian librarian who developed many of the cataloging principles used in Brazil. Her extensive contributions to library science extend not only to national librarianship in Brazil but also to a variety of international library activities.
Helena R. Asamoah-Hassan is a Ghanaian librarian who is the present Executive Director of African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), the Board Chair for the Ghana Library Authority and the Secretary General of African Regional Memory of the World Committee
Glòria Pérez-Salmerón is the Stichting IFLA Global Libraries Chair from August 30, 2019 and was Director of the National Library of Spain (BNE). She was President of the Spanish Federation of Societies of Archivists, Librarians, Documentalists and Museology (FESABID) from 2014 to 2018 and from 2017 to 2019 President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Henry Cummings Campbell BA BLS MA was a Canadian educator and librarian, and Chief Librarian of the Toronto Public Library.
Loida Garcia-Febo is a Puerto Rican American librarian and library consultant. Garcia-Febo served on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 and she was a member of the executive board of the American Library Association 2015-2020 serving as a board member and president. She was president of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) from 2009 to 2010.
Sinikka Sipilä is a Finnish librarian, president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - IFLA from 2013 to 2015 overseeing the Lyon Declaration global petition connecting library associations and librarians with the priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sipilä was IFLA president elect 2011–2013 and a member of the governing board from 2007–2011 and held the position of secretary general of the Finnish Library Association 1997–2015.
Donna Wills Scheeder was an American librarian who was president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2015 to 2017, under the theme "Libraries: A Call to Action". Scheeder participated in the IFLA Governing Board for 6 years.
Ellen Remona Tise is a South African librarian, president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2009 to 2011, under the theme "Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge (A2K)". Her work has focused on library associations and the open access promoted from the library sector.
Helen Kay Raseroka is a librarian who was born in Kwazulu-Natal (Sudáfrica) with Botswana citizenship. She is a former President of The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2003 to 2005, under the theme "Libraries for lifelong literacy".
Victoria Okojie is a Nigerian librarian, academician and administrator. She was the first Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Librarians' Registration Council of Nigeria, a parastatal of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Okojie is also a past president of the Nigerian Library Association as well as a member of the governing board of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). She is a lecturer at the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Abuja, Abuja.
Camille Callison is an Indigenous librarian, archivist, academic, and cultural activist who is a member of the Tsesk iye (Crow) Clan of the Tahltan Nation in what is now known as British Columbia, Canada. She is the University Librarian at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. Callison is an advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples and knowledge, particularly as these rights intersect with GLAM institutions. Callison is actively involved across local, national, and international professional associations related to the library and informational needs of Indigenous peoples, including in her role as co-lead of the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA).
Barbara Lison is a German librarian. She has led the Bremen public library service for thirty years. She led the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2021 to 2023 stressing open-access and fair copyright.
