IFLA

As of 22 April 2009 this website is 'frozen' in time — see the current IFLA websites

This old website and all of its content will stay on as archive – http://archive.ifla.org

IFLANET home - International Federation of Library Associations and InstitutionsAnnual ConferenceSearchContacts


IN THIS DOCUMENT:

Information from the IFLA Secretariat

IFLA 2000 Secretariat

IFLA Website

IFLA Express

Welcome Address

Conference Theme

Preliminary Programme

Visas

Exhibition

Programme Information

Workshops

Satellite Meetings

Liaison Officers

FAQs



 
Jerusalem Conference logo

66th IFLA Council and General
Conference

 

Jerusalem, Israel, 13-18 August 2000

Information From the IFLA Secretariat

We hope that you have by now received the final announcement of IFLA 2000. We have made every effort to include as much relevant information as possible. If you have not received the announcement you can contact the Secretariat at the address below. In addition, you can consult the IFLA website. May we remind you that the deadline for early registration fees is 15 May 2000. If you wish to book hotel accommodation through the Conference Secretariat, we would suggest that you do so as soon as possible. Please use the registration form included in the final announcement for this purpose. We have also published a selection of pre-and post-optional tours. If you require further details on any of the above or on other issues related to your stay in Israel, please do not hesitate to contact us:

IFLA 2000 Secretariat

Peltours-Te'um Congress Organisers
POB 52047, Jerusalem 91520
9 HaUman St., Suite 207,
Jerusalem 93420, Israel
Tel: +972 2 648 1245
Fax: +972 2 648 1305
E-mail: ifla@teumcong.co.il
Website: http://www.teumcong.co.il

IFLA Website

IFLA's website can be found at the following address: www.ifla.org. The website will be periodically updated giving you easy access to the latest programme developments and other important information as it becomes available.

Papers will be posted to IFLA's website as soon as they are received by IFLA Headquarters. This will give participants the opportunity to download and read them before the conference, thus ensuring a more active discussion during the professional meetings.

IFLA Express

This is the first of eight editions of the IFLA EXPRESS. One additional issue will be published prior to the conference - in June - and the others will appear at the conference. Our aim is to provide essential information to participants regarding the scientific content of the programme. This includes details of sessions and workshops transportation details and changes in venue. We will endeavour to update the programme as much as possible before the June issue - so that delegates will have a more precise picture of the actual programme. We intend to include in the second issue, short background articles on subjects of interest to delegates. We have included in this issue the names and addresses of the Liaison Officers. They are available to help IFLA colleagues. We look forward to greeting you in Jerusalem.

Welcome Address

"The people of the book invite the keepers of the book."

On behalf of the Israeli National Organising Committee and the Israeli library community, we warmly invite all IFLA members to Jerusalem for the 66th Conference in the year 2000.

The IFLA Conference is the most important professional international event within the library and information community. It brings together delegates, experts and suppliers from all over the world, to meet, exchange ideas, share experiences, introduce new technologies and to influence the development of libraries and information centres, both nationally and globally. The Israeli National Organising Committee has chosen the theme:

"Information for Co-operation: Creating the Global Library of the Future"

for the 66th IFLA Conference in Jerusalem. The key word of the theme is co-operation, towards which we shall all be aiming. It is to these goals - international, multilingual, multicultural co-operation throughout the library and information community - that the 66th IFLA Conference in Jerusalem commits itself and invites all of its colleagues throughout the world to participate, contribute and celebrate in Jerusalem in the year 2000.

Jerusalem, the venue of the conference, is best characterised by its name - ??????? - in Hebrew, which means "city of peace". The city has a history of over 4000 years and is holy to the three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is famous for its beauty and unique atmosphere - a blend of ancient and modern. Jerusalem is the most suitable setting for the 66th IFLA Conference, especially in the year 2000, the start of a new millennium and a new beginning.

