Reflections of a First Timer, IFLA Boston

The International Federation of Library Associations is a unique organization. While most professional librarians attend conferences on a regular basis, they do so primarily as individuals seeking professional development, opportunities to network with old and new colleagues, and to see that is new on the exhibit floor. The IFLA conference is an international event in which representatives from library associations around the world come together to share perspectives, develop policies, and to promote the sharing of information and resources across the globe. The meetings are held annually in the summer, at sites as diverse as Bangkok, Moscow, Barcelona, and Jerusalem. In 2001, IFLA was held in Boston, Massachusetts, the first time it had been in North America since 1985, when Chicago was the host city.

As president of the Association for Library and Information Science Education in 2001, I had a special reason to attend IFLA. As a first‑timer, I suspected that attending an international conference could be an overwhelming experience, almost guaranteed to make even the most experienced conference attendee feel a bit disoriented. So I was relieved that my first time at IFLA occurred in Boston, only a few miles from where I had lived during my student days. I was also helped by having a role, an assignment, and some wonderful mentors. I had the honor and responsibility to help previous ALISE presidents, Shirley Fitzgibbons and Evelyn Daniel, both long time IFLA attendees and LIS educators staff the ALISE booth. During Shirley’s presidency of ALISE, she initiated a move to raise scholarship funds so that international students could attend IFLA. Throughout the conference we welcomed the many international visitors to Boston and to the U.S. It was a great experience to greet the many students and educators from all over the world who are interested in North American LIS education.

In addition to the personal contact with attendees, some of the highlights of the IFLA conference were the large events. For example, the native costumes of many of the attendees added color to a procession from the conference center to the Boston Public Library. Outside the library in Copley Square, a buffet was set up including many traditional American foods such as hot dogs, corn on the cob, and apple pie. Once the rains started, the tents were a welcome shelter, drawing people together as they dodged raindrops.

Attending an IFLA conference is an extraordinary opportunity. There are many first‑timers like me, and more experienced attendees go out of their way to welcome newcomers. If you are reading this journal, you will probably have some familiarity with English, which means you will be able to navigate through the meetings easily. Simultaneous translation is available in several languages. Papers are presented on a wide variety of topics, and there are special interest group designed to bring people of similar interests together. The cultural events and plenary sessions enlighten the mind and lift the spirit. Throughout the conference, I was struck by the solidarity I experienced with colleagues from around the world. I reflected on the world we share and was saddened by the realization that information resources and access are so unevenly distributed. The events of September 11, following so soon after the conference, were a further reminder of the vast differences among us. However, I daresay that anyone who attends an international event such as IFLA comes back with a stronger commitment to work toward equality of access to information, and to the values for which libraries and librarians stand, wherever and whenever we are.

Prudence Dalrymple
Dean Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Chair Editorial Board