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Alberto Manguel

Alberto Manguel was the director of the Argentine National Library until 2018. He is an Argentine-Canadian writer, translator and critic. He is now the director of “Espaço Atlântida: Centro de Estudos da História da Leitura” in Lisbon.

Alex Soto (Tohono O’odham Nation)

Alex Soto (Tohono O’odham Nation) is Director of the Labriola National American Indian Data Center and Assistant Librarian at Arizona State University Library. Under his leadership, the Labriola Center has developed and implemented culturally responsive library services, expanded its personnel five-fold, and re-established its physical locations as culturally safe spaces for Indigenous library users. Alex co-authored ASU Library’s first land acknowledgement statement, is the recipient of the Society of American Archivists 2022 Archival Innovator Award, and was awarded a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for “Firekeepers: Building Archival Data Sovereignty through Indigenous Memory Keeping,” a four-year project to preserve Indigenous knowledge through community-based participatory archival partnerships with Arizona’s Tribal communities. He also is the treasurer for the Arizona Humanities Board of Directors and is an American Indian Library Association executive board member. Alex’s journey to librarianship comes after years of success as a touring hip-hop musician and activist.

Claudia Șerbănuță

Claudia Șerbănuță is President of the Asociația Comunitățile Viitorului (Communities of the Future Association). She is also a member of the Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group and coordinates national efforts within EduCaB Romania, contributing to open knowledge and civic education initiatives. She holds a PhD in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has advocated for modern library services as engines of social change and democratic resilience. From 2014 to 2016, she served as Interim Director of the National Library of Romania. Recognized as a Library Journal Movers & Shakers Change Agent (2021) and a 2023 Marshall Memorial Fellow, Claudia’s work and research examines information control, censorship, and the political role of cultural institutions, highlighting the essential contribution of public libraries to safeguarding democracy, enabling informed participation, and strengthening community resilience.

Colin Rhinesmith

Colin Rhinesmith is an associate professor and director of the Digital Equity Action Research (DEAR) Lab in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Rhinesmith studies the social, technical, and policy contexts that shape people’s access to and use of information and communication technologies in local communities. Rhinesmith has worked with civil society organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations to advance digital equity through community-engaged and participatory research projects. He has been a Google Policy Fellow and an adjunct research fellow with New America’s Open Technology Institute, a senior advisor with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a senior fellow with the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and a faculty associate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Dalitso Mvula

Dalitso Mvula is currently working as an Academic Librarian at the University of Zambia (UNZA). He previously served as Chief Librarian at Lusaka Apex Medical University in Zambia. He holds a double major bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science and Development Studies, and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Zambia. Previously, he worked as a Senior Librarian at Livingstone International University for Tourism Excellence and Business Management (LIUTEBM). He has also worked for First Quantum Minerals Limited as a Human Resources Clerk under the registry. His research interests include Indigenous Knowledge, Artificial Intelligence, Open Science and Library Management.

Filipa Barros

Filipa Barros is the coordinator of Biblioteca de Belém, Lisbon (Portugal). She holds a degree in clinical psychology, followed by a masters in documentary filmmaking. She coordinated educational projects in rural northern Portugal, in Lisbon Opera House, and the Museum of the National Library of Spain. After a master’s degree in library science, she started working in public libraries, which allowed her to explore the potential of community librarianship, to reflect and develop practices around the relationship dynamics of libraries within their territories, and the ethical principles implicated in this relationship. She tries to combine daily librarian practices, inside and outside the library, with intersectional feminist action.

Renan Leite

Renan Leite is an experienced international educator and library leader based in Portugal, where he serves as Director of Libraries and Information Services at TASIS Portugal. He holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington, grounding his work in both strong academic training and strategic practice. Over the course of his career, he has worked in Brazil, China, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Portugal, developing a global perspective on education, literacy, and the role of libraries in diverse communities. He leads innovative library programs that function as dynamic learning hubs and community spaces for students and families. His initiatives include author visits, and the intentional development of multicultural collections that reflect and serve diverse school communities. Recognized for his strategic vision and collaborative leadership, he continues to advance the role of school libraries as essential, inclusive, and forward-thinking learning environments.

Tracie D. Hall

Tracie D. Hall is Executive Director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Library Alliance and Distinguished Professor of Practice at the University of Washington Information School in Seattle, Washington. Formerly executive director of the American Library Association, Hall was the first Black woman to helm that organization in its 150-year history and has served in key library, arts, and philanthropic leadership roles nationwide. In 2022, she received the National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, Hall was named to TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world and received the Medal for Freedom of Speech and Free Expression from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Institute. In 2025, Hall was nominated for an Emmy as co-producer of The Audit: Black Women in Leadership Post George Floyd.

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