Innovations and Adaptability in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Library and Information Science (LIS) Professionals in Bangladesh

 

As the incidence of coronavirus is increasingly rising globally, affected countries are taking various preventive steps, including travel bans, remote office operations, country lockdown, and social distancing. We all know that necessity is the mother of invention and we have been realizing it during the pandemic situation. Access to information is the paramount tool for ensuring the quality of education. However, the information should be authentic when we will use it during this pandemic condition. Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals in Bangladesh have  been providing authentic information and innovative services to their patrons as fast as possible. Innovation and adaptability are very significant in this sudden change and LIS professionals, library associations, public libraries, academic libraries and school libraries have taken different activities to address this situation. The following diversified actions taken by LIS professional are worthy of highlighting:

LIS academics Activities

Webinar on Next-Generation Knowledge Management for Information Professionals

The department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University had organized a webinar on “Next-Generation Knowledge management for Information Professionals” through a live streaming on 18 June, 2020. Dr. Md. Nazim Uddin, Head and Senior Manager of Library and Information Services Section, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Dr. Md. Roknuzzaman, Professor, Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka were the honorable speakers. The webinar was chaired by venerated Dr. Dilara Begum, Chairperson and Associate Professor, Department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University. The webinar was hosted for students, faculty members, researchers and information professionals. About 200 viewers joined the live webinar from Facebook.

Image-1: Webinar on Next-Generation Knowledge Management for Information Professionals

Webinar on Combat with Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake Information: Media and Information Literacy Perspective

The Department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University organized another webinar on the topic of “Combat with Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake Information: Media and Information Literacy Perspective” through a live streaming on 20 June 2020.  Xiaojuan (Julia) Zhang, Professor, School of Information Management (SIM, an iSchool) and Vice President, Overseas Chinese Federation, Wuhan University, China and Dr. Pradip Kumar Panday, Professor, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh were the honorable speakers. The webinar was chaired by venerated Dr. Dilara Begum, Chairperson and Associate Professor, Department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University. The webinar was hosted for students, faculty members, researchers and information professionals. Around 4000 national and international viewers viewed and joined the live webinar from Facebook.

Image: 2 Webinar on Combat with Misinformation, Disinformation and Fake Information: Media and Information Literacy Perspective

Webinar on Library Services in Pandemic: Plan for Today and Tomorrow

A webinar on “Library Services in Pandemic: Plan for Today and Tomorrow” was organized by the Department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University on 9 July 2020. The event was broadcasted on Facebook Live Streaming for the participants. The overwhelming response from the participants made the event a great success. The webinar was viewed by about four thousand viewers. The webinar was designed with the eminent faculty member and information professionals named Labibah Zain, Associate Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Universitas Islam Negeri (UNI), Indonesia; M. Hossam Haider Chowdhury, Librarian and Library Head, Independent University, Bangladesh and Ayse Yuksel-Durukan, Teacher Librarian & Library Consultant, Turkey. The honorable chairperson of the department Dr. Dilara Begum was present at the webinar as the moderator. In the inaugural session, the honorable moderator welcomed the speakers and discussed about the new services and plans for the East West University Library in this pandemic. In the speakers’ lecture session, Labibah Zain, Ayse Yuksel-Durukan, M. Hossam Haider Chowdhury discussed different challenges they are facing during this pandemic in providing the library services and also mentioned some innovative technologies and services to meet the needs for their respective users. They also shared the best practices by the different libraries of their respective countries.

The webinar became lively when the audience expressed their opinion on the theme and posed their queries to the speakers. In the closing remarks, the honorable moderate expressed his heartfelt thanks to the speakers for sharing their thoughts and insights on the mentioned issues and welcomed everyone to attend the next webinar.

Image: 3 Webinar on Library Services in Pandemic: Plan for Today and Tomorrow

Webinar on How to Publish a Research Paper in Reputed Journals:

The department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University organized another webinar on “How to Publish a Research Paper in Reputed Journals” on 20th July 2020. The event was live streamed from the Facebook page of “Department of Information Studies and Library Management”. The eminent Speakers of the Webinar were Dr. Diljit Singh, Professor (Retired) and Former Deputy Dean (Postgraduate), Department of Library and Information Science, University of Malaya, Malaysia. Dr. Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq, Professor and Chairman, Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka and Dr. Md. Roknuzzaman, Professor, Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka. The speakers discussed the techniques of writing research papers, how to get papers published in reputed journals, and how to choose the right journals for publication between reputed and predatory journals. The webinar received tremendous response from participants both nationally and internationally as this was the highlight of the discussion. The webinar was immensely interactive and fruitful since many of the participants interacted via the comment section and posed questions to the Speakers. At the end of the Webinar, participants were asked to provide their feedback via the Webinar Evaluation Form and most the participants expressed their willingness to join other webinars. The organizer of the Webinar has also issued e-certificates to the participants in recognition of their valuable presence at the webinar.

