The 89th IFLA World Library and Information Congress was held in Astana, Kazakhstan’s 28-year-old capital from August 18–22. BDS’s Chief Metadata Officer, Jenny Wright, was there and reports back on events.

This was the first time Central Asia hosted the prestigious annual event. The congress theme was “Connecting Knowledge, Building the Future,”. Discussions centred on the evolving role of libraries in the digital age.

With architectural wonders including the pyramidal Palace of Peace and Reconciliation and the tent-shaped Khan Shatyr, Astana is an impressive city. As ever, the work of the IFLA section committees also impressed.

Opening Session

The Opening Ceremony included a dance performance by the Viva Show Ballet ensemble (pictured below) and a musical performance by the ethno-folk ensemble SARYN – Adai.

The now traditional Cultural Evening offered attendees a vibrant celebration of Kazakh heritage, live music, and cuisine. The event brought together participants in an exchange of traditions with a special dress code of costume in national attire.

Key Themes and Discussions

A major focus was on how libraries can integrate artificial intelligence and other digital resources while also addressing the ethical considerations of these technologies. There were sessions on teaching AI literacy and positioning librarians as leaders in preparing communities for an AI-driven future.

One of my personal highlights of the conference was a ‘fishbowl’ discussion on “Jackpot or jeopardy? Exploring AI and subject indexing”. The ‘fishbowl’ opened with the question “By relying on AI, do we weaken the heart of libraries or strengthen it?”

There were many interesting ideas and contributions. Here are some of the contributors thoughts for our readers to consider:

• Ethics should be an integral part of information literacy
• Students need guidance to use AI to support and enhance their learning rather than replace it; they need to spend time with texts not just use AI to provide summaries of everything
• We need to work with AI, not get replaced by AI
• Can users’ catalogue searches be supported by AI?
• We’ve effectively been using AI, as machine learning (e.g. computer transcription of catalogue cards)
• Be clear that you are using AI as a tool; it is not a person
• The process of fine-tuning questions to get the best outcome from AI encourages the human to develop ‘machine speak’.
• We should be careful that we do not shape policy to accommodate what is easy for the computer to do
• Don’t just consider what we can gain or lose with AI, also attend to what we are giving away
• If the AI does SAA, and then expert human accepts or rejects, how do we continue to develop experts

Cultural Exchange

Other key areas of discussion revolved around advocacy and financial sustainability and ​cultural heritage and the exchange of knowledge. This looked at the role of libraries as institutions that preserve and promote social and cultural heritage. The conference itself served as a platform for global collaboration and knowledge exchange, with nearly 1700 participants from 114 countries. However, this represented a drop in attendance compared with the last WLIC in Rotterdam which saw around 3000 delegates attend.

Libraries Shape Society

The conference also explored the fact that that libraries are more than just repositories for books. They are institutions that help shape societies, support sustainable development, and strengthen international cooperation. Libraries serve as trusted community hubs, partnering with other institutions to expand access to information and essential services, particularly in underserved areas.

I also enjoyed the Metadata Matters open session. Organised by IFLA’s professional unit, this session offered the chance for section committees’ and review groups’ Chairs to give a short presentation on their work. We then formed a discussion panel to answer any questions.

Committee Matters

I was pleased to present on the work of the Bibliographic Conceptual Models Review Group. I highlighted the importance of the Library Reference Model to the work of cataloguers.

This year I came to end of my permitted two four-year terms on the Cataloguing Section committee. I will now start a first term on the Subject Analysis and Access Section committee. In conjunction with the Bibliography section, these sections have had a new IFLA statement on Universal Bibliographic Control published. Work on an updated International Cataloguing Principles document is ongoing.

The issues of the impact of AI on training, and the impact of introducing new ways of thinking about our metadata to established experts, were of particular interest to my management-level audience.

Strategic Vision

​ IFLA leaders used the conference to discuss their 2024-2029 strategy, which focuses on making libraries “stronger, bolder, together.” They emphasized the importance of turning congress discussions into long-term strategies and ensuring that diverse global priorities are reflected in their plans.

Importance for Kazakhstan

The congress was a significant event for Kazakhstan, placing the country and its capital firmly on the global cultural map. The opening ceremony featured a welcoming address from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, highlighting the importance of education and cultural exchange while the conference drew the attention of the national press and TV.

Next year’s WLIC will take place in Busan in the Republic of Korea.