At the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Kuala Lumpur in 2018 Library Publishing (LIBPUB) was first established as a Special Interest Group (SIG). The aim was to raise awareness of what was then a young but dynamically growing field: institutional publishing by libraries as part of scientific communication. Thanks to continuous work on content and numerous activities, the SIG continued to develop. In December 2025, it officially became an IFLA section within Professional Division D.

The head of ZB MED's Open Science programme area, Prof. Dr Ursula Arning, has been involved in the development of the LIBPUB Community from the very beginning, first as a founding member of the SIG and later as an associate member. Since August, Ursula Arning has been involved again as one of nine voting members in the steering committee of today's section and has a significant influence on its international work. With its recognition as a section, up to eleven additional members will be accepted this year, offering a growing community a structured platform for exchange and collaboration.

Thanks to the commitment of Prof. Dr. Ursula Arning and ZB MED's membership, international developments and best practices are directly incorporated into institutional publication infrastructures. Among other things, these ideas are being incorporated into the further development of the PUBLISSO publication platforms and are strengthening institutional publishing in an international context.

More information about the LIBPUB Section