Barbara Lison (born 2 October 1956) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

librarian. She has led the Bremen public library service for thirty years. She was President of the

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is an international body representing the interests of people who rely on Library, libraries and information professionals. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organizati ...

(IFLA) from 2021 to 2023 stressing the topics sustainability, open-access and fair copyright.

Life

Lison was born in

Zbrosławice Zbrosławice is a village in Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Zbrosławice. It lies approximately south-west of Tarnowskie Góry and north-west ...

in Poland in 1956. She studied Slavic studies, history and educational science at

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began ...

. She initially taught Russian in Düsseldorf followed by a teacher traineeship in Düsseldorf and then by a library traineeship in Bochum and Oldenburg while studying LIS at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. In 1986 she worked as head of the information department at the Federal Institute for Industrial Health and Safety Standards in Dortmund. In 1987 she was appointed to lead the city library in Oldenburg. In 1992 she became director of Bremen Public Library. There are nine branch libraries in Bremen. She initially became involved with the IFLA while organising a successful bid to host the World Library and Information Congress in Berlin in 2003. In 2016 she became the 's President for three years. After about twenty years of involvement with IFLA, including being the treasurer, she was elected IFLA President-elect in 2019. Between 2021 and 2023 she was IFLA President. She had already been involved with a free e-lending scheme and her focus points included sustainability, open-access and fair copyright. She was succeeded by

Vicki McDonald Vicki Gayle McDonald AM is an Australian librarian who became President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Life Her first library was at the Dalby-Wambo Public Library in Queensland which she joined ...

In an interview she said her favourite book was

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

's ''

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...

'' because it told the story of a girl who succeeds with the aid of a teacher and a librarian.

Awards

In 2022 she was given the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lison, Barbara 1956 births Living people People from Tarnowskie Góry County German women librarians German librarians Ruhr University Bochum alumni Presidents of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions