International Federation of Library Associations

(IFLA; French: Fédération Internationale des Associations de Bibliothécaires—FIAB), founded in 1929.

As of 1970, IFLA members included 100 library organizations from 65 countries, as well as five international library associations. The purpose of the federation’s activity is to develop and strengthen international library cooperation. It has taken part in drawing up standardized rules for cataloging published works, preparing agreements on international book exchange, and so forth. Every member of the federation is represented in the General Council, whose sessions are held annually (the 36th session was held in Moscow in 1970). The federation’s activity is directed by the Executive Bureau under the leadership of a president. Since 1959 the USSR has been represented in the IFLA by the Council on Problems of Library Work of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR. Publications of the IFLA include the minutes of the sessions of the General Council, reports in the journal Libri, and the bulletin Informatsionnyi listok IFLA (published in Russian since 1965 in rotary print by the Ail-Union State Library of Foreign Literature).