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62nd IFLA General Conference - Conference Proceedings - August 25-31, 1996
Paper for the Open forum - Division 3 - Libraries serving the General Public
SISSEL NILSEN,
Chair of Division 3
and
TORNY KJEKSTAD
Secretary of Division 3
PAPER
The Division groups together libraries serving the general public as well as special library services directed to specific groups of the general public, such as children, linguistic minorites, people with disabilities, people in hospital or prison. The Division promotes the improvement of library services and information to all people, initiates projects, supervises their accomplishment and
coordinates the activities of its Sections, Round Tables and Working Groups. In the recent years the Sections and Round Tables have more than before worked cross-divisional and are cooperating rather than competing. The Division continues to be concerned that IFLA promotes literacy and reading promotion through libraries. This basic idea of libraries playing an more important role in combat
ting illiteracy throughout the world is supported both by the Professional and the Executive Board, and a 2-3 three year project has been initiated. The Division has also, together with the Section of Public Libraries, contributed to the revision and promotion of the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, and cooperated with the Children Section on Guidelines for Library Service to Young Adults. T
he Division which consists of nine Sections and Round Tables, is the largest of the IFLA divisions. Underneath we have compiled a brief report of the objectives and projects of the different bodies. Most of the Sections and Round Tables also publish newletters presenting trends and activities.
SECTION OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES
The section serves as a forum for all types of libraries serving the general public.
Objectives:
- to promote all matters concerning the provision of public library service in every environment, its objectives and policy, its theory and practice, its standards and techniques, working in cooperation with
the appropriate IFLA professional groups
- to arrange seminars on public library services and policy, particularly in developing countries, with a view to considering options which will lead to an improvement of public library provision
- to raise the awareness of Public Libraries as places for people to meet, communicate and exchange ideas and as leisure centres.
Ongoing projects:
- To promote the new version of the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto (1994).
- To test and develop Performance Measurement in Public Libraries.
- To promote the effective use of information technology in Public Library services and explore the involvement of Public Libraries in the development of National Information Policies.
- To make recommendations on the role of the public library in relation to formal and informal education.
Publications:
- Guidelines for Public Libraries. 1986
- Measuring the Performance of Public Libraries. UNESCO 1989.
- Guidelines for Public libraries Promoting Literacy. By Barbro Thomas. UNESCO 1993.
- IFLA seminar: Revision of the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto ‘72. Report.
- Guimaraes, Portugal 1993. (Some of the papers are also presented in Libri, volume 22, no 2, 1994) Libraries for literacy in geographically and socially isolated communities.
- Final report of the IFLA Pre-session Seminar, Matanzas, Cuba 1994. Uppsala 1995 ( ALP-report).
- UNESCO Public Library Manifesto. Brochure. Oslo 1995
SECTION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES
The use of school-libraries is the foundation for the use of all other libraries. In most countries this is the only place possible to reach all children.Literacy is natured in the schools and is prerequisite for all subsequent library and information use. In a technological world where daily access to information becomes an essential tool, effective school libraries have a significant contribu
tion to make. In schools the role of the school-librarians is to encourage reading for pleasure and information. Library programmes and library services are essential in meeting curriculum needs and the interests of students and teachers . Vital to such provision is the of adequately-trained school librarians, appropriate government policy and effective links with the library and information inf
rastructure.
Object ives:
to promote school library services to ensure that they meet the needs of all user groups
to delineate the role of the school librarian
to promote the role of school libraries
to promote research in the field of school librarianship
to assist school librarians in their professional
development.
Ongoing projects:
- "School libraries in the world" - where the main goal is to identify, collect and describe existing actual guidelines, standards and policies about school libraries.
- New project from 1995/96: "Principals and School Librarians working within an information literate school community. This is a 3-year research project about support to teacher librarians by school principals.
Publications:
- School librarians; Guidelines for Competency Requirements. Revised edition by Sigrun Klara Hannesdottir. 1995.
- IFLA Professional Report no 41. Cultural heritage through literature. Annotated bibliography of books from twenty-nine countries. Edited by Lucille C. Thomas. 1990.
- Library Lessons. Suggestions from around the world. Compiled by Blanche Woolls. 1993.
SECTION OF CHILDREN'S LIBRARIES
The Section`s major purpose is to support the provision of library service to children and young adults throughout the world.
Objectives:
The main objectives are to promote international cooperation in the field of library services to children and to encourage the exchange of experience and research in all aspects of this subject
- the provision of library services to all children
- to adults concerned with children and books
- the provision of resources to those involved in the production and study of children’s literature and materials.Ongoing projects:
- International Research
Abstracts:
Youth Library Service (IRA-YLS ) is a prototype version now available on Internet. The database can be reached on the Internet through GOPHER. It is also available in printed form and on computer disk. The project will be ongoing for a five year period.
- Guidelines for Children’s Library Services . Available in English, Spanish, Italian.
- Guidelines for Library Services for Young Adults. The Guidelines will be ready for distribution at the Beijing conference 1996.
- "Books for all", a joint project with IFLA and UNESCO which since 1973 has provided children and young people in developing countries with reading materials. An advisory committee has been founded in order to set up principles for electing recipients.
