Welcoming LIBHIST SIG Members

IFLA Library History Special Interest Group

Through the Library History SIG we share professional library knowledge and its contribution to the global voice of the library and information profession. Globally, libraries and information services have deep roots in their societies and associations. As everything changes, there is much we can learn and we can gain inspiration from the struggles, successes, and failures of our predecessors and elders in various parts of the world.

Members of the IFLA Library History Special Interest Group have started conducting oral history interviews and are also developing a programme of research into aspects of IFLA’s history, with a view to contributing to celebration of the IFLA centenary year 2027.

            This unit is sponsored by the Library Theory and Research Section.

            This unit is part of the Professional Division E.

 Current SIG Committee Members

 Dr. Anna Maria Tammaro is Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Parma (now retired), Italy, where she has led teaching and research in digital libraries, data literacy, and digital publishing for over two decades. She holds a PhD in Information Science from the University of Northumbria. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of Digital Library Perspectives and has held leadership roles within International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and Association for Information Science and Technology. Tammaro is the current Convenor of the IFLA Library History SIG, 2025-2027.

Dr. Mary Carroll is an adjunct Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University, Australia, in the School of Information and Communication Studies. Prior to her retirement she worked as a teacher librarian, teacher, library studies educator in the vocational sector, an LIS university lecturer, Course Director, and as the Associate Head of School (staffing and development) at Charles Sturt University. In 2021-2023 she served as a Director on the board of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). She continues to be actively engaged in the professional and scholarly community and in research. Mary's research and writing focus on the history of libraries and of education, the story of women in librarianship, and the place of libraries in addressing disadvantage.

Dr. Paola Castellucci is Professor at Sapienza University of Rome (Library and Information Science; Documentation), Italy, with more than 30 years of research activities and teaching experience in Documentation, Library and Information Science, Digital Humanities. Five books published over the years with the most prestigious Italian publishing houses, such as Il Mulino, Laterza, Mimesis: on Open Science, Hypertext, Suzanne Briet. President of the SISBB-Società italiana di scienze bbiliografiche e biblioteconomiche (Italian Learned Society of Bibliographic and Library Sciences). Has published approximately 150 articles and book chapters. Editor-in-chief of the scientific journal “Nuovi Annali della Scuola Speciale per Archivisti e Bibliotecari,” published by the prestigious publishing house Olschki (founded in 1886). Member of the Scientific Council of ICCU, the Central Institute for the Italian Union Catalog (opac SBN).

Dr. Anup Kumar Das is an avid academic social science researcher, and information specialist working with the Centre for Studies in Science Policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India since January 2007. He served as a Consultant to UNESCO New Delhi and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). He has been associated with the IFLA Library History Special Interest Group since 2016. He has written three books, including Open Access to Knowledge and Information: Scholarly Literature and Digital Library Initiatives – the South Asian Scenario (UNESCO, 2008); A Comparative Study of India's Research Performance in Scientific and Technological Areas of Clean Energy and Water (2006-17): A Scientometric Analysis (2020), and four self-learning modules in the UNESCO Open Access Curricula for Researchers and Library Schools (2015). He obtained research funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN), COL, and UNESCO New Delhi office for different research projects. He has contributed over 80 research articles in indexed scholarly journals and edited books. He was awarded PhD from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 2009.

Eleni Droulia is a graduate of the School of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and holds a postgraduate degree from the Sorbonne University I in the field of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine History; she has contributed to the programme ‘Greek Bibliography of the 19th century,’ gaining important experience in the field of the History of Greek publishing. She has been working at the Hellenic Parliament Library since 1992, where she served as Head the years 2015-2021. She has represented the Hellenic Parliament Library at numerous conferences, including ECPRD, IFLA (twice a Standing Committee member and once a Coordinator) and ICA. Her role has encompassed managing workshops and delivering presentations

Dr. Peter Johan Lor holds a D.Phil. degree (1991) as well as an honorary doctorate (2008) from the University of Pretoria. He was South Africa’s first National Librarian (2000-2003), and was deeply involved in the founding of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA). LIASA awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Lor attended his first IFLA Conference in 1983; around thirty others followed. He served as chair of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (1996-2000) and in standing committees of various IFLA sections. He was IFLA’s Secretary General during 2005-2008, after which he taught in the School of Information Studies of the University of Milwaukee, USA, before formally retiring in 2011. In retirement he remains a research associate in the Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria. He has published a book and many papers on international and comparative librarianship. In the context of preparations for IFLA’s centenary in 2027, his current research focuses on the history of IFLA, with an emphasis on its formative years.

