91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The International Relations Round Table (IRRT) of the 91´«Ã½ is proud and excited to conduct a pilot program this year to promote global librarianship and member engagement in international conferences.

The IRRT IFLA Registration Grant is the first initiative to provide competitive grants to cover the early bird registration for the virtual , and to invite IRRT members both in the US and abroad, to have a chance to attend and participate in an international conference they may not have been able to attend in the past due to high travel costs.

The IFLA, the World Library and Information Congress is an annual event that was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic and this year will be conducted virtually Aug. 17-19. The overall theme is “Let’s Work Together for the Future,” and five subthemes: Libraries Enable, Libraries Inspire, Libraries Include, Libraries Innovate and Libraries Sustain.

Registration grants have been awarded to 18 individuals through a competitive application process. Common themes were shared in the applications that confirm how important an initiative such as this is as it supports librarians working in school, public, academic, research, national and special libraries around the world with professional development and networking opportunities. Each of them wants to learn, share, and network with others who contribute to each of the subthemes benefiting library users with enhanced skills in literacies, access, diversity, programming and other services libraries deliver.

Registration fees will be paid by a special fund established by the generosity of sponsors, , the publisher of the , and , the eBook platform readers in libraries around the world have come to depend upon, and several private donors.

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the 91´«Ã½ has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library's role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit .