She was President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2021 to 2023 stressing the topics sustainability, open-access and fair copyright.

[1][2] She initially taught Russian in Düsseldorf followed by a teacher traineeship in Düsseldorf and then by a library traineeship in Bochum and Oldenburg while studying LIS at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne.

In 1986 she worked as head of the information department at the Federal Institute for Industrial Health and Safety Standards in Dortmund.

[4] She initially became involved with the IFLA while organising a successful bid to host the World Library and Information Congress in Berlin in 2003.

[6] She had already been involved with a free e-lending scheme and her focus points included sustainability, open-access and fair copyright.