Dr. Claudia Șerbănuță is an information science specialist, community developer, and researcher. She holds a PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and served as interim director of the National Library of Romania from 2014- 2016. She is president and co-founder of the Communities of the Future Association, supporting community-led education and civic development initiatives. Claudia has been recognized as a Mover & Shaker by the Library Journal and is a Marshall Memorial Fellowship alumna. Her research focuses on public librarianship, information history, and the role of libraries in democratic societies. Since 2008, Claudia has been actively involved with the IFLA as a volunteer, poster presenter, and speaker at WLICs, as well as at NPSIG and IFLA ENSULIB events. She has published in and served as a reviewer for the IFLA Journal and has been a member of the Library History Special Interest Group since 2023.

Jeffrey M. Wilhite is an Associate Professor of Bibliography, Government Documents Reference Librarian, for the University of Oklahoma, USA. He has served as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Oklahoma School of Library and Information Studies, teaching Government Publications. His publications include numerous articles (including IFLA Journal), as well as the lead editorship of The International Biographical Directory of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians, second edition (Scarecrow Press: 2000), a division editorship for International Librarianship: Cooperation and Collaboration (Scarecrow Press: 2001), in which he also wrote a chapter on European Union depository libraries in the USA. In 2012, his book 85 Years IFLA: A History and Chronology of Sessions, 1927-2012 was published by De Gruter Saur in Munich, as IFLA Publication #155. Wilhite has been associated with IFLA since 2001, and the Secretary of the IFLA Library History SIG, 2024-2027.

Dr. Steve Witt is Head of the International and Area Studies Library and Director of the Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA, where he also serves as the subject specialist for Global Studies and Japanese. As Editor of the IFLA Journal, the flagship publication of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, he contributes to advancing global perspectives on librarianship and information policy. His research focuses on the historical and international dimensions of library and information science, examining how libraries and knowledge networks have shaped global communication and understanding. Witt is currently working on a chapter for IFLA’s 100-year commemorative volume that traces the history of the Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) program, alongside a major project exploring the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s global library campaigns and their influence on internationalism. Integrating digital humanities methods, his work illuminates the ways in which libraries have mediated ideas of peace, globalism, and knowledge exchange across time.

LIBHIST SIG Members 2025-2027 

Mary Carroll   (Oral History Subgroup)	Paola Castellucci  (Oral History Subgroup)	Eleni Droulia  (Oral History Subgroup)
Anna Maria Tammaro (Convenor) (IFLA100 Book Editor)	Peter Lor  (IFLA100 Book Editor)	Steve Witt  (IFLA100 Book Editor)
Claudia Serbanuta  (Communication Subgroup)	Jeffrey Wilhite (Secretary) (IFLA100 Book Editor)	Anup Kumar Das  (Information Coordinator)

 

 

LinkedIn Group of IFLA Library History SIG

 Very glad to invite you to a LinkedIn Group of IFLA Library History SIG,  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/18621012/. Do follow this Group.  

Do follow the Blog of IFLA Library History SIG (https://iflalibraryhistorysig.blogspot.com/) as well.

Information Coordinator, IFLA Library History Special Interest Group.

Patrick Urru, representing the IFLA Library History Special Interest Group (SIG LIBHIST), participated in the International Oral History Conference. He presented the IFLA Oral History project and subsequently authored this commentary on his experience and insights, which are undoubtedly of great interest to anyone involved in oral history projects.

 Rethinking Oral History: Insights from the Kraków Conference | Patrick Urru

I spent the week of 16–19 September 2025 in Kraków for the 23rd International Oral History Conference, held at the Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University. This event brings together oral historians from around the world and invites them to reflect on the methodology from different perspectives. The theme this year, “Rethinking Oral History”, was not just a slogan but a real challenge: how do we adapt our practices in a time of rapid technological change, growing ethical concerns, and new expectations from the communities we work with?

