Kristian Benić is head of marketing and projects at Rijeka City Library.

In his professional work, he is focused on issues of the role of culture in the transformation of cities and implementation of innovative practices in public libraries. He is the author of the books Geeks Behind the Iron Curtain and How to Read a City Through Bytes and Pixels about the history of digital culture and transformation in Rijeka and Croatia.

Librarian, literary translator from Italian, and publicist. She has translated several dozen books from Italian into Polish.

She works at the Hieronim Łopaciński Provincial Public Library in Lublin, Poland. She also serves as Chair of the Lublin Regional Board of the Polish Librarians’ Association (PLA) and Vice-Chair of the PLA General Board in Warsaw. For many years she has been actively involved in promoting reading, fostering collaboration among librarians, and enhancing the prestige of the profession. She is the author and co-editor of several publications on the history and practice of librarianship in the Lublin region, including Active and Creative. The Polish Librarians’ Association in the Lublin Region (2018), The Power Within Us! (2020), The Anna Platto Award. 30 Years of Inspiration (2024). As co-organizer of numerous conferences and cultural-educational initiatives, she is also an active participant in nationwide SBP projects.

Andrew Cranfield has served as the EBLIDA director from the beginning of 2025, having previously held the post of director from 2006-2009.

He has a BA in Library and Information Studies from the University of Copenhagen and an MA in Cultural Studies from The University of Southern Denmark. Before rejoining EBLIDA Andrew was the Library Director in the city of Elsinore in Denmark and has worked with issues of sustainability and community engagement in public libraries over the last few years. He is a regular contributor to a number of Danish Library Journals and had served on the both the board of the Danish Library Association and the Association of Danish Public Library managers.

Research Librarian (Level 2), holding a Master of Management in Library Science from Sun Yat-sen University.

Serves as Director of Guangzhou Library, Vice President of the Guangzhou Library Society, and Professional Mentor for the Master of Library and Information Science program at Sun Yat-sen University. Professional focus encompasses library management, development of public library service systems, application of emerging technologies, and children reading promotion initiatives.

Niko Cvjetković graduated in Croatian Language and Literature and in Librarianship.

He started working in librarianship in 2005 as a librarian at the Rijeka City Library, after which he went to work as a librarian at the Maritime School in Bakar. Since 2016, he has been the director of the Rijeka City Library. His professional area of interest is focused on the work and resilience of public libraries in the modern environment. Since 2023, he has been the president of the Croatian Library Council.

My name is Beneta Dhima, born in Elbasan in 1977. I hold a university degree in History and Geography, as well as a second-level Master’s degree in Cultural Heritage.

For the past 23 years, I have been employed as a classifier and cataloguer at the “Qemal Baholli” Public Library in Elbasan. Over the years, I have participated in numerous trainings, qualifications, and seminars in the field of library science, which have contributed significantly to my professional development. I am known for being collaborative, supportive, and proactive, often taking initiative, contributing ideas, and effectively leading or working within teams. My professional engagement is strongly driven by a deep passion for knowledge, books, and cultural heritage. I am committed to achieving both personal and professional goals while making a meaningful and positive impact on my work environment and the community I serve.

Liu Dong, male, currently serves as Director of Hangzhou Public Library.

He also holds concurrent positions including Standing Member of the Metropolitan Libraries Section (MLS) of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the China-CEEC Libraries Union, Council Member of the Library Society of China, Chairman of the Social Cooperation Professional Group under the Public Library Branch of the Library Society of China, Vice Chairman of the Library Society of Zhejiang Province, and Chairman of the Library Association of Hangzhou.

2006-2023 Director of the Public and University Library „Derviš Sušić” Tuzla (2023-) Public and University Library „Derviš Sušić” Tuzla, Director of The American Corner Tuzla (2012-2023)

Since November 2012, I have been the director of the American Corner Tuzla, which is one of the ten American corners in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For my work and engagement in this position, I received praise from Thomas Mesa, Director of the Office of Public Affairs at the American Embassy in Sarajevo. With colleagues from other American corners in December 2013, I visited the United States, where, as part of the US GOVERNMENT IVLP program, I underwent education to transfer the knowledge and skills of librarians from their country to our country. As an alumni, I started a project with colleagues to help children with learning disabilities. Every year we apply and participate in projects for alumni.
I was the ambassador for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the project INELI-Balkans – a project to create a network of Balkan libraries under the leadership of the Greek organization Future Libraries (2014-2017).
Every year in September, I participate in the Conference for Directors of American Corners in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is held at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.
I was a participant in regional conferences for directors of American corners in Pristina (2013) and Opatija (2014), and in 2017, as the only representative from Bosnia and Herzegovina, I went to the International American Spaces Workshop Vienna, where I adopted new principles of work and guidelines that I later conveyed to my colleagues in other corners, but also applied in work with youth. Head of children’s department with reading room at the Public and University Library „Derviš Sušić” Tuzla (2008-2012) Library internship – all departments at the Public and University Library „Derviš Sušić” Tuzla (2006-2007)

Dániel Görög was born in 1989 in Budapest.

Received his MA degree in 2013 at the ELTE. Started to work for the NSZL for the first time in 2019. Presently he works at the Digital Preservation Department.

Judit Gerencsér has been working in the field of library and information science for 26 years.

She began her professional career in 1999 at the European Documentation Centre of Berzsenyi Dániel College. She then became an information manager and librarian at the Hungarian Judicial Academy of the National Office for the Judiciary. In 2013 she was appointed Head Librarian of the Tőry Gusztáv Legal Special Library of the Curia, and in 2016 she became Leading Coordinator of the National Court Library System. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in establishing and continuously developing the National Court Library System in line with 21st-century trends. Since June 2020 she has been Deputy Director General of the National Széchényi Library. Since 2024 she has also been a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Education, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University.In 2011 she co-founded the Legal Section of the Association of Hungarian Librarians (AHL). From 2015 to 2023 she served as Secretary General of the Association, and since 2023 she has been its President. Between 2019 and 2023 she was a standing committee member of the IFLA Law Libraries Section. Since 2021 she has been a member of the Library Accreditation Committee in Hungary. In the 2025 election process of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), she was elected —representing Hungary—as a member of the European Regional Division for the 2025–2027 term. She was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship in 2003 and received the Young Librarian of the Year Award in 2005. In 2013 she was honoured with the AHL Memorial Medal. In 2025, she was awarded the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit (civil division) in recognition of her high-level professional work and exemplary service. In April 2025 she received a Certificate of Recognition from the Prime Minister for her professional work during Hungary’s 2024 EU Presidency.

Wu Hao, Chief Research Librarian and Deputy Director of Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province, China.

He is a member of the Smart Library Research and Development Professional Group, Academic Committee, Chinese Library Society, and a member of the National Library Standardization Technical Committee. His work focuses on the development of digital collections and the construction of integrated library systems and service platforms.

Anna Istók is the deputy director of the City Library  and Information Centre of Gödöllő, and from 2023 she holds office as the general secretary of the Association of Hungarian Librarians.

In addition to her economics degree, she obtained his IT librarian qualification, and now she is specialized in library marketing and quality management. Under her control the Municipal Library of Gödöllő was the first city institution in Hungary to receive the distinguished title and prize in the Hungarian library certification system, and since then it has regularly competed in domestic marketing and innovation competitions. She is the author of numerous articles, a regular speaker at professional conferences, and teaches library marketing and quality management at training courses.

Ivona Dzamtovska Jankulovska is a Senior Librarian at the Department for Digitization and Publishing at the City Library “Braka Miladinovci” – Skopje.

She has been working in the Department for Digitization and Publishing since 2008, in the field of digitization, preservation, and promotion of cultural heritage. She is the author and co-author of professional papers in the field of librarianship. She has participated in numerous national and international conferences. Her work focuses on contemporary practices in digitization and librarianship.

The author is the leader of the web archiving team of National Széchényi Library Digital Humanities Centre Department of Digital Philology and Web Archiving.

He is also a university lecturer in linguistics. His main fields are born digital archiving, corpus building, natural language processing. He holds a PhD of linguistics. He has been publishing for 20 years on corpus building for linguistics, linguistic corpus analysis, digital humanities theory and practice.

Dóra Kalydy is the Deputy Director General of the Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

She is responsible for the Electronic Information Service National Programme (EIS) that runs at the Library managing the Hungarian national consortium for transformative and Read & Publish OA agreements. She is also in charge of the daily works of the library, renewing the traditional library services and being involved in the international relations of the Library and Information Centre. She has been a LIBER Executive Board member since 2022, chair of the Upskilling Library Workforce Steering Committee and member of the LIBER Citizen Science Working Group. She is also taking an active part in the work of the Association of Hungarian Librarians, she is the vice-president of the Association since 2023 May and also head of the Academic and Special Libraries’ Section of the Association. Her present field is renewing the Hungarian research libraries’ landscape, the role of libraries in Citizen Science to preserve and disseminate cultural heritage.

I am Rita Körmöczy, a subject librarian at University of Szeged, Klebelsberg Library and Archives.

I have been working here for 24 years, for 20 years I was a group leader of the cataloguing department, now I am subject librarian on the topics Education, Slavic studies, Hungarian studies, I am the contact person for the Confucius Institute and I am a coordinator of journal processing in the library. I speak English, Russian, I studied German and Serbish, since last year, my greatest joy has been learning Chinese.

Olivera graduated from the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade in 1999. Since 2002, she has been with the Matica Srpska Library in Novi Sad.

She began her career in the Department of Cataloging and Bibliographic Work, later moving to the Reference Center and Research and Development Department.
Currently, she serves as a library advisor in the Acquisition and Exchange Department, specializing in acquiring and exchanging publications in English and other languages. Olivera is an active member of the Serbian Library Association and serves on the Editorial Board of the scientific journal Bibliotekar (Librarian), published by the Association.

GUO Lamei, Deputy Director and Senior Research Librarian of Suzhou Library.

She has led the completion of The Recommended Bibliography of Basic Collections for Grassroots Libraries in China, contributed to the compilation of several monographs, and presided over national-level projects. In addition, she has organized and curated a series of influential special exhibitions and branded activities.

Nie Lingrui, a librarian at Hangzhou Public Library, oversees academic research and international exchange initiatives.

She has authored and published over 30 professional papers focusing on library reading promotion, internationalization, and collection development.

Helen Mandl has a background in teaching and education in addition to experience in library association management as a staff member and as a volunteer.

A great deal of Helen’s career was spent in Australian academic libraries where she contributed to areas such as information literacy, research services and repository development. The richness of services available in academic libraries contrasted with the creativeness required to reach and support school and public library communities with relevant information when she worked in Tanzania and Namibia. Helen has worked at IFLA since 2015 and found that there is a world of activities and examples to share and learn from, whether it is across countries or library sectors.

Marjan Marinkovic is a library advisor and has worked for the past nine years as Assistant Director at the Belgrade City Library (BCL), Serbia’s largest public library, with a network of over 65 local libraries and branches.

He previously spent more than 12 years at BCL as a cultural and project coordinator. He currently oversees the Librarianship Sector, evaluates staff performance, contributes to strategic planning, manages international cooperation, and develops innovative services and projects. He has created or co-created several award-winning projects. His passions include books, libraries, innovative library services, and fishing.

As President of the Library Association of the Republic of North Macedonia since 2018, Jana Mihajlovska, PhD, has been working hard to promote professional development, regional cooperation, and the modernization of librarianship.

A leading advocate for the advancement of the profession, she and her team, through the Association, organize numerous international conferences. She also participates in governmental and publishing projects. Her professional path has been dedicated to the development of Macedonian culture and literacy. Since 2014, she has been a permanent employee at the National and University Library „St. Clement of Ohrid” – Skopje, where she works as a Senior Librarian in the Department for Librarianship and Library Development. She also has experience at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia. Additionally, she is a part-time lecturer of Macedonian language for the students at the International Balkan University in Skopje.Dr. Mihajlovska completed her studies at the Faculty of Philology „Blazhe Koneski” at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, where she earned her master’s degree in 2011 and defended her doctoral dissertation in Philological Sciences in 2017. She has been a certified proofreader of the Macedonian language since 2006.

