The European Union Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market entered into force on 7 June 2019, with Member States having two years to transpose it (i.e. to implement it into national law). This directive aims to ensure better functioning of copyright rules across borders, allowing for a more integrated single market due to greater legal homogeneity across the bloc.

Now, in June 2020, we are therefore at the mid-point of the implementation process. Countries still have one year to meet their commitments.

The Directive contains several articles that concern libraries. These do, however, leave many choices to the interpretation and decision of national governments , and so an opportunity for stakeholders to influence implementation in order to ensure that this is most favourable.

We encourage European Union library associations and institutions therefore to continue engaging in this process, as their presence and input is essential to ensure new legal provisions suitable for libraries.

These articles cover several topics:

• Text and Data Mining
• Use of Works in Teaching Activities
• Preservation of Cultural Heritage
• Contract Override and Technological Protection Measures
• Out-of Commerce Works
• Works of Visual Art in the Public Domain
• Press Publishers Right
• Use of protected content by online content-sharing service providers.

You can find more information here, here and here

 

Global evolution of the implementation

Over the past year, we have seen countries move more or less quickly to implement the provisions. The process of discussion with stakeholders takes various forms: public consultations, meetings with stakeholders, questionnaires or a combination of these. Some countries like France have chosen to implement the Directive more or less behind closed doors.

The current health crisis has shifted the timeline of some of the consultations or changed the form they take. We can cite the case of Slovakia, for example, which postponed meetings originally planned for May 2020.

This is also the case for the stakeholder meetings concerning article 17 on the use of protected content by online service providers at the European level. These meetings were to produce recommendations for implementation for all countries. Marcel Kojala, a Green Member of the European Parliament from Czechia, has recently invited the European Commission to complete its recommendations so that countries can benefit from the guidelines during their implementation.

 

National implementations

Several countries have made draft legislative proposals available (Belgium, Croatia, Germany and Hungary), while others have already submitted their proposals to parliaments such as France (Articles 15 and 17) and the Netherlands.

Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Romania, and Sweden have already launched this process by releasing recommendations or holding stakeholder meetings.

Other countries have not yet entered the process, such as Portugal, Poland, Malta and Luxembourg.

This implementation will no doubt be followed by an update of the legislation in Iceland and Norway, countries in the European Economic Area.

 

Steps for Libraries

If you have already submitted recommendations to the ministry in charge or the intellectual property office of your country, we invite you to continue to follow the procedure on the subject.

If your library is in a country that has not yet started its consultation (Portugal, Poland, Malta, Luxembourg, Slovakia) or whose deadline for submitting recommendations on the best legal provisions is still upcoming such as Hungary or Bulgaria, we encourage libraries members to contact Camille Francoise.

 

En respuesta a la muerte de George Floyd y de otras personas en el mundo, la Presidenta de la IFLA, Christine Mackenzie, y el Secretario General, Gerald Leitner, han realizado la siguiente declaración.

La IFLA condena toda forma de racismo por ser esencialmente contraria tanto a los derechos humanos como a los valores de nuestra profesión.

Las bibliotecas son instituciones cuya misión es mejorar la vida de las personas y las comunidades a las que prestan servicios. Lo hacen no solo rechazando la discriminación, sino también promoviendo activamente la inclusión y brindando a todas las personas una oportunidad significativa de ejercer sus derechos a la información, la cultura y la ciencia. La discriminación racial y la violencia basada en la raza —como en el caso reciente de George Floyd, pero también en otros casos en el mundo— no tienen lugar en la sociedad que deseamos construir.

La IFLA, como organización global, se compromete a garantizar que todas las personas participen en nuestras actividades y se beneficien de ellas, sin distinción de ciudadanía, discapacidad, origen étnico, género, ubicación geográfica, idioma, filosofía política, raza o religión.

A través del Manifiesto de la IFLA/UNESCO sobre la biblioteca pública, del Manifiesto de la IFLA/UNESCO sobre la biblioteca escolar, y de la Declaración de la IFLA sobre las bibliotecas y la libertad  intelectual estos mismos valores se aplican al trabajo de nuestras instituciones. Como se destacó en el Manifiesto de la IFLA/UNESCO por la biblioteca multicultural, esto requiere un esfuerzo consciente y significativo para conocer, comprender y analizar las necesidades de todos los miembros de las comunidades a las que prestamos servicios en lo referido a nuestras colecciones, prácticas y personal. Además, el Manifiesto establece la obligación de promover la inclusión de manera proactiva.

Junto con nuestros colegas de la Asociación de Bibliotecas de Estados Unidos, la Asociación Australiana de Bibliotecas e Información y otras asociaciones, nos solidarizamos con todos aquellos que sean víctimas de discriminación racial dentro y fuera del sector bibliotecario. En este sentido, seguiremos trabajando para promover servicios bibliotecarios y de información que hagan realidad el deseo de una sociedad mejor para todos.

Christine Mackenzie
Presidenta de la IFLA 2019-2021

Gerald Leitner
Secretario General de la IFLA

 

5 de junio de 2020

Als Reaktion auf den Tod von George Floyd und anderen weltweit haben IFLA-Präsidentin Christine Mackenzie und Generalsekretär Gerald Leitner die folgende Erklärung abgegeben.

IFLA verurteilt alle Formen des Rassismus als grundlegend gegen die Menschenrechte und die Werte unseres Berufsstandes verstoßend.

Bibliotheken sind Institutionen mit dem Auftrag, das Leben von Einzelpersonen und Gemeinschaften, denen sie dienen, zu verbessern. Sie tun dies nicht nur durch die Ablehnung von Diskriminierung, sondern auch durch die aktive Förderung der Inklusion, indem sie allen eine sinnvolle Möglichkeit geben, ihre Rechte auf Information, Kultur, Information und Wissenschaft zu verwirklichen. Rassendiskriminierung und rassenbedingte Gewalt - zuletzt im Fall von George Floyd, aber auch weltweit - haben in der Gesellschaft, die wir aufbauen wollen, keinen Platz.

Als globale Organisation setzt sich die IFLA dafür ein, dass sich alle an unseren Aktivitäten beteiligen und davon profitieren können, ohne Rücksicht auf Staatsbürgerschaft, Behinderung, ethnische Herkunft, Geschlecht, geographische Lage, Sprache, politische Philosophie, Rasse oder Religion.

Durch die IFLA-UNESCO-Manifeste für öffentliche Bibliotheken und Schulbibliotheken sowie die Erklärung zum Thema Bibliotheken und geistige Freiheit gelten dieselben Werte auch für die Arbeit unserer Institutionen. Wie in der Erklärung zur multikulturellen Gesellschaft hervorgehoben wird, erfordert dies eine bewusste und sinnvolle Anstrengung, um die Bedürfnisse aller Mitglieder der Gemeinschaften, denen wir dienen, zu erfragen, zu verstehen und in unseren Sammlungen, Praktiken und Personalbesetzungen widerzuspiegeln. Darüber hinaus verpflichtet es dazu, sich proaktiv für die Inklusion in der breiteren Gesellschaft einzusetzen.

Gemeinsam mit unseren Kolleg*innen in der American Library Association, der Australian Library and Information Association und anderswo stehen wir daher in Solidarität mit denjenigen, die sowohl innerhalb als auch außerhalb unseres Fachgebiets rassistischer Diskriminierung ausgesetzt sind. Dabei werden wir uns auch weiterhin für die Förderung von Bibliotheks- und Informationsdiensten einsetzen, die für alle eine bessere Gesellschaft Wirklichkeit werden lassen.

Christine Mackenzie
IFLA Präsidentin 2019-2021

Gerald Leitner
IFLA Generalsekretär

 

5.Juni 2020

IFLA has responded with sadness to the destruction of the Central Library of the Universidad de Oriente in Venezuela, and calls on the Venezuelan government and others to do more to protect libraries.

The last days have brought the sad news of the apparently deliberate destruction of the central library of the Universidad de Oriente, in Sucre, Venezuela.

Coming in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a period of intense economic difficulty for many, this is an additional blow to the staff, university community and country as a whole.

As set out through UNESCO’s Unite for Heritage campaign, such destruction causes losses not just in material terms, but also lasting social and cultural damage.

It also runs against the spirit of the Safer Schools Declaration, which underlines the need, in any situation, to protect the ability of schools and universities to provide opportunities for learning and development.

Both initiatives make clear that governments, both under international law and as a duty to their own people, have an obligation to act to ensure the safety of libraries faced with the threat of violence.

IFLA President Christine Mackenzie said:

‘It was so sad to hear about the destruction of the library at the Universidad de Oriente in Venezuela – my heart goes out to its staff and users, and I wish them courage and strength at such a difficult time. It is so vital that libraries are seen – and protected – as key to the present and futures of the communities they serve. I urge governments to recognise this, and to give the necessary support to make it a reality’

IFLA Secretary Gerald Leitner said:

‘Whenever a community loses access to its library, it loses a key part of its infrastructure for learning, research, and the enjoyment of cultural rights. When this is the result of deliberate action, this is doubly tragic. On behalf of IFLA and the global library community, I send my condolences to the staff and users of the Universidad de Oriente, and call on the government of Venezuela and all other countries to ensure the protection of our institutions and teams’.

Find out more about IFLA's work on cultural heritage.

In response to the death of George Floyd and others globally, IFLA President Christine Mackenzie and Secretary General Gerald Leitner have made the following statement.

IFLA condemns all forms of racism as fundamentally contrary both to human rights, and to the values of our profession.

Libraries are institutions with a mission to improve the lives of the individuals and communities they serve. They do this not just through rejecting discrimination, but through actively promoting inclusion, giving everyone a meaningful opportunity to realise their rights to information, culture, information and science. Racial discrimination and race-based violence – most recently in the case of George Floyd, but also worldwide – have no place in the society we wish to build.

As a global organisation, IFLA is committed to enabling all to engage in and benefit from our activities, without regard to citizenship, disability, ethnic origin, gender, geographical location, language, political philosophy, race or religion.

Through the IFLA-UNESCO Public and School Library Manifestos, as well as the Statement on Intellectual Freedom, these same values apply to the work of our institutions. As highlighted in the Multicultural Library Manifesto, this requires an conscious and meaningful effort to solicit, understand and reflect the needs of all members of the communities we serve in our collections, practices and staffing. Furthermore, it sets out a duty to advocate proactively for inclusion in wider society.

Alongside our colleagues at the American Library Association, Australian Library and Information Association and elsewhere, we therefore stand in solidarity with those who are subject to racial discrimination both inside and outside of our field. In doing so, we will continue to work to promote library and information services that make a reality of a better society for all.

Christine Mackenzie
IFLA President 2019-2021

Gerald Leitner
IFLA Secretary General

 

5 June 2020

ردًا على وفاة جورج فلويد وآخرين على الصعيد العالمي ، أدلى رئيس الإفلا كريستين ماكنزي والأمين العام جيرالد ليتنر بالبيان التالي.

تدين الإفلا جميع أشكال العنصرية على أنها تتعارض بشكل أساسي مع حقوق الإنسان وقيم مهنتنا.

المكتبات هي مؤسسات مهمتها تحسين حياة الأفراد والمجتمعات التي تخدمها. إنهم لا يفعلون ذلك من خلال رفض التمييز فحسب ، ولكن من خلال تعزيز الاندماج بفاعلية ، مما يمنح الجميع فرصة حقيقية لمعرفة حقوقهم في المعلومات والثقافة والعلوم. التمييز العنصري والعنف القائم على العرق - وأحدثها قضية جورج فلويد ، ولكن أيضًا في جميع أنحاء العالم - ليس له مكان في المجتمع الذي نرغب في بنائه.

كمنظمة عالمية ، تلتزم الإفلا بتمكين الجميع من المشاركة والاستفادة من أنشطتنا ، بغض النظر عن الجنسية أو الإعاقة أو الأصل العرقي أو الجنس أو الموقع الجغرافي أو اللغة أو الفكر السياسي أو العرق أو الدين.

من خلال بيان الإفلا واليونسكو للمكتبات العامة والمدرسية، وكذلك بيان الحرية الفكرية، تنطبق هذه القيم نفسها على عمل مؤسساتنا. كما هو موضح في بيان مكتبة التعددية الثقافية ، يتطلب هذا وعيًا وجهدًا هادفًا للاستفسار عن، وفهم، وعكس احتياجات جميع أعضاء المجتمعات التي نخدمها وذلك في اختيار مجموعاتنا وممارساتنا وموظفينا. علاوة على ذلك ، فإنه يجب حشد الدعم بشكل استباقي للاندماج في المجتمع الأوسع.

إلى جانب زملائنا في جمعية المكتبات الأمريكية وجمعية المكتبات والمعلومات الأسترالية وأماكن أخرى ، فإننا نقف متضامنين مع أولئك الذين يتعرضون للتمييز العنصري داخل مجالنا وخارجه. خلال القيام بذلك ، سنواصل العمل على تعزيز خدمات المكتبة والمعلومات التي تجعل من واقع المجتمع الأفضل للجميع.

كريستين ماكنزي

رئيس الإفلا 2019-2021

جيرالد ليتنر

أمين عام الإفلا

 

5 يونيو 2020

​

В связи с трагической смертью Джорджа Флойда, а также  гибелью многих  других людей  по всему миру, президент ИФЛА Кристин Маккензи и генеральный секретарь Джеральд Лейтнер сделали следующее заявление.

ИФЛА осуждает все формы расизма как принципиально противоречащие  правам человека и моральным ценностям нашей профессии.

Библиотеки - это учреждения, призванные изменить к лучшему жизнь людей и сообществ, которым они служат. Достижение данной цели предполагает не только борьбу с любыми формами  дискриминации, но и усилия по обеспечению интеграции, предоставляющей каждому человеку реальную возможность реализовать свое право как на доступ к информации и научным достижениям, так и на выражение своей культурной идентичности. Расовой дискриминации и насилию на расовой почве, ярким примером которых послужила гибель Джорджа Флойда, нет места в обществе, которое мы стремимся построить.

В качестве глобальной организации ИФЛА ставит целью предоставить всем и каждому возможности для активного и продуктивного участия в нашей деятельности независимо от гражданства, состояния здоровья, этнического происхождения, пола, географического положения, языка, политических взглядов, расы или религии.

Принципы, ранее утвержденные в Манифесте ИФЛА/ЮНЕСКО о публичной библиотеке, в Манифесте ИФЛА/ЮНЕСКО о школьной библиотеке, а также в Заявлении об интеллектальной свободе, по-прежнему регулируют работу библиотечных учреждений. Как подчеркивается в Манифесте ИФЛА о поликультурной библиотеке, реализация данных принципов осуществляется путем  целенаправленных и действенных мер, направленных на определение, осознание и удовлетворение потребностей всех членов сообществ, которых мы обслуживаем,  а также благодаря продуманной политике и усилиям сотрудников. Кроме того, вышеизложенные принципы накладывают на нас обязательство активно бороться за инклюзивность общества в целом.

В связи со всем вышесказанным мы, вместе с нашими коллегами из Американской библиотечной ассоциации, Австралийской библиотечно-информационной ассоциации и представителями других стран,  выражаем  солидарность с теми, кто подвергается расовой дискриминации как в библиотечной сфере, так и за ее пределами. При этом мы обязуемся продолжить работу по продвижению библиотечных и информационных услуг, призванных сделать наш мир лучше для всех.

Кристин Маккензи, президент ИФЛА 2019–2021 гг.

Джеральд Ляйтнер, генеральный секретарь ИФЛА 

 

5 июня 2020 года

​

В связи с трагической смертью Джорджа Флойда, а также  гибелью многих  других людей  по всему миру, президент ИФЛА Кристин Маккензи и генеральный секретарь Джеральд Лейтнер сделали следующее заявление.

ИФЛА осуждает все формы расизма как принципиально противоречащие  правам человека и моральным ценностям нашей профессии.

Библиотеки - это учреждения, призванные изменить к лучшему жизнь людей и сообществ, которым они служат. Достижение данной цели предполагает не только борьбу с любыми формами  дискриминации, но и усилия по обеспечению интеграции, предоставляющей каждому человеку реальную возможность реализовать свое право как на доступ к информации и научным достижениям, так и на выражение своей культурной идентичности. Расовой дискриминации и насилию на расовой почве, ярким примером которых послужила гибель Джорджа Флойда, нет места в обществе, которое мы стремимся построить.

В качестве глобальной организации ИФЛА ставит целью предоставить всем и каждому возможности для активного и продуктивного участия в нашей деятельности независимо от гражданства, состояния здоровья, этнического происхождения, пола, географического положения, языка, политических взглядов, расы или религии.

Принципы, ранее утвержденные в Манифесте ИФЛА/ЮНЕСКО о публичной библиотеке, в Манифесте ИФЛА/ЮНЕСКО о школьной библиотеке, а также в Заявлении об интеллектальной свободе, по-прежнему регулируют работу библиотечных учреждений. Как подчеркивается в Манифесте ИФЛА о поликультурной библиотеке, реализация данных принципов осуществляется путем  целенаправленных и действенных мер, направленных на определение, осознание и удовлетворение потребностей всех членов сообществ, которых мы обслуживаем,  а также благодаря продуманной политике и усилиям сотрудников. Кроме того, вышеизложенные принципы накладывают на нас обязательство активно бороться за инклюзивность общества в целом.

В связи со всем вышесказанным мы, вместе с нашими коллегами из Американской библиотечной ассоциации, Австралийской библиотечно-информационной ассоциации и представителями других стран,  выражаем  солидарность с теми, кто подвергается расовой дискриминации как в библиотечной сфере, так и за ее пределами. При этом мы обязуемся продолжить работу по продвижению библиотечных и информационных услуг, призванных сделать наш мир лучше для всех.

Кристин Маккензи, президент ИФЛА 2019–2021 гг.

