Tomasz Makowski elected Vice-Chair of the Conference of National Library Directors
Directors of national libraries from around the world elected Dr Tomasz Makowski, Director General of the National Library of Poland, to the position of Vice-Chair of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL) at their meeting on 3 October 2024 in Brisbane, Australia – the first time someone from Poland has been elected to the CDNL Executive.
CDNL is an independent association of more than 100 chief executives of national libraries around the world, established facilitate discussion and promote understanding and cooperation on matters of common interest to national libraries worldwide. The Chair of CDNL for 2023-25 is Marie-Louise Ayres, Director-General of the National Library of Australia; the Vice-Chair is Leslie Weir, Director of National Libraries and Archives Canada.
The annual meeting of CDNL takes place during the conference of the IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. In 2024 the IFLA Information Futures Summit took place from 30 September to 2 October in Brisbane, Australia, the city where IFLA President Vicki McDonald is based. The Summit was attended by almost 1,000 participants from all over the world. The National Library of Poland was represented by Tomasz Makowski, Director General of the National Library, and Julia Konopka- Żołnierczuk, Deputy Director. The main theme of the Summit was the development of AI (artificial intelligence) and its use in library services and in ensuring universal access to information.