The EIFL family has been deeply saddened to hear of the death of Irakli Garibashvili, our Country Coordinator in Georgia and leader of the the Georgian Integrated Library & Information System Consortium (GILISC). Irakli was there when EIFL started and has for 18 years been an important and much loved member of our family.

Faced with global challenges, the need to promote cooperation and collaboration amongst those looking for solutions is vital. Open science promotes just this. With UNESCO preparing a draft Recommendation on the subject, IFLA has submitted comments.

Although UNESCO’s work on Open Science dates from 2019, it has taken on a new relevance and urgency now.

Scientists and researchers have had to work closely together to understand the virus, and develop treatments and cures at records speeds. At the same time, the wider science and research field has had to face lockdowns and restrictions, making it more difficult to access information.

Promoting openness is at the heart of the response – not only as concerns the publications that result from research, but also in the process of getting there, and in subsequently sharing data and resources in order to support further exploration, education and transparency.  

The draft Recommendation prepared by UNESCO, due for agreement at its General Conference later this year, represents a very positive step, highlighting many of the issues that matter for libraries – collaboration, openness, equity and inclusiveness.

IFLA’s comments therefore focus on strengthening this focus, as well as ensuring that other aspects, such as promoting copyright reform at the international level and the full range of roles that librarians can play, are properly recognised.

IFLA looks forwards to engaging further with UNESCO around the Recommendation.

You can access IFLA’s comments on our publications page.

Every February, Safer Internet Day brings together diverse stakeholders to empower young internet users, raise awareness and support skills-building to ensure their safety online. This is a unique opportunity to highlight and build on the crucial work libraries are doing to support digital literacy, safety and wellbeing of children and youth online.

In 2021, the annual Safer Internet Day (SID) campaign takes place on 9 February. First launched in Europe in 2004, SID has long since become a much more global initiative, with engaged stakeholders celebrating and organising dedicated events in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

For countless libraries around the world, digital skills learning and support – including questions around the fundamentals of online privacy and wellbeing – are a key part of their offering. The need and demand for such library initiatives is especially urgent at the moment, with the “leap to digital” so many countries saw during the pandemic.

Safer Internet Day offers libraries a valuable platform to highlight their work, build new partnership, catch up on new discussions around internet safety of young users – and expand their offering. The new IFLA Get Into Safer Internet Day Guide offers a short introduction to this campaign:

• what SID is,
• how it works and is organised,
• how libraries can benefit from getting involved,
• and ideas on how you can take part.

For more inspiration, you can also read more about libraries’ experiences with SID 2020, 2018 and 2017.

You can access the “Get Into Safer Internet Day” Guide on this publication page, and celebrate SID on 9 February alongside many other libraries around the world!

Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, will speak at the LTC2021 International Conclave on eScience and Digital Libraries: Building Communities for Collaboration. 

Kuchma will participate in a panel discussion on the topic Open Science and Scholarly Communication on 28 January.

Throughout its advocacy around the Sustainable Development Goals, IFLA underlines the importance of information - and libraries as the institutions that provide meaningful access to it - in driving progress. We interviewed Genilson Geraldo, Federal University of Santa Catarina, to find out about work in Brazil to build understanding of the interaction between information and development.

 

1) How would you define the concept of information sustainability?

The term “Informational Sustainability” is still under construction, but we can see it as a way for Information Science to provide informational support for global environmental and socioeconomic objectives. In other words, it refers to information resources that facilitate the integration and awareness of, and participation in, efforts to strengthen the process of society’s transformation, according to the dimensions of sustainable development: environmental, economic and social.

2) For you, what is the role of information in changing behavior among individuals?

The role of information in changing behaviour among individuals and the collective has always been present in the daily lives of humanity. We use, search and produce information on a daily basis, which makes it a fundamental element to guide people, organizations and governments. Thus, the access and use of information directly influences behavior among individuals, either through access to reliable information, or even by sharing disinformation. In this scenario, professionals who work directly with information, such as librarians, have great responsibility in the challenges that humanity currently faces, in the face of the phenomenon of the dissemination of disinformation and the post-truth.