Джеральд Ляйтнер, генеральный секретарь ИФЛА 

 

5 июня 2020 года

面对乔治·弗洛伊德的去世和其他类似国际事件，国际图联主席克里斯汀·麦肯齐和秘书长杰拉德·莱特纳做出以下声明。

各种形式的种族主义从根本上违反了人权，有悖于我们的职业价值观，国际图联对此表示谴责。图书馆的使命在于完善它所服务的个人和社群的生活。它要做的不仅仅是反对歧视，而是促进包容，让每个人拥有实现信息、文化、科技权利的平等机会。种族歧视和种族暴力—以乔治·弗洛伊德的经历为代表的全球性事件—在我们努力打造的社会中没有立足之地。

作为一家全球机构，国际图联致力于让所有人参与到我们的活动中，并从中受益，无论他们的国籍、健康状况、民族、性别、所处地区、语言、政治理念、种族或宗教如何。

这一价值观通过国际图联/教科文组织联合发布的《公共图书馆宣言》和《中小学图书馆宣言》，以及《知识自由宣言》等体现出来，也应用到我们合作机构所开展的工作中。正如《多元文化图书馆宣言》所强调的那样，需要我们开展积极、有效的工作，探知、理解和反映出我们通过馆藏、活动和人员所服务的所有社区成员的需求。此外，它还指出，我们有义务积极打造更加包容的社会。

我们与美国图书馆协会、澳大利亚图书馆与信息协会以及其他各地的同事一道，声援那些遭受种族歧视的人。为此，我们将继续推广图书馆与信息服务，竭力为所有人打造一个更美好的社会。

克里斯汀·麦肯齐

国际图联主席（2019-2021）

杰拉德·莱特纳

国际图联秘书长

2020年6月5日

面对乔治·弗洛伊德的去世和其他类似国际事件，国际图联主席克里斯汀·麦肯齐和秘书长杰拉德·莱特纳做出以下声明。

各种形式的种族主义从根本上违反了人权，有悖于我们的职业价值观，国际图联对此表示谴责。图书馆的使命在于完善它所服务的个人和社群的生活。它要做的不仅仅是反对歧视，而是促进包容，让每个人拥有实现信息、文化、科技权利的平等机会。种族歧视和种族暴力—以乔治·弗洛伊德的经历为代表的全球性事件—在我们努力打造的社会中没有立足之地。

作为一家全球机构，国际图联致力于让所有人参与到我们的活动中，并从中受益，无论他们的国籍、健康状况、民族、性别、所处地区、语言、政治理念、种族或宗教如何。

这一价值观通过国际图联/教科文组织联合发布的《公共图书馆宣言》和《中小学图书馆宣言》，以及《知识自由宣言》等体现出来，也应用到我们合作机构所开展的工作中。正如《多元文化图书馆宣言》所强调的那样，需要我们开展积极、有效的工作，探知、理解和反映出我们通过馆藏、活动和人员所服务的所有社区成员的需求。此外，它还指出，我们有义务积极打造更加包容的社会。

我们与美国图书馆协会、澳大利亚图书馆与信息协会以及其他各地的同事一道，声援那些遭受种族歧视的人。为此，我们将继续推广图书馆与信息服务，竭力为所有人打造一个更美好的社会。

克里斯汀·麦肯齐

国际图联主席（2019-2021）

杰拉德·莱特纳

国际图联秘书长

2020年6月5日

The IFLA/ UNESCO Public Library Manifesto identifies the public library as being central to freedom and equity of access to knowledge and information for all people.

Since it was agreed in 1994, it has proclaimed UNESCO's belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women.

In order to ensure this Manifesto stays relevant for the global library field, governments and others, the IFLA Public Libraries Section has set out to review the Manifesto in 2020. This process will identify areas that can be updated to ensure the document reflects the missions of public libraries today.

The important first step was to hear from the global library field.

And hear from the field we did!

A survey collecting feedback and suggestions on the usability and effectiveness of the Manifesto was circulated earlier this year. Thanks to the translation work of the Public Library Section and IFLA Translation Centres, we were able to offer the survey in 14 languages.

Following the closing of the survey on 31 May, we are happy to announce that we have received over 750 responses from librarians around the world!

The Results

Librarians have shared stories of using the Manifesto to advocate for improvements in their libraries, to show elected officials and budget-holders the importance of funding public libraries, to defend free access and resist censorship, to cite in research, to develop more impactful library activities for users, and much more.

Some suggestions for ways that the Manifesto can be improved to reflect the mission of public libraries today include:

• Consider the role of libraries in today’s information society  
• Reinforce the principle of inclusion
• Include the role of the library in addressing local needs and access to local culture, as well as collecting and preserving local archives  
• Focus more on learning and creativity at all ages

Next steps

The Public Library Manifesto, together with IFLA Headquarters and our UNESCO partners, will further analyse the results of this survey. This will form the basis for outlining the updates to the Manifesto.

Stay tuned for more information concerning the update to the Manifesto in the coming months.

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Last February we spotted the great action being taken by the Library Association of Latvia (LAL) in order to make the IFLA Strategy a reality at the national level. LAL planned to make the Strategy central to this year’s Festival of Latvian Libraries 2020, organised in close collaboration with the National Library of Latvia.

