Major Event Booking a Result of Community-wide Collaboration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Beth Ervin
Director, Communications
Experience Columbus
614-222-6127
bervin@experiencecolumbus.com
COLUMBUS, OH – The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has notified Columbus that it has been selected as the site for its 2016 World Library and Information Congress.
The international flagship professional and trade event for the library and information services sector will be held Aug. 11-18, 2016 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. More than 4,000 attendees from 120 countries are expected to fill more than 11,000 hotel room nights and generate an estimated $11 million in economic impact.
Headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, IFLA is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession.
“This huge win for Columbus is the result of a community-wide collaboration.” said Brian Ross, president and CEO of Experience Columbus. “This clearly illustrates the importance of our Make It Columbus initiative, through which local companies and organizations work with us to bring meetings and conventions to Columbus.
“Columbus Metropolitan Library is thrilled that IFLA has chosen Columbus to be the site of its 2016 IFLA World Congress,” said Patrick Losinski, chief executive officer of Columbus Metropolitan Library. “It gives our region great pride to have colleagues from around the globe come to our city and visit our award-winning libraries.”
“We are delighted to host IFLA in 2016. Columbus, in particular, is a diverse, innovative and progressive library environment that we want to share with librarians from inside and outside the United States” said Carol Pitts Diedrichs, vice provost and director of university libraries at The Ohio State University.
“Being based in the Columbus Metro Area, we are delighted that IFLA has selected Columbus to host the 2016 World Library and Information Congress,” said Skip Prichard, OCLC president and CEO. “OCLC and IFLA have a long history of collaboration and partnership in support of innovation in libraries and librarianship. We know that Columbus will offer an unforgettable experience.”
The local library community and Experience Columbus will be working with the U.S. National Organizing Committee to host the 2016 IFLA World Congress. The U.S. National Organizing Committee is made up of the American Library Association, the Medical Library Association, the Special Libraries Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and other U.S.-based library organizations.
The IFLA World Library and Information Congress is held annually in varying parts of the globe. The Congress will be held in Lyon, France in 2014 and in Cape Town, South Africa in 2015.
About Columbus
Columbus – the 15th largest city in the U.S. and the largest in Ohio -- is diverse, thriving, vibrant and on the rise. Earning national attention as one of the Coolest Cities in the Midwest, Columbus prides itself on being friendly, open and smart. Home to more than 30 colleges and universities, the city recently was included in the Intelligent Communities Forum’s Top 7 Cities in the world.
Experience Columbus
As the convention and visitors bureau for Ohio’s capital city, Experience Columbus’ mission is to sell, market and promote the best of the destination to visitors. For more information about all Columbus has to offer for leisure visitors, sports, meetings, conventions and trade shows, go to experiencecolumbus.com or call 800-354-2657.
Columbus Metropolitan Library
Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) is an award-winning library system that has served Franklin County, Ohio for 141 years. With its Main Library, 20 branches and Outreach Services, CML provides vital services to respond to the needs of its customers and the community.
The Ohio State University Libraries
The Ohio State University Libraries (OSUL) is a partner and campus leader in advancing discovery and learning for OSU, the state of Ohio, and an expanding community of world scholars. Aligned with the University’s vision to be the world’s preeminent public comprehensive university, the Libraries advance student and faculty success by delivering distinctive content and fostering intellectual connections.
OCLC
OCLC is a nonprofit, computer library service and research organization based in Dublin (OH) that provides innovative services to help libraries worldwide make the most of today’s technologies to share resources, increase efficiencies and reduce costs.
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