I n 2006, at Seoul IFLA Congress, Italy wasawarded the hospitality for the 75th Congress,that will be held in Milan, in the premises of

the trade Fair, from 23rd to 27th August 2009,under the auspices of the Presidence of theRepublic. When IFLA decided, in 2006, to hold itscongress in the South of Europe, a few cities –Lisbon, Rimini, Florence and Milan – applied tohost the event. The eligibility requirements were: the presence ofa congress palace and a hotel system suitable forhosting from four to five thousand delegates, beingeasily reachable by plane, train and car and thefact of having important libraries. The AIB(Associazione Italiana Biblioteche = Italian LibrariesAssociation) announced at once Italy’s candidacywhich was supported by the Ministry for CulturalActivities (MiBAC), by Regione Lombardia, MilanProvince and Municipality. After several meetingsin the different venues (Rimini was not includedfor the lack of a few requirements) and at the Ajaoffice of IFLA, Milan won the nomination. I stillremember our exultation as Italian memberspresent in South Korea, right after theannouncement of the IFLA President Alex Byrne:we enthusiastically waved the Italian flag that wewere given by the Ambassador Mr. Andrea Leggeriat the Italian Embassy.IFLA Congress comes back to Italy after 45 yearsfrom the previous edition, a long time whichshows, unfortunately, the lack of interest, theselast forty years, of Italian libraries in theinternational dimension. Not an overall passivity,of course, because some librarians and teachershave always kept international relations, butprobably on a personal basis and referring toinstitutions different from IFLA. The limitednumber of active members at the IFLAconferences caused, in the mid-seventies, theabolition of Italian as official language. It is ashame because IFLA congress is the mostimportant meeting for librarians and peopledealing professionally with libraries and

bibliographic information. Every possible subjectin the wide world of library science is in fact dealtwith in the different parallel sessions held in thefive hectic days of the meeting.

IFLA Conferences in Italy and the birth of AIB

Italy is very tightly linked to IFLA as it hosted inRome (15/30 June 1929) the First World Congressof Libraries and Bibliography, attended by about1.300 librarians, coming from forty countries,who met Pio XI, “a previous and old colleague”as he called himself, Achille Ratti, previouslyPrefect of Ambrosiana Library of Milan and ofthe Vatican Library.This Congress is considered the first one for IFLAand it was attended by delegations of severalcountries and of the Society of Nations as well asthe associations linked to the International Libraryand Bibliographical Committee which was set upin 1928 in Edinburgh as core of IFLA.IFLA was formally founded in Venice on June 30th,in the wonderful setting of the BibliotecaMarciana, where the International Library andBibliographical Committee moved from Rome. Thetext of the statute has been written a few daysearlier in a hotel in Florence during a stopover onthe way from the Capital.From this historical experience skilfully directed byLuigi De Gregori, starts in 1930 the promotingCommittee of the Italian Librarians Association (laternamed Italian Association for Libraries and finallyItalian Libraries Association) made up by counciland state librarians with Pier Silverio Leicht aschairman. He was a law historian and deputy who,at the worldwide libraries Congress of bibliography,represented the government as an undersecretary ofminister Belluzzo and chaired the technicalcommission responsible for the choice of relations.“So, at last”, Simonetta Buttò and AlbertoPetrucciani mention (see <www.ifla2009.it>) “onJune 11th 1930 in the bureau of a notary in Rome,President Leicht, vice presidents Salvagnini andBonazzi, treasurer De Gregori, counselors

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75th IFLA Congress Milan Mauro Guerrini *

* Università di Firenze.Presidente del Comitato nazionale italiano IFLA 2009.

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Calcagno and Boselli and secretary Mancini signedthe certificate of incorporation of AIB. As soon asthe act was signed a celebration was organized atCaffè Aragno, the usual meeting place of scholars,journalists and Roman politicians”.The second and third IFLA congresses kept inItaly were again in Rome, in 1951 and 1964.In 2009, 80 years later than the first Worldcongress of libraries and bibliography and 45since the last world meeting, Italy is still hostingthe Congress of librarians. This event is a greatsuccess for the wholeItalian librariancommunity andrewards the qualified,intelligent andconstructiveengagement of manyItalian librarians whohave been workingwithin IFLA and onthe internationalscene.During a whole weekthe Congress Centreof Fiera Milano Citywill give hospitalityto about 5000delegates coming,from all over theworld, who willattend severaltechnical meetingsand will be able to visit the wide exposition ofproducts and services for libraries.The title chosen for 2009, Libraries create futures:building on cultural heritage, well represents thepeculiarities of Italian libraries as a moment ofcontact between the roots of history and thetechnologies of the future. The Italian libraries willhave a chance of showing the achievements andprojects being carried out to the internationallibrarian community.