Image: 4 Webinar on How to Publish a Research Paper in Reputed Journals

Innovative actions were taken by East West University Library:

Instant Reference Service [During COVID-19 Lockdown Period]:

The East West University Library is using WhatsApp and Facebook for providing Instant Reference Service during COVID-19 lockdown to its users. It is a direct and user-friendly service for Library users to contact library personnel. Users can ask their questions about services and resources provided by EWU Library using these platforms. The service hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

Image 5: Instant Reference Service at EWU Library

Online Information Literacy Program:

During the lockdown, the East West University Library conducts online Information Literacy program every Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm through Google Meet. To participate in this program, faculty members, administration officials and students need to submit the online form available at http://lib.ewubd.edu/node/86. If they are unable to attend on the appointed date, they can contact the instant reference platform through WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

Image 6: Online Information Literacy Program

Novel Coronavirus Content: Free to Access:

Many well-known publishers make research widely available from online resources and leading journals to support researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and those seeking to tackle this health crisis. The Novel Coronavirus portal developed by the East West University Library and the Novel Coronavirus material of world-renowned publishers has merged into one window. The portal will be periodically updated.

Evaluating News Sources at a Time of COVID-19:

The East West University Library has incorporated diversified tips from different platforms to help citizens for identifying disinformation, misinformation in the contemporary era of fake news, especially during the time of COVID-19. Anyone can access it through library’s website. 

Image 7: Evaluating News Sources at a Time of COVID-19

EWU Library organized online in-house training program on “Dimensions: The next generation of research discovery”

The East West University (EWU) Library organized an online in-house training program on “Dimensions: The next generation of research discovery” through Google Meet platform on 20 August 2020. for the library personnel as well as the faculty members of the Department of Information Studies and Library Management (ISLM), EWU. This online in-house training program was chaired by the venerated Dr. Dilara Begum, Chairperson and Associate Professor, Department of ISLM & Librarian (In-charge), EWU. Ms. Shaharima Parvin, Assistant Librarian, EWU, was the resource person. 

Ms. Parvin highlighted what is Dimensions and what it is used for, literature search on Dimensions, research analytics by author, research analytics by organization and other features of this database. Dimensions, is a Digital Science database which goes beyond citations and defines itself as a dynamic linked-research data platform. It allows users to explore the connections between publications, grants, clinical trials, patents and policy documents to deliver a broader picture of impact. It also presents bibliometric indicators for evaluating the impact of researchers and research organizations.

Image 8: Dimensions: The next generation of research discovery

Celebration of International Day of Peace 2020 by the Department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University in association with East West University Library

The United Nations’ “International Day of Peace” has been observed as a day of non-violence and cease-fire on 21 September, around the world. Responding to the call of United Nations with the keep pace of the whole world, Department of Information Studies and Library Management (ISLM), East West University in association with East West University Library celebrated “International Day of Peace 2020”. The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together”. To observe the day, the Department of Information Studies and Library Management, East West University in association with East West University Library organized a competition through Social Media where students of the East West University shared their Peace Messages. From the vast number of messages received from students, the organizing committee selected and posted a few messages on “East West University Information Club Facebook page as the viewer’s likes using hashtags of the United Nations (#peaceday #UN75). The post remained on Facebook up to 21 September 2020 when three were declared as winners, based on viewer’s like of the competitor’s messages. From 2018, the East West University has celebrated the day. The East West University’s “International Day of Peace 2020” event was placed in the Libraries for Peace (L4P) map of the  Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, USA that aimed to strengthen international ties among libraries and librarians worldwide for the promotion of international education, understanding, and peace. 

LIS professionals in Bangladesh are acting as the change agents, and libraries are embracing contemporary technologies for the radical changes taking place in the world today. However, there are some barriers facing by LIS professionals in Bangladesh, but they know how to overcome this situation.

