Speakers/Presenters

Eliška Bartošová

• Czech Republic Libraries Association and Erasmus+ Coordinator
• Czech Republic
• 
  Eliška Bartošová graduated in Environmental Studies from the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University. She is a co-founder of the informal working group Sustainability in Libraries, and works as a project manager at the Association of Libraries ČR, where she is in charge of the project Digital Odyssey in Libraries and Erasmus+ accreditation. 

Michal Broža

• Head
• UN Information Centre (UNIC), Prague
• Czech Republic
• 
  Michal is Head of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), the UN Secretariat office for Czechia. He joined the UN in 1995 and has served in various roles, including peacekeeping missions, and previously worked as a World Bank consultant and private-sector researcher. He specialises in UN affairs and the communication of global risks and megatrends, and regularly writes and lectures on these topics. He co-founded the Climate Science Forum (2013) and established the Climate Change Communication Prize (2019), since 2024 also recognising international experts.

Oksana Brui

• Ukrainian Library Association
• Ukraine

Barbora Černohorská

• Director, Statenice Municipal Library
• Czech Republic
• 
  Barbora Černohorská graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University where she studied Library and Information Studies. Since 2017, she has been running an award-winning community library in Statenice near Prague together with her colleague Zuzana Brychtová Horecká. She also works as an educator at the Central Bohemian Library in Kladno. She says that because she’s a little lazy, making the library sustainable is a must. She is currently also a member of the local council.

Ioana Crihana

• National Association of Librarians and Public Libraries of Romania (ANBPR)
• Romania

Andrew Cranfield

• EBLIDA Director
• Netherlands
• 
  Andrew Cranfield holds a BA in Library and Information Science and an MA in Cultural Studies and has spent most of his professional career working in the Danish library sector, both public and academic.

Francis De Bonnaire

• Seniot Researcher & European Coordinator, Sentobib
• Belgium
• 
  Francis De Bonnaire is a Senior Researcher and coordinator of the European library study Sentobib. With extensive experience in audience research, he has a strong expertise in the cultural sector, leading numerous research initiatives across Europe. His work in the cultural sector spans libraries, museums and theatres, where he has played a role in understanding and engaging diverse audiences. Through a collaborative and pragmatic approach, Francis focusses on making audience research accessible for all cultural institutions, regardless of their size and means.

Camilla Donà dalle Rose

• EBLIDA Project Assistant
• Camilla Donà dalle Rose is a PhD candidate in Heritage Science (curriculum in Libraries and Archives) at Sapienza University of Rome and holds a Master’s degree in Management of Cultural Heritage. She has contributed to several international cultural projects and networks within the public sector. She currently works as a Project Assistant at EBLIDA, where she is involved in the European Library Associations Network (ELAN) project.

Lenka Dostálová

• Moravian Library Brno
• Czech Republic

Kristine Fjord Tolborg

• Director of Chora 2030
• Denmark
• 
  Kristine Fjord Tolborg is director of Chora 2030, a Danish sustainability organization, and works closely with the Danish Library Association on strengthening the role of libraries as local meeting places for citizen involvement and sustainability. She has developed the Danish SDG Certification program for libraries which more than 40 per cent of all public libraries in Denmark now are part of.

Tomáš Foltýn

• Director General
• The National Library, Prague
• Czech Republic
• 
  Tomáš Foltýn is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at the University of Pardubice, where he studied Cultural History. In 2007, he began working at the National Library of the Czech Republic, initially as a project manager in the Digitization Department and later as Head of the Metadata Creation and Management Department. In February 2012, he became Head of the Department for Strategic Planning of Library Collections Digitization, and in January 2013 he was appointed Director of the Collections Management Division. He held this position until 1 May 2021, when he was appointed Director General of the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Robert Fritz

• Virovitica Public Library
• Croatia

Jelena Glišović

• Serbian Library Association
• Serbia

Klaas Gommers

• Netherlands Public Library Association
• The Hague, Netherlands
• Klaas has over 10 years of experience in local, national, and European advocacy and has worked in many different fields. Klaas is co-chair of the Open Method of Coordination Group on public libraries and Chair of ELAN's Expert Group on Advocacy and Strategic Coordination.

Anneli Haapaharju

• Chair
• Finland’s Swedish Library Association
• Finland
• 
  Anneli Haapaharju is a Project Manager at the National Development Unit (VAKE) at Helsinki City Library, working on a national AI project for public libraries. Her work focuses on AI skills, ethical use, and media literacy. She earned a Shared Reading certificate in 2023 and is Chair of the Finnish-Swedish Library Association.

Andrew Harbison

• Director
• WebJunction, OCLC
• 
  Andrew Harbison leads the strategy and team that designs, builds, and maintains OCLC’s WebJunction online learning network for public library staff. In this role, he also serves on the leadership team for the Research and Programming team, supports and leads cross-division activities, and ensures WebJunction's alignment with OCLC strategic priorities.

Martha Hickson

• USA
• 
  Martha Hickson recently retired after 20 years as a high school librarian. Her work has been featured in School Library Journal, Booklist, and CNN Online. Her defense of intellectual freedom has been recognized with awards from the NJ Association of School Librarians, the NJ Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and the National Council of Teachers of English. In 2022, the National Coalition Against Censorship presented Martha with the Judith Krug Outstanding Librarian Award. And the American Library Association awarded Martha with the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity in recognition of her "energy and bravery in the face of ... persistent and ongoing hostility," while advocating for students' First Amendment right to read.

