Rima Kupryte, EIFL Director, and Romy Beard, EIFL Licensing Progamme Manager, have been invited by the Open Access (OA) 2020 Initiative and the Max Planck Society to attend the OA2020 Summit of Chief Negotiators. 

The first part of the meeting, documenting the progress of OA2020 stakeholders, will be recorded and published on the OA2020 website; the second part of the meeting, highlighting benchmarks in key areas of transformative negotiation strategies, will be reserved for OA2020 partners participating live.

EIFL has signed a new read & publish agreement with the European Respiratory Society. The agreement, which lasts until December 2023, covers free and discounted read & publish prices for access to and publishing in its flagship journal, the European Respiratory Journal, for libraries and authors from 37 EIFL partner countries.

EIFL has signed a new read & publish agreement with the European Respiratory Society. The agreement, which lasts until December 2023, covers free and discounted read & publish prices for access to and publishing in its flagship journal, the European Respiratory Journal, for libraries and authors from 37 EIFL partner countries.

EIFL has signed a new read & publish agreement with the European Respiratory Society. The agreement, which lasts until December 2023, covers free and discounted read & publish prices for access to and publishing in its flagship journal, the European Respiratory Journal, for libraries and authors from 37 EIFL partner countries.

EIFL has signed a new read & publish agreement with the European Respiratory Society. The agreement, which lasts until December 2023, covers free and discounted read & publish prices for access to and publishing in its flagship journal, the European Respiratory Journal, for libraries and authors from 37 EIFL partner countries.

Latest ACD Annual Report is now available!

 

 

The IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM) has been translated into Chinese. CAI Dan,LI Han,YANG Enyi,and YUAN Shuo has been translators, with the revision from LUO Chong and ZHAO Dandan,  under the coordination from GU Ben. All of them work at the National Library of China. This all the translations availble are on the LRM website.

Teresa Hackett, EIFL’s Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, reports from the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) copyright committee that met recently in hybrid mode in Geneva 

Teresa Hackett, EIFL’s Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, reports from the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) copyright committee that met recently in hybrid mode in Geneva 

Teresa Hackett, EIFL’s Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, reports from the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) copyright committee that met recently in hybrid mode in Geneva 

The theme of the 10th e-Age20 conference, to be held online this year, is the ‘Power of e-Infrastructures - Shaping the Future of Online Research and Education’. 

The role of e-Infrastructures during the COVID-19 pandemic will be a key focus of e-AGE20, which will cover experiences of research collaboration, online teaching and learning, resource sharing, assessments, and classroom integration and interaction. The role of NRENs (National Research and Education Networks) and e-Infrastructures in the COVID-19 crisis will also be discussed.

The theme of the 10th e-Age20 conference, to be held online this year, is the ‘Power of e-Infrastructures - Shaping the Future of Online Research and Education’. 

The role of e-Infrastructures during the COVID-19 pandemic will be a key focus of e-AGE20, which will cover experiences of research collaboration, online teaching and learning, resource sharing, assessments, and classroom integration and interaction. The role of NRENs (National Research and Education Networks) and e-Infrastructures in the COVID-19 crisis will also be discussed.

The theme of the 10th e-Age20 conference, to be held online this year, is the ‘Power of e-Infrastructures - Shaping the Future of Online Research and Education’. 

The role of e-Infrastructures during the COVID-19 pandemic will be a key focus of e-AGE20, which will cover experiences of research collaboration, online teaching and learning, resource sharing, assessments, and classroom integration and interaction. The role of NRENs (National Research and Education Networks) and e-Infrastructures in the COVID-19 crisis will also be discussed.

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Closely aligned to the IFLA Key Initiative 1.1 “Show the power of libraries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”, the Costa Rican Association of Librarians (Colegio de Profesionales en Bibliotecología de Costa Rica, COPROBI) innovates for strong library strategies and towards making Costa Rican libraries allies in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

With one IFLA Strategy workshop having already taken place, COPROBI’s main objective is to work as allies in achieving the sustainable development goals.