Publications:
Children's Literature
Abstracts:
Quarterly international guide to books and periodical articles about children's literature. Guidelines for Children's Li brary Sevices International Research.
Abstracts:
Youth Library Services. Computer database of research abstracts available in print or electronic format - soon to be available.Guidelines for Library Services for Young Adults.
SECTION FOR LIBRARIES SERVING DISADVANTAGED PERSONS
The Section focuses on promoting library services to meet the needs of those groups in the community who for various reasons are unable to make use of conventional library services, who need assistance in using these services, or who need library services that are adapted to their specialneeds. These groups include people in hospitals and prisons, the elderly in nursing homes andcare facilities
, the homebound, the deaf, and the physically and developmentally disabled.
Objectives :
- to improve the availability of all forms of material for disadvantaged persons
- to provide a forum for discussion of the reading problems and the information needs of disadvantaged persons
- to raise the awareness of professional librarians and aid in the development of educational and training materials for their use
- to develop guidelines to specific types of services
- to promote libraries in hospitals, prisons and other institutions, and professionalism in this area of librarianship.
Ongoing projects:
- Revision of the Guidelines for Hospital Libraries.
- International survey of Library School Curricula for Library Services to Disadvantaged Persons.
- Development of Guidelines for Easy-to-Read publications.
Publications:
- Guidelines for Library Services to Prisoners. 2nd ed. 1995. Avaliable in English, German, Spanish and French.
- Library Services to the Deaf. 1994. Available in English, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, French and German.
SECTION OF LIBRARIES FOR THE BLIND
The Section reflects the interest in library services for the blind and other print-handicapped readers. It is a main purpose to promote national and international cooperation in this field and to encourage research and development. The Section is also aiming at improving the availability and quality of materials for these groups.
Objectives:
- to implement standardization of materials
- to raise awareness of copyright issues
- to raise of awareness of relaxation of postal regulations and customs laws
- to identfy the locations of special format collections for the blind and other print-handicapped readers.
Ongoing project:
- Guidelines for Digital Talking Books.Publications:Proceedings of the DehraDun Training Seminar, English and tape edition.
- Proceedings of the Barcelona Expert Meeting, English and Spanish edition
- Proceedings of the Latin American and Caribbean Training Seminar. Spanish edition Textbook on Library Services for Visually Handicapped Persons.
SECTION ON LIBRARY SERVICES TO MULTICULTURAL POPULATIONS
The Section on Library Services to Multicultural Populations brings together librarians and libraries involved in the development and availability of library services and materials designed to meet the needs of cultural and linguistic minorities, both immigrant and indigenous, in the belief that all segments of the population in a country should have access to appropriate library and information
services. To achieve this vision the section seeks to promote education, planning and implementation in multicultural library services by making available information on how to organize, implement and provide services and materials suitable for linguistic and cultural communities.
Objectives:
The Section provides a forum for exchange of information concerning the development of multilingual and multicultural library and information services
ROUND TABLE ON MOBILE LIBRARIES
Mobile libraries operate in rural and urban environments to provide library services where it would not be feasible to operate branch libraries. The Round Table focuses on all aspects of mobile library operations and services. It is promoting and developing activities worldwide, particularily in those countries which have few or no mobile libraries.
Objectives:
- to promote equity and access to library services through mobile libraries
- to encourage the development of mobile library services
- to provide an international forum for the exchange of information on mobile libraries
- to foster awareness of the importance, value and special nature of mobile library services
- to conduct research in areas related to mobile libraries.
Ongoing projects:
- Develop an International Resource Kit on Mobile Libraries featuring information from countries around the world.
- Investigation of twinning mobile library systems in different countries.
Publications:
- The Mobile Library Guidelines 1991. Translations into French, Arabic, Spanish, Malay.Publication of guidelines on the design, construction and operations of mobile libraries. 1994
- Mobile library in the World Community 1980-1992. An annotated bibliography. 1992
ROUND TABLE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN CITY LIBRARIES (INTAMEL)
INTAMEL is a platform for professional communication and information for libraries of cities with 400.000 or more inhabitants. The RT reflects inter-divisional interests as they apply to large metropolitan city libraries.Objectives:The principle objectives are to provide assistance and support for members sharing similar problems and challenges, given the wide variations in the state of developm
ent of library services between cities and countries.
- to liaise with other groups as appropriate, both within and outside IFLA, to encourage the provision of the highest standards of service in metropolitan city libraries
- to faciliate the exchange of books and other public publications and the exchange of staff temporaily for training purposes, between member libraries.
Ongoing projects:
- Collecting and publishing comparative statistics on an international basis for large public libraries. Collected and distributed annually.
- Organizing an annual conference with the purpose of studying the library services in and around one of the member cities.
ROUND TABLE ON NATIONAL CENTRES FOR LIBRARY SERVICES (ROTNAC)
This round table groups managers of national centres for library services. It encourages cooperations between the members and promotes cenral services as well as exchange of information on working methods, price setting and new developments.
Ongoing projects:
- To establish different working groups to discuss current topics for cooperation among its members, e.g. AVM/new media, automation, information technology, publishing .