This way, access to information in society becomes important for transformation, awareness, monitoring and education in all aspects of humanity. Directly and indirectly influencing improvement of lives, opportunities for access to new knowledge bring a perspective of significant advances, offering encouragement for constant learning and change.

3) What impact can this have on our ability to achieve the SDGs?

This perspective on the use and access of information as a stimulus for the improvement of, and learning in, society, as well as for transformation, awareness, and mobilization for global environmental, social and economical objectives, directly impacts the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

In order to mobilize and realize the potential of society, organizations and governments to support the SDGs, it is necessary and essential to use and access information as a key element for the implementation and achievement of these objectives. In this perspective, it can be seen that information professionals, in our specific case librarians, in line with the responsibility assumed by IFLA with the 2030 Agenda, face the challenge of giving visibility to the work of their institutions, and assuming their share of commitment to future generations.

Finally, access to information disseminated with precision by the competent channels is what will make it possible to drive the transformation of society directly and indirectly to improve the quality of life, providing significant advances for individual and collective perspectives, offering the stimulus for constant learning and change.

4) What about the impact of information – in particular reporting and transparency obligations – on companies and governments?

We are experiencing a historic era through news in the press and television media and on social networks, with demonstrations by society protesting against administrative acts considered as non-legal or abusive by some public managers.

Consequently, important actions for strengthening democracy and safeguarding citizenship are urgent, such as the implementation of public transparency and fiscal responsibility laws. These allow society access to government acts, demonstrating the expenses disbursed by the public sector, as well as the performance of environmental, social and economic management, through government reports.

In particular, it is necessary for the population to know the budget and expenses at the federal, state and municipal levels, as well as in public policy projects that include the dimensions of Sustainable Development (social, economical and environmental).

These reports and the provision of access to transparent, validated and reliable governmental information directly impact the power citizens have in the form of knowledge, and consequently make it possible to carry out an assessment of those in government.

5) How do libraries fit into this?

Libraries, as bodies that provide access to and use of information in a safe, inclusive, reliable and accessible way, have the potential to make public access to governmental information a reality, either directly through their own collections or by helping citizens in the search for public information.

In this perspective, access to information is seen as a fundamental way for the citizen to become an active agent and disseminator of this process. In other words, access to government information, through libraries, can provide information reliability and, consequently, enable the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of government public policies, aiming at the effectiveness and efficiency of such policies. Libraries are significant spaces for social inclusion and transformation, as well as being essential in guaranteeing the full exercise of the rights of individuals within society.

6)    What are the goals of the Information Sustainability programme that you are running?

The Informational Sustainability project is part of a scientific research project of the Graduate Program in Information Science at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (PGCIN-UFSC, acronym in Portuguese), coordinated by Professor Marli Dias de Souza Pinto.

This project, which started in 2018, entitled “UN 2030 Agenda in the IFLA / Federation of Brazilian Library Associations (FEBAB) vision: Advocacy with libraries and librarians”, develops articles in scientific journals in the area in the national and international scene on the subject, as well as producing content in social media, to publicize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN), across the library and information field. It draws on the work of the International Advocacy Program (IAP) of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

With this, in 2018, a feed was created on the social media Instagram, @sustentabilidadeinformacional, publishing daily posts on the theme of sustainability, with a central focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda.

In 2020, this profile accelerated the dissemination of sustainable information by promoting videos on the SDGs, with special guests such as the current IFLA president, Ms. Christine Mackenzie, Dr. Victoria Okojie from the University of Abuja (Nigeria), Dr. Christine Meschede from the University of Düssendorf (Germany), and Dr. Jorge do Prado, current president of the Brazilian Federation of Library Associations (FEBAB, acronym in portuguese) among others. In other words, the objective of the “Informational Sustainability” profile on social media is to provide sustainable information, specifically, aimed at informing, raising awareness and transforming followers.

