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

Sustaining Reading Culture in the Digital Age: 500 years of written Estonian – Estonia’s Year of the Book 2025
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-08-28) Riisalu, Katre; Visas, Krista
In the digital age, sustaining reading culture is a growing challenge, especially in small-language communities. Estonia – a small but highly digital country of 1.3 million people with over 500 years of written culture – addressed this through the nationwide Year of the Book 2025, coordinated largely by libraries. The initiative brought together public, school, and research libraries with cultural and educational partners to strengthen reading culture and reinforce libraries as community anchors. Activities combined traditional and digital approaches, including nationwide campaigns, exhibitions, school collaboration, and 900 author meetings. Beyond institutional efforts, the programme sparked strong grassroots engagement. Book clubs multiplied rapidly, and communities created small informal Little Free Libraries – take-a-book, leave-a-book book-sharing points – bringing books into everyday public spaces. While libraries shared one national vision, local communities had the freedom to create initiatives that reflected their own identity and needs. During the Year of the Book, Estonia's libraries welcomed 5.1 million visits and recorded 9.5 million loans, while the programme itself generated 6,000 literary events involving more than 400,000 participants. More than 2,000 book club meetings demonstrated that reading had become an increasingly shared social experience. The project shows that coordinated national action, combined with local initiative, can strengthen reading culture even in a highly digital society. Rather than resisting digital change, libraries transformed reading into a shared community experience and offer a scalable model for other countries seeking to sustain language, literacy, and community through library networks.
Edutainment as a Driver of Transformation in Children’s Libraries
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-08-28) Muhsin, Khadija
In alignment with the IFLA 2026 theme, "Libraries Driving Transformation", Mohammed Bin Rashid Library presents an innovative model that reshapes children’s relationship with reading through the concept of edutainment. Recognizing that play is the natural language of children, the Children’s Library has been redesigned into a vibrant, interactive environment where reading seamlessly integrates with play, technology, and creativity. A dedicated edutainment zone has been established at the heart of the library, combining interactive storytelling, digital tools, Pepper robot, iPads, interactive screens, and immersive play areas to deliver a multi-sensory learning experience. This transformation has shifted children’s perception of reading from a traditional activity into an enjoyable, self-directed experience. By linking books with play-based experiences, the library fosters curiosity, nurtures imagination, and instils a lifelong love of learning. The initiative has demonstrated measurable impact by increasing children’s engagement, participation in programs, and motivation toward reading. It has also attracted diverse user groups, including families and users with diverse needs. This project illustrates how reimagining library spaces and services can drive transformation not only in physical environments but also in behaviours and mindsets. It presents a scalable, globally applicable model for libraries aiming to strengthen their role, promote inclusivity, and create sustainable impact in a rapidly evolving world.
The ULtimate Library Hop: Discover, Connect, and Explore with UPD Libraries
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-08-28) Cabrera, Rochelle Maica R.; Bonifacio, Chelsea Anne
This poster illustrates the ULtimate Library Hop, a strategic marketing initiative of the University Library (UL), University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, developed by the Strategic Communication, Research and Marketing (StratComm) Section to promote all 30 UP Diliman libraries through an interactive, gamifi ed exploration experience. The initiative aimed to increase awareness, engagement, and utilization of library spaces, collections, and services by encouraging participants to visit multiple libraries and actively interact with their resources and offerings. The initiative combined gamification, coordinated promotional campaigns, and onsite engagement activities to create an immersive user experience. Participant engagement was evaluated through documentation, feedback mechanisms, and observational insights to assess the initiative’s effectiveness. The poster shows how experiential and game-based participation fostered curiosity, enhanced users’ familiarity with library services, and encouraged exploration beyond their home academic units. Findings suggest that gamifi ed marketing initiatives can effectively increase user engagement, strengthen the visibility of academic libraries, and promote greater appreciation of the diverse resources and services available across the UP Diliman libraries.
Digital Escape Rooms: A Tool for Orientation and Promotion
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-08-28) Jug, Tjaša; Švab, Katarina
Digital escape rooms are interactive puzzle-solving games increasingly used for educational, training, and promotional purposes. In library settings, they provide engaging formats for instruction, orientation, and outreach. Although such games can be developed on various platforms, Google Forms remains one of the most widely used free tools due to its flexibility. Using Google Forms, we designed an informative digital escape room for the Department of Library and Information Science and Book Studies at the University of Ljubljana. The puzzles incorporated authentic materials, including photographs of real spaces, a promotional video, and links to departmental information sources. In 2024, our digital escape room was tested with 125 participants, followed by a survey exploring their play experience. Results indicate that participants felt enthusiastic, cheerful, and playful during gameplay, and perceived the game as innovative, creative, useful, and interesting. They also confirmed that they learned new information about the department. Although incorporating authentic and timely information into digital escape rooms enhances awareness and learning, it also introduces challenges related to ongoing verification and updating. Therefore, careful design and planning are essential to balance authenticity and timeliness with puzzle structures that enable efficient revision. Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency, research core funding No. P5-0361 (Modelling of Bibliographic Information Systems).
Librarians as Cultural Stewards: A 6-Step Framework for Safeguarding Indigenous Knowledge in Micronesia
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2026-08-28) Ma, Wai Yi
Micronesian librarians are evolving into "cultural stewards" to safeguard heritage threatened by climate change, outmigration, and archival fragility. This poster presents a transformative 6-step framework for community-led documentation that moves beyond traditional custodial roles to empower Indigenous communities. Grounded in Indigenous Data Sovereignty and reciprocity, the model provides a practical roadmap for librarians to act as ethical mediators and community collaborators. It guides practitioners through establishing relational foundations, mapping cultural priorities, and co-producing climate-resilient digital archives for both tangible and intangible heritage, such as traditional seafaring and medicinal knowledge. By integrating indigenous knowledge governance into modern library practice, this framework ensures that cultural systems remain living systems even as physical landscapes shift. The presentation demonstrates how libraries in small-island settings can power transformation by building institutional capacity and facilitating inter-generational renewal, offering a scalable model for preserving cultural memory amid rapid global change.