Barbara Lison is IFLA President-Elect and Director of Bremen Public Library, Germany.

Barbara Lison has served as the President of Bibliothek Information Deutschland, the national umbrella organization of German library and information associations, and as President of the German Library Association, DBV. She has held many leadership positions in the European Bureau for Libraries, Archives and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA), including Vice-President. She was member of the IFLA Governing Board for several terms.

Barbara Lison has been very active in library policy and development. In recent years, Barbara Lison has worked for Goethe-Institut as an expert on library affairs. She is a member of the OCLC Board of Trustees.