This profile completed a year on Instagram in August 2020, with an average of more than 5,000 followers engaged in the cause of sustainability, sustainable development and global goals. The publications are daily and diverse, exploring the universe of sustainability, seeking to point out the importance of the quality of human life on a sustainable planet, in an inclusive way and with equal rights for all.

7)  What sort of activities are you carrying out? What are your plans for 2021?

As previously mentioned, the objective of the @sustentabilidadeinformacional feed is to raise awareness, sensitize and mobilize followers on global causes in the environmental, economic and social dimensions of Sustainable Development.

This year, we will continue with the work of disseminating informational posts on the theme and continue the series of videos on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, with more special guests. However, the research project is not just a virtual thing! In 2020, in the postgraduate course in Information Science at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), the discipline “Informational Sustainability” was taught by professor Marli Dias de Souza Pinto for master's and doctoral students. This will be offered again in 2021.

Also, in 2021, face-to-face actions will be carried out in undergraduate librarianship courses in the State of Santa Catarina (southern region of Brazil), in partnership with the Catarinense Association of Librarians (ACB, acronym in Portuguese), in order to mobilize students and the entire librarian category of the State to join IFLA's International Advocacy Program on the UN 2030 Agenda.

8) How do you see IFLA helping in this?

The research project we carried out had its genesis in 2016, with Professor Marli Dias de Souza Pinto carrying out a project on sustainability in libraries. In the same year, IFLA started its work to promote actions on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at a global level and. In the Brazilian context, FEBAB promoted a national congress whose main theme was the 2030 Agenda.

With this, our project expanded its scientific actions on this topic. And, continuing this, in 2018, Professor Marli Dias, when creating a new research project, focused scientific studies and practical and informational actions directly on the International Advocacy Program (IAP), promoted by IFLA.

In this context, IFLA is the main informational driver for all the work we are doing. It provides all informational support for carrying out our scientific and practical activities. It also provided me with the fantastic experience and opportunity to represent IFLA at the 58th session of the UN Social Development Commission, in February 2020, at the UN headquarters in New York.

It was a unique experience to be present at an event of international importance at the United Nations headquarters, with 10 days of immersion in this universe, in addition to being a satisfaction and the fulfilment of a great dream. It was also an opportunity to meet other people interested in related areas, exchange contacts and update information and data.

9)  What recommendations would you share for libraries in other countries?

Together we can dedicate our efforts, as library professionals, to carry out social and informational actions, whether in our libraries, information units, documentation and information centres, in scientific studies or on social networks, with the aim of informing, raising awareness, and mobilizing people in searching a dignified, humanized, inclusive and plural life. We can embrace the actions promoted by our International Federation to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and thus, contribute to build a better life for all people, everywhere, today and for future generations, without leaving anyone behind.

 

Genilson Geraldo has a batchelors in Library Science from the Federal University of Santa Catarina. He is specialized in Legal Document Management, and acted as representative of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) at the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Social Development. He is the creator and content manager of the @sustentabilidadeinformacional feed on Instagram. He is currently a Master's student of Information Science in the Graduate Program in Information Science by the Federal University of Santa Catarina-UFSC. Research lines: Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Informational Sustainability; Legal Information; Information management; Sustainable Development Goals; Green Marketing; Informational Quality in Sustainability reports.

Contact:

Email: genilsongeraldo.biblio@gmail.com / marli.dias@ufsc.br

Instagram:

@sustentabilidadeinformacional https://www.instagram.com/sustentabilidadeinformacional/

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKLyZ5PgAbHlf4D5aOTE-A

 

 

 

EIFL and our partner, the Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium (KLISC), submitted joint comments on Kenya’s draft policy framework for the regulation of collective management organizations (CMOs) in Kenya. CMOs are organizations that manage rights on behalf of authors, performing artists, producers and other rights owners.

​

To IFLA’s voting Members: With just three weeks to go until IFLA’s extraordinary General Assembly, it’s time for IFLA’s Members to designate proxies who can vote on your behalf.

IFLA’s extraordinary General Assembly 2021 takes place in Melbourne, Australia, on 12 February 2021.

We are aware that attending in person currently is only a possibility for a small share of IFLA’s overall membership. However, this does not mean that you cannot make your voice heard! Through choosing someone who can vote for you, following your instructions, you can shape IFLA’s future. 

All of IFLA’s Members have received proxy forms (also available on the page setting out the agenda for our meeting). You will need to return these by 10 February, at 12pm CET (see what time this is for you). I can only encourage those who have yet to return these to us to do so as soon as you can.

Your action here is important. While you will be able to watch the extraordinary General Assembly online, the meeting can only take binding decisions if it achieves a quorum, calculated according to the number of Members present or represented by proxies. 

And of course, with a key decision on the agenda – the approval of IFLA’s new draft Statutes – you have the possibility to choose whether IFLA chooses the path towards becoming a more inclusive, effective, transparent organisation.

I look forward to receiving your proxy forms, and to seeing you – online – in February.

Kind regards,

Gerald Leitner
Secretary General
The Hague, Netherlands
20 January 2021

2021 has begun and IFLA is already on the way to being a busy year. While all libraries are facing information access problems because of COVID19, we are committed to continuing efforts to build better opportunities for users through improved legal frameworks for copyright. Find out what our plans and expectations are for 2021.

 

WIPO developments

IFLA will continue to engage within WIPO, ensuring that the interests of libraries are heard in discussions within the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights.

The crisis related to COVID19 has highlighted many issues around access to information and in particular the need for an appropriate framework for digital uses.

IFLA has encouraged WIPO to take steps to support the dissemination of knowledge in difficult times through developments in response to COVID19, and any future health crises.

IFLA also remains ready to engage on the issue of heritage preservation to enable libraries, archives and museums to make preservation copies to protect them from the degradation caused by time, fire, floods and other disasters.

The mobilisation of librarians from around the world to ensure coordination between WIPO Member States and library representatives is essential. Therefore, we are preparing two meetings to help you get started with work with WIPO.

Copyright Reforms around the world

IFLA remains very active on copyright reforms around the world. This  work can only be done with the support and dedication of IFLA Members.

Thanks to the mobilisation of European library associations and national libraries, IFLA has been closely following the implementation of the EU Digital Single Market Directive. This implementation is due to be completed by June 2021.

While many countries such as Spain, Belgium, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia and Bulgaria are well on their way to complete the implementation, some have still a long way to go such as Portugal, Luxembourg or countries in the European Economic Area such as Norway and Iceland.

On a global level, many countries have also launched copyright reforms, and IFLA is keeping abreast of developments in permanent collaboration with our local colleagues and Members.

Library users in Mexico are facing attacks on user rights (freedom of expression and access to information) on online platforms through unbalanced copyright laws, and South Africa continues to delay in its efforts to update its copyright laws after more than 42 years, leaving these provisions inadequate to the needs of libraries. India and Brazil have launched consultations, but it remains to be seen where these will go.

Concerning the issue of intermediary liability, the European Commission has launched proposals for a Digital Services Act on the regulation of major online platforms and the Digital Markets Act on technological competition and its impacts. There are also growing debates in the US and Australia about how to regulate major internet platforms. These all raise key legal questions – often copyright also – that affect how information is shared and discovered.

 

Copyright Education

Another crucial theme for 2021 will also be copyright education.Copyright is an area where there is a need for librarians to be able to work with knowledge and confidence in order to be able to support users. Many professionals have expressed their interest in training and guidance. IFLA is therefore working with copyright and literacy professionals to develop guidelines for training librarians at the international level.

These guidelines, which will cover key copyright issues in libraries, will support the training of librarians who are members of library associations at the national level.

EIFL staff member, Jevgenija Sevcova, will train librarians in the Faculty of Law at the National University of Laos in the use of licensed e-resources.

EIFL staff member, Jevgenija Sevcova, will train librarians in the Faculty of Law at the National University of Laos in the use of licensed e-resources.

Libraries across the world locked down under national restrictions to halt the spread of COVID-19 found innovative ways of continuing services, keeping in touch with communities and joining coronavirus prevention strategies. We are delighted to name the winners of the 14th EIFL Public Library Innovation Award for public library services responding to COVID-19 -

Congratulations to –

When their library went into lockdown the Main Public Library of Lima, which is part of the public libraries network run by the National Library of Peru (Biblioteca Nacional del Perú - BNP), was able to migrate some of their services online - for example, they organized virtual reading clubs and offered classes in subjects like mathematics, ICT, and e-literacy. 

After extensive discussions and consultations the work on the ‘IFLA School Library Manifesto (2021)’ is about to be finalized.

We invite you to read the updated ‘Manifesto’ and give your final remarks before 26th February 2021.

Memory, traditions, and creative expressions allow people to share their ideas and values with others. They create a rich world, fostering mutual respect, informing innovation, and connecting people to one another, to the past, and to generations to come.  

As information professionals, memory institutions, champions of freedom of expression, and community spaces, libraries and their staff have a key role in preserving and providing the widest possible access to heritage and culture. IFLA works to help our Members enhance their capacity to carry out this work and empower their advocacy to ensure recognition of, and support for, its value.

Here are some key areas where we plan to have an impact in 2021.

Focus on: Risk Management  

In the face of climate change, natural disasters, armed conflict, and the ongoing challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, finding ways to manage risk through preparedness, and ensure recovery where necessary, is vital. IFLA works with our Members, our networks of experts, and international partners to help provide resources for risk reduction and recovery.  

Risk Register     

IFLA’s Register for Documentary Heritage at Risk has existed since 2015 but is now being revitalised and reframed as part of a holistic approach to risk management. This year we will continue developing the accompanying tools on the Register and helping our Members engage with it.

When disaster or conflict strikes, information-sharing is extremely critical, but of course can be challenging. Registering a collection on the confidential Risk Register will help IFLA know what collections or institutions could be affected if disaster strikes. It allows us to swiftly share vital information with partners like Blue Shield and UNESCO to aid in recovery.

 However, risk management is more than about just registering a collection. The Risk Register aggregates tools created by IFLA’s networks of experts and our partners to assist in recognising risk, creating a disaster plan, and carrying out interventions that can help safeguard your collection.

Find out more online here:IFLA RIsk Register 

Trafficking

The illicit theft and trafficking of cultural property is a major concern that often comes in conjunction with natural disaster and conflict. Although international partners like UNESCO and ICOM (The International Council of Museums) are active in this area, there is scope to improve the capacity to prevent theft and trafficking of documentary cultural heritage.

The Preservation and Conservation (PAC) Centre hosted at Qatar National Library is moving forward with the Himaya Project to support efforts to counter the trafficking and illegal circulation of documentary heritage in the Middle East and North Africa region.

One goal of this project is to build strong engagement with international agencies and regional organisations to counter trafficking of documentary heritage items.

Simultaneously, IFLA’s Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) Section is continuing to develop their relationship with the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) to coordinate efforts to prevent the theft and trafficking of rare books.

 At IFLA Headquarters, our goal is to support these groups in their work and facilitate potential scaling-up of lessons-learned to be applied more broadly across the library and cultural heritage sectors. We have started by developing an introductory guide to help outline the unique challenges of fighting the illicit trafficking and theft of library collections.

