The “2nd International Festival of Libraries and Technology” was held in Istanbul from 4 to 8 April 2025. The event was hosted by the Rami Library, one of the largest libraries in Turkey, with around 3 million users per year.
Ms. Anna Cascone, head of the Lasallian Library of the Generalate of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Rome, at the invitation of the General Directorate of Libraries and Publications of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, took part in this prestigious event. The Ministry not only welcomed an international delegation of library professionals from IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), but also involved the special interest group RELINDIAL (REligion LIbraries aNd DIALlogue), of which Anna Cascone is the coordinator.
On this occasion, Anna Cascone was able not only to present the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, but also to introduce the various projects that the Lasallian Library carries out each year for children and young students in its schools, and the coordination that SILA (International Society of Lasallian Archivists) carries out through the Lasallian network of school libraries and museums and archives.
Innovations in the world of technology and software, and the use of artificial intelligence to foster new and exciting opportunities for librarianship, were the main themes of the conference. The Lasallian Library in Rome was the only one, in a diverse and international context, to offer the audience present a pedagogical, ethical and spiritual viewpoint of the use of AI.
The last day, dedicated to organised visits to school libraries in the Turkish capital, was an opportunity to take a delegation of librarians and two officials from the Turkish Ministry of Culture to the French Lasallian lycée Saint-Joseph in Istanbul, which has always stood out for its prestige in the city context and for the pedagogical tradition it offers its students.
Participation in this international event concretised, once again, the commitment that the Office of Lasallian Heritage and Research demonstrates and pursues in promoting Lasallian thought in dialogue with the living tradition of the Institute and in the context of the 21st century.
* Article written with the support of the Office of Lasallian Heritage and Research.