Dragana Milunovic (1975), deputy director of the National library of Serbia. Her academic journey commenced with a doctoral degree in 2015, focusing on the pivotal role of contemporary libraries in fostering reading accessibility for individuals with print disabilities.

Beyond the institutional role, she has been actively involved in various international organizations and initiatives. Her participation in the International Internet Preservation Consortium, the IFLA Standing Committee for National Libraries, the Open Data Working Group, the CENL Copyright Group, and EIFL-IP has allowed her to collaborate with experts from around the world. Her commitment to knowledge dissemination is evident in editorial roles. As Editor-in-Chief of the Herald of the National Library of Serbia and a member of editorial boards for several academic journals, she has played a role in promoting scholarly discourse and sharing research findings. Her research has resulted in over 100 publications and 7 monographs, covering a wide range of topics such as librarianship, special education for print disabled, e-inclusion, knowledge organization, and the theory of reading. That work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Frederick Thorpe Best Practice Award, the Stojan Novakovic Award, the Marija Ilic-Agapova Award, and the Djura Danicic Award.

Piro Misha has been the Director of the National Library of Albania since September 2019.

He is a writer, publisher, and public intellectual who has contributed significantly to Albania’s cultural scene through various roles over the years. Between 2000 and 2019, Misha led the Institute of Dialogue and Communication, a key non-governmental organization in Albania focused on fostering dialogue and cultural understanding. Earlier, from 1991 to 1993, he served as General Director for International Relations at the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport in Albania’s first government after the fall of communism. As an author, Misha has written several books and articles, with many translated into languages such as English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Greek. He has also been invited to speak at conferences in cities like London, Paris, Rome, and Athens, reflecting his active engagement in international discussions on culture and society.He was the General Secretary of the Albanian PEN Club from 1991 to 2001 and has been involved in various international initiatives, including serving on the UNESCO MOST Intergovernmental Council and the Board of Directors at the Centre for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe.His contributions have been recognized with honors such as being named an Honorary Citizen of Tirana in 2008 and receiving the „Orden del Mérito Civil” from King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2010.

In the first seven years of his career, he worked as a researcher at the Research and Analysis Department of the National Széchényi Library’s Hungarian Library Institute.

He is currently in his eighth academic year as a lecturer at the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Pécs, Faculty of Humanities. At the university, he primarily teaches library reference services and information technology-related subjects. In addition, he works full-time at the Béla Hamvas Pest County Library, where he heads the Methodology and Network Department. His department is responsible for coordinating library services in the county, as well as local history projects and digitization activities. 

Jasmina Ninkov (1962), graduate library advisor, graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade in journalism.

She was Director of the Library of the City of Belgrade, biggest public library in Serbia (2009–2025), and Director of the Library “Milutin Bojić” in Belgrade (2002–2009). She is a prominent Serbian and international expert in the field of library and information science. She has been the head of a large number of domestic library projects and an active participant in international projects of the European Union in the field of the digitization of cultural heritage and usage of new technologies regarding cultural contents as well as adult education. She has written numerous professional texts and books, including the books Libaries of the 21st Century (2011) and The New Library (2023). She has received a great number of awards for her work: Award “Povelja” of the Serbian Library Association for the contribution to librarianship; Award “Marija Ilić Agapovа” for the best librarian in Belgrade; Award “Zapis” of the Serbian Library Association for the permanent contribution to the librarianship of Serbia; Award “Đura Daničić” for the contribution to librarianship and culture; Award “Janko Šafarik” for the permanent contribution to the culture of Serbia; Award “Zlatni beočug” for the permanent contribution to the culture of Belgrade; “Vuk Award” for the permanent contribution to the culture of Serbia for 2020. At the world level, she was a member (two mandates) of IFLA Europe Regional Division Committee and has been a member of IFLA Metropolitan Section Standing Committee.

