2025, August 28
Share this articleNU Library Hosts the 39th IFLAPARL Satellite Meeting
On August 23–24, 2025, Nazarbayev University Library hosted the 39th Satellite Meeting of the IFLA Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section (IFLAPARL) as part of the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC 2025).
The event gathered over 70 participants from 30 countries, including parliamentary librarians, researchers, and information professionals from Kazakhstan and abroad. Delegates represented parliaments and institutions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Greece, Angola, Belgium, Luxembourg, South Korea, and many others—making this meeting a truly global platform for collaboration.
The overarching theme, “Fostering Collaboration and Innovation in Parliamentary Libraries and Research Services: Building Skills for a Connected Future,” emphasized the essential role of libraries in democratic governance, informed policymaking, and global knowledge exchange.
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“This conference is really important for librarianship in Kazakhstan. As part of the broader IFLA World Library and Information Congress, it has been an incredible opportunity to bring librarians and professionals from around the world to Kazakhstan, to showcase the country’s strengths and this university as a centre of learning and professional practice. It’s brilliant to connect colleagues from Kazakhstan with colleagues from across the globe to share, understand, and learn from each other,”
- Martin Reid (United Kingdom), Incoming Secretary, IFLA Panel Committee.
The program featured plenary sessions, discussions on pressing topics, and interactive workshops with networking opportunities and cultural activities.
Key themes highlighted during the meeting included:
The evolving role of libraries in supporting parliamentary research and decision-making
Strengthening professional networks across the global library community
Leveraging emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to enhance research and library efficiency
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“The importance of this conference for librarianship in general, and for our colleagues in Kazakhstan in particular, is, in my opinion, mainly focused on collaboration, skills, and the sharing of information that enables us to learn and grow together as a community. It is really about an exchange of knowledge and ideas that can be beneficial for both sides. We are very happy to be here, and we thank our colleagues from Nazarbayev University Library for welcoming us with such open arms,”
- Caroline Ménard (Canada), Chair, IFLA Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section (2023–2027), Head of Information Service at the Bibliothèque de l’Assemblée Nationale du Québec.
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“One of the things that I love about this conference is that it's very collaborative. It's very much about open sharing of experience and learning from each other, both formally and informally. I think both the format of the conference and the content can be very interesting for Kazakh librarians, whether academic, public, or special librarians like government or parliamentary librarians. Parliamentary librarianship in Kazakhstan is not yet as developed as in many other countries, but I hope that someday that might change and they will also be able to learn from these experienced colleagues,”
- Ellie Valentine (USA), Librarian and International Development Specialist, Member of the IFLA Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section since 2003.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of libraries as centers of expertise, innovation, and collaboration, while highlighting NU’s role as a hub for dialogue within the international library community.