The Indonesian Librarian Day and the 47th Anniversary Celebration of Indonesian Library Association.

 

The Indonesian Library Association (ILA) celebrated its 47th Anniversary on Tuesday, July 7, 2020 and announced officially the ILA’s Anniversary day as   Indonesian Librarian Day.  The celebration took place at the National Library of Indonesia, Jakarta.  The theme of this year’s anniversary is “Librarian: the Past,the Present, and the Future”.  The event was hosted by Rifa Fadilah, S.Sos  and it began with a prayer recited by Dr. Zulfikar Zen, M.A, the Vice President of ILA. It then followed by the event preparation report by Chair

One of the Association, Mr. Robinson Rusdi S.H.  The opening speeches were given by 

ILA’s President, Mr. T. Syamsul Bahri, S.H., M.Si  and the  Director of the National Library of Indonesia, Drs. Muhammad Syarif Bando, MM as the Head Advisor of ILA. 

In his prayer Dr. Zulfikar Zen wished God gives His mercy to Indonesian librarianship and blesses Indonesian librarians in their professional responsibilities as stated in “

Asta Etika  Pustakawan” (Librarian’s Eight Codes of Ethics). Dr Zen also wished that

God will favour all Indonesian librarians who had been actively contributing to the advancement of Indonesian librarianship.   

Mr. Robinson Rusdi then reported that the total number of participants of this event was 2067 people consisting librarians, lecturers, students, and literacy activists.  As the Zoom virtual meeting system could only accommodate 500 “live” participants, the rest were invited to join the event from YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zspnsXGnI_4. Mr. Rusdi further reported that as suggested by the Director of the National Library of Indonesia, ILA has asked all regional ILA’s members to write opinions and articles on ILA’s anniversary and Indonesian Librarian Day in mass media.

ILA’s President, Mr. Syamsulbahri stated that ILA continues to strive to improve Indonesian librarian’s competencies.  It is expected that competencies enhancement will support Indonesian librarians’ roles to serve the library users better. The theme of the anniversary: Librarian  : Past , Present  and Future,  implies the spirit of moving forward to face a very dynamic and fast-changing future without leaving the understanding of the basic values and characteristics of the organization, as developed by senior librarians in the past, and being continuously developed by current librarians. Indonesian librarians keep nurturing and educating young cadres who will become the successor to the practice of Indonesian librarianship in the future, and who will introduce and bring the name of Indonesia Library Association to the international community, to become a professional organization that is known at the national, regional and international levels.

In his speech the Director of NLI emphasized that Indonesian librarians in national and regional level should be more active in contributing to the development of the nation. Indonesian librarians need to continuously ensure that public has easy access to information in dealing with national issues. The anniversary celebration went on with a traditional procession of “tumpeng cuts” (tumpeng is a traditional cone shaped rice dish decorated with vegetables and meat, mystically symbolizes of life and its ecosystems). The ILA President offered the first cut of tumpeng to the Director of NLI witnessed by ILA’s Board of Advisors.

The Anniversary celebration continued with an International Webinar moderated by Chair Two of ILA, Utami B.R. Hariyadi. The webinar featured three speakers, ILA Advisor, Professor Dr. Sulistyo-Basuki, MA., M.SLS., Ph.D  IFLA President,  Ms. Christine Mackenzie, and Chairman of  ILA South Kalimantan region, Dr. Ahmad Syawqi. 

In his presentation, Prof. Sulistyo Basuki explained about the historical journey of library associations and organizations in Indonesia before the establishment of Ikatan Pustakawan Indonesia abbreviated as IPI and translated in English as Indonesian Library Association, on July 7,1973. Prof. Sulistyo stressed out that in future, IPI should be more independent and continue to contribute to the creation of guidelines and standards on librarianship.

IFLA President, Ms. Mackenzie explained that there are some important roles of librarian/library associations such as expanding the librarian network, developing librarian personal and professional competencies, supporting the advocacy and legislation in nationally and globally, as well as supporting professional practices at the international level. She attended the event virtually and presented her pre-recorded video from Australia. 

The last speaker, Dr. Syawqi, explained the importance of libraries and librarians transformation aligning with current development. Librarians should always adapt themselves with the advancement of technology and ensure that visions and insights of library user community continues to improve. Dr. Syawqi also pointed out the importance of instilling religious values to motivate librarians in performing their duties. 

