91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) President Loida Garcia-Febo today unveiled a variety of programs and tools to engage, retain and expand 91´«Ã½’s international members. From free webinars to opportunities for engagement with librarians from various countries, Garcia-Febo in conjunction with her International Relations Advisory Committee, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the 91´«Ã½ International Relations Office, will work to increase awareness regarding international topics impacting our world and profession. Developing free international relations resources is part of Garcia-Febo’s commitment to international librarianship.

“Regardless of where they reside, libraries and library workers are essential in helping transform lives and communities through multicultural understanding and resources,” said Garcia-Febo. “In an effort to assist the profession with supporting diverse populations, 91´«Ã½ and member leaders are offering a series of webinars to increase awareness of international issues.”

Free webinars will feature themes such as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations with the first one scheduled for July 19. Updates regarding available webinars are available at .

Garcia-Febo continued, “International members are valuable to 91´«Ã½. We have a great number of international members and we want to engage them more in 91´«Ã½’s programs and initiatives. We will expand ‘I am 91´«Ã½’ to highlight an 91´«Ã½ International Member each month. My goal is to encourage and welcome International members to apply for opportunities available to their colleagues in the United States.”

Other efforts to support international collaboration include a Library Map of the World. Developed by IFLA, the map will be displayed at both 91´«Ã½ Midwinter and Annual Conferences. Librarians from different countries will staff tables and offer resources to encourage international collaboration.

In addition, Garcia-Febo will bring her “Libraries = Strong Communities” advocacy campaign to regions of the world where 91´«Ã½ already has long standing commitments by formally launching a Global Tour of libraries. Current annual commitments include The Guadalajara Book Fair (FIL) and the German Library Association Annual Conference, with which 91´«Ã½ has a partnership until 2019. Others will be added as she continues to coordinate with 91´«Ã½ staff.

President Garcia-Febo is collaborating with her International Relations Advisory Committee to coordinate these efforts. The Committee consists of Raymond Pun, Robin Kear and 91´«Ã½ Past President Barbara Ford. Members are collaborating closely with 91´«Ã½’s International Relations Office.

For additional information regarding Garcia-Febo’s International Relations efforts please visit , or follow #LibrariesStrong.