Understanding Library Field Structures

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), as part of its partnership with Stichting IFLA Global Libraries, wishes to develop the potential for libraries of all kinds to contribute to systematic changes across a wide range of policy goals. To do so, libraries in a particular country or region need to act together in a library field. This project aimed to test out the concept and its potential application by discovering realworld examples where library fields have formed the basis of public benefit projects. To do so, David Baker Consulting (DBC) set out to identify the key factors which make for successful library engagement. We believe that the range and seniority of the voices heard as part of our research, together with the extensive desk research and the interactive workshops give a high degree of confidence in our findings. It is hoped that this report will enable the use of library fields as a central concept in future development of libraries.