Participation of Latin American and Caribbean countries in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - IFLA

This article investigated the participation of Latin American and Caribbean countries in one of the major international organizations of Library Science, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). IFLA has aimed to strengthen libraries for a more literate, informed, and participatory society for 95 years with 130 member countries. From an exploratory investigation on the IFLA web pages, since 2015, a survey was made of the participation of Latin American countries in the entire structure of the institution, as well as the origin of Presidents and the cities of World Library and Information Congress (WLIC). Brazil has the largest number of representations (47), although Mexico has more affiliated organizations (9). Three editions of WLIC have taken place in the region, being Cuba, Argentina, and Puerto Rico. So far, no Latin American president has been elected. Since 2018 IFLA is working hard to expand more participation, however, it also requires the engagement of Latin American librarians to cooperate with the Institution and represent the demands of their countries.