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:

IFLA has signed onto the Statement by the International Coalition of Library Consortia on the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on library services and resources.  To further support members, IFLA's Advisory Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters has produced principles for use in negotiation with rightholders.

Faced with the need to close their doors for the safety of users and staff alike, libraries around the world have relied heavily on the possibility to offer access to digital materials and services.

The energy and resourcefulness of the field has done a lot, but the best outcomes for users rely on being able to allow remote use of library collections.

While in some countries, copyright rules do allow libraries to find alternative ways to give access, this is not the case everywhere. Libraries therefore very much count on rightholders to take steps to ensure that access is not interrupted for users, that take account of the challenges many libraries are facing in carrying out normal administrative operations, and that allow for a sustainable relationship into the future.

In the light of this, IFLA is happy to sign up to the Statement produced in the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC), establishing a number of principles to which publishers are invited to adhere.

Many have done so already, in part or in full, as detailed on the ICOLC website. With it clear that the effects of the pandemic are likely to continue for many months into the future, there is a strong need for cooperation.

Furthermore, IFLA’s Advisory Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters has developed a set of principles for use by library associations in discussions with rightholders at the national level.

These reach beyond academic and research libraries, and can be applicable for all library types.

Recognising that some publishers and writers are also facing uncertainty in the crisis, it sets out a number of areas where actions can be taken which will allow libraries to maintain a comparable level of service to users as before the pandemic, using previously and legitimately acquired content. The principles draw heavily on existing good practice examples in order to underline what is possible.

We hope that they will be useful for IFLA’s members in their work.

You can view the IFLA CLM principles on our publications page. The ICOLC statement is available on the Coalition's website.

En el que participan

Virginia Inés Simón (Argentina) 

Elena Etchemendy (Uruguay) 

David Ramirez (Colombia) 

Constanza Verón (Coordinadora del Programa de Comunidad Wikipedia de Argentina ) 

Camille Françoise (Apoyos de Comunidad-IFLA ) 

Con las intervenciones de

Isela Mo Amavet, Oficina Regional de IFLA para América Latina y el Caribe

Angélica Fuentes, Presidenta de la Sección de América Latina y el Caribe-IFLA LAC

Fecha: viernes 29 de mayo de 2020.

Hora: 13:00 horas (Montevideo, Uruguay).

Otros horarios: consulta este enlace.

Duración: Una hora.

A desarrollarse en el Canal de YouTube de IFLA LAC

En redes sociales: usa # 1bib1ref y # 1lib1ref

Más información, clic aquí 

We are pleased to announce the publication of our 2019 Annual Report. The report celebrates our programmes, telling the stories of some of the people who have benefited from our work. In 2019 we also marked EIFL’s 20th anniversary, and EIFL-PLIP’s 10th anniversary. 

Thank you to the many people, past and present, who have helped to build and shape the organization over the years.

We are pleased to announce the publication of our 2019 Annual Report. The report celebrates our programmes, telling the stories of some of the people who have benefited from our work. In 2019 we also marked EIFL’s 20th anniversary, and EIFL-PLIP’s 10th anniversary. 

Thank you to the many people, past and present, who have helped to build and shape the organization over the years.

We are pleased to announce the publication of our 2019 Annual Report. The report celebrates our programmes, telling the stories of some of the people who have benefited from our work. In 2019 we also marked EIFL’s 20th anniversary, and EIFL-PLIP’s 10th anniversary. 

Thank you to the many people, past and present, who have helped to build and shape the organization over the years.

IFLA is celebrating Africa Day 2020, highlighting the contribution that Africa's libraries make to the continent's development, as well as highlighting the ideas, resources and insights available on the IFLA website thanks to the work of our African members. 

57 years ago, the Organisation for African Unity – the forerunner of today’s African Union – was created, marking a new drive to promote peace, integration and a truly African approach to the continent’s future.

This desire to work together to find ways forwards that truly reflect the strengths and needs of Africa is as strong as ever today, not least in the library field, whose role in promoting literacy, participation and development will be essential.

Increasingly, too, major continental initiatives provide opportunities for libraries, from the 2063 Agenda to the Continental Free Trade Agreement which will address copyright in its next round – a key issue for libraries, given that much legislation on the continent is outdated and does not allow for cross-border cooperation.