Utilising international and national resources, such as the IFLA Strategic Directions, the DA2I report, the Declaration of Santiago (2017), the Declaration of Ministers of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean (2019), the National Policy of Social Responsibility issued by the Government of Costa Rica (2017), COPROBI has developed joint actions to promote the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals within its members and the institutions and organizations they represent.

   

To this end, CORPOBI has brought the various Costa Rican library professionals together, to build connections among libraries at the national level, and to establish policies related to the SDGs.

Following the four IFLA Strategic Directions, four working groups were organized with the objective proposing clear and concrete steps to implement the SDGs in the libraries of Costa Rica. This led to the creation of the Costa Rica National Library Strategy Plan for the implementation of the SDGs.

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The YouTube launch of the Costa Rica National Library Strategy Plan for the Implementation of the SDGs

(in Spanish).

 

 

COPROBI’s President highlighted their successes on a national level, due to the IFLA Strategy:

Inspired by the IFLA Strategy, we decided to develop a National Strategic Plan for the implementation of the SDGs in libraries in Costa Rica.

To do that, we created a national network of directors of library systems, the heads of the main libraries in the country and librarians known for their work around the SDGs. And we brought them together at a workshop on IFLA’s Strategic Directions and Key Initiatives, to gather information, strengthen inter-institutional alliances on a country level and develop actions that covered most of the SDGs.

We can be proud of what we’ve done so far, and are excited to keep going!”  

 

 

Read more about the Costa Rican library sector

• the Costa Rican profile on the Library Map of the World
• a Costa Rican SDG story on the Library Map of the World
• an interview with COPROBI's President, Lidiette Quirós Ruiz

 

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.

 

      

The latest update on activities related to the Sustainable Development Goals from IFLA includes information on the following: IFLA SDG Update (Dec 2020): Update on 2021 VNRs, Africa Youth SDG Forum, UN Meetings in 2021, Reviewing 5 years of VNRs, Digital Inclusion, Library Map of the World, Library Stat of the Week, Delivering on the SDGs during COVID, and a list of recent blogs.

1) Update on Voluntary National Reviews in 2021

Work continues in countries which are undertaking Voluntary National Reviews this year, with welcome responses from many of those that we have contacted. If you are active in one of the countries undertaking a VNR (or know people who are), please do get in touch.

As a reminder, the following countries will undertake a Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2021: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Chad, China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, DPR Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, Zimbabwe.

We have updated our Guide to the VNRs, and continue to renew our monthly ideas sheets. We will also work on new DA2I Country Analyses, and as ever, encourage the preparation of SDG Stories and data for the Library Map of the World from relevant countries to support your advocacy.

 

2) Africa Youth SDG Forum

IFLA was represented at the 3rd African Youth SDGs Summit, which focused on the subject of how to engage youth most effectively in securing success through engaging young people. The event offered an opportunity not just for contact-building, but also to highlight the role of information in supporting COVID response and longer-term development.

 

3) Wider UN Meetings in 2021

Plans are being made for major meetings at the United Nations in 2021. We have dates already for the following regional sustainable development fora:

• Africa: 1-5 March, Republic of Congo (hybrid meeting)
• Europe: 17-18 March, Geneva (hybrid meeting)
• Asia-Pacific: 22-25 March, Bangkok (virtual meeting)

Dates remain to be set for the other two planned meetings:

• Western Asia and North Africa: March (virtual meeting)
• Latin America and the Caribbean: April (virtual meeting)

We will be in touch in due course around opportunities for engagement.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Social Development will meet on 8-17 February (virtually), focusing on the role of digital technologies on social development. IFLA has submitted a statement on the subject, and will continue to look for ways to engage.

 

4) Reviewing Five Years of VNRs

2021 will be the sixth year in which UN Member States have prepared and presented Voluntary National Reviews. Following our brief analysis of the 2020 reports, we have now carried out a study of all of the reports that have been submitted so far – 199 in total – between 2016 and 2020.

