Barbara Lison (born 2 October 1956) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

librarian. She has led the Bremen public library service for thirty years. She was elected to lead the

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-p ...

(IFLA) for 2021–2023.

Life

Lison was born in

Zbrosławice Zbrosławice (german: Broslawitz, 1936–1945: ''Dramatal-West''; szl, Zbrosławicy) is a village in Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Zbrosław ...

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 in ...

. She initially taught Russian in Düsseldorf followed by a student traineeship in and then a library traineeship in Bochum, Oldenburg and Cologne while working as a librarian. In 1986 she was in Dortmund at the Federal Institute for Industrial Health and Safety Standards. In 1987 she was appointed to lead the city library in Oldenburg. In 1992 she became director of the Bremen City Library. There are nine city 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 until after about twenty years of involvement with the IFLA, including being the treasurer, she stood for election to that organisation's president elect for two years. That started in 2019 and then became the president for 2021–2023. She had already been involved with a free e-lending scheme and her focus points included open-access and fair copyright. In an interview she said her favourite book was Roald Dahl's '' Matilda'' because it told the story of a girl who succeeds with the aid of a teacher and a librarian.

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