Of course, COVID-19 forced plans to change, but it did not stop them!

The IFLA Strategy continued to inspire them and even during such extraordinary circumstances, LAL found new and innovative ways to strengthen and develop the skills of Latvian librarians.

Take a look at this inspiring story which showcases a great example of engagement by a library association with the IFLA Strategy.

The Online Congress of the Library Association of Latvia: “Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect!”

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The IFLA Strategy proved to be a great inspiration and a unique engagement opportunity for the Association, as they transferred their conference into a virtual one, providing a strong example of how to engage with the IFLA Strategic Directions and Key Initiatives 1.3, 2.4, 3.3 & 4.3

The 13th Congress of Latvian Librarians itself took place on 23 April 2020 with the theme “Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect!” as the highlight of the country’s Library Week.

For the first time in the history of Association, it was organized online using Zoom.

The event gave a unique and unprecedented experience to Latvian librarians, strengthened LAL’s ability to keep up with the times and use innovative technologies, as well as providing an opportunity to LAL members to test their ICT skills and engage with IFLA activities.

With the incorporation of the IFLA Strategy as the conference’s theme and the many online presentations closely connected to the IFLA Strategy, plus our IFLA President Christine Mackenzie’s keynote to open the Congress, LAL managed to turn a global agenda into local action.

The video of President Mackenzie’s speech is now available on LAL’s YouTube channel.

IFLA President Christine Mackenzie said:

The IFLA Strategy is an offer not just for IFLA HQ or for the GB or for the sections, but for the whole library field. My presidential theme is ‘Let’s Work Together’, and I’m convinced that in this time it’s more important than ever that we do that. So, I’d ask you to work together to make libraries as good as they can be.”

How they did it:

To help Latvian librarians understand the theme of the Library Week, engage with the IFLA Strategy, feel comfortable with their virtual conference participation and provide support for remote library activities to the public, LAL created a number of useful resources.

 

They:

• Made the IFLA Strategy available in the Latvian language and shared it with the library

• Translated the IFLA Membership leaflet into Latvian and shared it with the library community in order to promote IFLA and the importance of the international dimension of the library field

• Asked their keynote speaker, the IFLA President, to record her speech and created Latvian subtitles before sharing it with the library community

• Created and shared instructions for using Zoom

• Created and shared instructions for the online elections and voting in the Congress

• Organised an introductory webinar of the online congress

Moderators were available during all the time of the online congress giving participants the opportunity to call in case of confusion or problems connecting to or working in the online platform.

The theme “Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect” in the emergency situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be particularly strong, as people need inspiration, involvement, opportunities and unity in these circumstances, and libraries are the ones who can help people withstand this hard time.

Although Latvian libraries were limited in their ability to organise Library Week events on site, they took advantage of contemporary technologies to convincingly demonstrate the role and importance of libraries in the society.

In order to provide support for remote library activities to the public, LAL offered free online Zoom space to their members, which strongly connects to the IFLA Strategy Key Initiative 2.4.

This gave libraries the possibility to organise their own online events,  virtual meetings with authors, online conversations and other online creative events—linking them to the IFLA Strategy.

Together with the free use of a platform, LAL also offered moderation and consulting support for webinars, an offer taken up twice in the Library Week, with seven more planned subsequently. This provided a great support for Association members, and it made it possible only to make financial savings but also to acquire new skills, support and motivation to use innovative ICT tools.

More than 250 Library Week activities happened online, from all types of libraries. Some of those campaigns gained great visibility in national magazines, like the campaign “Revive the book – interpret the cover”.

See LAL's detailed report with the examples of what the online Library Week inspired by the IFLA Strategy meant on a local level in Latvia, to give inspiration for the rest of the global library community as well. 

Conclusion

In every situation, you can find both something bad and something good. Thanks to the Library Association of Latvia’s online Congress and online Library Week in these special circumstances, so many interesting and creative events related to the IFLA Strategy took place, demonstrating the courage and skills of librarians and strengthening the contemporary role of libraries as important and modern cultural institutions which are able to inspire, engage, enable and connect Latvian society, and the global library community.

Feedback on LAL’s online congress and library week has been uniformly positive. LAL President and Chief librarian of the Library Development Center at the National Library of Latvia, Māra Jēkabsone said:

 If there was no forbiddance to organize on-site events because of Covid-19, we wouldn’t have dared to organize an online Congress. The IFLA Strategy has given us great inspiration to move this forward and transform our major event into a virtual one. Most importantly, it also set the ground rules for the importance of providing tools and infrastructure that support the work of libraries (Key Initiative 2.2), supporting virtual networking and connections (Key Initiative 2.3), empowering the field at the national and regional levels (Key Initiative 3.3)”.

