William Herbert Ifould OBE (28 August 1877 – 6 April 1969) was an Australian librarian and floriculturalist who was instrumental in the development of library services in New South Wales.

[3] On his departure from Adelaide, Ifould gave a revealing interview to journalists from The Advertiser newspaper indicating he had experienced a challenging working relationship with the board of the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of South Australia.

Our staff is well trained and wonderfully loyal and efficient under the most trying conditions...The (Bent Street) building is utterly unsuitable and inadequate and has been so for 40 years.

[9] The poor state of the Bent Street building was noted in Library Annual Reports[9] and debated in the local press.

In 1919 Dixson wrote to Ifould, offering his pictures collection to the NSW Government if they would provide a suitable space for them to be stored and displayed.

[1] In 1924 Ifould provided information to a Sydney Morning Herald journalist about the value of Sir William's collection and the importance of it being accepted by the Government and housed in a new wing of the Mitchell Library building.

[5][8] The plans for the enlarged and remodelled central portion and north-east wing were prepared by the Government Architect, Cobden Parkes, with advice from Ifould and Nita Kibble the Principal Research Officer at the Library.

Ifould built the reputation of the Library as a leading institution in the Commonwealth for collecting records and documents relating to Australian history.

Ifould placed newspaper advertisements around Australia, New Zealand and in the United Kingdom seeking diaries, letters, photographs and related material from servicemen and their families to be deposited in the library collection.

[22] The Munn-Pitt report examined the differences between regional library networks in Australia and the United States of America and England.

William Ifould addressed a public meeting held on 26 June 1935 in Chatswood where the Free Library Movement (FLM) was established.

[27] They enlisted a range of high-profile supporters and created a publicity campaign which included distributing transcripts of a speech by Geoffrey Cochrane Remington,[28] a prominent Sydney solicitor, an address by Mrs Hubert Fairfax to the Country Women's Association in 1937[29] together with several radio interviews all promoting the introduction of public libraries.

Ifould approached members of the exclusive Australian Club winning their support along with other businessmen and newspaper editors.

[31] Ifould suggested to the Minister that the Act could be passed but the financial clauses deferred, adding that "If the Government drops the Library Bill at this stage every important metropolitan newspaper will hammer it as showing no courage or leadership.

[37] During the Great Depression awareness of social and political issues had grown in Australia, including censorship and the freedom of expression.

[38][39][40] John Metcalfe wrote that they believed in access to "the best that has been and is being thought and said, pictured and played, written and read by our people, and throughout the world"[41] Following his retirement from the library in February 1942, Ifould was appointed Deputy Director of the Department of War Organisation of Industry[42] in New South Wales.