DUBLIN, Ohio, 4 August 2016—OCLC, the leading global library cooperative based in Dublin, will welcome thousands of librarians from around the world as the premier sponsor and a local host of the 2016 IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Columbus August 13-19.

The IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) is the international flagship professional and trade event for the library and information services sector. The event is expected to draw some 4,000 participants from more than 120 countries. It sets the international agenda for the library profession, and offers opportunities for networking and professional development.

“For decades, OCLC has been bringing libraries together through technology, services and other initiatives designed to make it possible to collaborate and share resources on a global scale,” said Skip Prichard, OCLC President and CEO. “IFLA will bring together the international library community in Columbus, and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome these leading librarians to our headquarters. OCLC staff will be out in full force during the congress, sharing our work and contributing to programs at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, as well as at numerous events on our Dublin campus.”

OCLC will host several events and programs, including IFLA Satellite Meetings in Dublin August 10-12, and again on August 19. Tours of OCLC’s newly renovated headquarters will be offered on August 19. OCLC staff will be participating as speakers, facilitators and volunteers throughout the congress. More about OCLC events during the IFLA Congress is on the OCLC website.

OCLC is the nonprofit global library cooperative that provides shared technology services, original research and community programs to thousands of libraries around the world. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services.

It has been 15 years since the IFLA WLIC took place in the United States, when delegates met in Boston in 2001. Last year, the IFLA WLIC met in Cape Town, South Africa. Before that, it was in Lyon, France; Singapore; and Helsinki, Finland.

“IFLA and OCLC have worked together as partners for many years on a variety of projects and programs,” said Prichard. “We were thrilled to partner with our colleagues at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, The Ohio State University Libraries, Experience Columbus and the City of Columbus to help bring this event to Columbus. While we are a global organization, we have a lot of hometown pride. There are exciting things happening in Columbus, throughout central Ohio, and here at OCLC in Dublin. We’re eager to show the world what we have to offer.”

About IFLA
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 30 September 1927 at an international conference, IFLA celebrated its 75th birthday at the conference in Glasgow, Scotland in 2002. IFLA now has over 1300 Members in approximately 140 countries around the world. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971. The Royal Library, the national library of the Netherlands, in The Hague, generously provides the facilities for IFLA headquarters. More about IFLA is at http://www.ifla.org/.

About OCLC
OCLC is a nonprofit global library cooperative providing shared technology services, original research and community programs so that libraries can better fuel learning, research and innovation. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. Libraries gain efficiencies through OCLC’s WorldShare, a complete set of library management applications and services built on an open, cloud-based platform. It is through collaboration and sharing of the world’s collected knowledge that libraries can help people find answers they need to solve problems. Together as OCLC, member libraries, staff and partners make breakthroughs possible.