Afet khanim Abbasova, Director of the Presidential Library of the Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, participated in the 89th World Library and Information Congress of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), held under the motto “Uniting Knowledge, Building the Future” in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, from August 18 to 22, 2025.

The event was attended by more than 1,630 participants from 114 countries, including library directors, specialists from information centers, students, and representatives of leading publishing houses. The exchange of advanced practices and the discussion of key trends in the field of librarianship were carried out.

From August 18 to 21, Afet khanim Abbasova joined extensive sessions discussing topics such as digital libraries, the application of artificial intelligence technologies, methods of preserving library collections, and international cataloguing standards. During the sessions, representatives of various countries shared their experiences and discussed ways to transform libraries into modern knowledge centers.

On August 22, Afet khanim Abbasova took part in visits organized for congress participants to the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) and the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, where she familiarized herself with local library and cultural structures.

As part of the congress, Afet khanim Abbasova held meetings aimed at strengthening interlibrary cooperation, during which she met with representatives of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library from the United Arab Emirates and the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, USA, presenting publications on behalf of the Presidential Library. Additionally, books were also gifted to the library of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) by the Presidential Library.

Parallel to the main program of the congress, an international exhibition uniting 29 companies from around the world was organized. Leading global organizations and publishers such as the ISSN International Centre, the American Library Association, the King Abdulaziz Public Library, The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation, Taylor & Francis, and Springer-Verlag participated in the exhibition. Afet khanim Abbasova became closely acquainted with the products and technologies presented at the exhibition and gathered valuable suggestions for the future development strategies of the Presidential Library.

The 89th IFLA World Library and Information Congress was of great importance for strengthening the international relations of the Presidential Library and for learning and applying modern library practices.