This finds 41 reports, from 37 countries, which have referred to libraries in one way or another, with the vast majority highlighting the positive contribution that libraries, and library associations are making to SDG success. Others focus more on concerns about the lack of libraries, for example in schools. At least in recent years, this represents about a quarter of the total in each year, a figure which of course we hope to increase. Read more in our news story, with a link to the full study.

 

5) Library Pledge for Digital Inclusion

Thanks to all who signed onto the Library Pledge for Digital Inclusion – we have received 587 signatures so far who agreed to their name, or that of their institution or association, posted on the website. We highlighted heavily the number of signatories during our participation at the Internet Governance Forum (see our news stories here and here), and will continue to follow up with contacts and stakeholders to promote this work.

In particular, we have also published a draft version of the second part of our study on libraries in national broadband strategies. This aims both to provide examples of how libraries can be involved in strategies, in order to support libraries and associations in their advocacy for inclusion (and support), as well as to offer lessons about how to make these strategies most effective. See also our new infographic on reasons why public access in libraries matters for people.

 

6) Library Map of the World

There is new and updated data on the Library Map of the World that we hope will help you in your advocacy. This includes a new story from Colombia focused on environmental education (SDG13).

 

7) Library Stat of the Week

Recent posts have drawn both on Library Map of the World data and figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment about the use that 15-year olds make of libraries, and how these relate to other metrics.

Our most recent posts highlight on:

• How students from foreign-language backgrounds depend more on libraries than native-language peers (SDG4, SDG10)
• That there is a gap between numbers of people counted as connected to the internet, and those who have sufficient internet speed and computer access to use it effectively, and that libraries can have a role in addressing this issue (SDG9, SDG17)
• That where there are more public and community libraries and library workers, there is more trust in government (SDG16), as well as higher levels of volunteering and interest in politics (SDGs 11 and 16).

 

8) Delivering on the SDGs During COVID-19

We have published a post looking at examples of how libraries are delivering on all of the SDGs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the examples collected on IFLA’s Libraries and COVID-19 page, this provides examples for each of the SDGs, underlining our institutions’ ongoing importance.

 

9) Other Blogs

We marked International Children’s Day with a post focusing on the importance of ensuring all children enjoy access to information (SDG4), another looking at the role of libraries in tackling intolerance (SDG16), on libraries and communities (SDG11), on libraries as part of the connectivity infrastructure (SDG9), and on the idea of treating information like a utility (SDG16), in the context of work to re-evaluate the UN Development Programme’s Human Development Index.                                        

As ever, we are keen to hear about what you are doing, including your successes in building contacts and awareness, and ensuring that the role of libraries is recognised, celebrated and supported. For example, we have published an interview with colleagues from Chile about work around access to information for health, and on a call to action by African libraries.

So don’t hesitate to let us know!

Submission Deadline: 1 March 2021

IFLA Journal and the IFLA Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) Advisory Committee are pleased to announce a call for abstracts for a special issue that marks the 20th anniversary of the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom. The journal seeks to publish new and original research, case studies, and essays that will a) examine the impact the Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom has had on the library profession over the past twenty years, and/or b) examine the impact of the past twenty years on the Statement. 

Abstracts will be considered for invited submissions that will address the following areas as they relate to the Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom:  

Professional Impact

1. Professional Practice
   1. Library and Information Science (LIS) education
   2. Acquisitions and collection development
   3. The relationship between personal beliefs and professional responsibility
2. Defence of Freedom of Expression (FOE)
   1. Activism
   2. Capacity to defend FOE 
3. Impact of the statement on profession at large
   1. Adoption of the statement within national context
   2. Examples of libraries defending intellectual freedom, based on the principles of the Statement

The Changing World

1. Information environment
   1. Disinformation/Fake news (i.e. active manipulation of environment)
   2. Algorithms /machine learning/artificial intelligence (i.e. incidental/accidental manipulation of environment)
   3. Anonymity/Privacy/Right to be forgotten
2. Impacts of a changing political environment on statement’s relevance
   1. UN Declarations and positions in the past 20 years (including UN Declaration of Human Rights)
   2. Climate change
   3. Rise of populism