As part of IFLA’s Strategy 2019-24, there is therefore a new emphasis on supporting work at the regional level, and ensuring that it is possible to develop programmes of work and dialogue shaped around African priorities. We are looking forward to making a reality of this goal in the coming months and years.

In the meanwhile, here are six ideas for how to find out more about IFLA’s work in Africa:

1. Celebrate IFLA’s members in Africa: by being a part of IFLA, they are able to bring the benefits of membership to the African library field. IFLA has over 100 members in African countries with a combined population of over 1 billion people!

2. Read the speech given by IFLA Secretary-General Gerald Leitner at the most recent Round Table of Ministers Responsible for Public Libraries, organised by African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), and held in Accra, Ghana, last year. The speech highlights the role that libraries can play in the efforts of African governments to achieve both the African Union 2063 Agenda, and the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

3. Find data about Africa’s libraries on IFLA’s Library Map of the World! For example, did you know that there are almost 111 000 libraries in Africa – that’s one for every 7 265 people for the countries for which we have data! Nigeria has the most academic libraries (815), and South Africa the most public libraries (1876). Kenya has the most overall, at nearly 50 000, including school libraries.

4. Read our SDG Stories from Africa – we have great examples of the difference libraries are making in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia, . You can also find out more about the library fields in Ghana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe on our country pages.

5. Read about all the ideas submitted to IFLA’s Ideas Store from Africa! There are great suggestions on how to advocate more effectively, how to support the development of collections, how to work best together. Take a look – and submit your own! In addition, in our Global Vision report, you can see how African respondents viewed the strengths and opportunities of libraries in the biggest survey ever organised by IFLA.

6. Check out the papers from the sessions run by IFLA’s Africa Section over the past few years at the World Library and Information Congress in the IFLA Library. You can find out more on the Africa Section webpages, including how to sign up to the mailing list.

7. Get involved in the second 2020 edition of #1Lib1Ref, the campaign organised every year by the Wikimedia Foundation to work with librarians, drawing on their skills to make Wikipedia a more reliable, representative source of free information - check our social media for more.

Find out about the work of IFLA's Africa Section.

The Open Repositories 2020 (OR2020) conference has been postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, the OR2020 Steering Committee has organized a series of virtual meetings and workshops from 1 - 4 June 2020. EIFL will host the virtual meetings.

The Open Repositories 2020 (OR2020) conference has been postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, the OR2020 Steering Committee has organized a series of virtual meetings and workshops from 1 - 4 June 2020. EIFL will host the virtual meetings.

The Open Repositories 2020 (OR2020) conference has been postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, the OR2020 Steering Committee has organized a series of virtual meetings and workshops from 1 - 4 June 2020. EIFL will host the virtual meetings.

Join this virtual LIBSENSE workshop and take part in discussions about strategies for open access and open science policy and infrastructure development in Africa.

The workshop brings together the African community of open access repository managers; open science and open access advocates, and others involved in supporting and providing open access services. It is co-organized by WACREN, UbuntuNet Alliance, ASREN, EIFL, COAR, AfricaConnect 3, OpenAIRE and GÉANT. The three main topics to be covered are:

Join this virtual LIBSENSE workshop and take part in discussions about strategies for open access and open science policy and infrastructure development in Africa.

The workshop brings together the African community of open access repository managers; open science and open access advocates, and others involved in supporting and providing open access services. It is co-organized by WACREN, UbuntuNet Alliance, ASREN, EIFL, COAR, AfricaConnect 3, OpenAIRE and GÉANT. The three main topics to be covered are:

Join this virtual LIBSENSE workshop and take part in discussions about strategies for open access and open science policy and infrastructure development in Africa.

The workshop brings together the African community of open access repository managers; open science and open access advocates, and others involved in supporting and providing open access services. It is co-organized by WACREN, UbuntuNet Alliance, ASREN, EIFL, COAR, AfricaConnect 3, OpenAIRE and GÉANT. The three main topics to be covered are:

EIFL has provided comments to the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) on the draft Intellectual Property Bill, 2020, which aims to consolidate existing laws relating to intellectual property.

