Conference Agenda (All times are shown in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) unless otherwise noted)

Dr. Stuart Hamilton is the Head of Libraries Development for the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) in Ireland. He is the national advisor on public libraries and leads the development and implementation of the national public library strategy across 31 local authorities. He is the current Chair of the National Authorities on Public Libraries in Europe (NAPLE) Forum, the Chair of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Europe Regional Division, and a member of IFLA’s Regional Council.

Dr. Hamilton was previously Deputy Executive Director of International Relations and Communications at the Qatar National Library where he developed the library’s international relations, partnerships and outreach activities, and led the coordination of the library’s opening in 2017/2018. Before moving to Qatar he was Deputy Secretary General at IFLA in the Netherlands where he directed the Federation’s policy and advocacy work around copyright, human rights, Internet governance, and all issues relating to access to information, libraries and the digital environment. He was responsible for IFLA’s engagement with WIPO and UNESCO, as well as work relating to WSIS, the IGF, and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He holds a PhD in Library and Information Science from the Royal School of Library and Information Science in Copenhagen, Denmark.