This year’s World e-Parliament Conference 2021 organized by the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) covered five main themes:
 1. Towards the digital parliament
 2. Infrastructure
 3. Data in digital parliaments
4. Enabling digital parliamentarians
5. Artificial intelligence  

The IPU invited the IFLAPARL section to organize a panel on June 17 on the topic “Virtual parliamentary research services” under the conference subtheme “Tools and techniques for the digital parliamentarian.”

IFLAPARL Information Coordinator, Ellie Valentine moderated the roundtable session discussion of colleagues from three parliamentary library and research services: 

  • Janice de Oliveira E Silva Silveira, Library Director, Brazilian Chamber of Deputies
  • Christine Ivory, Senior Director, Parliamentary Information, Education and Research Services, Library of Parliament, Parliament of Canada
  • Balazs Mellar, Senior Administrator, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, European Parliament

This discussion covered recent innovations in library and research services in parliament related to meeting the changing needs of parliamentarians in the technology-rich environments in which they operate, as well as management issues regarding human and technology resources in library and information services. The panelists also addressed some of the technology solutions they employed in facing service challenges caused by the 2020-2021 global pandemic. 

The recording of the session is online here.