The Israeli library community is waiting to welcome you all warmly in Jerusalem.
Sincerely,
Sara Japhet
President

Bluma Peritz
Vice-President
IFLA 2000

Conference Theme

"Information for Cooperation: Creating the Global Library of the Future"

he enormous potential for international co-operation in the exchange and utilisation of information which today's technology offers, and tomorrow's technology promises, presents a unique opportunity to library and information professionals. The growing demand for bibliographic exchange, multicultural Internet resources, research unhampered by geographic or linguistic limitations, and cross-cultural networking, both in the sense of online technology and offline partnerships, is a challenge to libraries which should be welcomed and which must be addressed.

The Global Information Infrastructure which is developing and which will surely be in place early in the 21st century, will require information professionals with a sense of obligation, both to their national needs and to the larger goals of the international community, to digitise, navigate, distribute and preserve all the world's knowledge for all the world's people.

Preliminary Programme

Friday, 11 August

Morning Professional Board
Afternoon Executive Board
Co-ordinating Boards of Divisions

Saturday, 12 August

All day Standing Committees and Executive Committees
Evening Reception for IFLA Officers (invitation only)

Sunday, 13 August

Morning Welcome to IFLA for Newcomers
Discussion Groups
Workshops
Open Forums
Afternoon IFLA Council
Evening Exhibition opening

Monday, 14 August

Morning Programme sessions
Discussion Groups
Workshops
Afternoon Opening Session
Plenary Session
Evening Reception and Folklore Entertainment

Tuesday, 15 August

All day Programme sessions
Mid-day Poster sessions
Guest Lecture

Wednesday, 16 August

All day Programme sessions
Mid-day Poster sessions
Guest Lecture
Evening Cultural Evening at the Israel Museum

Thursday, 17 August

All Day Workshops
Library Visits and Tours

Friday, 18 August

Morning Co-ordinating Boards
Standing Committees
Afternoon Council
Closing Session

Saturday, 19 August

Optional Post-Conference Tours

Visas

A valid passport is required for entry into Israel. Please check with your travel agent or the Secretariat for visa requirements or concerns. (Note: visas are not required from most countries.) Participants from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel should contact the nearest Israeli embassy for assistance. Upon request the Secretariat will issue an official letter of invitation to facilitate visa applications. This invitation does not include financial support. Note: The Secretariat can assist with visa applications if notified five months prior to the Conference.

Exhibition

An international trade exhibition will be held in conjunction with the conference. For further information and to reserve exhibition space contact:

Rose International

PO Box 93260,
NL 2509 AG The Hague
The Netherlands
Tel: 31 70 383 8901
Fax: 31 70 381 8936
E-mail: roseint@euronet.nl

