In 2015, librarians from across Latin America met in Buenos Aires. They came to share experiences and reflections, hopes and ambitions about the future of libraries and how they could best serve their users. They found that they had much in common.

All sought to be truly public libraries, for everyone in society. All wanted to be the foundations of equality of dreams, imagination and knowledge, to build better societies, to strengthen democracy, and promote genuine development.

The conclusion of this meeting: libraries can be the drivers of change.

Motores para el Cambio

To do this, they need the right framework, with laws that recognise that equitable access to information is a fundamental human right. At a time that technology opens up wide new possibilities, policy has to follow.

With grateful thanks to the Biblioteca del Congreso de la Nación Argentina, a Spanish-language collection of the statements made in this meeting is now available online.

IFLA invites you to read it, use it in your own work, and share your own experiences.