The ILA Anniversary Celebration and International Webinar was officially closed by the Librarian Coordinator of the National Library of Indonesia, Drs. Dedi Junaedi, M.Sc. 

The anniversary celebration was attended by all Advisors and Committee Members of Indonesian Library Association, virtually by 500 attendees via Zoom, and was watched live by more than one thousand participants on the YouTube channel of the National Library of Indonesia. The ILA Anniversary celebration was also reported by twenty-five online media namely: www.liputan6.com, www.inews.id, www.rakyatpos.com, www.sindonews.com www.republika.co.id, www.harianaceh.co.id, www.fajarpendidikan.co.id, www.harianaceh.co.id 

The whole coverage of the 47th Anniversary Celebration of Ikatan Pustakawan Indonesia and Hari Pustakawan Indonesia is available at bit.ly/webinaripi07072020

 

 

LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA WELCOMES THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE TERM  2020-2022

Introduction

Librarians Association of Malaysia or better known as Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia (PPM) was established in 1955 by the name Malayan Library Group and is the professional body for the library and information services in Malaysia. PPM is the national voice representing librarians from all types of libraries in Malaysia and has greatly contributed to the status and development of libraries in Malaysia.  PPM is an institutional member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and by default a member of the IFLA Asia Oceania Section and IFLA Management of Library Associations Section.  

 The vision of PPM is to be a leader of excellence in the development, promotion and support of Malaysian library and information professionals and institutions in the global knowledge industry. The objectives of PPM are to provide and support education and training to enhance the knowledge, qualifications and status of members of the profession; to promote and monitor the legislation affecting the profession and provision of library and information services; to forge strategic alliances with national, regional and international organisations leading towards globalization of library and information profession and services; and to develop and promote standards in all aspects of the library and information and services.

For 2019, the total number of PPM members who have paid up their subscriptions was 660 which included 10 Honorary Life Members, 56 Life Members, 445 Professional Members, 26 Student Members, 22 Institutional Members, 89 Affiliate Individual Members, 1 Affiliate Public Institution and 11 Affiliate Corporate Institutions.    

PPM Council Members (2020-2022)

The governing and executive body of PPM is the Elected Council as stipulated in the Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia Constitution (Amendment) 1998.  PPM held its 64th Annual General Meeting on 25July 2020 to elect the new PPM Council Members for the term 2020-2022. For the first time in the history of PPM, the Annual General Meeting was held virtually as well as physically due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A total of 201 members comprising of 65 physical and 136 virtual members attended the Annual General Meeting adhering to the Standard Operating Procedure of COVID-19 set by the Malaysian Government.

The new Council Members of PPM for the term 2020 to 2022  are as follows: Dr. Rashidah Bolhassan (President), Madam Siti Sumaizan Ramli (Vice President I), Dr. Mohd Faizal Hamzah (Vice President II), Madam Salmah Abdullah (Treasurer)  with six (6) elected and four (4) appointed Council Members. The six (6)  elected Council Members are Mr. Wan Mazli Wan Razali (Secretary), Madam Firmaris Mohd Ariff (Assistant Secretary), Mr. Mohammad Nazari Abdul Hamid, Mr. A. Azli Abdul Rahim, Dr. Khasiah Zakaria and Madam Nurfarawahidah Badruesham. The four (4) appointed Council Members are Madam Zurina Abdul Aziz (Assistant Treasurer), Mr. Zawawi Tiyumin,  Dr. Ghazali Mohamed Fadzil and Mr. Ali Rashid. The Council also include the Immediate Past President, that is, Dato Nafisah Ahmad who was the President for two terms from  March 2016 to 2018 and March 2018 to July 2020. Members of Council shall hold office for a period of two (2) years and may seek re-election provided only that the President shall not seek re-election in the same capacity for more than two (2) consecutive years. Only Professional / Life Members of Malaysian citizenship are eligible to be elected to the Council. 

PPM’s President Manisfesto:

Dr. Rashidah Bolhassan takes over from Dato Nafisah Ahmad as the President of PPM effective 25 July 2020. Her manifesto is to work with the team to realise the following:  

• PPM to provide pragmatic support for Malaysian’s librarians and related professionals;
• Immerse librarians as advocates for better communities, towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG 2030) through PPM’s continuous Professional Development Programmes;
•  PPM to strengthen and align strategic promotion and marketing for itself and its members;
• PPM to further strengthen itself as the ‘C-Force’ to accelerate international connectivity, contribute as an international partner and player, and to strategize international recognition; and
• Promote PPM as an institution for continuous learning, research and publisher for the field of knowledge management and library and information studies.