After a decade as a customer service librarian, in 2016 I became the head of the newly created communications and marketing group at the University and National Library of Debrecen (DEENK)—one of the first of its kind in the country.

I encountered the concept of human-centered (service) design in 2018, and since then I have been striving to implement this approach into practice in the library’s operations. Now, as a strategic manager, I oversee DEENK’s efforts to shape and deliver its services with a primary focus on user needs and experience.

Rita Radó currently serves as Head of the Research Management Department at the HNMPCC, National Széchényi Library, and as an Assistant Lecturer at the Institute of Library and Information Science at Eötvös Loránd University.

Her academic and professional work, alongside research management, focuses on the digitization of public collections, the application of qualitative and quantitative measurement methods in libraries, and the examination of the organizational development impact of digitization workflows. She is also committed to improving accessibility for people with disabilities in library services. A balanced integration of teaching, research, and practical library work is central to her professional approach.

I am a digital preservation specialist and I have a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. I have been participating in tasks related to the National Széchényi Library in different role  since 2016 to 2025.

I had been coordinating the Mikes Kelmen diaspora project from 2016 to 2021. Presently I am the Head of the Digital Presrvation Department at the National Széchényi Library.

Maja Micevska Rizova is a psychologist and senior librarian with over 10 years of experience in international cooperation, cultural initiatives, and knowledge exchange in the National and University Library St.Clement of Ohrid – Skopje.

She has been an active member of the CENL Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI) Group and currently serves as the Information Coordinator for ENSULIB at IFLA. Through her work, she is dedicated to fostering collaboration, promoting inclusive practices, and supporting the global library and cultural heritage community.

Sorina Stanca is director of the “Octavian Goga” Cluj County Library, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and vice president of Romanian National Public Library Association (ANBPR).

She has a degree in Physics at “Babeş-Bolyai” University, a post graduate study in library and information science and a PhD in History. She has participated in numerous trainings in Romania and other countries.She has a long experience of working in public libraries since 1996.She was involved in several European Projects since 1998 and also in different national projects in library field.She has a very good expertise in project management and very good experience in the planning and organising workshops and conferences.She gave presentations in many conferences organised in Romania and other countries.

Ivana Stojanova was born on March 29, 1987, in Štip, Republic of North Macedonia. In 2019, she started working at the National Institution University Library “Goce Delčev” – Štip as a librarian.

She is the author of several international projects that contributed to the development of librarianship. Ivana has actively participated with her own papers at numerous gatherings and conferences both in the country and abroad. Through her work, she strives to strengthen international cooperation and knowledge exchange among libraries. In March 2025, she successfully passed the professional exam for the title of Senior Librarian. Today, she continues to advance her expertise and contribute to the growth of the library community.

Snezhana Stojchevska has been the Director of the City Library “Braka Miladinovci” – Skopje since 2022. She is an acclaimed poet, member of the Writers’ Association of Macedonia and an active promoter of literary values.

With great dedication, she advocates for the evelopment of librarianship, the improvement of modern services, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Under her leadership, the library is moving towards innovative practices and greater openness to the community.

As a historian working in the field of digital humanities I am interested in the history of science, science communication, and public engagement with scientific knowledge, as well as the methodological and epistemological dimensions of digital humanities.

My doctoral research explores the institutionalization and widespread use of botanical knowledge in Hungary at the turn of 18-19th centuries. Since 2024, I have been working as a digital content developer at the National Library of Hungary, where I contribute to the creation of digital scholarly editions and the development of interactive projects aimed at fostering public engagement with science and culture. A central focus of my digital philological work involves the design and refinement of AI-based handwriting recognition models.

I am Martina Tabula, a librarian, a mother, a gardener and many other things that I currently have little time for. To become a librarian was not my great life plan, and through my work I came to understand it as my calling and a great love.

