World Library and Information Congress, Milan, 2009 - IFLA

The President’s Page
Ellen R. Tise, IFLA President 2009–2011
Dear IFLA Members,
Warm greetings from South Africa! By now all
of you are aware that the new IFLA Governing
Board took offi ce at the end of the IFLA World
Library and Information Congress 2009 in
Milan. I’m therefore writing to you in my role
as IFLA President 2009–2011, following in the
footsteps of past president Claudia Lux who
initiated the President’s Page in the IFLA journal
as another tool to communicate with members.
I have decided to continue with this. It is indeed
a great honour and privilege to serve as IFLA
President and I look forward to working with as
many of you as possible over the next two years.
The theme for my presidential term is ‘Libraries
Driving Access to Knowledge’. I would like to take
this opportunity and thank everyone who has
participated and given input into bringing the
theme alive and all of you who have embraced it
so enthusiastically. My major focus will center on
the following six points:
1. advancing IFLA’s advocacy role at the international
level
2. increasing advocacy training opportunities for
librarians
3. continuing to position libraries within the
Information Society as drivers of access to
information
4. strengthening IFLA’s partnerships
5. creating new paradigms/partnerships within
and related to our sector; and
6. leveraging the emerging global movement of
A2K (Access to Knowledge) to the benefi t of the
profession.
Below is my acceptance speech delivered at the
Milan Congress, which outlines the challenges
faced by librarians and libraries all over the world
and why it is so critical for libraries to be the key
drivers of access to knowledge. I hope the speech
will inspire all IFLA members and librarians to
become advocates for libraries and library users
all over the world so that we can ensure that libraries
remain at the centre of communities and
I FLA
Ellen R. Tise, IFLA President 2009–2011
that the world’s citizenry have access to the world’s
knowledge.
Best wishes
Ellen Remona Tise
Acceptance Speech Delivered at the
75th IFLA Congress in Milan 2009
Distinguished guests, past IFLA presidents,
President-elect Ingrid Parent, members of the
IFLA Governing Board, Presidents of Library
Associations, Directors of the World’s National
Libraries, IFLA members and delegates:
It is with considerable humility that I stand
here today to assume the position of President
of IFLA, your President. The shoulders of those
Copyright © 2009 Author. IFLA Journal 35(4): 301–304.
ISSN: 0340-0352. DOI: 10.1177/0340035209352433
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