Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section

Annual Report
August 2002 - September 2003

Scope

The Section focuses on the development of libraries for children and young adults all over the world. The Section works towards making children aware of books and reading, aware of the importance of lifelong learning and the right to information.
The Section wants to be an international forum for exchange of experience, ideas, projects and knowledge. It aims to be a forum for discussion, co-operation and development and will also open channels for information worldwide.

1. Encourage literacy for a reading society
2. Encourage relevant integration of changing technologies in libraries for children and young adults
3. Advocate for the children's right to information, according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
4. Encourage international networking between professional and researchers in the fields of children's library's services.
5. Strengthen the role and professional identity of children's and young adult's librarians

Membership

Libraries for Children and Young Adults section have 124 members (status august 2003) from different parts of the world.

In the SC the members comes from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, UK, Croatia Netherlands Germany, France(2), Italy, USA(2), Canada, Singapore, Russia, Japan and Chile.

(Incoming new members august 2003 from Korea, Croatia, UK, Netherlands)

Officers

Chair: Elisabeth Lundgren, Public Library, Kungalv, Sweden
Elisabeth.lundgren@stadsbiblioteket.kungalv.se

Secretary: Ivanka Stricevic, Public Library Medvesac, ZagrebCroatia
Ivanka.stricevic@knjizmed.tel.hr

Treasurer: Nic Diamant, la Joie par les Livers, Paris, France
Nic.diamant@joieparleslivres.com

Information Coordinator: Lars Aagaard, Danish Central Library for SydSlesvig, Flensburg, Germany
laa@dcbib.dk

Chair: Ivanka Stricevic, Public Library Medvesac, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivanka.stricevic@knjizmed.tel.hr

Secretary: Ingrid Bon, Biblioservice,Gelderland, Holland
Ingrid.bon@biblioservice.nl

Treasurer: Nic Diamant, la Joie par les Livers, Paris, France
Nic.diamant@joieparleslivres.com

Information Coordinator: Kiang-Koh Lai Lin, Singapore
lailin@nlb.gov.sg

Publications

Newsletter
One issue, July 2003. Editor Lars Aagaard

Leaflet
A leaflet presents the section. New edition every year, this year with a slight change in the layout. Printed in 150 ex for the conference in Berlin. Translated also to German this year and printed for distribution at the Berlin conference. Text and layout: Elisabeth Lundgren

Guidelines for Library Services for Young Adults
New updated version in German(500 copies). Distributed at the IFLA meeting and at different sessions in Berlin. It will also be distributed by request.(please contact Elisabeth Lundgren)
The Guidelines are also available in Croatia, in French (new edition last year) and in English (new edition 2001) On the sections webpage the Guidelines are available in Arabic, Catalan, Croatian Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Norwegian.

Projects

Closed projects

Books for All. Closed last year.
Childrenīs Literature Abstract. This international guide to books and periodicals about childrenīs literature has published the final issue. The final index is also published.
International Research Abstracts: Youth Library services /IRAYLS. Completed. Concerns 244 items 1994-1999 from 5 countries about public library services to young people. Editor Adele M Fasick.

Under work

Guidelines for Childrenīs Libraries
The section has worked a lot with the Guidelines. The ambition was to launch the Guidelines at the IFLA conference in Berlin. We didīt reach that goal, but in the beginning of next year 2004 we will have them ready.

New projects

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
Libraries for Children and Young Adults section has been selected to be one of the nomination bodies to this new annual international prize for children's books and reading development. http://www.kur.se
The section had two extra meeting for the nominations decision. Many members have sent in their suggestions in advance. The nominations are:
Books for All in the class reading promotion and Max Velthuijs and Anne Fine in the class authors/illustrators.

A working group for preparing next year nominations was set up - Annie Ewerall, Olga Maeots, Nic Diament,Leikny Haga Indergaard and Elisabeth Lundgren(chair)
The new chair and secretary will also attend the group.

The International Childrenīs Digital Library
The purpose of The International Childrenīs Digital Library is to provide access to literature that can enable children to understand the world around them and the global society in which they live. Developed by: Internet Archive and Unversity of Maryland. http://www.archive.org/children
Libraries for Children and Young Adults section has accepted to cooperate and be a reference group.

The Strategic Plan was updated during the year and discussed during the SC meeting in Berlin

IFLA conference in Berlin 2003

We had two Standing Committee meetings during the Berlin conference
Attendants SC I; 15 members
SC II : 13 members, 16 observers attended the two SC meeting ( eg from Iran, Libanon, Egypt, Mexico..)

We had two extra meeting for the nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. We have also a small meeting about the satellite meeting for Norway 2005 - theme Future Children's library, working group Leikny Haga Indergaard, Elisabeth Lundgren, Bente Buchave.

Conference Programme Libraries for Children and Young Adults

From Donkeys to Digital Libraries (attendants 200)
This was a special programme to present two complete different ways of getting books and children closer.