For me, the conference was also an opportunity to present the oral history project developed by the IFLA Library History Special Interest Group. The aim of our initiative is to preserve the professional memory of IFLA as it approaches its centenary in 2027. We are interviewing past Presidents, Secretaries General and other key figures to document their experiences, decisions and reflections. These interviews are not only for commemoration; they are intended as a resource for researchers, educators and professionals. The workflow we follow is clear: preparation and consent, recording (usually via Zoom), transcription, metadata creation and deposit in trusted repositories, with dissemination through IFLA’s platforms and open channels. Ethics are central: participants review transcripts, can request embargoes, and know exactly how their material will be used. This structure reflects the values of oral history: respect, transparency and care.

But the real value of Kraków was the chance to step outside the boundaries of our own project and see what others are doing. The theme rethinking oral history came alive in many sessions. One of the strongest threads was technology. Artificial intelligence dominated discussions, not only as a tool for transcription and translation, but as a system that can analyse tone, map themes and even infer emotions. These tools promise efficiency and new ways to work with large collections, but they also raise serious ethical questions. If an algorithm claims to detect sadness or confidence, what does that mean for consent and interpretation? The consensus seemed clear: use technology where it helps, but do not let it replace human judgement. Oral history is built on trust and dialogue, not on automated analysis.

Another important topic was accessibility and inclusion. One session that struck me deeply presented an oral history project involving deaf participants. It challenged the assumption that oral history is only about spoken words. When speech is partial or absent, meaning depends on gesture, pauses and visual cues. This reminded me that words do not carry everything. For our own work, it reinforces the need to capture video as well as audio, to describe non-verbal elements accurately, and to design workflows that respect different forms of communication. It also highlights the importance of accessibility: captions, transcripts, clear rights statements and interfaces that do not exclude users. These are not optional extras; they are essential if oral history is to remain inclusive.

The role of archives was another recurring theme. Archives are no longer static repositories; they are becoming dynamic platforms that offer transcription, translation and tools for creating summaries or thematic maps. Some even allow uploads from independent researchers and generate outputs for teaching or outreach. This evolution opens exciting possibilities for access and engagement, but it also raises questions about provenance, version control and responsible reuse. Archives are not neutral; they reflect the choices of those who build them. For IFLA, this means thinking carefully about infrastructure and policy. We need a repository that can host audio and video, support multilingual description and guarantee long-term access without depending on commercial platforms that may not be available everywhere.

Among the most stimulating moments of the conference was Michael Frisch’s masterclass, Between the Raw and the Cooked: New Tools, Capacities, and Approaches for the Oral History Kitchen. Frisch used the metaphor of the kitchen to explain how a good transcript is like a raw ingredient: from it, you can prepare many dishes: an article, a podcast, an exhibition, a teaching resource. The point is not to reduce an interview to a single definitive product but to enable multiple responsible uses. He also spoke about “shared authority” and the move towards an “instrumental sensibility”, where oral history is not only archived or turned into a documentary but actively used in different formats. This perspective resonated with me because it aligns with what we want for the IFLA project: to create material that is preserved but also usable in many ways.

Equally memorable was Rib Davis’s keynote, which linked oral history to the climate crisis. Davis argued that oral history has the flexibility to address urgent contemporary issues without losing its ethical foundations. He reminded us that the method’s strength lies in its ability to hold complexity and to connect personal experience with wider social change. This is a useful lesson for any project, including ours: if we want our interviews to matter, we must think about how they will be heard and used, not only by specialists but by a broader public.

Of course, the conference was not only about theory. It was also about practical challenges and solutions. Many discussions returned to the basics: informed consent, clarity about rights, and the need to maintain trust in an era of rapid technological change. These principles are as relevant to a small community project as they are to an international initiative like ours. They are what make oral history distinctive and what will keep it credible in the future.

As I left Kraków, I felt that the conversations there had strengthened my conviction that oral history is not static. It is a method that evolves, questions itself and adapts to new realities. Our project at IFLA is part of this movement. It combines careful planning with openness to innovation, prioritises ethics and diversity, and seeks to make the results accessible to everyone. It is not only about celebrating a centenary; it is about creating a resource that will help future professionals understand the past and prepare for the future. And it is about ensuring that the voices of those who built and sustained IFLA remain audible, not as distant echoes, but as living testimonies that continue to inform and inspire.