More information on PPM can be accessed via PPM website http://www.ppm55.org/; Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ppm55/ & Blog https://beritappm.wordpress.com/

Hello Friends,

Libraries around the world are still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has been the catalyst for change. Many libraries have strengthened their capacity of digital libraries and extended e-Lending, allowed access to online resources and conducted virtual programs to users. Libraries are challenged on how best to operate without compromising the safety of library users and staff when they re-open. You can read more on how the libraries have reacted and what will be the future of libraries from the articles about the Leaders’ Conversations on Libraries in the Post-COVID world.

The Leaders Conversations is a new digital platform for leaders in the region & beyond to share insights on major developments of the library world. It is organised by the IFLA Regional Office for Asia & Oceania, hosted by the National Library Board Singapore. It is organised in support of the IFLA Global Vision to create strong and united library fields. The first series touches on the theme on Libraries in the Post COVID-19 world. Leaders from the national, public libraries and academic libraries in the Asia and Oceania region shared the impact and future of the libraries in the Post COVID world. They also shared their views on interesting topics like: “Would Libraries get bigger or smaller and why?” and “What Libraries would want to stop, continue and start?”

            In this issue, we also share about the IFLA Governance Review. It is a major delivery of the IFLA’s strategy and it highlights our next steps of the Development Roadmap. This is to ensure that we have the structures needed to make a reality of our goals and values.

We would also like to congratulate the Foshan Library (China) for being the first-place winner of the coveted IFLA Press Reader International Marketing Award for 2020. The Award honors organizations which implement creative, results-oriented marketing projects and campaign.

Congratulations too to the Indonesian Library Association for its 47th Anniversary. It has officially announced its Anniversary day as Indonesian Librarians Day. Do enjoy the articles in this issue and please stay safe and take care everyone.

 

Sincerely,

Ms Soh Lin Li

Manager for IFLA Regional Office for Asia and Oceania

Dear Colleagues,

The global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has not ceased. The pandemic that has caused so much severe damage to human lives and disruptions to our daily life and work, also brought about unprecedented changes that are reshaping the library communities in Asia and Oceania, as well as the global library world.

A lot of sharing and discussions have taken place about the current situations affecting libraries. But what about the libraries in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis? Can we revert to our old normal way of doing things before the crisis? Can we continue with the services initiated during the crisis in one way or another in the post-COVID-19 age? What are the new norms? How would they impact the landscape of the libraries in terms of collections, services, spaces, operations, communications, staff, users’ behaviour, resource allocation and our relations with different stakeholders?

To support IFLA’s Global Vision, the Regional Office and the National Library Board, Singapore with the support of IFLA and RSCAO recently organised a webinar series on Leaders’ Conversationson Libraries in the Post-COVID-19 World for the libraries and library associations in the Asia & Oceania region.

The series consists of three webinars dedicated to the National Libraries (18 September), Public Libraries (29 September) and Academic Libraries (16 October) respectively. Distinguished speakers and guests across six sub-regions of Asia and Oceania, including, Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania shared their reflections on the lessons learnt during the pandemic as well as insights into the new agenda after Covid-19 and explored how libraries may align with the new priorities proactively. As Christine Mackenzie, the IFLA President mentioned in her closing speech, she shared some common issues that emerged from the conversations.  These include the importance of information sharing and collaboration, changing role of librarians and the need for upskilling, need for librarians to work innovatively and creatively, new appreciation of libraries – seen as partners, concerns about the resources in the future, resilience and pivoting, adaptabilities and copyright.

The Regional Office will coordinate the post – production on presentation clips and video highlights will be posted online and on social media.

I would like to thank the Regional Office, the National Library Board, Singapore, my RSCAO colleagues and all the distinguished speakers and guests for making the event a great success!

For IFLA and us all, it is worst of the times, it is the best of the times, it is the age of separation, it is the age of solidarity, it is the winter of crises, it is the spring of opportunities.

Let’s work together to survive and thrive!

Tina Yang

Chair, IFLA Regional Standing Committee of Asia and Oceania

 

Teresa Hackett, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, will join three other experts in a webinar to discuss national and international copyright issues, the costs and benefits of open source, and the COVID-19 publication race.

