GENERAL INFORMATION
Conference Location
The Conference will take place in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC),
considered one of Europe's finest conference venues. Situated on the banks of the River Clyde,
it is close to Glasgow city centre (around 15 minutes walk) and just 8 miles from the city's
international airport. A railway station and covered walkway connect the SECC with the public
transport network of Glasgow, as do several nearby bus stops and taxi ranks (a taxi can also be
ordered at any time of the day or night from the adjoining Moat House Hotel).
At the heart of the conference complex is the splendid Clyde Auditorium (known locally as the Armadillo), designed by Sir Norman Foster and accommodating 3000 delegates.
Language
Simultaneous Interpretation services will be available in five languages: English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. This service will be available for the opening and closing sessions and other selected sessions. Please look for the SI mark in the Final Programme.
Availability of Papers
During the conference more than 150 papers and reports will be presented. Accepted papers reaching IFLA before June 2002 will be made available to all participants of the conference either in print or on CD-ROM. One booklet will be created that contains the presidential address, the keynote paper, the plenary session papers and some other papers. This Booklet will be in your conference bag. As conference papers are received, they are posted to IFLANET, IFLA's official Web site at www.ifla.org continuously before the conference.
It is hoped that all papers will be made available on a CD-ROM.
Transportation
As Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, so it forms the centre point of the public transport and road networks. Glasgow is therefore the ideal starting point for travelling to any part of Scotland.
Flying to Scotland
Glasgow International Airport (5 miles; 6.5km) from the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) - the venue for IFLA 2002 - and Glasgow Prestwick (30 miles; 48km) operate flights from a number of European cities including Amsterdam, Basle, Bergen, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Esberg, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Haugesund, Madrid, Paris, Reykjavik, Stavanger, Stockholm, Vienna and Zurich.*
Direct flights are also available from Canada and the USA including Chicago, New York and Toronto. Please consult:
http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/glasgow/
http://glaspres01.uuhost.uk.uu.net (for Prestwick) and
Special Rate Flights & Booking Form
Domestic flights operate from many United Kingdom airports - with 8 operators from London Heathrow (British Airways, British Midland); London City (British European, ScotAirways); Gatwick (British Airways); Stansted (Ryanair, Go); and Luton (EasyJet).
Airport Transfers are by bus (20 minutes to city centre) from Glasgow International and by train or coach (every 30 minutes) from Prestwick. Transfer to the SECC helipad is also possible.
Our Registration package gives you a 6 day pass for free unlimited travel by train, bus and underground in the Glasgow area.
Additionally, with the generous sponsorship of OCLC, an IFLA 2002 Welcome Desk will operate at Glasgow International on Friday 16 and Sunday 18 August - with regular coaches to all official IFLA 2002 accommodation hotels.
*Not all of these are direct flights.
Rail
Glasgow has two main railway stations, Central and Queen Street. Services from London arrive at Central Station and are operated by Virgin (http://www.virgintrains.co.uk) and GNER (http://www.gner.co.uk/).
The journey time from London Euston or King's Cross takes 5 hours. Central station also provides the low level service to the SECC (journey time: 4 minutes) - the quickest route from the city to IFLA's 2002 site and free with your 6 day pass. Queen Street Station operates the Edinburgh shuttle service (every 15 minutes - journey time 45 minutes) and both stations service trains to Scottish destinations. (ScotRail - http://www.scotrail.co.uk/)
Coach
National Express (http://www.gobycoach.com/) operate from many United Kingdom destinations into the Buchanan Street Bus Station - where there is a taxi rank, left luggage facilities, restaurant and information desk.
Underground
Glasgow possesses Scotland's only underground system, and one of only three in the United Kingdom (along with Newcastle and London). The underground is frequent, enabling quick journeys (from 5 to 10 minutes) from the city centre to the West End and other parts of Glasgow. Your 6-day pass is valid on this system.
Passport, Visas and Insurance
You will need a valid passport to enter Scotland and any other part of the United Kingdom.
Please check with your travel agent or embassy about visa requirements. (Visas are not needed for most countries).
Applying for a visa for entry into the United Kingdom is a relatively straightforward procedure. Only visitors from "visa national" countries are required to obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK. The list of "visa-national" countries is determined by the British Government and is subject to change.
Your travel agent should be able to advise you on your visa requirements.
For up to date information, contact your nearest British Mission (British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission) or check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office web site at http://www.fco.gov.uk/ukvisas.
Visa Sections at British Missions are busy, especially during peak periods, e.g. in the run up to the British summer. We recommend that you submit your application in good time to ensure that it is processed well before your planned departure.
Upon request, the IFLA 2002 National Organising Committee will issue an official letter of invitation to facilitate visa applications. Tick the box on the application form.
Weather and Clothing
August is the warmest month of the year in Glasgow and Scotland. The weather should be pleasant
and warm but, as in all temperate climate countries, is not guaranteed! The average daily
maximum temperature is 19 degrees centigrade; a typical days weather is sunny, with the occasional
light shower. Extremes of weather are rare in Glasgow and Scotland, especially during August. Pack
some warmer clothes and rainwear. As is annually evident from the number of red and white
people, the sun can be fairly strong on a hot day; suntan lotion can be purchased in a number
of shops.
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Passport, Visas and Insurance