Make your library association next

Let’s consider this as a precious time to enable organisations to engage with the IFLA Strategy, self-reflect, plan their own strategy and its implementation.

IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner said:

Technology gives us a great opportunity to get not only connected, but also inspired, engaged and enabled, just like our IFLA Strategy states. This is as important now as ever before. I invite other Library Associations around the world to think outside of the box, get inspired, engaged, enabled and connected globally using the IFLA Strategy. I do hope to see more actions like those in the future in other countries globally.”

How is your library or library association engaging with the IFLA Strategy? Let us know! Contact Despina Gerasimidou, IFLA’s Strategic Development Officer at despina.gerasimidou@ifla.org and we’ll figure this out together.

We are IFLA
Somos la IFLA
Nous sommes l’IFLA
Wir sind die IFLA
ИФЛА – ЭТО МЫ
我们是国际图联
نحن اإلفا

Submission Deadline: 30 September 2020

Best Practices for physical and digital storage

IFLA Journal, IFLA’s Preservation and Conservation Section, and PAC Centres are pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue focused on storage as a strategic long-term function of libraries, including practices for physical and digital collections based on risk, value, and cost in terms of institutional mission and resources.

Storage of collections and information in ways that support their availability and accessibility is an ongoing requirement, and in many cases a very challenging requirement, for libraries around the world. It tackles both technical and organizational challenges and requires a good understanding of process management. Consideration of many factors are needed to determine how best to provide secure, reliable, and sustainable storage and access solutions in light of budgetary limits, environmental impacts, and the near term and long range goals and obligations of a particular library, archive, or information organization.

IFLA Journal invites papers for a special issue focused on strategic practices for long-term storage and access of both physical and digital collections. Papers should be written in English, of 5,000-10,000 word length, and have an abstract as part of the paper.

Guest Editors:

Reinhard Altenhöner
Deputy Director General
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Germany

Jacob Nadal
Director for Preservation
Library of Congress
United States

Papers should explore the general topics of:

• Storage and access strategies and requirements for different types of collection, physical or digital, such as general published works, pre-print or unpublished works, rare or special collections, or collections with various usage restrictions.
• Security issues for storage systems, or for different types of collections.
• Balancing the goals and requirements for a storage strategy with the costs of storage and sustainability practices.
• Deciding between commercial solutions, cooperatives and partnerships, or sole institutional responsibility for various storage strategies.

Topics of special interest related to physical collections storage are:

• Best practice for one of the major climate zones (e.g. tropical, subtropical, temperate, or cold) in terms of temperature, humidity, light, and pest control.
• Additional requirements for general, rare, or special format collections for these zones.
• Security issues for different types of collections, such as by format, rarity, market value, ideological or political content, for example.

Topics of special interest related to digital collections storage are:

• Best practice for security, access, reliability, and cost.
• Requirements for multiple copies and locations including, light, dim, or dark systems.
• Best practices for using commercial vendors, cloud storage, or institutional repositories.

Submission Deadline:

Articles for the special issue should be submitted to IFLA Journal for peer review before 30 September 2020.

How to Submit a Manuscript

IFLA Journal is hosted on ScholarOne™ Manuscripts, a web based online submission and peer review system SAGE Track. Please read the Manuscript Submission guidelines, and then simply visit the IFLA 

Journal Manuscript submission webpage to login and submit your article online.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is possible that you will have had an account created.

All papers must be submitted via the online system. If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, contact one of the guest editors or the journal’s Editor, Steven Witt.

For instructions on formatting your manuscript please consult the submission guidelines.

 

About IFLA Journal

IFLA Journal is an international journal publishing peer reviewed articles on library and information services and the social, political and economic issues that impact access to information through libraries. The Journal publishes research, case studies and essays that reflect the broad spectrum of the profession internationally. All articles are subject to peer review. Articles are published in English. Abstracts are translated by IFLA (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) into the other working languages of IFLA—Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Russian or Spanish—for publication.

IFLA Journal is published by Sage Publications and is the official journal of IFLA, and has an international readership consisting of academic institutions, professional organisations, and IFLA Members who all receive a free subscription to the journal.

Each issue of  IFLA Journal is made available Open Access upon publication on IFLA’s website. Authors are also encouraged to make the accepted version of their manuscripts available in their personal or institutional repositories.

