(National Library of Latvia, Mūkusalas street 3, Riga)
09:00
Registration Desk Open (We have coffee for you!)
10:00 - 12:00
- EBLIDA Executive Committee Meeting & Photo Session - NAPLE Board Meeting - NAPLE e-book Working Group [Conference Centre – underground level -1]
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch - in the library canteen Klīversala (Lunch coupons will be provided at registration to internal meeting participants and council members who arrive early.)
13:00 - 14:30
EBLIDA Annual Council Meeting - Reserved for EBLIDA Members [Events premises 11th Floor] All attendees are required to collect a library visit card from the ground floor near the Client Centre. This card is necessary to access the library area, as it allows you to pass through the security gates and carry your bags with you.
14:30 - 15:00
Photo Session with Council Members [Atrium - 1st Floor]
15:00 - 17:00
Library visit at the National Library of Latvia and exhibition “Rights to a Library” (in the framework of the 500th anniversary of first book in Latvian) [Meeting point: Atrium - 1st Floor]
19:00 - 21:00
Council Dinner (For EBLIDA Council Members only) [The Council Dinner is generously and fully sponsored by FëBLux] Restaurant Neiburgs (Jauniela 25/ 29, Rīga)
EBLIDA Conference Power and resilience: Books and reading in the age of AI
[Ziedonis Hall - Ground Floor]
8:30 – 9:00
Registration Desk Open (We have coffee for you!)
[9:00 – 11:15]
[Morning Session – Moderated by Erna Winters, EBLIDA President]
9:00 – 9:45
Welcome
Signe Grūbe, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia Inga Bērziņa, Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia Dagnija Baltiņa, Director of the National Library of Latvia Erna Winters, EBLIDA President
Coffee break / networking [Conference Centre – underground level -1]
[11:15 - 16:00]
[Mid-Morning/Afternoon Session – Moderated by Andrew Cranfield, EBLIDA Director]
11:15 – 12:15
New directions, shared futures: inside IFLA & EBLIDA’s new strategies Both IFLA and EBLIDA have recently adopted new strategies for their respective organizations. In this interactive session we will discuss the thinking behind the two strategies, what they say about the library communities they serve and what challenges lie ahead.
Meet Erna Winters (EBLIDA President) and Kirsten Boelt (IFLA Governing Board) for a lively discussion moderated by Andrew Cranfield (EBLIDA Director)
Moderator: Zélia Parreira (EBLIDA Vice-President, Public Library of Évora / Interdisciplinary Centre for History, Culture and Societies, University of Evora) Portugal
Coffee/tea/refreshments [Conference Centre – underground level -1]
15:00 – 16:00
Lightning Talks [Ziedonis Hall - Ground Floor]
Hear from 12 dynamic speakers as they explore the evolving role of libraries - from advocacy and AI to media literacy, societal challenges, and inclusion.
8. Shared Reading and AI Mia Karvonen (President, Finland's Swedish Library Association, Finland) and Anneli-Haapaharju (Vice-President, Finland's Swedish Library Association, Finland)
11. Ukrainian Library Leadership in Time of Uncertainty and Challenges Serbin Oleg and Oksana Bruy (Yaroslav Mudriy National Library of Ukraine, Ukraine)
Networking sessions & coffee [Conference Centre – underground level -1]
17:00 – 17:30
Wrap-up & Conclusions Moderated by Erna Winters, EBLIDA President [Ziedonis Hall - Ground Floor]
19:30 - 22:00
Conference Dinner - Latvian Railway History Museum (in front of the National library of Latvia) Riga, Uzvaras bulvāris 2A, LV-1048.
Strategic Sessions and Library Visits
This session is open to all attendees! Everyone is welcome to join.
[Registration desk opens at 9:00 - 8th Floor]
All attendees are required to collect a library visit card from the ground floor near the Client Centre. This card is necessary to access the library area, as it allows you to pass through the security gates and carry your bags with you.
[Reading room - 8th Floor]
09:15 - 10:30
Strategic Events with NAPLE and OMC Project Libraries on the European agenda; building bridges with advocacy and strategic opportunities
Ilona Kish (Director, Public Libraries 2030, Brussels, Belgium) Stuart Hamilton (Head of Libraries Development, Local Government Management Agency, Dublin, Ireland) Klaas Gommers (Netherlands Public Library Association, The Hague, Netherlands)
10:30 - 11:00
Coffee break
11:00 - 12:30
Strategic Events with NAPLE and OMC Project continues
12:30 - 13:30
Lunch - in the library canteen Klīversala (the coupons will be distributed by registration)
