Inspired by the many interesting congress diaries from Stellenbosch, I thought I would share another “diary”, but from a city situated slightly further up north, namely Oslo in Norway. I had the pleasure to visit three libraries there on 23-24 September: the Norwegian Academy of Music, the National Library and the Oslo Public Library (Deichmanske Bibliotek). My travel companions were Joakim Lilljegren and Niklas Persson, both colleagues at the Gothenburg University Library. We were joined by a music librarian from Istanbul, Güneş Çetinkaya Şerik, who works at the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory - Music Library & Archive Centre.

The following Stellenbosch Congress diary has reached us from Rupert Ridgewell (British Library and IAML President):

The latest issue of Fontes artis musicae, Volume 71, no. 3 (July-September 2024) has been published.

Special Topic: Digital Scores

Guest Editor: Stephanie Bonjack

Der diesjährige internationale Kongress der Internationalen Vereinigung der Musikbibliotheken, -archive und -dokumentationszentren (IVMB / IAML / AIBM) fand in Stellenbosch, Südafrika, und damit zum ersten Mal in Afrika überhaupt statt.

The 2024 IAML Congress in Stellenbosch, South Africa marked several firsts: the first time a IAML Congress took place on the African continent, the first time so many of our colleagues from Africa could participate in a IAML event, and for many IAML members it was our first time in Africa. In many respects, the congress week was similar to previous IAML congresses in that we had the opportunity to meet with our RISM contributors, hold a RISM cataloging workshop, and host a session dedicated to RISM. What made it stand out was the opportunity to come into conversation with colleagues from South Africa and Africa for the first time and to learn about their collections.