IFLA Journal is indexed by the following databases: 

• Abi/inform
• Academic Search Premier
• Business Source Corporate
• Compendex
• Current Awareness Abstracts
• IBZ: International Bibliography of Periodical Literature
• IBZ: International Bibliography of Periodical Literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Information Science and Technology Abstracts
• Inspec
• Library Information Science Abstracts
• Library Literature & Information Science
• SciVal
• Scopus
• Sociological Abstracts
• Web of Science

WLIC 2020 in Dublin is cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The open session that we plannned together with the Knowledge Management Section: Subject Access and Artificial Intelligence: Enhancing competencies and safeguarding ethics, is also cancelled.

Thanks to all contributors; we hope to be able to meet next year!

The very popular IFLA ARL Hot Topics session held at the IFLA WLIC each year, will this year be held as a webinar in August. Hot Topics 2020 will have three speakers address the theme of Libraries as Catalysts: Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect.

The topics will align with the need of libraries for constant evolution to accommodate the needs, expectations and learning styles of their users. These evolutions present an opportunity for libraries, both to evolve for today and plan for future change. How do we, academic librarians and our libraries, position ourselves to lead change on our campuses and the broader communities we serve?

The session will be hour-long with each presenter speaking for three minutes to introduce their topic followed by  group discussion. Please watch this space - we will make further details available very soon!

IFLA is working on a Media Literacy project within the framework of the EU 'Preparatory Action on Media Literacy for All'. The goal is to help deliver on libraries’ potential to be agents of change and champions of media literacy, who continue to help build informed and engaged communities.

The case for media and information literacy today

Media and information literacy – the ability to find, critically assess, apply and interact with information on various media channels – is a crucial skillset in today’s information-dense and hyperconnected world. This competency is key to ensuring meaningful access to information from different media sources – access that empowers people, helps them make informed choices and make the best use of information.

Concerns over misinformation and disinformation have commanded a lot of attention over the last years, showing just how important it is for people to be able to judge the reliability, relevance and quality of information they come across through traditional and new media sources every day.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic presents many immense challenges for societies worldwide. It also highlights the role media - especially new and digital channels – play in the way society understands and reacts to these developments. Social media, for example, can be a force that either hurts or helps: enabling crucial conversations but also facing the challenges of countering online misinformation about the virus. Media literacy is crucial to build up informed and engaged communities.

Libraries can help

What does this mean for libraries? As information professionals, librarians have long championed information literacy. This focuses on people’s competencies vis-à-vis information at large, whereas media literacy emphasizes the particular role of media, different media content and channels, and its broader societal impact.  Libraries’ experience in developing such competencies – as well as their ability to reach and offer inclusive learning opportunities to their communities – makes them well-positioned to help more people develop media literacy skills.

Recommendations laid out in a 2016 study requested by the European Parliament, for example, include supporting libraries to help realise their potential to improve media and information literacy in their communities. To help deliver on this potential, IFLA is working on an EU-based project curated and coordinated by Tactical Tech, an NGO dedicated to understanding and improving the way digital technologies shape society.

What we will do

The project will offer engaging Media Literacy learning opportunities for the European public through immersive and thought-provoking exhibitions. IFLA is helping arrange for these learning opportunities to be delivered through several public libraries throughout the EU.

The project is taking a look at some of the most pressing media literacy questions the public faces today: online misinformation, digital media ownership, data privacy, tailored content and advertisement delivery, and more! To find out more about the content, take a look at the project webpage: https://theglassroom.org/misinformation.

In cooperation with several libraries in Europe – and once circumstances permit – we will:

• Help deliver media literacy learning opportunities for their communities;
• Engage with the representatives of these libraries to help them become media literacy champions;
• Following the implementation of the project, support and encourage media literacy learning opportunities in libraries in Europe and the world.

We are excited to announce our participation in this project, following several months of preparations together with Tactical Tech and Save the Children Italy. We look forward to seeing how this learning model can be implemented – and how it could be adopted by many more libraries interested in championing media literacy.

The Chair of LIBER’s FIM4L Working Group, Jos Westerbeke, was recently invited to present the group’s work on federated authentication with Single Sign-On (SSO) to the United Nations Library and Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (UN-LINKS). UN libraries were interested in the work of LIBER’s FIM4L group because, together, they are actively searching for the…

The post FIM4L Working Group Presents to UN Library and Information Network for Knowledge Sharing appeared first on LIBER.

In this EIFL webinar, guest speaker Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Communications and Collections at Iowa State University, will share his experience of how the university is supporting openness through principles, strategy and agreements with publishers. The webinar will cover:

In this EIFL webinar, guest speaker Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Communications and Collections at Iowa State University, will share his experience of how the university is supporting openness through principles, strategy and agreements with publishers. The webinar will cover:

In this EIFL webinar, guest speaker Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Communications and Collections at Iowa State University, will share his experience of how the university is supporting openness through principles, strategy and agreements with publishers. The webinar will cover: