A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, IFLA was founded in Scotland in 1927 and maintains headquarters at the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague. IFLA sponsors the annual IFLA World Library and Information Congress, promoting universal and equitable access to information, ideas, and works of imagination for social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic empowerment. IFLA also produces several publications, including IFLA Journal.
An information professional or information specialist is someone who collects, records, organises, stores, preserves, retrieves, and disseminates printed or digital information. The service delivered to the client is known as an information service.
The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), also referred to as the Master of Library and Information Studies, is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the Master of Library Science (MLS), or Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS) degree. According to the American Library Association (ALA), "The master’s degree in library and information studies is frequently referred to as the MLS; however, ALA-accredited degrees have various names such as Master of Information Studies, Master of Arts, Master of Librarianship, Master of Library and Information Studies, or Master of Science. The degree name is determined by the program. The [ALA] Committee for Accreditation evaluates programs based on their adherence to the Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies, not based on the name of the degree."
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), formerly the Australian Institute of Librarians and Library Association of Australia, is the peak professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector. Founded in 1937, its headquarters are in Canberra.
The 'Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) is a professional non-profit organization, representing all institutions and people working in libraries and information services in South Africa..
Jesus Lau is a Mexican librarian, and a contributor to the fields of information science and library and information science since 1977; his research focuses on information literacy and the development of information competencies. He is a member of several organizations related to the library field, such as the American Library Association, the Mexican Library Association, the Border Regional Library Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the Special Libraries Association. He has facilitated nearly 150 courses, including workshops and seminars on library and information science, with special emphasis on information literacy and management and leadership at several institutions in Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Estonia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, USA, Venezuela, among others.
Helena R. Asamoah-Hassan is a Ghanaian librarian who is the present Executive Director of African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), the Board Chair for the Ghana Library Authority and the Secretary General of African Regional Memory of the World Committee
Glòria Pérez-Salmerón is the Stichting IFLA Global Libraries Chair from August 30, 2019 and was Director of the National Library of Spain (BNE). She was President of the Spanish Federation of Societies of Archivists, Librarians, Documentalists and Museology (FESABID) from 2014 to 2018 and from 2017 to 2019 President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Warren Michael Horton, was an Australian librarian who held senior positions as Director-General, National Library of Australia (1985-1999), State Library of Victoria (1981-1985) and Deputy of the State Library of New South Wales (1975-1981).
Loida Garcia-Febo is a Puerto Rican American librarian and library consultant. Garcia-Febo served on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 and she was a member of the Executive Board of the American Library Association 2015-2020 serving as a board member and president. She was president of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) from 2009-2010.
Angela Christine Bridgland is an Australian teacher-librarian, library educator, academic, consultant and former board member and Fellow of Australian Library and Information Association. She is recognised for her contributions to higher education course development and staff development.
Sinikka Sipilä is a Finnish librarian, president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - IFLA from 2013–2015 overseeing the Lyon Declaration global petition connecting library associations and librarians with the priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sipilä was IFLA president elect 2011–2013 and a member of the governing board from 2007–2011 and held the position of secretary general of the Finnish Library Association 1997–2015.
Donna Wills Scheeder was an American librarian who was president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2015 to 2017, under the theme "Libraries: A Call to Action". Scheeder participated in the IFLA Governing Board for 6 years.
Ellen Remona Tise is a South African librarian, president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2009 to 2011, under the theme "Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge (A2K)". Her work has focused on library associations and the open access promoted from the library sector.
The African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), commonly referred to as AfLIA, is an international not-for-profit organization headquartered in Accra, Ghana. The Association is registered under the laws of Ghana as an NGO. It is managed under the general guidelines of its Constitution and by-laws.The Institution is currently being led by Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan as the Executive Director.
Helen Kay Raseroka is a librarian who was born in Kwazulu-Natal (Sudáfrica) with Botswana citizenship. She is a former President of The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2003-2005, under the theme "Libraries for lifelong literacy".
Christine Deschamps is a French librarian. She was president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 1997 to 2003. She wanted to lead the library sector towards a truly international work, and make it more inclusive for those whom English was not their first language. She stated that she wanted her presidency to be remembered as a pragmatic mandate.
Victoria Okojie is a Nigerian librarian, academician and administrator. She is the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Librarians' Registration Council of Nigeria, a parastatal of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Okojie is also a past president of the Nigerian Library Association as well as a member of the governing board of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). She is a lecturer at the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Abuja, Abuja.
Camille Callison is an Indigenous librarian, archivist, academic, and cultural activist who is a member of the Tsesk iye (Crow) Clan of the Tahltan Nation in what is now known as British Columbia, Canada. She is the University Librarian at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. Callison is an advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples and knowledge, having served as a member of the National Film Board of Canada Indigenous Advisory Group, as member of the Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce of the Steering Committee on Canada's Archives, as the Chair of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Indigenous Matters Section Standing Committee (2019-2021), as Chair of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA-FCAB)’s Indigenous Matters Committee (2017-2019), and the Vice-Chair of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO Memory of the World Committee (2017-2019).
