2026 marks our 90^th WLIC, the first time our congress has come to the Republic of Korea since 2006, and our first return to the Asia-Oceania region since the 2018 congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This year’s packed program, unfolding from 10 to 13 August, focuses on the theme of Libraries Powering Transformation and dives into the critical and sometimes unexpected spaces libraries and librarians navigate. Sharon Memis, IFLA Secretary General, is ready to fully embrace innovation and positive change: “Aside from being places of community and learning, libraries are agents of transformation, from the individual to the global level. Next year we will celebrate IFLA’s centenary, so it is more important than ever that we build momentum in Busan.”

With over 200 sessions featuring world class keynote speakers and discussions ranging from libraries in the age of AI, climate literacy, intellectual freedom, knowledge sharing, and cultural memory, to empowering communities of care (support networks) and transforming global health knowledge systems, IFLA WLIC 2026 aims at transforming libraries, the wider information landscape they operate in, and the diverse communities they serve.

In addition, 13 satellite meetings offering a more focused exploration of themes such as Libraries Powering the Green Transformation, Libraries Bridging Traditional, Digital, and Community Memory, AI and research integrity, AI and public libraries, Information Literacy in a Disrupted Information Ecosystem will be held in Busan and Seoul.

IFLA WLIC 2026 offers Korea a rare platform to showcase its libraries and information science on the world stage. Because of the scale, it also allows professionals to experience international librarianship and international relations not possible through national or regional conferences alone.  

At a time of global instability, IFLA’s President Leslie Weir wants to send an important message: “At this year’s WLIC we will highlight that change is not just an inevitability, it’s an opportunity! To participants, and to all library professionals, I say: Be Bold. We don’t have to passively accept the future that gets presented to us, we can and should influence it.”