Programme Information

The information below will give a preliminary view of the open sessions organised by IFLA's Sections and Round Tables.
  • Acquisition and Collection Development. Theme: "Models for Acquiring Electronic Resources".
  • Art Libraries. Cataloguing Ephemera in the Art Library: Towards Integrated Access. The speakers will focus on such factors as cataloguing artists' files, rules and standards for cataloguing ephemera, and integrated access.
  • Asia and Oceania. Theme: "Networking Partnerships in Asia and Oceania".
  • Audiovisual and Multimedia joint with User Education. Theme: "User Education and Multimedia".
  • Bibliography. Papers will be presented on 1) Co-operation between national bibliographic services in Italy; 2) Czechoslovakia's use of international standards in rebuilding its national bibliography; 3) Israel's national bibliographic coverage; and 4) Canadiana celebrates its 50th anniversary.
  • Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries joint with Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons. Theme: "Global Co-operation". Speakers will discuss co-operative interlibrary arrangements from different areas of the world, which have enhanced the delivery of medical information to health professionals. Papers will be presented on the unique requirements of health professionals to rapidly receive information, donation projects, and sister library arrangements. These topics will also be covered in the Section's half-day workshop.
  • Cataloguing. Theme: "Metadata".
  • Collections and Services. Theme: "Documenting a Culture: The Case of Israel". Papers will be given on 1) Documenting Israel: shared efforts; 2) Public archives in Israel: preservation and accessibility; and 3) Archiving cultural heritage: the National Library of Israel
  • Continuing Professional Education. Theme: "Delivering Lifelong Professional Education across Space and Time".
  • Document Delivery and Interlending. Theme: "Lending and Document Supply in the Middle East: A Regional Perspective".
  • Government Libraries. Theme: "Government Services to Special Populations".
  • Libraries for Children and Young Adults. Speakers will address: 1) Children's libraries and literature in Israel; 2) Publishing for children - the Israeli experience; and 3) Jewish heritage in different countries.
  • Libraries for the Blind joint with Public Libraries. Theme: "Building Smart Communities: Knowledge as the Key to Growth and Development for Print Disabled People in a Competitive World". Papers will be presented on 1) Telephone access to library services; 2) Building virtual collections; 3) Reference services of public libraries for print handicapped people; and 4) Libraries in smart communities and benefits for blind people.
  • Library Buildings and Equipment. Theme: "Libraries for the 21st Century: How to Transform Planning Visions and Building Programmes into Successful Libraries, Useful for both Users and Staff". Speakers from Denmark, Sweden, Portugal and South Africa will deliver papers relating to the theme.
  • Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons. Theme: "Hospitals and Health Care".
  • Library and Research Services for Parliaments. Theme: "Library and Research Services for Parliaments on the Threshold of a New Millennium". Papers will be offered on: 1) The experience of co-ordinating a move in Singapore's Legislative Library; 2) Rebuilding a parliamentary library service; and 3) The relationship between legislative libraries in the European Community as seen from the perspective of Poland.
  • Management and Marketing joint with Information Technology and Social Sciences Libraries. Theme: "Building Change Management and Marketing Skills for the Information Age". Papers will be presented on: 1) Information ecologies and the library's changing role in an information society; 2) Migrating from the library of today to the library of tomorrow; 3) Managing the change from the traditional library to the electronic library; 4) Switching weaknesses into strengths: ICT challenges for libraries in Latin America; 5) Libraries and librarians on the threshold of the 3rd millennium: challenges and risks; 6) Internet librarianship: traditional roles in a new environment; 7) Technological discontinuities in the library: digital projects that illustrate new opportunities for the librarian and library; 8) Library management with new technologies; 9) Management support systems for libraries; and 10) Geographic information systems for library market analysis: personal digital data collectors for collecting in-library use.
  • Management of Library Associations. Theme: "Library Associations and Development".
  • National Libraries. Theme: "The Role of National Libraries in IFLA Core Programmes".
  • Preservation and Conservation. The theme of the session is "Preserving the Web" with speakers from Sweden, Australia, the UK and the USA.
  • Public Libraries. Theme: "Copyright".
  • Reading. Theme: "Literacy: Libraries, Programme Evaluation and Research".
  • School Libraries and Resource Centres. Theme: "The School Library and the Global Network". Papers will cover accessing and sharing information for the professional librarian and/or the student within a global network of information sources - human, electronic, professional and educational.
  • Statistics. Theme: "Library Statistics: The Search for International Standards for the 21st Century". Papers will cover: 1) The revision of ISO 2789, the standard for library statistics; and 2) Consortial attempts to develop standards for measuring consortial use of Web-based, indexed, abstracted and full text resources. The Section will also hold a browsing session and this year will focus on statistics of academic librarians. Space will be provided for conference attendees to bring national published statistics from their own countries so that colleagues can "browse" them informally. Persons displaying statistics will speak for 3-5 minutes to introduce the statistics they brought.
  • University Libraries and other General Research Libraries. Theme: "Library Education: Assessing Outcomes for the Professionals in University and Research Libraries. What Do We Want from Library Education?". The Section is co-sponsoring one Discussion Group on Performance Measurements in Academic Libraries with the Section on Statistics. The theme is "Benchmarking and Best Practices". The second Discussion Group on Marketing of Academic Libraries is co-sponsored with the Section on Management and Marketing and its theme is "Raising the Profile of Academic Libraries and Librarians".
  • Women's Issues. Theme: "Information for Co-operation: Women Library Leaders Serving the Majority".

Workshops

During the 66th IFLA General Conference, 13-18 August 2000, workshops in principle are scheduled for Thursday, 17 August. In most cases participation will be limited to 50 persons on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-registration for workshops is not required, but some workshops may be "by invitation only". Workshop papers will be available at the paper-handling centre at the Jerusalem International Convention Centre in exchange for coupons or cash. Unless otherwise indicated, all workshops will be held at JICC. The following workshops are planned.

Full-day Workshops

  • Art Libraries. Theme: "Art Reference in the Digital Age". Sub-topics include electronic reference, user training, library staff education, and providing access through online cataloguing. The format of the workshop will be interactive. The papers will not be read, but the main points will be presented by the speakers, followed by four specific statements. Four discussion groups will comment on these statements, followed by a plenary discussion. This workshop will be held off-site at the Israel Museum. For information: E-mail gkoot@rijksmuseum.nl
  • Classification and Indexing. Theme: "Subject Retrieval in a Multiscript, Multilingual Environment".
  • Information Technology joint with National Libraries and the UDT Core Programme. Theme: "Uniform Resource Identifiers and the Library Community". The workshop will provide an update on the various identifier initiatives, their interrelationships, and the emerging role of the library community in providing URI services. Topics to be covered: 1) Overview of identifier technologies and issues for libraries; 2) IETF URN development; 3) PURLs; 4) Handle system: an overview; 5) DOI, a publisher's perspective; 6) Identifiers and digital library development; 7) A role for national libraries in URI services; and 8) URI and developing European information services.
  • Library and Research Services for Parliaments. This workshop is by invitation only and will be held off-site at the Knesset. Topics to be covered include: Library and documentation services of the Knesset; electronic collections; twinning library and research services; budget planning; and production and performance indicators. On Thursday, 17 August the Section will hold another workshop at Ramallah, also on invitation only.
  • Library History. Theme: "Historical Threads of Judaica and Hebraica Librarianship". The programme is divided into four sections: 1) Like brands plucked from the fire: Vilnius Hebraica, a co-operative project; 2) Accessing collections: description classification, indexing; 3) Special interest collections; and 4) Bibliographic milestones.
  • Mobile Libraries. Theme: "Telling Mobile Libraries' Story: Collecting the Past to Build a Future". The workshop will emphasise historical stories about experiences of use of mobile libraries on how particular library services were planned. Contributions will include co-operative or collaborative projects with community-based groups to provide mobile services; unique mobile services; special initiatives undertaken to identify and plan services for unserved or underserved populations; approaches to user education through mobile libraries; and teaching technology on mobile units.
  • Reading. Theme: "Library-Based Programmes to Promote Literacy". The goal of the workshop is to bring together librarians and other experts from several countries and regions to explore library-based programmes for the promotion of literacy. Programmes for both children and adults will be included. Papers will focus on the factors which make for successful programmes; the sustainability of programmes; training for personnel involved in the programmes; the provision of materials for newly literate people; and obtaining funding for programmes. The objective is to work toward providing guidelines for planning successful projects.
  • School Libraries and Resource Centres. Theme: "Guidelines for School Libraries".

Half-day Workshops

  • Acquisition and Collection Development. Theme: "Collection Development in the Digital Age: Organisational Challenges".
  • Audiovisual and Multimedia. Theme: "Co-operation within the Library and between Libraries".
  • Bibliography joint with Education and Training. Theme: "The Role of Bibliography in the Curricular Library and Information Schools".
  • Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries. Theme: "Global Co-operation". Speakers will discuss co-operative interlibrary arrangements from different areas of the world which have enhanced the delivery of medical information to health professionals. This workshop will be a follow-up of the Section's open session.
  • Cataloguing. Theme: "Metadata".
  • Document Delivery and Interlending. Theme: "Licensing Information: An End to Sharing?".
  • Government Information and Official Publications. Theme: "Government Information on the Web". This workshop will be held off site, but the location is not yet determined. For information: E-mail jmansfi1@email.usps.gov.
  • Libraries for Children and Young Adults. Theme: "Guidelines for Children's Services".
  • Library Theory and Research. Theme: "Collaboration between Theory and Evidence-Based Practice".
  • Management and Marketing joint with Statistics. Theme: "Evaluation and Statistics as a Marketing Tool". The workshop will explore the topic of library statistics and how they can be used to market library services effectively. Speakers are from the USA, France and China.
  • Management of Library Associations joint with Library and Information Science Journals.Theme: "Library Journals for Whom?"
  • Management of Library Associations. Theme: "Library Associations for the 21st Century: New Wine in Old Bottles".
  • National Libraries. Theme: "Legislation for National Libraries".
  • Preservation and Conservation joint with Rare Books and Manuscripts. Theme: "Conservation of Non-Paper Materials". The workshop will be held off-site at the National and University Library in Jerusalem. For information: .
  • Social Sciences Libraries. Theme: "The Evaluation of WWW Subject Gateways".
  • University Libraries and other General Research Libraries joint with Copyright and other Legal Matters. Theme: "Copyright: A Question of Balance". This workshop is part of the Section's project to publish guidelines and/or a manual with concrete examples of contracts used by universities and research institutes to secure the right to fair use of copyrighted research and teaching materials produced by their staff. The goal of the manual is to demonstrate how to develop systems and procedures to facilitate access to copyright materials to support research.
  • User Education. Theme: "Training the Information User for the Global Library of the Future".

Satellite Meetings

August 9-10, 2000. Holon, Israel. Satellite meeting Section on Library Services to Multicultural Populations with Section of Libraries for Children and Young Adults. Theme: "Multicultural Services for Children and Young Adults". For information: Souad Hubert, Chef de Service Relations Internationales, Bibliothèque Publique d'Information, Centre G. Pompidou, 19 rue Beaubourg, 75197 PARIS Cedex 04, France, (fax: + (33-1)44781215; E-mail: hubert@bpi.fr) or Jili Raviv, Directrice de la Section Bibliothèque, Mairie de Holon, Bibliothèque Centrale Miterani, P.O.B. 239, Holon, Israel (fax: + (972-3)5032831)

August, second week, 2000. Haïfa, Israel. Satellite meeting Section on Management and Marketing. Theme: "Marketing Libraries pre-conference with focus on academic and large libraries". For information: Rejean Savard, Ecole de Biblioteconomie et des Sciences de l'Information, Université de Montreal ("EBSI"), C.P. 6128 Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7. Canada (fax + (1-514)3435753; e-mail rejean.savard@umontreal.ca) or Christina Tovoté, Malmö University, the Library, S-205 06 Malmö, Sweden (fax: + (46-40)6657301; E-mail: christina.tovote@mah.se)

August 9, 2000. Athens, Greece. Satellite meeting Section on Library Research Services for Parliaments and sponsored by the Hellenic Parliament. Theme: "The 16th Annual International Conference of Parliamentary Librarians". For information: Eleni Mitrakou, Hellenic Parliament, Serials Department, 218 Lenormant Ave., Athens 11528, Greece

August 17, 2000. Ramallah, Palestinian Authority. Satellite meeting Section on Library Research Services for Parliaments. Theme: "Special Meeting of the Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments". For information: Richard Paré, Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ont., Canada (fax + (1-613)9967092; E-mail: parer@parl.gc.ca)

Liaison Officers

Division I - General Research Libraries
Ms. Karen Sitton
Director, Bloomfield Library of Humanities and Social Sciences
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905
Tel: 972 2 588-2139
Fax: 972 2 532-2435
E-mail: msksitt@mscc.huji.ac.il

Division II - Special Libraries
Ms. Sanda Berkowitz

Director, Z. Aranne Central Education Library, School of Education
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905
Tel: 972 2 588-2042
Fax: 972 2 588-1586
E-mail: mssanda@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il

Division III - Libraries Serving the General Public
Dr. Ora Nebenzahl

Director, Public Libraries Dept., Municipality of Tel-Aviv-Jaffa
Sha'ar Zion Library Bet Ariela
25 Sderot Shaul ha-Melekh
P.O.Box 33235, Tel Aviv 61331
Tel: 972 3691-0141
Fax: 972 3691-9024
E-mail: ora@tzion.tel-aviv.gov.il

Division IV - Bibliographic Control
Dr. Snunith Shoham

Head, Department of Information Science
Bar-Ilan University
Ramat Gan 52900
Tel: 972 3531-8351
Fax: 972 3535-3937
E-mail: shohas@mail.biu.ac.il

Division V - Collections and Services
Ms. Naomi Barzely

Director, Library of Agricultural, Food & Environmental Quality Sciences
The Hebrew University - Rechovot
P.O.Box 12, Rehovot 76100
Tel: 972 8948-1270
Fax: 972 8936-1348
E-mail: barzely@agri.huji.ac.il
Division VI - Management and Technology
Prof. Elhanan Adler
Director, Israeli Inter-University Library Network
The Jewish National and University Library
Jerusalem 91904
Tel: 972 2 658-5005
Fax: 972 2 651-1771
E-mail: elhanan@libnet.ac.il

Division VII - Education and Research
Prof. Bluma C. Peritz

Director, School of Library, Archive & Information Studies
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
P.O.Box 1255, Jerusalem
Tel: 972 2 658-5045
Fax: 972 2 658-5707
E-mail: bluer@cc.huji.ac.il

Dr. Susan Lazinger

Member, Section on Education and
Training
Senior Teacher, School of Library, Archive and Information Studies
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
P.O.B. 1255, Jerusalem
Tel: 972 2 658-5656
Fax: 972 2 658-5707
E-mail: susan@vms.huji.ac.il

Division VIII - Regional Activities
Ms. Cecile Panzer

President, The Israeli Special Library Association (ISLIC)
38 Rachel Imenu St.,
Jerusalem 93228
Tel/Fax: 972 2 563-5563
E-mail: cptr@har2.huji.ac.il

Freqently Asked Questions

about the IFLA Conference.

Why does the opening ceremony take place halfway through the conference?

Because the IFLA conference is not only a conference. It is really an occasion on which several events are happening at more or less the same time. Because IFLA is a worldwide organisation, the members of the committees concerned with managing IFLA have to meet at conference time. The same is true of the committees running the professional programmes (the divisions, sections and round tables). There is also the exhibition. All of this is in addition to the professional conference itself. The business meetings start on Friday and continue on Saturday. There are some more on Sunday together with some Discussion Group sessions and the first meeting of IFLA Council (at which voting will take place). The exhibition opens on Sunday afternoon. However, the conference itself really begins on Monday. That's when the highest number of attendees is present and that's when we have the Opening ceremony.

Why are some people always dashing off to meetings, but I only have the sessions and the exhibition to attend? What's going on?

The answer to the previous question provides part of the answer. Also many participants belong to other multinational groupings of one sort or another. They take the opportunity of the IFLA conference to meet face-to-face.

What does SI mean in the programme?

It means simultaneous interpretation. Sessions marked SI have interpreters who translate the lecture and any discussion into the five working IFLA languages (English, French, German, Russian and Spanish). You need to take headsets into the room if you wish to make use of the service. They are usually available just outside the room. When you take part in a discussion, please remember to speak slowly and clearly to help the interpreters.

How can I plan my time? How do I avoid clashes between library trips, workshops and sessions?

It's a good idea to sit down in a quiet place as soon as you have the programme with a highlighter pen and mark all those sessions, workshops and visits which particularly interest you. Don't confine your choices to your own sector of library work. (For example, if you are a school librarian, you may well find inspiration and ideas from speakers in a variety of programmes in addition those put on by the School Libraries and Resource Centres and the Libraries for Children and Young Adults sections. Because there is so much going on, you will probably be unable to avoid clashes altogether. Printed papers are available for many sessions. If it's a choice between a library visit and a workshop and a session for which there is a printed paper (which will also be available on the CD-ROM IFLANET Unplugged and on the IFLA Website), for example, you may decide on the visit or the workshop. Once you've decided on your preferred sessions write them in the small conference diary provided in your pack.

