IFLA and the BnF
What is IFLA?
Created in 1927, it currently has over 1,500 members from 150 countries. Those members include national (and international) associations of librarians, libraries and library services in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
IFLA is an independent, international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation. Its aims are to:
- Promote high standards of quality for services provided by library and information centres;
- Encourage widespread understanding of the value of those services;
- Represent the interests of IFLA’s members throughout the world.
The BnF in IFLA
In order to achieve its goals, IFLA has established Special Interest Sections and Groups tasked with encouraging and coordinating professionals’ work in sectors corresponding to specific types of institutions (national libraries, art libraries, etc.), professional occupations (bibliography, cataloguing, conservation, etc.) and thematic activities (press, artificial intelligence, etc.). The members of these Groups are elected by their peers for a fixed term.
Coordinated by Camille Ferrari, European and International Engagement, the BnF’s presence in IFLA is as follows:
|
President of the Professional Division A and member of the Professional Council
|
Jérôme Fronty, Music Department (2025-2029) |
| Mélanie Roche, Legal Deposit Department (2025-2029) | |
|
Academic and Research Libraries Section
|
Héloïse Etienvre, Scientific and Technical Affairs within the Collections Directorate (2025-2029) |
|
Bibliography Section
|
Florence Tfibel, Metadata Department (2023-2027) |
|
Cataloguing Section
|
Mathilde Koskas, Legal Deposit Department (2023-2027) |
| Florian Forestier, HR Policies and Development Department (2023-2027) | |
|
Information Technology Section
|
Deanna White, Legal Deposit Department (2025-2029) |
|
Library Buildings and Equipment Section
|
Nadia Périgaud, Project Amiens-New Building (2025-2029) |
| Romain Gaillard, National Centre for Youth Literature (2025-2029) | |
| Laurette Uzan, Metadata Department (2025-2029) | |
|
National Libraries Section
|
Jean-François Roseau, European and International Engagement (2025-2029) |
|
News Media Section
|
Alexia Bauville, Department of Law, Economics and Politics (2023-2027) |
|
Preservation and Conservation Section
|
Céline Allain, Preservation Department (2024-2026) |
| Louise Amazan, Rare books reserve (2025-2029) | |
|
Subject Analysis and Access Section
|
Anne-Claire Brabant, Metadata Department (2021-2025) |
|
Library Buildings and Equipment Section
|
Annie Bonnaud, Preservation Department (2023-2027) |
The achievements in which the BnF has played a part include the drafting of guidelines for setting up a digital unification project. They are intended for anybody who is considering or planning a digital unification project, in particular in a library, in archives or in another heritage institution.
IFLA’s annual Congress
IFLA’s annual Congress acts as a showcase for the work carried out by its Sections throughout the year. Bringing together between 2,000 and 3,000 professionals from all over the world, it is a hotbed of scientific activity and its exchanges are materialised in the publication of several hundred scientific communications.
France has hosted two such Congresses: in 1989 in Paris and in 2014 in Lyon.
In 2025, the 89th Congress is set to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, with the theme “Uniting Knowledge, Building the Future”.
