Around 3,100 librarians from 120 countries have descended on the southwestern Polish city of Wrocław for an annual meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Deputy PM Piotr Gliński speaks at the opening of the event in Wrocław on Sunday. Photo: PAP/Aleksander Koźmiński

The event, which opened on Sunday and will run until Friday, features 247 plenary sessions, workshops and presentations led by more than 100 experts. There are also many attractions in store for book lovers.

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Piotr Gliński, who opened the event, said: "We need libraries [in order] to have more educated citizens who will be able to think more independently".

He also said that, in a time of rapid technological development and fast-paced flow of information in the media and on the internet, "it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood".

Hence the growing importance of libraries and librarians in encouraging "independent thinking," Gliński said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda wrote a letter to the meeting's participants in which he said that "the collection, storage, preservation, development and sharing of book collections is a fundamental and irreplaceable form of nurturing cultural heritage."

Founded in 1927 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is a leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users.

The 83rd IFLA World Library and Information Congress underway in Wrocław aims to set the international agenda for the profession and offer opportunities for networking and professional development to delegates. (str/vb)

Source: TVP Info