The other speakers are Jonathan Klaaren and Malebakeng Forere, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, and Kirstin Krauss, University of South Africa.

Teresa Hackett, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, will join three other experts in a webinar to discuss national and international copyright issues, the costs and benefits of open source, and the COVID-19 publication race.

The other speakers are Jonathan Klaaren and Malebakeng Forere, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, and Kirstin Krauss, University of South Africa.

Teresa Hackett, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, will join three other experts in a webinar to discuss national and international copyright issues, the costs and benefits of open source, and the COVID-19 publication race.

The other speakers are Jonathan Klaaren and Malebakeng Forere, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, and Kirstin Krauss, University of South Africa.

A multitude of open science training courses is being delivered by institutions across Europe (and beyond) to researchers at different stages of their careers. Many agencies and groups have described their valuable work in reports and recommendations. However, basic information on curriculum specifics at the institutional level does not appear to be generally available.

A multitude of open science training courses is being delivered by institutions across Europe (and beyond) to researchers at different stages of their careers. Many agencies and groups have described their valuable work in reports and recommendations. However, basic information on curriculum specifics at the institutional level does not appear to be generally available.

A multitude of open science training courses is being delivered by institutions across Europe (and beyond) to researchers at different stages of their careers. Many agencies and groups have described their valuable work in reports and recommendations. However, basic information on curriculum specifics at the institutional level does not appear to be generally available.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance for libraries to be able to provide services to users through digital channels. As such, it has thrown a new light on many of the questions that already existed about whether, and under what terms, libraries can acquire and give access to eBooks and other resources.

The LIbrary Association of Ireland has released a statement highlighting concerns and hopes for future action in order to ensure that libraries are able to carry out their missions digitally, during COVID-19 and beyond.

We interviewed Marian Higgins (President, Library Association of Ireland), Cathal  McCauley (President-Elect, Library Association of Ireland) and Stuart Hamilton (Library ASsociation of Ireland) to find out more: 

1.What has the impact of COVID-19 been on Irish libraries’ ability to offer access to information?

With physical buildings being closed, there has been a rapid pivot in the library sector to provide information electronically, and demand for online resources such as eBooks, has soared. For example, we have seen triple digit percentage increases in new users of eBook services in the public library sector, and have had to work hard to find the financial resources to meet this new demand.

2. How are current practices around eResources affecting the ability of libraries to deliver on their mission to provide access to the materials that users need?

First of all, we don’t own any electronic resources that we spend money on, we only license them. We are at the mercy of restrictive licensing terms and high prices, and titles we need are often not available in eBook format. This situation adversely affects libraries’ ability to delivery high quality services to users during the COVID period when they have never been more important or necessary.

3. You suggest in the statement that the market for eResources isn’t working. What stands in the way of this?

Despite talk of industry standards, there is a lack of standardisation across the publishing sector and a lack of transparency around pricing and licensing models which makes it very difficult for libraries to provide the services they want, and it makes it equally as difficult for readers to understand why eBook titles are not available. In some cases, libraries will purchase titles as part of a deal that are then removed at a later date, with little or no warning. These titles then need to be purchased again in the future, under different terms or at higher prices.

4. Compared to the print book market, how well regulated would you say the market is for electronic resources?

There appears to be a complete lack of regulation, with wildly varying prices. If you applied the same conditions to print books that publishers apply to eBooks, books would disappear from the shelves in X months’ time, or once they had been borrowed X times. It’s extremely variable, lacking standards and thoroughly unregulated.

5. What reasons may lie behind the high prices being charged for some eResources, or simply their unavailability?

It is very hard to justify the high price of eBooks due to the lack of transparency around pricing models and licensing conditions. The apparently arbitrary nature of what is available for sale in eBook format and what is not makes it difficult for libraries to make sustainable purchasing decisions, and also causes difficulties in explaining to users why certain titles are not available.

6. Libraries have a well-recognised role in the book market – is there any reason why this shouldn’t be the case in the market for eResources?

No. Libraries foster a love of reading that leads to borrowing, but also book purchasing by users. If anything it is even more important that we have a role in the market for eBooks as users find it more confusing and we have an obligation to provide our users with access to information, regardless of the format.

7. It seems likely that the increased share of eResources in libraries’ overall offer to users is here to stay. If nothing changes, is this viable for library budgets?

