Theme: “Cultural Memory in Motion: Capturing and Documenting Film, Music, and Emerging Media”
Introduction
The IFLA Bibliography Section (BIB), the Advisory Committee on Cultural Heritage (CCH) and the National Libraries Section (NATLIB) are seeking proposals for papers to be presented at a session to be held at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Busan, South Korea, 10-13 August 2026.
Libraries are increasingly working with archives and other memory institutions to capture, document, and connect the diversity of national documentary heritage. This shared responsibility extends beyond traditional records to include films, music, sound recordings, digital content and other emerging media. These cross-institutional efforts are guided by policy frameworks and shaped by legislation and mandates that define collection strategies and clarify institutional responsibilities. This cross-collaboration also shapes how documentation tools and solutions, including metadata standards, controlled vocabularies, linked data, AI technologies, and shared or distributed systems, support interoperability across institutions, enabling discoverability, long-term preservation, and the seamless integration of cultural information.
The session aims to provide a forum to examine overlapping and distinct strategies among libraries, archives, audiovisual institutes, and other memory institutions, exploring how they document and share the full spectrum of national cultural output.
In addition: Papers should reflect the conference theme, “Libraries Powering Transformation”
Format and suggested topics:
Within the theme of “Collecting and documenting cultural non-textual resources as a shared responsibility across libraries, archives, and audiovisual institutes”, we seek proposals for Ignite Talk presentations (7 minutes each).
Contributions should be grounded in real-world experiences and concrete, living examples, covering any combination of the following aspects:
- Collecting:
- How libraries, archives, and audiovisual institutes divide or share responsibility for capturing the full spectrum of cultural heritage
- Strategies for cross-institutional collaboration in collecting films, music, sound recordings, born-digital content, and emerging media
- Documenting:
- Metadata creation and management for films, music, sound recordings, digital, and emerging media
- Subject standards, controlled vocabularies, and ontologies supporting description of audiovisual cultural resources
- Systems, tools, and workflows enabling cross-institutional access, discovery, and integration
- Policy:
- Institutional mandates and responsibilities in documenting national cultural heritage (who is collecting what)
- Legal deposit modernization and frameworks supporting the collection of audiovisual resources, digital, and emerging media
- Technology:
- Use of AI in metadata creation for audiovisual and digital collections
- Linked data and semantic technologies to connect and integrate cultural resources and collections
- Digital infrastructures and platforms supporting sharing, integration, and preservation of audiovisual and digital collections
- Creative Sharing:
- Innovative ways to showcase digital and audiovisual collections online, moving beyond static catalogues toward immersive digital exhibitions and interactive storytelling
Important dates & deadlines:
- 11/05/2026: Deadline for submission of proposals/abstracts
- 20/05/2026: Notification to authors about the status of a submission
- 20/07/2026: Submission of accompanying PowerPoint slides for presentation
Submission guidelines
Proposals should include:
- Title of proposed presentation
- Abstract of proposed paper (no more than 300 words)
- Name of presenter plus position and/or title
- Employer / affiliated institution
- Contact information including email address, telephone number
- Short biographical statement of presenter
Send proposals via email to: Rehab Ouf rehab.ouf@gmail.com and Maud Henry Maud.Henry@kbr.be
Use subject line: Call for proposals: Cultural Memory in Motion – WLIC 2026
Please note:
- At least one of the authors/presenters must be present during the program in Busan. Abstracts are to be submitted only with the understanding that the expenses of attending the conference will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.
- Authors must disclose whether they submit this proposal to another WLIC 2026 session.
- Authors and presenters must adhere to the Presenter guidelines, provided when your proposal is accepted.
- All presentations must be unpublished and not previously presented.
- The language of the session is expected to be English.
- All presentations and papers presented at the WLIC 2025 will be available online under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
- All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodations, etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. IFLA does not provide any financial support.
Congress Participation Grants
A list of opportunities for support is available on the Grants and Awards page of the WLIC website.