1. Lioba Betten former director for Books for All did an overview of her work with Books for all and all the places she has visited all over the world, Donkey Libraries, boat libraries etc
2. International children's digital library
   La bibliothèque numérique internationale pour enfants
   ANN CARLSON WEEKS (College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, USA)

Workshop: Children's Libraries Ensuring Access to Information and Creating a Culture of Understanding in a World of Violence and Conflicts (Attendants 160)

Joint Workshop between FAIFE /Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression/ and Libraries for Children and Young Adults section
Seven different speakers illustrated the theme. It was a great interest for this half-day workshop and the round room was full of people. The audience was very enthusiastic and I wished as the chair of this session that we hade more time for discussion and questions. We had one open discussion in the middle of the workshop led by Marianna Tax Choldin, FAIFE.

Welcome and Introduction:
Elisabeth Lundgren, Chair Libraries for Children and Young Adults section
First session:

1. Library services to children and urgent international cooperation
   Les services de bibliothèque pour enfants et l'urgence de la coopération internationale
   Service von Kinderbibliotheken und dringende internationale Zusammenarbeit
   BIRGIT DANKERT (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Fachbereich Bibliothek und Information, Hamburg, Germany)
2. The role of IFLA/FAIFE in ensuring freedom of access to information for children and young adults in areas of conflicts and wars
   ALEX BYRNE (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia)
3. The role of children's libraries in creating a culture of understanding in a world of violent conflicts
   VIRGINIA WALTER (UCLA, USA)
   

   Discussion: Before and after the damage is done. How can the international library community and other international organisations proactively ensure children's libraries services in areas of conflicts? How can they respond after the damage? What can the local libraries do?

   Second session:

4. The role of mobile libraries in refuge camps. Library on Wheels for Non-violence and Peace in educating non-violence and peace for Palestinian children and youth in Palestine
   NAFEZ ASSAILY (Library on Wheels for Non-violence and Peace Project, Palestinian Authority)
5. Bringing libraries and books closer to children during war - UNICEF projects in Croatia
   LJILJANA SABLJAK (Zagreb City Library, Zagreb, Croatia)
6. The role of libraries in providing access to information for children and young adults with special attention to AIDS issues
   CHARLES BATAMBUZE (Uganda Library Association, Kampala, Uganda)
7. The concept of peace- introduction to an exhibition of drawings
   KATYA GENIEVA, Library of Foreign Literature Moscow, Russian Federation

   Conclusion:

8. Children's rights and library best practices
   Les droits des enfants et les meilleures pratiques des bibliothèques
   MARIAN KOREN (NBLC, The Hague, Netherlands)

   Closing:

   Elisabeth Lundgren
   This was the first time FAIFE and Children's Section cooperated and the good result gave us impulses to continue the cooperation. One of the most interesting sessions at IFLA ever accordingly to what many told me afterwards The working group consisted of: Ivanka Stricevic, Susanne Seidelin, director FAIFE, Marian Koren, FAIFE programgroup and myself, Elisabeth Lundgren.
   Susanne Sedelin has done a lot of the practical work for this workshop as the coordinator.

1. Der PISA-Schock und seine Wirkung: Die Zukunft der Kinderbibliotheken in Deutschland
   The PISA-shock and its consequences: the future of children's libraries in Germany
   Le choc PEEI et ses conséquences : l'avenir des bibliothèques pour les enfants en Allemagne
   
   SUSANNE KRÜGER (Fachhochschule Stuttgart - Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart, Germany)
2. On the occasion of children's culture - to develop the institution and the professions in a public library
   A propos de la culture des enfants : pour un développement institutionnel et professionnel dans les bibliothèques publiques
   BENTE BUCHHAVE (Danish National Library Authority, Copenhagen, Denmark)
3. "Research for all" at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
   LAYLA ABDELHADY (Biblioteca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt)
4. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Experience: An Overview of the Children Library
   L'expérience de la Bibliotheca Alexandrina: une vue d'ensemble sur la Bibliothèque des Enfants
   INGI ABDELKADER (Biblioteca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt)
5. Young People Library
   SHERINE SAID (Biblioteca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt)

The audience had fun and it was really an appreciated session.

Study visit to Spandau

Our committee usually arranges study visits of our own to a children's library during the conference. This year we visited Stadtbibliothek Berlin-Spandau. We got a really good insight in the work they did with children and young people at the Spandau library.

Meetings

Midwinter meeting and Coordinating Board in The Hague 8-11 March 2003
The Midwinter meeting took place in The Hague in connection to the Coordinating Board where Ivanka Stricevic and I took part.
At the Midwinter meeting during the weekend we prepared for the conference in Berlin, the nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Some reflections

During my two years as a chair for Libraries for Children and Young Adults section I have worked a lot with getting interesting sessions and workshops. To get current, inspiring themes, and speakers who are engaged and representing different cultures and parts from the world. I believe it is important to raise the quality on the programmes at the IFLA conferences.

I have also tried to make the members in our SC to participate in the work. Everyone's contribution is important. We have tried to cooperate with different sections eg. Arrange joint workshops.

Another important matter is to translate the papers for the conference and publish them at IFLANET in good time. We have very good translators to French, German, Russia in our SC and I know that it is very appreciated by the audience. The section Leaflet, and the Guidelines for Libraries for Young people are also translating projects.

During the year I have had two lectures in Sweden about working with Childrenīs libraries internationally and specially the work in IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults section.
Also at Biblioteca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt I had a lecture about IFLA.

Elisabeth Lundgren Chair Libraries for Children and Young Adults section 2001- 2003
Sweden, December 2003