Guest Editors

Stuart Hamilton, PhD
Head of Libraries Development for the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), Ireland

Barbara Jones
Consultant and former Director of the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom

Specific Topics of interest include

Professional Impact

1. Professional Practice
   1. LIS education
   2. Acquisitions and collection development
   3. The relationship between personal beliefs and professional responsibility
   4. The library space: events and activities

The contemporary working environment for library staff looks considerably different to 1999. The outlooks and viewpoints librarians take into professional practice continue to be shaped by LIS education, but an LIS education that has reacted – or not - to the emergence of the growing impact of electronic resources, social media; and the increasing diversity of society and views.  Has the Statement impacted LIS education in any way, and are new librarians entering the workplace with better knowledge of the principles that the Statement contains? Do LIS educators today find the need for changes in the Statement and, if so, what changes?

Once in the workplace, the statement calls on libraries to ensure that the selection and availability of library materials and services is governed by professional considerations and not by political, moral and religious views. Have library acquisitions policies in the past 20 years evolved because of the Statement's principles?  Have library holdings adapted to changes in the world in line with the statement’s objectives? When it comes to selection, can/should individual belief and professional responsibility be separated and, if so, how?  

The library space itself can be a place of contention. The statement confirms the library as a place where facilities and services are equally accessible to all users, but are libraries able to fulfil this at a time when ‘cancel culture’ or ‘de-platforming’ are increasingly familiar concepts? Are libraries still able to safely reflect diversity of views and avoid censorship in any form?

2. Defence of FOE
   1. Activism
   2. Capacity to defend FOE

The Statement is radical in its insistence that librarians be active in support of its principles. It speaks clearly to a professional responsibility both to guarantee and to facilitate access to expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity. In this context, how has the statement been used to support freedom of expression? Has the library field engaged in enough affirmative, promotional campaigns in support of the Statement’s values?  How can activist policies be put into practice with library staff and the general public? How can we reach across professions such as social workers or medical professionals to promote access to information? What are the most effect methods at libraries’ disposal to promote diversity of views instead of censorship? What tools do we need that we don’t presently have, or use effectively?

We particularly welcome analysis and exploration of controversial ideas and books being defended in a library context, or campaigns undertaken in support of the Statement’s values.

3. Impact of the statement on profession at large
   1. Adoption of the statement within national context
   2. Examples of libraries defending intellectual freedom, based on the principles of the Statement

The Statement has been translated into more than 30 languages and has international resonance. Are there examples of the statement being adopted – are adapted - in national contexts? Have librarians found that their national laws or cultural practices conflict with the Statement and if so, why? Challenges to intellectual freedom in libraries have been a feature of the last 20 years in libraries all over the world but how have librarians defended against these challenges, based on the principles of the Statement? We seek qualitative case studies that analyse incidents and patterns of intellectual freedom under threat and library responses.

The Changing World

1. Information environment
   1. Disinformation/Fake news (i.e. active manipulation of environment)
   2. Algorithms /machine learning/artificial intelligence (i.e. incidental/accidental manipulation of environment)
   3. Anonymity/Privacy/Right to be forgotten

Since the Statement’s publication the veracity of information has been increasingly called into question as the concepts of ‘fake news’ and disinformation have gained currency. In parallel, the increasing prevalence of algorithms in all facets of search, as well as advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, increasingly affect which information is presented to us, or result in incidental or accidental manipulation of the information ecosystem. Our ability to remain private when seeking information is also affected by these processes while at the same time the Right to be Forgotten has created an opportunity for some information to be ‘lost’.

How have these changes to the information environment impacted the statement’s relevance? How have they affected the right to know, and the right to privacy? What literacies are needed to navigate this environment? To what extent can libraries preserve anonymity in the shadow of electronic licensing agreements for access to eBooks and other digital resources?

