Welcome! Our section of IFLA focuses on supporting and engaging in social science research—research on people, society, and cultures.

Who are we?

The Social Science Libraries Section brings together librarians who lead social science libraries as well as those who work through other academic and government libraries to serve scholars working on the big issues of our time—how people behave, work in groups, and affect the world around us.

Our librarians work with social science disciplines such as anthropology, communications, demography, data librarianship, economics, global studies, gender and women’s studies, geography and cartography, history and philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, religious studies, and social work.

We work in Latin America, Russia, Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

Our section also provides training for librarians who wish to develop their skill in using social science research methods like library ethnography, assessment, strategic planning, text and data mining, and statistical analysis.

Finally, we sponsor IFLA’s Religions: Libraries and Dialogue (RELINDIAL) special interest group, which promotes interfaith dialogue through libraries.

Why join SSLS?

Join other SSL librarians to:

  • Learn about best practices and trends in social science libraries and librarianship.
  • Learn social science research methods to improve your library’s outreach and impact.
  • Connect with librarians supporting research on key social issues around the globe.

This unit is sponsoring the Religions: Libraries and Dialogue Special Interest Group
This unit is part of the Professional Division G.