IFLA 2019_Congress Programme

8 IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2019 24—30 August 2019 | Athens, Greece Greetings from NC Greece Dear Delegates, On behalf of the National Committee, it is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the 85th World Library and Information Congress of IFLA in Athens, Greece which takes place from August 24 to August 30, 2019. Here, in Athens, the cradle of democracy and the World Book Capital 2018, delegates will have the unique opportunity to discuss, under the light of the Temple of Athena (Parthenon), the challenges for our profession in the new millennium. In Athens, the first public library in history with the main objective of storing, preserving, and disseminating the written heritage was founded, almost the same time as the birth of Democracy, Philosophy, Science, and Theatre. The contemporary face of the city, including the new premises of the National Library of Greece, will offer the opportunity to examine the past, present, and future of libraries in a continuous line, connecting different periods of history in the bright highway of our profession. The National Committee has a programme for visiting more than 60 libraries of all types, not only in the greater Athens area but in other cities around Greece as well, combining them with excursions to the archaeological and cultural sites found nearby.