IFLA Announces New Director for FAIFE

IFLA is delighted to announce that it has appointed Susanne Seidelin to be the new Director of its Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression office (FAIFE).

Susanne Seidelin is currently Chief Consultant at the Danish National Library for the Blind and a member of the Board of the DAISY consortium of libraries and organisations for the blind and visually impaired.

Ms. Seidelin, accepting the appointment said: "To deal with freedom of expression and free access to information in a global perspective is a once in a lifetime professional and personal challenge. I am greatly looking forward to it."

Ross Shimmon, Secretary General of IFLA said that he was sure that Ms. Seidelin, with her strong track record of successful project management and her commitment to enabling people to get access to the knowledge they need, will build on the excellent achievements of FAIFE since its establishment.

Ms Seidelin succeeds the founding Director, Jan Ristarp, who recently retired. It is hoped that Ms. Seidelin will take up the post early in the New Year.

Further information from:

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, is the non-governmental international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. Our website is

2. The FAIFE initiative was launched in 1997, based on a resolution adopted by IFLA Council at its 1997 conference held in Copenhagen. The FAIFE office was established in Copenhagen in 1998, with generous initial funding from the Danish government, the City of Copenhagen and the Danish Library community.

3. Through the FAIFE initiative, IFLA furthers the cause of intellectual freedom in the context of library and information services. FAIFE monitors the state of intellectual freedom within the library and information community world-wide, supports IFLA's policy development in this area, cooperates with other human rights organisations and responds to violations against the principles of free access to information and freedom of expression. FAIFE's website is http://www.faife.dk