Librarianship and bibliography in the international arena: The Subcommittee for Bibliography of the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation,1922–1930

Abstract

In 1922, the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation was established to serve as an advisory organ of the League of Nations in respect of science, arts and education. It took an interest in promoting international bibliographic projects and library cooperation. This article focuses on the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation’s Subcommittee for Science and Bibliography, established in 1923, and situates it in the context of the League’s evolving and complex administrative and communication infrastructure for intellectual cooperation, to which the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation was added in 1926. A general overview is given of the Subcommittee’s membership, its relationship with the International Institute of Bibliography of Paul Otlet and Henri Lafontaine, and its activities as reflected in its agendas, minutes and reports. Its membership comprised eminent scientists and scholars, with directors of some major libraries serving as associate members, some of whom later played leading roles in IFLA.