IFLA MetLib Conference 2026
Planning for Futures: Be Bold
Save the date: 25–28 October 2026 | Base City: Utrecht, The Netherlands
Host: G4 Libraries (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht)
IFLA MetLib 2026: Planning for futures (Be Bold)
Imagine: metropolitan libraries in 100 years. What will we have grown into? What will our collections and buildings look like? What will our expertise be? And what will our colleagues in 2126 think of us, their predecessors?
Libraries are institutions with a centuries-old history that still prove indispensable every day, in a world where technology is developing at a dizzying pace and geopolitics leaves us breathless. During the IFLA Metlib 2026 conference, we will therefore explore scenarios for the future, both distant and near, through three tracks:
The future of learning
What will learning, reading, and information processing look like in the future? Will it be entirely driven by technology, or will there be other influences? And what does that require of our learning today?
The future of technology
GenAI is creating a different information society, different systems, opportunities, and ethical considerations. What does this mean for libraries?
The future of resilient cities
Large cities are home to hundreds of thousands, even millions of residents from all walks of life in a society that can be under pressure from politics or climate change. How can a library contribute to a valuable and resilient social infrastructure?
At the IFLA MetLib 2026 conference, we will explore and dream about scenarios for the best possible future.
As a conference participant, you can choose program components from a specific track, but you can also let yourself be surprised by combining different ones. The excursions to The Hague and Rotterdam are also in line with this. We will conclude the conference with a working session in which participants will work together on concrete future scenarios for metropolitan libraries.