ISSN IC @IFLA World Library and Information Congress (10–13 August 2026, Busan, South Korea)

The ISSN International Centre was present at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, which took place in Busan, South Korea, from 10 to 13 August. Attending this event gave us the opportunity to present the Centre’s activities and services to an international audience. We were particularly glad to do so in Asia, where librarians and publishing professionals may be less familiar with our work.

Beyond presenting our activities, the Congress provided a unique opportunity to engage with librarians and information professionals from around the world. Participants brought their own experience and expertise to discussions, offering a wide range of professional and cultural perspectives. The event was also a chance to reconnect with colleagues, put faces to familiar names from email exchanges and strengthen relationships across the international library community.

We met with colleagues from the ISSN Centre at the National Library of Korea. We also spoke with representatives from other member countries of the ISSN Network, notably Brazil, Iran and Nigeria, who sit on the ISSN IC Governing Board. It was also a pleasure to meet Ms Jennefer Nicholson, former Secretary-General of IFLA (2008-2016), whose insights into cultural cooperation and contemporary geopolitical issues are invaluable.

These encounters are an essential part of the IFLA experience, fostering both professional collaboration and solidarity within the international community. Our colleague Hamideh Memari from Iran, who gave two presentations during the Congress, was able to exchange with experts from across the profession, including Pat Riva from Concordia University, whose extensive expertise contributes to several international review groups. Such exchanges highlight the importance of the professional networks built through IFLA, particularly in challenging circumstances.

Presenting the new ISSN Portal

During a dedicated session at the Tech Lab, attended by around fifty professionals, Gaelle Bequet, Director of the ISSN International Centre, presented the new ISSN Portal.
The presentation generated considerable interest among participants and provided an opportunity to discuss the evolution of ISSN services, including ISSN-H. The Congress also enabled the ISSN International Centre to establish initial contacts with potential new partners and share information about the process of opening new ISSN National Centres.

Exploring the challenges shaping the profession

Alongside these exchanges, the Congress offered a rich programme of presentations and discussions on some of the major transformations affecting libraries, publishing and access to information.

Among the recurring themes were the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the growing polarisation of public discourse. As AI becomes increasingly involved in the creation, discovery and management of content, information professionals are facing important questions about how to preserve the reliability, neutrality and integrity of information. At the same time, discussions underlined the continuing importance of reading in an increasingly digital and AI-driven environment, and the essential role of libraries in engaging with readers, schools, families and universities.

Our team attended some fascinating presentations, including “The Transformative Power of Diamond Open Access: Building Knowledge as a Global Good’, organised by the Serials and Other Continuing Resources (SCORE) section. Six female researchers and information professionals presented interesting initiatives, including the Open Journals Collective (openjournalscollective.org), which supports journals operating under the diamond open access model. These initiatives also include the Chinese academic repository Pub Scholar (pubscholar.cn), which offers AI-assisted search functionality within its catalogue; the Taiwan Open Access Journals platform (toaj.stpi.niar.org.tw), which lists humanities and social science publications and provides access to their content; and the Tuwhera platform (tuwhera.aut.ac.nz), which offers researchers free editorial services. This session perfectly illustrated the dynamics of open access within the global research ecosystem.

Another presentation that stood out to us was that of Mr Tomáš Foltýn, Director of the National Library of the Czech Republic (NKP), who discussed the NKP’s role in preserving Ukraine’s documentary heritage since 2022, including its work in training professionals in document restoration and digitisation, and in managing a mobile digitisation unit made available to Ukrainian libraries.

From developments in open access and artificial intelligence to the preservation of documentary heritage, the Congress highlighted both the challenges facing the library and information community and the initiatives being developed to address them. It also reaffirmed the value of bringing professionals together across borders to share expertise, strengthen cooperation and explore new approaches.

For the ISSN International Centre, these few days in Busan were above all an opportunity to engage with the wider professional community while strengthening connections within the ISSN Network. Meeting colleagues from National Centres, exchanging with international partners and introducing our services to new audiences all contributed to a particularly enriching edition of the IFLA Congress.