Partnerships

The Blue Shield will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2021. As one of the founding organisations, IFLA will mark the occasion by highlighting past successes and helping libraries engage both with Blue Shield international and its national committees. We continue working with our fellow founding organisations and the national committees to improve the protection of all forms of cultural property.

Meanwhile, November 2021 will see the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), to be hosted in Glasgow, UK. IFLA is working with the Climate Heritage Network – made up of government agencies, associations, institutions and experts – to highlight the role of culture in climate action and engage with high-level stakeholders during, and in the months leading up to, this event.

Focus on: Cultural Diversity

The UN has designated 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. The goal of this year is to help showcase how creativity and cultural expressions can lead to economic growth and innovation, providing opportunities and empowerment for all people.

UNESCO works towards these goals through the framework of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

This year is an excellent opportunity to highlight how libraires contribute to protecting and promoting cultural diversity, championing access to culture, and helping create conditions in which a creative economy can thrive. 

Throughout 2021, we will focus on helping our members understand international frameworks, highlighting stories from the library field, and helping empower library advocacy on this theme.  

Focus on: Building Regional Connections

Although IFLA works on an international scale, an important aspect of our work is to facilitate meaningful connections on the national and regional level. In the field of cultural heritage preservation and conservation, IFLA’s PAC Centres play an important role in building regional connections to share knowledge, carry out trainings, and impact on issues of regional importance. See our blog for a look at what the PAC Centres are planning in 2021.  

IFLA works closely with UNESCO in multiple areas of competency relating to education, culture, communication, and information. In 2021, we plan to focus on facilitating connections between library associations and UNESCO national commissions. This will help encourage increased cooperation on the national level and ensure library impact on shared goals is acknowledged and amplified.

This will be an ongoing effort throughout this year, so stay tuned for more.

Professional Units 

IFLA could not achieve our goals without the help of our professional units and network of volunteers. The work of groups like the Preservation and Conservation Section is instrumental for exchanging, developing, and sharing knowledge relating to the preservation of cultural heritage to benefit the library field.

In 2021, we look forward to working with the committees and sections who lend their time and expertise to helping IFLA achieve our mission. 

To stay up to date on projects, news, and opportunities, follow IFLA on social media and subscribe to our Preservation and Conservation PAC mailing list.

Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, and Milica Sevkusic, EIFL Open Access Programme Coordinator in Serbia will take part in this series of workshops on the interaction between research libraries, researchers and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

While Kaunas Municipal ‘Vincas Kudirka’ Public Library was closed to the public during Lithuania’s first national lockdown, their 3D printer was working day and night. 

Two ICT specialists working in the Makerspace of one of the library’s 23 branches were busily printing a device - a hands-free door opener - that could help prevent the spread of COVID-19. They were working in long shifts to keep the printers going. 

The closure of major public institutions and many businesses in Ukraine’s national lockdown that started on 12 March 2020 meant that families were stuck at home. Parents struggled to keep their children busy; children became fearful and confused, and suffered from anxiety and stress.

When City of Johannesburg Libraries in South Africa went into lockdown on 27 March 2020, millions of regular users of its network of 89 public libraries across the city were suddenly deprived of free access to books, newspapers and magazines, computers, Wi-FI internet, literacy classes and ICT and e-literacy training. They also lost social opportunities: storytime for children, social gatherings for seniors, study groups. 

The EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) will conduct a workshop titled ‘Libraries are great? Prove it! Data and evidence-based storytelling’ for the Occupy Library Innovators Hub project. 

SPIDER (the Swedish Programme for ICT in Developing Regions) has invited Rima Kupryte, EIFL Director, and Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, to take part in SPIDER DINE (Digital Impact and Networking Event). 

SPIDER DINE is a digital conference on the impact of digital transformation on global development in the past 10 years while looking ahead to 2030.  SPIDER is based at DSV, Department of Computer and System Sciences, which is part of Stockholm University.