A year and a half ago, after 11 years at Vodice Public Library, I became the director of the same institution. As a librarian, I loved working in a small library, doing all kinds of librarian work, knowing costumers by name, and having a privilege to talk to them about books, and life in general. I also loved the creativity of working in the children’s department, picture books, comics, beautiful literature, storytelling, reading aloud, organizing activities and the challenge of inviting non-readers into the world of books. As a library director, I am lucky that I manage to continue doing exactly what I enjoy the most as a librarian– making Vodice Public Library into a second living room for all citizens and visitors.

Katalin Takácsné Bubnó Head of Department (Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Centre National Széchényi Library, Hungarian Library Institute, Library- and Information Science Library), Chair (Association of Hungarian Librarians, Bibliographic Session).

Katalin Takácsné Bubnó earned her first degree in mathematics teaching and computer science librarianship at Kossuth Lajos University, followed by a second degree in computer science teaching at the University of Debrecen. She began her career at the libraries of the University of Debrecen, where she initially worked as a librarian at the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science. In November 2011, she joined the University and National Library of Debrecen (DEENK). From 2018 until the end of May 2024 she worked as the head of the Acquisition Department. Katalin Takácsné Bubnó has been a member of the Bibliography Section of the Hungarian Librarians’ Association since 2016, where she has held the position of secretary since 2018 and will become chair in 2023. Since June 1, 2024, she has been the head of the Library Science Special Library at the Library Institute. Her main tasks are to modernize the special library and develop innovative new services. She is a member of the RDA-HU and MARC21 working groups. She was also a member of the librarian delegation visiting China in June 2025 at the invitation of Tianjin Foreign Studies University. The study trip provided her with a wealth of new knowledge, which she is keen to share with the Hungarian librarian community, and also promises future collaborations for the Special Library and the Bibliography Section.

Jorida Tollkuçi is the Director of the “Thimi Mitko” Public Library in Korçë, Albania, where she manages the library’s operations and its important Albanological collection.

She has spearheaded initiatives for the digitization of collections, the enrichment of the library’s online catalogue (OPAC), and the organization of national and international literary, cultural, and scientific events. From 2018 to 2021 she also served as an external lecturer at “Fan S. Noli” University, teaching Introduction to Library and Information Science, and in 2023 she became a manager at Algorithmics School (London branch). Jorida holds degrees in Nursing, Philosophy–Sociology, and a Master of Science in Social Philosophy, and has completed the National School of Librarianship in Tirana. She is certified in all levels of COBISS shared cataloguing and has coordinated projects such as Bibliotech (UNICEF) and Të Njoh Ty (NDI), promoting technology education and active citizenship. Jorida is co-author of the Bibliography of the Albanological Collection and has published on cultural heritage, urban development, and the promotion of reading. She is an active member of COBISS and EIFL and has presented at numerous national and international conferences, including the EIFL General Assembly (Armenia), the COBISS Conference (Slovenia), and the 5th Conference of the Library Association of North Macedonia.

Máté Tóth is the director of Béla Hamvas Pest County Library in Szentendre and associate professor at University of Pécs (Hungary).

He has a PhD and habilitation in Library and Information Science. His research interest is the roles of public libraries in the digital age. He can be contacted at toth.mate@pte.hu or at toth.mate@pmk.hu

Mao Xiaoming, Research Librarian, is the sole author of the book An Overview of the Conservation and Restoration Techniques of Traditional Chinese Paper Documents, and has co-authored two additional books.

He has completed three research projects, including Research on Promoting Reading Initiatives in the Cultural Support for Xinjiang and Tibet in Deeply Impoverished Areas in Western China and the comprehensive survey report on the „Scholarly Lhasa” (a reading promotion initiative) project during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). Additionally, he has published eight academic papers in journals at the provincial level.

Deputy Director of Hunan Library, Chairman of the Hunan Library Society, Research Librarian, and Master’s Supervisor at Xiangtan University in China.

He has published over 20 professional academic papers and authored more than 10 professional books.

Ding Yong, Deputy Director of Nanjing Library and Research Librarian, serves as a Standing Council Member of the Library Society of Jiangsu.

He also holds the position of Director of the Resource Development and Sharing Special Committee under the Library Society of Jiangsu. His primary research focuses on digital reading promotion, public cultural services, and the development of smart library systems.