The Online Events Committee is delighted to invite you to our first event of 2026, celebrating the beginning of IAML’s 75th anniversary year! The event will take place on Wednesday, January 28, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM GMT. Please register to receive the Zoom link and a calendar invitation in your local time zone.
Attendance is free and open to all. The recording of the event will be made available to IAML members on the Association’s website.
Outline:
To mark this significant anniversary, the session brings together the Association’s three past and present Historians—Roger Flury, John Wagstaff, and Pia Shekhter—to reflect on the evolution of IAML and the enduring importance of documenting its story, both at the international and at national branch level. Roger revisits his experiences as Secretary General, President, and inaugural Historian, considering how the Association’s history and member voices shape its resilience in a changing professional landscape. John turns to IAML’s formative decades through the work of Alfons Ott, whose advocacy for public music libraries helped define the Association’s early identity. Pia looks ahead from the perspective of her own long involvement with IAML, emphasizing the need to preserve national branch histories and personal reminiscences while highlighting the dynamic developments of the past fifteen years, including the impact of the pandemic on IAML’s work and communication.
The history part of the session will be preceded by remarks from our President, Rupert Ridgewell, followed by Vice-President Jan Guise, who will briefly introduce the Outreach Committee’s 75th anniversary fundraising campaign and will demonstrate how you can make a donation on IAML’s new website! Jim Cassaro, Chair of the Development Committee, will then discuss IAML’s development initiative, highlighting how planned giving—through bequests, charitable trusts, and other instruments—can help secure the Association’s long-term sustainability. He will show how members, past and present, can leave lasting legacies to support IAML’s programs, outreach, and future growth, drawing on best practices and examples from several IAML branches.
We look forward to seeing many of you at this event on January 28, 2026! Registration/Zoom link/calendar invitation
IAML Online Events Committee:
Maria Teresa Delgado Sanchez, co-chair, 2025-2028
Houman Behzadi, co-chair, 2025-2028
Anders Cato, ex officio
Anna Pensaert, ex officio
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