The 41st session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) takes place in Geneva from 30 November to 4 December, 2020.

EIFL will participate in the session when delegates from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) member states discuss limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives, education and research, and a proposed treaty for the protection of broadcast organizations, among other topics.

The 41st session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) takes place in Geneva from 30 November to 4 December, 2020.

EIFL will participate in the session when delegates from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) member states discuss limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives, education and research, and a proposed treaty for the protection of broadcast organizations, among other topics.

The 41st session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) takes place in Geneva from 30 November to 4 December, 2020.

EIFL will participate in the session when delegates from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) member states discuss limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives, education and research, and a proposed treaty for the protection of broadcast organizations, among other topics.

EIFL will take part in the 15th Internet Governance Forum 2020 (IGF 2020) which will be held online this year as part of international efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overarching theme of IGF 2020 is ‘Internet United’. The main thematic tracks are Data; Environment; Inclusion; Trust. 

EIFL will take part in the 15th Internet Governance Forum 2020 (IGF 2020) which will be held online this year as part of international efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overarching theme of IGF 2020 is ‘Internet United’. The main thematic tracks are Data; Environment; Inclusion; Trust. 

EIFL will take part in the 15th Internet Governance Forum 2020 (IGF 2020) which will be held online this year as part of international efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overarching theme of IGF 2020 is ‘Internet United’. The main thematic tracks are Data; Environment; Inclusion; Trust. 

Founded in 1971 and based in The Hague, LIBER is Europe’s largest research library network. We help our university, national and special libraries to support world-class research. Due to the departure of the current position holder, LIBER is looking for a Communications Manager who can lead the drafting, implementing and measuring LIBER’s communication activities, and…

The post Job Opening: Communications Manager appeared first on LIBER.

Thanks to the continued efforts of IFLA’s Language Centres, Regional Offices, and volunteer networks, IFLA’s Governance Review Draft Proposal, released in English on 19 June, is being made available in all seven of IFLA’s official languages.

Spanish and Chinese translations of the draft proposal are already available.

As a rule, IFLA makes available as many translations as possible, within its available resources, and within the understanding that this is only feasible with substantial help of the various language communities.

The IFLA Governance Review Draft Proposal reflects your desire for more transparency, efficiency and collaboration, stronger regional representation, greater financial and organisational sustainability, more varied opportunities for participation, and better support for volunteers.

We are grateful for the continued translation support from our Language Centres, Regional Offices, and volunteer networks and encourage you to share the news widely within your own language communities.

Gerald Leitner
IFLA Secretary General

EIFL is delighted to present the webinar, ‘E-resources during COVID-19: copyright and licensing issues’, in cooperation with the association of African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA).

The webinar is free and open to all library and information professionals. 

EIFL is delighted to present the webinar, ‘E-resources during COVID-19: copyright and licensing issues’, in cooperation with the association of African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA).

The webinar is free and open to all library and information professionals. 

EIFL is delighted to present the webinar, ‘E-resources during COVID-19: copyright and licensing issues’, in cooperation with the association of African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA).

The webinar is free and open to all library and information professionals. 

At the moment that the IFLA Strategy was launched at the World Library and Information Congress in Athens, Greece almost no-one could have imagined the world we live in today.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has forced libraries to close their doors, for the good of their users, their staff and their communities.  There have been radical changes in the way that services are offered, and in how libraries stay in touch with and support those who depend on them for access to information and culture. There is a lot of talk about a “new-normal” in the world of libraries.

Many of these changes have been difficult. Where it has been impossible to offer computer access, people have needed to camp outside in order to use the WiFi, or simply give up.

Where the space that libraries provide for learning has become inaccessible, students have fallen behind. Where users do not have access to technology, they have risked isolation.

For many, both in our field and beyond, the social cost of library closures has served to make clear how important our institutions are to the people they serve.

Yet while the prospect of re-opening doors and restarting services is welcome, it is clear that any ‘return to normal’ will be slow, incremental, and may indeed never happen. We will need to reimagine libraries and build a ‘new-normality’.

We therefore face a time of uncertainty, but also opportunity. The Pandemic has led to a huge learning curve in many areas and many organisations, notably around the use of digital technologies by librarians and users alike, as well as a new clarity concerning the challenges created by outdated laws and practices.

Those processes change the ‘settings’ of our field accelerate the rhythm of development and allow us to do things that previously looked impossible, or could be achieved only in several years’ time.

The best way to understand and cope with the new situation, to develop this ‘new-normality’, is by sharing our experiences and perspectives, and continuing to pursue our values and missions. This will allow us to work better, individually and collectively, to achieve our goals.

The IFLA Strategy provides a great framework for doing this.

First of all, the Vision it sets out is as relevant as ever. Literate, informed and participatory societies are essential for stronger, fairer, more sustainable societies and economies in the long-run – as underlined when the Strategy was launched. Similarly, they will also be crucial if the recovery from COVID-19 is to be a reality for all.

​It has also become clear that people who have lower skills, or are otherwise excluded, are being hit hardest by the Pandemic and its consequences. Faced with this, now is the time to build consensus on a point we have underlined for so many years: libraries are institutions that tackle these inequalities and therefore play a key role in societal transformation.

Secondly, the IFLA Strategy is born out of a perception across the global library field that we needed a document that would help us respond to change. It is not a strategy that is based on a static vision of the world, but rather one that is evolving, and that requires us to evolve with it, and ideally stay ahead of the curve in order to continue to provide vital services to our communities.

Rather than focus on specific outputs, it aims to increase our capacity, as a field, to respond, react and innovate. All the four pillars of the Strategy’s mission – to inspire, engage, enable and connect – are about building a stronger and more united global library field, better able to achieve the Vision, and more resilient in the face of shocks. It is a Strategy for uncertain times, such as those we are facing now.

Finally, it offers the flexibility necessary to ensure that we can adapt and develop initiatives – across borders and library types – that respond to needs. It is more than just a document – it is a starting point for action!

IFLA’s Professional Units have already rolled up their sleeves and demonstrated this potential, gathering inspiring examples, preparing webinars and developing training and other practical materials in different languages.

The Strategy also provides a framework for identifying where initiatives at the national or local level would provide opportunities for collaboration. We have seen, for example, that the situation facing libraries in areas with high levels of connectivity has been very different from those which cannot count on reliable and widespread internet access.

Using the Strategy as a guide, we will be developing action plans tailored to the needs of major world regions, as well as developing strong national library fields, better able to assess and respond to priorities on the ground.

Over half a year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is evident that it is likely to be with us for some time to come. The uncertainty it has brought should not, however, be a reason to delay or postpone innovation or thinking about the future.

On the contrary: it is a powerful argument for building our own capacity and resilience to respond, as well as to drive positive changes – something that we can best do together and with a compass so that no one gets lost on the way. The existence of one global strategy and many regional, national and local ones aligned to this wider vision and mission could not be more timely than now.

Gerald Leitner

IFLA Secretary General
 

Read more about the IFLA Strategy.

OpenEdition is a French open access publisher, run by Cleo, the centre for open electronic publishing. Through the agreement with EIFL, OpenEdition provides free institutional access to its Freemium for Journals collection of 175 journals, published by university presses and small academic publishers until December 2022.

The journals cover the subjects of humanities and social sciences. About 80% of the publications are in French, and half of the journals regularly publish articles in more than one language, including English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

OpenEdition is a French open access publisher, run by Cleo, the centre for open electronic publishing. Through the agreement with EIFL, OpenEdition provides free institutional access to its Freemium for Journals collection of 175 journals, published by university presses and small academic publishers until December 2022.

The journals cover the subjects of humanities and social sciences. About 80% of the publications are in French, and half of the journals regularly publish articles in more than one language, including English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

OpenEdition is a French open access publisher, run by Cleo, the centre for open electronic publishing. Through the agreement with EIFL, OpenEdition provides free institutional access to its Freemium for Journals collection of 175 journals, published by university presses and small academic publishers until December 2022.

The journals cover the subjects of humanities and social sciences. About 80% of the publications are in French, and half of the journals regularly publish articles in more than one language, including English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

OpenEdition is a French open access publisher, run by Cleo, the centre for open electronic publishing. Through the agreement with EIFL, OpenEdition provides free institutional access to its Freemium for Journals collection of 175 journals, published by university presses and small academic publishers until December 2022.

The journals cover the subjects of humanities and social sciences. About 80% of the publications are in French, and half of the journals regularly publish articles in more than one language, including English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

IFLA, alongside other members of the Culture 2030 Goal Coalition, has strongly welcomed the endorsement offered by the President of the 74th United Nations General Assembly for the statement on culture and COVID-19. 

Alongside IFLA, over 200 other organisations have signed the statement, including, from the Culture 2030 Goal Coalition, United Cities and Local Governments Committee on Culture (UCLG-Culture), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Arterial Network, Culture Action Europe, the International Federation for Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD), the International Music Council (IMC), and the Latin American Network of Arts for Social Transformation.

On behalf of IFLA, Secretary-General Gerald Leitner said:

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen so many people turn to books and reading for comfort, hope and inspiration, and libraries have worked hard to make this a possibility for all. It is therefore great news for libraries everywhere that his Excellency Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th UN General Assembly, has endorsed the statement, recognising this contribution and underlining the need to make culture central to policy making into the future.

The full text of the press release is available below:

[PRESS RELEASE BEGINS]

Culture2030Goal Coalition Members Welcome UN General Assembly President’s Endorsement of Statement on Culture and COVID-19

#CultureCOVID19

1 July 2020

Culture has a vital role both in the immediate response to COVID-19, and in planning for long-term sustainable development. This fact is at the heart of the statement by members of the #Culture2030Goal Coalition on Culture and COVID-19 launched on 21 May. 

With the endorsement of this statement by His Excellency Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th UN General Assembly, there is a clear recognition at the highest levels of the need to give culture a more central role in decision-making, now and into the Decade of Action.

The #Culture2030Goal statement, originally signed by eight members of the coalition, and now with well over 200 supporters, makes the connection between culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and long-term development planning. 

Drawing on the experience of global networks representing cultural practitioners and institutions and local and regional governments, it notes the proven potential of culture as a source of inspiration, comfort and hope at the individual and community level. It also underlines how culture can serve to support inclusion and positive relations, within and across borders. 

With the statement coming in the context of the ongoing work of the United Nations to promote sustainable development globally, the endorsement by His Excellency Mr Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the UN General Assembly, is therefore particularly welcome. 

As members of the #Culture2030Goal coalition, we are grateful to the President, and hope that others in the UN System, as well as Member States, legislators and other decision-makers, and civil society, business, local governments academia and other stakeholders  will offer their endorsement for the statement’s messages.

Read the statement on the #Culture2030Goal website: http://culture2030goal.net/.

[PRESS RELEASE ENDS]

The letter of endorsement can be downloaded from the President of the General Assembly's website.

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) COVID-19 Working Group has released the final version of its guidelines and recommendations on how data from multiple disciplines inform responses to a pandemic and can be shared under the present COVID-19 circumstances.

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) COVID-19 Working Group has released the final version of its guidelines and recommendations on how data from multiple disciplines inform responses to a pandemic and can be shared under the present COVID-19 circumstances.

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) COVID-19 Working Group has released the final version of its guidelines and recommendations on how data from multiple disciplines inform responses to a pandemic and can be shared under the present COVID-19 circumstances.