2. Impacts of a changing political environment on statement’s relevance
   1. UN Declarations and positions in the past 20 years (including UN Declaration of Human Rights)
   2. Climate change
   3. Rise of populism

The global political environment has changed greatly over the past twenty years, providing a variety of contexts for the Statement’s principles and affirmations to stand against. Greater scrutiny has emerged regarding the ‘western’ nature of related documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yet at the same time the Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030 has sought to provide a unified global approach to the problem of inequality. An increasing focus on climate change has united generations in activism, yet populist movements that arose or grew stronger in response to global events such as the financial crisis of 2008 set one group against another. To what extent have the impact of political movements at national and international affected the relevance of the Statement? Does the emergence of new political directions need to be better reflected in the Statement, or does sufficient flexibility exist to address the circumstances of the world in 2021?

Submission Deadline

Abstracts are requested for consideration for the special issue should be submitted to IFLA Journal for review by 1 March 2021.  Selected abstracts will be invited to submit a manuscript for full-peer review and inclusion in the special issue.

How to Submit an abstract

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.

For consideration for submission to the special issue, please provide a general abstract of no more than 150 words and upload an extended abstract of approximately 300 words that provides the significance, scope, and research methods for the manuscript by 1 March 2021 via IFLA Journal's ScholarOne Manuscripts submission website. Authors will need to indicate within the system whether they will provide an original article, review article, case study, or essay (see below for further details).  Authors will receive notification whether their abstracts have been accepted by 15 March 2021. Manuscripts will be due by 1 June 2021. Each manuscript will undergo peer-review prior to acceptance for the special issue.  This special issue will be published by late 2021.   

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 will be 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 organizations, 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.

Article Types

Original Articles

Original articles constitute traditional empirical research, drawing on quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research methodologies. 

Review Articles

A review article provides a detailed and authoritative summation of the current state of research and understanding on an important topic within the field.  A review article should not only document important figures working on a topic but also examine recent advances, current debates, gaps, and future directions for research on the topic.

Essays

Provide informed analysis of viewpoints, trends, and controversies within the field of LIS.  For example, an essay may contribute an important conceptual analysis of policies that impact and contribute to the information environment as it impacts the profession locally and/or globally.  Further, essays may provide the basis for further empirical research, policy analysis, action, or theorizing within the field.

Case Studies

Case Studies provide a valuable record of practices of the LIS professions.  As a distinct qualitative methodology, case studies for IFLA journal research both practical and theoretical issues in the field by focusing on a single case. 

Myanmar’s research community has enthusiastically embraced the new Myanmar Education Research and Learning (MERAL) Portal. 

In just four months since the launch of the MERAL Portal in July 2020, content has doubled. The portal now includes almost 6,000 journal articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations, research papers, books and books chapters from 19 universities. 

Myanmar’s research community has enthusiastically embraced the new Myanmar Education Research and Learning (MERAL) Portal. 

In just four months since the launch of the MERAL Portal in July 2020, content has doubled. The portal now includes almost 6,000 journal articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations, research papers, books and books chapters from 19 universities. 

Myanmar’s research community has enthusiastically embraced the new Myanmar Education Research and Learning (MERAL) Portal. 

In just four months since the launch of the MERAL Portal in July 2020, content has doubled. The portal now includes almost 6,000 journal articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations, research papers, books and books chapters from 19 universities. 

IFLA joins ICOMOS, ICA, and ICOM to call on all parties to ensure the protection of cultural heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Following the ceasefire agreement that came into force on 10 November, the international community has expressed concern at reports of damage to cultural property. As the founding four organisations of the Blue Shield, IFLA, the International Council on Museums and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Council on Archives (ICA), and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) have called for respect and protection of all cultural property in the region.

This builds on an earlier statement issued by Blue Shield on 7 October, reminding the parties involved in the conflict of their obligations under international law provisions protecting cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict.

Download and read the full statement of ICOMOS, ICA, IFLA and ICOM.