EIFL has provided comments to the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) on the draft Intellectual Property Bill, 2020, which aims to consolidate existing laws relating to intellectual property.

EIFL has provided comments to the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) on the draft Intellectual Property Bill, 2020, which aims to consolidate existing laws relating to intellectual property.

​

IFLA’s members have offered overwhelming support via a consultative ballot to changes to the way that our Federation takes major decisions. At IFLA’s 2020 General Assembly, Members will be invited to confirm these changes, a key step further in IFLA’s Governance Review.

Following the approval of IFLA’s Strategy in August 2019, the goal of the Governance Review is to ensure that IFLA has the structures it needs to deliver on its plans, effectively, efficiently and inclusively. The review is the indispensable next step in IFLA’s Development Roadmap.

Through discussions so far, it has been clear that any changes to be made will inevitably require an update to IFLA’s Statutes. This requires the agreement of our Members. However, under IFLA’s current rules, any decision to update the Statutes is not taken by IFLA’s membership as a whole, but rather only by those Members represented at the General Assembly at WLIC.

This means that those who cannot attend WLIC can only have a consultative role through a prior online or postal ballot whose result does not need to be respected. This is contrary to the spirit of our governance review and the global involvement of IFLA’s members.

In order to correct this situation, ahead of crucial votes on our Federation’s new governance structures, IFLA’s Governing Board agreed on draft amendments to the Statutes.

These proposed the changes necessary to ensure that resolutions on important issues can be decided either by meetings of the General Assembly or by all Members through a postal or electronic ballot. The proposals would allow for faster decision-making and ensure that the voices of all Members can genuinely be heard, regardless of their ability to attend a General Assembly or identify a representative.

In March, IFLA therefore sent out a consultative ballot to all IFLA voting members in March asking the question: Do you approve the proposed changes to the IFLA Statutes which aim to ensure that when taking key decisions in future, the voice of every member counts?

The ballot closed after eight weeks on Thursday 7 May. We received votes from Members in all IFLA regions and Member categories, a representative result for our global organisation. The result was an overwhelming yes, with 98% of Members in favour of the proposed changes.

This will inform a binding vote be taken at IFLA’s General Assembly 2020, which will be rearranged for later this year. If the vote passes, IFLA will be set to ensure more effective and efficient Member involvement in crucial upcoming decisions on the future of our Federation.

In the meanwhile, IFLA's Governing Board has continued its work to define potential new structures for our Federation. Workshops held online over two days allowed for useful progress towards solutions that would reflect the same goals of achieving maximum effectiveness in our work globally and opportunities for all of the field to engage.

A consultation on these ideas will open in June in order to make sure that these proposals best reflect the views of our Members and volunteers. We look forward to working with you to continue IFLA's transformation.

Gerald Leitner
IFLA Secretary General

This EIFL webinar will cover subscription cancellations and alternative access options. Our guest speakers Colleen Campbell, Partner Development at OA2020, and Britt-Marie Wideberg, Coordinator of Bibsam, the Consortium of University and Research Libraries of Sweden, will discuss why the libraries and consortia decided to cancel some of their journal subscriptions, how they secured stakeholder buy-in for the cancellation, how they planned for it, and how they communicated it to users - and what alternative access options are available to their users.
 

This EIFL webinar will cover subscription cancellations and alternative access options. Our guest speakers Colleen Campbell, Partner Development at OA2020, and Britt-Marie Wideberg, Coordinator of Bibsam, the Consortium of University and Research Libraries of Sweden, will discuss why the libraries and consortia decided to cancel some of their journal subscriptions, how they secured stakeholder buy-in for the cancellation, how they planned for it, and how they communicated it to users - and what alternative access options are available to their users.
 

This EIFL webinar will cover subscription cancellations and alternative access options. Our guest speakers Colleen Campbell, Partner Development at OA2020, and Britt-Marie Wideberg, Coordinator of Bibsam, the Consortium of University and Research Libraries of Sweden, will discuss why the libraries and consortia decided to cancel some of their journal subscriptions, how they secured stakeholder buy-in for the cancellation, how they planned for it, and how they communicated it to users - and what alternative access options are available to their users.