Due to the unregulated nature of this market, the lack of transparency, and the current COVID crisis, it’s the wild west out there. This situation is not viable from a library point of view, it’s not sustainable and in many cases we are constantly spending money to ensure that titles don’t disappear from our collections.

8. Who is likely to be affected by this situation?

If increasingly amounts of library funds are devoted to online resources as prices continue to rise, then it is inevitable that money will be taken from other parts of library budgets, such as book funds, programming and activities. Service delivery will inevitably suffer.  Even those institutions who are able to purchase eBooks will find they are getting worse value for money due to increasing costs and restrictive licensing conditions. The overall effect on library services will be negative and sustained.

9. What can governments do to improve things?

A fair and transparent investigation into current eBook pricing, availability and licensing terms would be a great response. We would like to see an EU policy that stabilises the market, makes it fair and transparent, and recognises the importance of fair and equitable access to eBooks for citizens. We have established these frameworks for print resources, it is now time to do the same for digital.

10. What scope is there for work with rightholders?

There is always scope to work with rightsholders, but there has to be an honest conversation about the unsustainable situation that currently exists in the eBook and eResources market for libraries. Governments should step in and facilitate this conversation, and it has to happen soon.

Dear Colleagues,

Here in the United States, we are in the holiday season approaching Thanksgiving, a day we reflect on all that we have and give thanks for our bounty.  While we currently share the challenges that come from living in a pandemic world, there is much for which to be thankful.  One of those is the continuing sense of community we share in the Education and Training Section (SET).  With the availability of new tools from IFLA, we have been able to build virtual connections that are more inclusive than if we had to meet in person! This has extended to our successful webinar series hosted this fall by SET, where we have had excellent attendance from around the globe and received positive feedback.  I am grateful to Albina Krymskaya, Susmita Chakraborty, Joan Weeks, and Jennifer Branch-Mueller for their leadership and organization of these webinars, and we look forward to continuing this outstanding series of webinars each month into the first half of 2021. 

I am also grateful to work with each of you in the Standing Committee of SET, for your active participation and engagement to pursue our goals and succeed in our work.  Together, we are making an impact on LIS education and bringing the library community together around the world. 

From the United States, Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Best wishes,

Kendra Albright 

The Final Report is now available. We received sixty-three responses to the survey. The GIOPS 2020 Action Plan which was recently submitted to Division II focuses on implementing the key takeaways and recommendations from the survey:

• distribute a regular newsletter
• sponsor webinars, workshops, or other educational modules related to government data, born-digital collections, web-archiving, disinformation, and copyrights issues.  GIOPS should seek out opportunities to collaborate with other sections within IFLA on these.
• recruit members outside of Europe and North America 

 

Join this two-day workshop to discuss the challenges and opportunities for universities engaging in citizen science, and explore how citizen science can benefit from and add to the transition to open science.

Join this two-day workshop to discuss the challenges and opportunities for universities engaging in citizen science, and explore how citizen science can benefit from and add to the transition to open science.

Join this two-day workshop to discuss the challenges and opportunities for universities engaging in citizen science, and explore how citizen science can benefit from and add to the transition to open science.

At two occasions, 14 and 16 December 2020, there will be a webinar about ResCarta Toolkit. The goal of this webinar is to teach library professionals to make their digital collections of audio and video material searchable in full text.

For full information https://www.ifla.org/node/93482 and https://www.ifla.org/node/93485

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Closely aligned to the IFLA Key Initiative 3.3 “Empower the field at the national and regional levels” the IFLA Academic and Research Libraries Section (IFLA ARL Section) engages, encourages, inspires and connects a global community of library workers through their outreach and communication efforts.

The section makes a point of cooperating regularly with other IFLA sections and facilitating the involvement of library professionals from low and middle income countries in all their events, activities and programs.

This year, ARL faced the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and turned it into an opportunity to strengthen their technology-enabled work, reaching even more people across the globe, and expanding their knowledge through greater engagement with their audience.

Here are some highlights of their efforts.

Webinars

The ARL Section initiated their webinar program two years ago, but in 2020, they reached new levels with even more virtual engagement through the ARL YouTube channel. The programme has allowed them to present relevant content for academic and research libraries towards a global reach, with five popular webinars being held from December 2019 to November 2020:

 

• Webinar: Academic Library Services during COVID-19
  

Held in July 2020, this webinar attracted over 200 participants from around the world with ten presenters from countries including Hong Kong, Australia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, France, Denmark, Oman, Germany and the United States.

