IFLA 2011 set to commence in San Juan on August 17

Jumbo Editorial Team

The librarians, archivists and other information professionals, delegates from different countries, will be assembling for the World Library and Information Congress 2011, 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly, to be held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 17 and 18.

The pre-registration at the standard rate has closed on July 25 but those having missed out can still get themselves registered. All IFLA members, regardless of category, will be entitled to register at the member rates published.

The theme of the Congress is ‘Libraries beyond libraries: Integration, Innovation and Information for all’ while during the General Assembly, IFLA members will have the opportunity to vote on several strategic issues. All IFLA members that have paid their membership fees for 2011 have the right to vote.

Puerto Rico offers miles upon miles of white sand beaches, an unbelievable rainforest and mountains. As one of the oldest and most diversified cultures in the world, Puerto Rico is a vibrant, modern, bilingual, multicultural society, one that has been molded by Spanish, African, Indian and U.S. influences.

With 21st century conveniences in an alluring 16th historical setting, both ultramodern and bewitchingly exotic, Puerto Rico is truly the Island of Enchantment. San Juan is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States.

San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico (“Rich Port City”). Puerto Rico’s capital is the second oldest European established city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.

Originally, the city of San Juan was called Puerto Rico and the entire island was called San Juan. The capital and the island’s names were later accidentally switched.

The Puerto Rico Convention Centre (PRCC) is the largest congress centre in the Caribbean and the most technologically advanced throughout both the Caribbean and Latin America. With 580,000 square feet of total space, the centre can accommodate groups of up to 10,000, in an ideal setting at the gateway to all the Island has to offer.