ABSTRACT
The International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) was founded in Düsseldorf, Germany, in May 1955, as an international forum for the exchange of ideas relevant to librarianship in technological universities throughout the world. The IATUL is a voluntary international nongovernmental organization of a group of libraries, represented by their library directors or senior managers, who have responsibility for information services and resources management. Many of the members of IATUL provide services, not only to the teaching and research staff and students of their own university but also to industrial organizations and national research institutions, in their respective countries. The main objective of IATUL is to provide a forum where library directors and senior managers can meet to exchange views on matters of current significance and to provide an opportunity for them to develop a collaborative approach to solving problems. The IATUL is an excellent example of the development of an effective informal international network between libraries of similar type, with a common high level of professional expertise and offering a similar range of services to their users. The IATUL also welcomes into membership organizations that supply services to university libraries, if they wish to be identified with the association’s activities. This entry will examine the historical development, membership, organizational structure, activities, and publications of IATUL.
