In conjunction with the US Library of Congress, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), The Library Association of Ireland (LAI), Libraries Northern Ireland, The National Library of Ireland, the Society of National, College and University Libraries (SCONUL), the Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL), CILIP Ireland, Libraries of Technological Higher Education Association Ireland (LTHEA) and other partners have worked on organizing the 5th International Summit of the Book, which was held in Limerick, Ireland, November 2nd-3rd 2016 . The theme of the conference has been “Words are all we have, The Book: History, Knowledge & Technology. The Voyage”. The Summit discusses the development of books into electronic formats and its impact on reading; the challenges facing books and the publishing industry and the role of books and reading in societies. The Summit also discusses key issues on technology and manuscripts, including the role of translation in the preservation and transmission of culture, and books as an important tool in cultural exchange.
Main topics of the 5th Summit included the following: Preservation through digitization / Preservation and the library as a sacred institution Archival repositories and special collections Etymology & history of the book Rare books eBooks versus print books Books and open access Books & cultural exchange / Role of the book in human knowledge and culture Book industry challenges in World Wide / Book manufacture in modern times Books, literacy, reading and the society Information explosion and the book Books and knowledge economy Future of the book Business of publishing and writing The ever changing relationships between writers, publishers, readers and retailers Developments in innovative book platforms Books for all ages, filling in the gap