IFLA Repository

The IFLA Repository was established to collect and disseminate works by the global IFLA community. Here you can explore IFLA Standards, key publications, core documents and much more. Items in the repository are integrated with our main website, IFLA.org, as “Resources” and displayed in a separate Resources page of the website, as well as in relevant unit or topic pages.

If you have questions about this site, please contact repository@ifla.org.

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Recent Submissions

Living Local History: Participatory Local History in a Rural Swedish Municipality
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-09-02) Nordeman, Michael
Storfors is a small rural municipality in Sweden with around 4,000 inhabitants. Like many former industrial communities, it faces population decline and changing narratives about the place. In response, Storfors Library initiated a participatory local history project aimed at broadening how the municipality's history is documented, shared and experienced. Rather than focusing solely on archival collections, the library invited residents to contribute their own memories, stories and perspectives. Working in partnership with local heritage associations, schools, study associations, adult language classes for newly arrived residents, artists and researchers from Karlstad University, the library became a hub for community participation and dialogue. Activities included storytelling cafés, lectures and study circles on local culture, youth photography documenting "their Storfors", artistic collaborations and an artist-in-residence programme exploring how a place can be interpreted through dance. The project attracted strong community engagement and local media attention, including coverage by Swedish Television. By inviting residents to co-create the story of their community, the initiative strengthened participation, belonging and local pride. The project also demonstrated how participatory local history can become an enduring part of a public library's work, continuing to create value long after the original project had ended.
The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau: Impact at the intersections of collaboration
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-09-02) James, Kari
The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PMB, or PAMBU) was established at the Australian National University in 1968 to make preservation copies of archives and documentary heritage about the Pacific Islands and to make the copies discoverable and accessible to researchers. PMB travels with portable reformatting equipment (first microfilm, now digital) to make copies in-situ in partnership with collection custodians in the islands. We also work with private collections that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible to researchers. We prioritise collections at risk of destruction due to the extreme tropical climate and other risks. These challenges are exacerbated in a changing climate and a persistent digital divide. This poster illustrates the network of collaborations in copying projects for preservation and access; in funding and governance; in advocacy and community relationships; in research and education. This poster shows the impacts that a small organisation (only one full-time member of staff) is able to have through these extensive collaborations: impact on academic and community researchers; impact on communities who’ve been disconnected from culture, history and language due to colonisation and other external impacts; and impact on preservation, with some materials in the PMB collection now the only extant or accessible copies.
Access reclaimed: defending open knowledge and underrepresented perspectives through subject cataloguing
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-09-02) Resende, Janaína Barcelos
University libraries traditionally focus on canonical academic literature, often overlooking ephemeral materials like fanzines. However, these alternative publications are vital "object-monuments" that preserve the affective memory and the voices of underrepresented groups. This study presents a Brazilian experience of reclaiming access to these marginalized narratives through specialized subject cataloging and metadata management. Historically, standard cataloging rules have struggled to capture the nuances and the social weight of independent publications, leading to their invisibility within academic collections. By applying the "panning for singularities" methodology, the librarian exercises their curatorial and political authority to identify, value, and describe these unique items. Focusing on a collection of fanzines, originally gathered during a master's thesis research, this study demonstrates how tailored metadata can rescue these sources from obscurity and integrate them into the open knowledge ecosystem. Providing accurate, context-aware metadata for fanzines not only guarantees their preservation but also promotes cognitive justice. It transforms the library from a mere repository into an active political agent that defends open knowledge and diversity. By bringing these underrepresented perspectives to the forefront through subject cataloging, the university library fulfills its role as a space for social construction and democratic access to information, effectively combating epistemicide in the Global South.
Resource Sharing as a Knowledge Supply Chain: Reframing Library Cooperation in the Age of AI Logistics
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-08-28) Collins, Peter D.
Resource sharing systems perform key functions of a supply chain, but they are rarely assessed through this lens to enhance system architecture, operational workflow, and collective engagement. Through resource sharing, libraries have created a global knowledge supply chain that is under threat due to inefficiencies and arbitrary request distribution rooted in deterministic strings and non-adaptive workflows. This paper examines resource sharing through the lens of commercial supply chain and logistics practices. Business model case studies in the use of AI and supply chain logistics are offered as a framework for viewing a redesigned resource sharing ecosystem that moves beyond the paper-based deterministic lender string model that is ubiquitous today. Library resource sharing has been at the forefront of technological development in libraries. This paper examines the exponential growth and expansion of resource sharing technology, particularly through the 1990’s as networked computer systems expanded. Shifting the focus to modern AI and logistics processes, the paper proposes an equivalent renaissance in resource sharing through the use of algorithmic pools viewed through an algorithmic dashboard informed by AI processes. Leveraging dynamic dispatch, demand forecasting, an algorithmic triage dashboard, anticipatory inventory intelligence, and dynamic procurement, resource sharing systems can enable staff to focus on what truly matters while simultaneously enhancing efficiency throughout the global knowledge supply chain. Additionally, through proactive “reuse identification” both staff time and shipping expenses can be reduced. As mission-driven organizations, libraries have an opportunity to learn from corporate models while preserving the values that set them apart.
Beyond the Labels: Transforming LGBTQ+ Discoverability in the Philippine Library Landscape
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-09-01) Salcedo, Miriam Charmigrace Q.; Bagunu, Jessie Rose M.; Amandy, Michael D.; Tinao, Maria Maura S.
This study explores how subject access practices in academic libraries shape the visibility and discoverability of LGBTQIA+ knowledge, focusing on systemic gaps in representation within the Philippine academic landscape. Standardized subject headings and legacy classification schemes often fail to capture the nuanced complexity and evolving nature of LGBTQIA+ identities. Analyzing over 1,400 bibliographic records across five library units at the University of the Philippines Diliman, this study employs a mixed-methods research design that combines computational natural language processing with qualitative insights from librarian interviews and user feedback. The methodology implements a three-stage computational pipeline: keyword extraction using RAKE and TF-IDF to generate high-impact descriptors, thematic exploration via K-Means clustering to reveal latent structures, and semantic retrieval using Cosine Similarity to build relationship-based pathways. Findings reveal that while relevant resources are present, discoverability is severely constrained by generalized terminology, missing metadata (with ~73% of records lacking summaries), severe keyword flattening, and record duplication. To address these structural barriers, the paper proposes a responsive subject analysis framework that integrates localized vocabularies, multi-dimensional keywording practices, and AI-assisted metadata enrichment to establish equitable knowledge systems.