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IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto presented at the Transforming Education Summit

On 17 September, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) announced the milestone launch of the 2022 IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto at the Transforming Education Summit. The Summit brought together diverse stakeholders including policymakers, academia, and civil societies at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York to mobilize political ambition, solutions, and solidarity to transform education in a rapidly changing world.

26 September 2022

Last update:20 April 2023

The IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto is very important because it serves as a powerful tool for national governments to engage with and to support the development of public libraries. It helps libraries engage with the formal education system. Libraries are essential partners in the transforming education effort.

Tawfik JelassiUNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communications and Information

This announcement stressed the Manifesto’s assertion that libraries help all members of society access, produce, create, and share knowledge – including through the promotion of open access to scientific knowledge, research and innovations.

Claire McGuireIFLA Policy and Research Officer

IFLA presented the newly updated Manifesto during a side event “Transforming Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) by implementing the UNESCO Open Education Resource (OER) Recommendation within Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships”, offered on “Solutions Day”.

This updated version of the UNESCO-IFLA Public Library Manifesto was unanimously endorsed by the Bureau of on 19 July 2022, encouraging national and local governments to actively support and engage in the development of public libraries. In July 2022, IFLA and UNESCO, officially launched the newly updated Manifesto during the 86^th World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Dublin, Ireland. The Manifesto has been voluntarily translated into , , , , , and , available at the .

IFLA also highlighted the newly updated IFLA School Library Manifesto during the event. These documents underline the role of libraries and library professionals – working both within their communities and within the formal education system – as essential partners for accessing information, implementing the UNESCO OER Recommendation, and transforming education for sustainable development.

IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto

The Manifesto was created in 1949 and has been updated over the decades as the role of libraries in society evolves. Since 2020, IFLA and have collaborated to update the Manifesto in order to consider changes in technology and society and ensure that the Manifesto continues to reflect the realities and mission of public libraries today.