 

• Webinar: Decolonization in education: Role of the academic library 
  

Held in August 2020, this webinar had 150 participants with speakers from South Africa and Canada.

 

• Webinar: Libraries as Catalysts: Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect
  

Held in September 2020, ARL's traditional Hot Topics session was presented as a webinar with the same speakers from China, Australia and the US, as planned for the WLIC 2020.

 

• Webinar: Innovative and expanded academic library services: the ripple begins locally
  

This final webinar for 2020 was held in November, with speakers from South Africa and the United States.

    Virtual engagement of the IFLA ARL Section

The IFLA ARL’s virtual engagement does not stop with their YouTube channel and webinars. IFLA ARL managed to efficiently communicate their content through a variety of channels to reach the largest audience possible.

Approximately 500 subscribers (IFLA individual members, organisations and those interested in ARL’s work) receive regular updates from, such as reports, minutes, other announcements. IFLA ARL has been building its online presence to amplify the content of its programs for wider outreach globally.

The IFLA ARL website, blog and social media accounts (Facebook with over 4,200 followers, and Twitter) are active and popular hives of ARL activity. Posts are commonly written by committee members, though they occasionally have guest authors. This year 14 blog posts were published on topics ranging from reactions of academic libraries to COVID in Nigeria, Slovenia, France, the United States and Botswana, to academic library perspectives in Russia and Chile, to Plan S in the Netherlands and a digital dexterity initiative in Australia.

The Chair of the IFLA Academic and Research Libraries Section, Gulcin Cribb speaks about the ARL team, their engagement and their collaboration:

Central to the outreach of the ARL Section is the fact that members of the standing committee very much work as a cohesive team. Our Information Coordinator is responsible for keeping our presence on the IFLA website current and relevant.

Three of us regularly and consistently monitor our social media accounts and other members have led the ARL activities enthusiastically and diligently. By encouraging all our standing committee members to be actively involved in our communications and organizing events, we have created a strong and collegial team.

The ARL members look forward to further collaborating with each other, with other IFLA Sections and beyond in 2021 to enhancing our reach further and encouraging others around the world to engage, inform, connect and collaborate.”  

 

 

Read more about the IFLA Strategy 2019-2024

How is your library or library association engaging with the IFLA Strategy? Let us know! Post on your social media, using the hashtag #IFLAStrategy and #WeAreIFLA or send an email to Despina Gerasimidou, IFLA’s Strategic Development Officer at despina.gerasimidou@ifla.org.

 

      

IFLA is proud to be a founding member of the Climate Heritage Network – a coalition of organisations across the culture, heritage, and arts sectors working to inspire action and build resilience against climate change. 

November Dialogues 

This November, the Climate Heritage Network made an important step forward in their mission with their inclusion in the Race to Zero November Dialogues Programme.

 From 9-19 November, the High-Level Champions for Global Climate Action convened these online meetings to invite speakers from around the world to reflect on progress made. These Dialogues mark the original planned date of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Climate Heritage Network was invited to participate, bringing culture, heritage, and the arts into these high-level conversations for the first time.

Advocating for Libraries 

On 18 November, IFLA Policy and Research Officer Claire McGuire therefore spoke on behalf of IFLA in the event: A Culture of Resilience: Mobilising Arts, Culture and Heritage to Win the Race to Zero in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She stressed that, as libraries are protectors of documentary heritage, providers of information, and hubs of communities, they are vital in building resilience and inspiring action.

Edgardo Civallero, Library Coordinator of the Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos Islands also participated in the event: A Culture of Resilience: Mobilising Arts, Culture and Heritage to Win the Race to Zero in the Americas (North America, Latin America and the Caribbean). He echoed the point that libraries are stewards of memory and history. Knowledge is power, and as knowledge providers, libraires are critical to countering climate change.

However, Civallero also stressed that libraries are more than this – they are spaces to create community and construct new ideas.

Both speakers invited attendees to join their effort with libraries and realise that libraries are not just places where books are kept and stored. Rather, they are places of memory, information, and ideas. They are spaces to bring people together and strive for change.

Find out more about Climate Heritage Network online and follow IFLA’s Environment, Sustainability, and Libraries (ENSULIB) Section for more on libraries and sustainability.