Lukáš Houdek

• Documentary filmmaker, journalist and photographer
• Prague, Czech Republic
• 
  Lukáš Houdek studied Romani studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. He was the coordinator and one of the leading figures of the HateFree Culture project, he is dedicated to topics related to corporeality and intimacy, and has carried out a number of artistic and journalistic projects on the topic of minorities, prejudice and historical or personal traumas. Today he is a reporter for Heroine magazine.

Mia Karvonen

• Board member
• Finland’s Swedish Library Association
• Finland
• 
  Mia Karvonen holds a degree in Nordic Languages and Literature from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki and studied Library and Information Science at Åbo Akademi. She earned a Shared Reading certificate in 2023 and served as chair of Finland’s Swedish Library Association. She is a specialized librarian at Helsinki Central Library Oodi.

Ilona Kish

• Director
• Public Libraries 2030, Brussels
• Belgium
• 
  Ilona Kish previously served as Secretary General of Culture Action Europe, a European Umbrella association promoting arts and cultural associations across Europe. She has extensive experience advocating towards the EU institutions and running awareness-raising campaigns, as well as a thorough working knowledge of both the operational and political functions of the various EU institutions.

Enda Leaney

• Dublin City Libraries
• Ireland

Sean McNamara

• Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS)
• Scotland, United Kingdom

Alenka Melkić

• Zagreb City Libraries
• Croatia

Sharon Memis

• IFLA Secretary General
• Netherlands
• 
  Sharon took up the role of Secretary General and CEO of IFLA in June 2023. Sharon’s background is in international cultural relations and higher education. She is a passionate internationalist and speaks several languages. Sharon spent most of her career with the British Council and held senior leadership roles in Europe, North America and Asia promoting UK Education and Culture. She has also worked for a range of organisations as a consultant in international strategy. Prior to joining IFLA, Sharon was Chief Operating Officer at the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Alison Nolan

• Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC),
• Scotland, United Kingdom
• 
  Alison Nolan is Chief Executive of the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), leading national strategy and innovation for Scotland’s libraries. With over 25 years’ sector leadership, she champions libraries as partners in sustainability, community wellbeing and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and is internationally recognised for advancing circular economy and climate initiatives through libraries.

Merve Ödeşen Ünver

• General Directorate of Libraries and Publications
• Türkiye

Silvija Perić

• Virovitica Public Library
• Croatia

Ania Rok

• Manager, European Cultural Foundation
• Netherlands
• 
  Ania Rok manages The Europe Challenge at the European Cultural Foundation, a programme that brings together libraries and communities across Europe to address social, digital and climate challenges. With a background in sociology, she has over 15 years of experience supporting cities, communities and movements working on socio-ecological transformation, including roles at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, URBACT and the Open Society Foundations.

Thomas Sture Rasmussen

• SDG coordinator for the Danish Library Association and project lead on WEEK17
• Denmark
• 
  Thomas Sture Rasmussen works as SDG Coordinator for the Danish Library Association. Before that he was working at Ballerup Public Library for 25 years. He is the project manager on WEEK17 and works with libraries, sustainability and Futures Literacy. He is a member of Nordic Libraries for Sustainability and Sustainable Climate Action Expert Group EBLIDA/ELAN. In 2025 he received the Danish SDG reward for WEEK17 (elected by UN for the Bank of Solutions at COP30).

Tomáš Řehák

• Director
• Municipal Library of Prague
• Czech Republic

Short CV

Oleh Serbin

• Ukrainian Library Association
• Ukraine

Hanka Šandová

• Centrum technického vzdělávání Půda
• Městská knihovna Polička
• Czech Republic

Rosario-Toril-Moreno

• National Center for Environmental Education, Spain
• 
  Rosario works at the Spanish National Centre for Environmental Education (CENEAM), where she develops projects on environmental information and public awareness. She coordinates RECIDA, Spain’s network of environmental information centres, fostering collaboration among libraries and documentation services. She is a member of the EBLIDA ELAN Sustainability Expert Group, represents Spain in the European Environment Agency’s EIONET Communication Group and serves on the Standing Committee of IFLA’s Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section. Her work connects environmental literacy, sustainable development, and the role of libraries in climate action.

Ton van Vlimmeren

• Former-President (2018-2024) &
• Lifelong Member of EBLIDA
• 
  Ton van Vlimmeren is one of the founders of Public Libraries 2030. For twenty years, he served as Director-Governor of Utrecht Public Library. He has held various board positions in the library sector and was active in IFLA, as well as in networks of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Julie Ward

• Former Member of the European Parliament
• United Kingdom
• 
  Julie Ward is a former Member of the European Parliament with extensive experience in European policy-making, particularly in culture and education. She is actively engaged in sustainability initiatives, including Culture Declares Emergency and Grandparents for Future, and chairs the Environmental Sub-Committee of the Festival of Thrift. She is an experienced facilitator, bringing strong skills in leadership, collaboration, and inclusive dialogue, with a focus on advancing climate action through civic engagement.

Erna Winters

• EBLIDA President
• Netherlands
• 
  Erna Winters has worked in Dutch public libraries for nearly 40 years, including 24 years as a director. In 2024, she became Network Manager for Public Libraries at the KB National Library of the Netherlands. She brings extensive experience in advocacy, policy, and strategy, is a co-founder of Public Libraries 2030, and is committed to strengthening libraries’ voice and impact across Europe, including within the European Parliament and European Commission.