Towards Milan Congress: IFLA’s role, the organization of the Congress and the engagements of the Italian National Committee

At Québec IFLA Congress in 2008, the ItalianNational Committee IFLA 2009 (NC) made theofficial invitation to IFLA Congress in Milan from

23 to 27 August 2009 (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=hnnxNrdiAHk&feature=related). Since then the National Committee has beenworking for the success of this almost uniquechance of professional updating for many Italianlibrarians.As a start, the Italian Committee tried to promotethe aims of IFLA, which is an internationallibrarian association formed by about 1700national associations, big libraries and, in asmaller number, by librarians. IFLA represents

(directly orindirectly) about500.000 libraries in150 countries andlibrarians all overthe world givingthem a place forsharing ideas andpromotinginternationalcooperation and thedevelopment inlibrary science(which technically iscalled advocacy).The social values ofIFLA are: creatingand supplying highquality libraryservices andsupporting theprinciples of free

access to information, ideas and intellectualachievements (as from article 19 of ONU UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights). Its aims arepromoting standards for the creation and supplyof library services and making both politicians andcitizens aware of the importance to have goodlibrary services. Sections and work groups drawthe guidelines and recommendations about thedifferent aspects of the library service, often usedin different countries as a basis for the preparationof local and national services. IFLA is, in fact, theprescriptive board of all services for libraries andlibrarians, decides the standards which are latertranslated and used by libraries and agencies allover the world. On a second instance, the Italian Committeerelated to the Italian librarians, who had notattended IFLA congresses, about the way theywork. It is not easy to understand the structureand the organization and a newcomer could miss

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Seoul, 72 th IFLA Congress (2006): Mauro Guerrini taking the floor just after Milan has been chosen as congressional seat for IFLA Conference in 2009

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the great depth of the professional debate whichis held in the three main moments: – in the plenary sessions (opening ceremony,

plenary session- meetings with Italian andforeign authors (Nicoletta Maraschio, BenedettaCibrario, Carla Fracci), with IFLA President nowin office (Carla Lux) and the elected President(Ellen Tise) – closing ceremony);

– in the open sessions e nelle offsite sessions(meetings held out of the Congress premises),organized by the sections and study groupswhere the participants get trained on up-to-datethemes;

– in the internal meetings of the StandingCommittees and of the study groups, as afundamental moment of scientific work open toaccredited observers. Their activity lasts all yearround with debates via electronic mail andmeetings and it can involve experts from outsidethe Sections.

During the Congress there are also the postersessions, often required by a call for paper andthen judged by experts of the Governing Board.The three best posters are given an award duringthe closing ceremony.Satellite meetings are held before and after theCongress: in 2009 there will be 19 in differentItalian cities and in a few European ones, alwaysorganized by the Sections. It is, therefore, clear

that the program of the Congress ismostly due to the Sections thatdecide on their own the titles ofthe open and the offsite sessions.Italian members of the sectionsfavored the presentation of Italiancontributions and experiences.IFLA Congress will be a specialoccasion to know what is going onabroad and let foreign colleaguesknow what happens in Italy. Italycan be proud of excellentexperiences that are sometimeskept inside the libraries or amonga few people. IFLA 2009 could bea chance for showing andpromoting what has been done byItalian librarians.During the Congress there will bevisits to libraries, a social event anda cultural evening, which are allvery important moments ofmeeting with colleagues from all

over the world. In Milan, the cultural evening willbe at La Scala, on August 23rd with a lyricalconcert and the social event at Galleria VittorioEmanuele on August 25th. Another special hint ofthe Congress is the Exhibition, the exposition ofthe products and services for the libraries,representing a place for professional informationand meeting with firms showing their products.Finally, the main decisions for the life of theAssociation will be taken by IFLA Assembly (since2009 this name will be used instead of IFLACouncil).In order to improve and favor an activeparticipation to the Congress, the NationalCommittee, along with AIB, has been promotingseveral meetings for all librarians.

Libraries create futures: building on cultural Heritage. The Programme of the Congress

The theme will be dealt with two differentperspectives: the Angloamerican one based on theepistemology of knowledge and on the social roleof the libraries and the perspective ofMediterranean origin based on the organization andthe conservation of ancient and unique collectionswitnessing a long and rich cultural tradition.What are the proposals of IFLA Sections at the

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Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Sala Teresiana, Milan. IFLA Congressdelegates will have the opportunity of visiting this famous library

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Congress? The discussion about “cultural heritage”has widened the traditional themes including alsocultural and political ones as well as archives andmuseums. Some sections will deal with the themeof “cultural heritage” in a more traditional sense,that is mostly as conservation, such as the sectionsArt Libraries, with the title Art and culturalheritage: select, collect and connect ; Bibliography,with the title Promoting and preserving nationalbibliographies, our testimony of cultural heritage ;Rare Books and Manuscripts, Preservation andConservation and Library History, with the titleDispersed cultural collections. Preservation,reconstruction and access. Other sections hadrather think about the future, as Academic andResearch Libraries, with the title Hot topics inacademic and research libraries: discussion withexperts and colleagues; Public Libraries andMetropolitan Libraries, with the title The future ofmetropolitan public libraries. Other sections will show the possible“convergence of archives, libraries and museums”,studying the challenges of this fact for theintegration of services in the world of internet aswell as for professional training. Examples are the

meetings LIS Education in Developing CountriesSIG: Preparing future librarians in developingcountries: a vision for LIS education in the 21st

century.“Cultural heritage” will be therefore at the centreof many professional debates.What is considered particularly important forprofessionals, writes Anna Maria Tammaro,member of IFLA Governing body (see:<www.ifla2009.it>), is the social role of library andlibrarian. “An active role of mediation anpromotion is expected from professionals togetherwith a more traditional role tied to preservationand conservation, but renewed with theapplication of new technologies. The social roleon support to learning adds up with themediation role, engaging also in alphabetizationprograms in order to improve the access to“cultural heritage” cooperating with archives andmuseums”.IFLA Congress Milan 2009 is, so, an organizationalbut, even more, a cultural challenge, a uniqueoccasion to draw attention and visibility onlibraries, a sector that in Italy is rich of examplesof invaluable worth, not always appreciated.

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