IFLA selects Brasília, Brazil to host the 2028 World Library and Information Congress

July 20, 2026

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has selected Brasília, Brazil to host the 2028 World Library and Information Congress.

The 2028 Congress will mark IFLA’s return to Latin America and the Caribbean, 17 years after WLIC 2011 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

IFLA selects Brasília, Brazil to host the 2028 World Library and Information Congress

The Hague, Netherlands – 20 July 2026 – The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has selected Brasília, Brazil to host the 2028 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) from 21-24 August 2028.

After 17 years, IFLA and WLIC return to Latin America and the Caribbean!

Brasília’s ambition to host an IFLA WLIC has been gaining momentum throughout the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Finally, this will become a reality in 2028! With over 3 million residents, Brasília is not only Brazil’s third-most populous city and the nation’s vibrant capital: it is also a city that has for decades encouraged an entrepreneurial and innovative outlook toward librarianship. Considering that Brazil is one of the world’s most multicultural countries, all of this combines to make for a most fitting host for IFLA’s flagship annual event.

It is so fitting that the first IFLA Congress in Brazil also marks the first Congress of IFLA’s second century. Brasília, built as a ‘City of the Future’, with its modernist architecture and innovative urban planning that still stuns visitors today, is a metropolis beaming with innovation and vitality. And as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and one of the first smart cities ever built—it will serve as an inspiring backdrop for WLIC participants as they immerse themselves in international librarianship and shape the future of the profession. IFLA WLIC is coming to Brasília—and we’re ready!

― Leslie Weir, IFLA President and Sharon Memis, IFLA Secretary General

Welcome to Brazil! On behalf of the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT) and all our partners across Brazil, Latin America, and the Caribbean, it is our great privilege to host IFLA WLIC 2028. It will be an honour to welcome the international information and library community to Brasília for a meaningful exchange of knowledge and expertise. We will shortly convene the National Committee to organise this event. Our aim is to ensure that every delegate experiences a warm reception in our city and has the opportunity to immerse themselves in Brazilian and Latin American culture alongside the professional programme.

― Tiago Emmanuel Nunes Braga, Director of IBICT and chair of the National Committee and Ricardo Crisafulli Rodrigues, General Coordinator of the National Committee

Brasília’s bid to host the Congress was driven by IBCIT but also received enthusiastic support from many national and regional institutions, as well as international organizations, including UNESCO. This is a testament to the collaborative spirit and partnership building so appropriate to the wider library field, and to IFLA. The city itself physically points towards the sunrise, a purpose-built design that embodies the country’s push towards the future.

Stay up to date with the latest news regarding the 2028 Congress by subscribing to the IFLA Newsletter and following #WLIC2028 on social media.

(Via IFLA)

📷: Arturdiasr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons