IFLA Journal. December 2024

Abstract

This special issue, dedicated to library history, draws upon papers presented at the August 2023 IFLA Library History Special Interest Group (SIG) satellite meeting in Mons, Belgium titled “Preserving our origins: Approaches to the organization, curation, and historiography of the record of national and international organizations in libraries, information, and documentation” along with general submissions to the journal that aligned well with the issue’s theme. The discussions presented at the Library History meeting in Mons emphasised the importance of capturing both celebrated and overlooked aspects of the record-keeping processes of library associations, as well as key themes relevant to library history more generally. To facilitate a more coherent understanding, the articles presented can be organized into three distinct categories: Archival Practices and Institutional Memory, International Collaboration and the Role of Libraries in Global Information Systems, and Libraries as Cultural Institutions.