Can I attend ANY of the meetings listed in the programme?

You can attend any of the meetings, except those few which are marked "closed meeting".

Many of the meetings scheduled for Friday 11th August, Saturday 12st August and Friday 18th August are business meetings of the Co-ordinating Boards of IFLA Divisions, Standing Committees of IFLA Sections and Executive Committees of IFLA Round Tables. You may attend any of these by permission of the Chair. This is usually given without fuss. It's a good way to get to understand the work of IFLA's divisions, sections and round tables. Indeed, you may find yourself getting involved!

If I find that a session is not as interesting or relevant as I expected, can I leave?

Yes, you will find that people come and go throughout meetings at IFLA conferences. It is not always easy to estimate just how relevant a session may be. The speakers do not always speak in the same order as listed in the programme. Sometimes, a specific speaker is not available at the last minute. And, of course, there is the problem of clashes. If you think that you may not stay for a whole session, it is a good idea to sit in a position from which you can leave without disturbing many people. In any, case please do your best to enter and leave sessions quietly - you can often do so during short breaks between speakers.

What are caucus meetings?

They are meetings of participants from one country or language group. They are particularly important in years such as this when Council meets and voting takes place. A caucus will try to ensure maximum impact for their votes by, for example, concentrating on a favoured candidate for the Executive Board. Other matters of particular interest to participants from that country or language group will also be discussed.

Are there social events for people from my country?

One good way to find out is to attend "your" caucus meeting and ask. There is a tradition, for some countries, of the ambassador (or other representative) holding a reception for the delegates from that country. The evening of Tuesday, 15th August is set aside for these receptions. Another way to find out is to look on the message board.

I understand IFLA Express is published daily. Where can I get copies?

This is the first issue of IFLA Express of 2000, another will be published in June. During the conference it is published daily. It gives information about changes to the programme such as extra exhibitors, room changes, additional speakers, and cancellations. It also has reminders about the locations of social events, transport arrangements and so on. It's an essential read. English language editions are usually available each morning from Monday until Friday. Copies will be placed at many different points in conference centre. French and Spanish language editions will also be available throughout the centre a little later to allow for translation. If you have information to submit, simply take it to the IFLA secretariat.

Can I send mail home?

Yes, a post office is available in the conference centre. Many participants mail conference materials home instead of carrying them.

Can I vote during the Council meeting?

There may be voting on Council agenda items and on resolutions which arise from the conference itself. Details will be published later in the year. Each Association Member (usually a library association in a particular country) and each Institutional Member (usually a library) has a designated voting representative. Personal Affiliates do not have a vote. So, unless you are the designated voting representative of an Association Member or of an Institutional Member, you do not have a vote.

How can I get the best out of the conference and justify my presence?

Plan carefully the sessions you want to attend. Be prepared to contribute to sessions during the question and answer periods. Use the social events to meet people and exchange experiences. Exchange business cards (or simply addresses) with people you meet. Make notes during meetings, tours of the exhibits and library visits of good ideas and innovations that you would like to follow up when you get back home. Write a brief report on the conference for your colleagues, including things you have learned or new ideas you would like to put into practice. Plan how you could make even better use of your attendance at next year's conference!

and Finally...

remember that the IFLA conference is a kaleidoscope of activities, events and visits. Concentrate on what works best for you. Find an 'old-hand', perhaps from your own country or library sector to meet up with from time to time to compare notes and exchange tips - or do the same with a first-timer. If this is your first IFLA conference, wear your first-timer sticker. You'll find that other participants will make you feel welcome and answer your questions. Help us to improve the conference for next year by completing and returning the evaluation form.

Above all - enjoy the IFLA experience!

*    

Latest Revision: May 10, 2000 Copyright © 1995-2000
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
www.ifla.org