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.
Recent Submissions
Empoderando a bibliotecarios del Sur Global a través de la alfabetización crítica en IA para futuros sostenibles
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-07-25) Cristian Maturana Maturana; Santiago Villegas-Ceballos
This paper explores the pivotal role of critical Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy in empowering librarians across the global south. In contexts where AI offers transformative opportunities yet risks deepening pre-existing inequities, information professionals must be able to understand, apply, and critically interrogate these technologies. We argue that AI literacy which transcends technical skills—integrating deep ethical awareness, rigorous critical evaluation, and a decolonial praxis—is essential for librarians to navigate AI’s complexities, advocate for equitable, human-centred AI ecosystems, and contribute meaningfully to sustainable futures.
IAparaBibliotecas.com, an initiative co-founded by the authors in Latin America, serves as an illustrative case study. Analysing its dual philosophy—merging technological innovation embedded in daily practice at the Biblioteca de Santiago with a regional digital-transformation consultancy—demonstrates how hands-on training and philosophical reflection converge to catalyse empowerment. We examine the intersection between critical AI literacy and the need to decolonise AI—ensuring data sovereignty, valuing local knowledges, and fostering a pluriversal ethics—and show its direct contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper closes with strategic recommendations for policy-makers, library practitioners, and international partners, positioning librarians of the global south as leaders in shaping an inclusive and sustainable digital future.
Keywords: critical AI literacy; global south; libraries; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); AI decolonisation; IAparaBibliotecas.
The Right Copyright: Library Association Engagement in Copyright Around the World
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2025-07-25) International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
Copyright is arguably one side of the same coin as library funding. While the size of library acquisition budgets determines what libraries can buy (or, in many cases, licence), copyright rules set out what they can do with these materials. Restrictive laws – or licences – can prevent libraries from carrying out the most basic tasks as preservation, lending, or enabling research and education.
However, copyright can also easily be seen as complicated and conflictual, leading it to be given a lower priority than questions such as funding. In particular when working with limited resources, the temptation can be to focus these elsewhere.
The goal of this report is therefore to help library associations and other groupings reflect on how they can upgrade their engagement around copyright.
Beyond Awareness: Managing Workforce-Related AI Risks in the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) Using Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA)
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-07-24) Babak Zendehdel Nobari; Behnam Zendehdel Nobari; Reza Shahrabi
As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies rapidly evolve, libraries and archives must proactively address the associated workforce-related risks to ensure sustainable and secure adoption. This study prioritizes AI workforce risks in the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) using the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method, offering a strategic and practical framework for institutional risk management. Through the application of the CATWOE framework, key stakeholders were identified, and 23 AI workforce risks were evaluated. Among them, the most critical risk was identified as “Inadvertent Data Exposure During AI Optimization”, highlighting the urgent need for safeguards against unintended security breaches caused by well-meaning but untrained staff. Beyond presenting a risk prioritization model, this research underscores the broader significance of adopting structured approaches like IPA in libraries and archives. Rather than waiting for disruptive technologies to dictate their trajectory, institutions such as NLAI can serve as role models by taking initiative, anticipating challenges, and shaping their own future in the AI era.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI Risk Management, Workforce, Importance Performance Analysis (IPA), National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI).
Accessibility Metadata Network: Report of Activities April 2024-April 2025
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2025-07-23) IFLA Accessibilty Metadata Network
The Network was approved at the April 2024 meeting of the Governing Board. This document records its activities during the first year of its existence.
As mentioned in more detail in the April 2025 report to the Governing Board, the Network functions a bit differently from Standing Committees. Due to the network’s nature, there are no business meetings of the whole Network. The business meeting aspects are distributed between an Administrative Group and four working groups. Meetings of the Network include updates from working groups as well as the exploration of topics affecting the work on accessibility metadata.
This report includes the text of three reports submitted by the network to the Governing Board, two interim reports in September and December 2024, and a longer report in April 2025 that can be considered an annual report summarizing the first year of Network activity.
IFLA Statement on the Right to be Forgotten (2016)
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2016-10-11) International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
The "right to be forgotten" refers to an individual’s ability to request that a search engine (or other data provider) remove links to information about himself or herself from search results. This has also been referred to as the "right to delist," the "right to obscurity," the "right to erasure" or the "right to oblivion." In the media, the terms may be used interchangeably or be differentiated based on legal scope. In this document, the "right to be forgotten" (RTBF) is used as a general term for these concepts and their application. IFLA urges its members to participate in policy discussion about RTBF, while both supporting the right to privacy for individual citizens and assisting individuals in their searches for information.