Minutes of the Second Standing Committee Meeting Section on Document Delivery and Interlending

Jerusalem, Friday August 18, 2000

1. Attendees

Standing Committee members present: Poul Erlandsen (Denmark), Elena Eronina (Russia), Sara Gould (IFLA Office), Lone Hansen (Denmark), Beth Hanson (USA), David Kohl (USA), Celine Ménil (France), Annsofie Oscarsson (Convenor of the Reference Work Discussion Group), Uwe Schwersky (Germany), Carol Smale (Canada), Penelope Street (United Kingdom), Pentti Vattulainen (Finland, and Convenor of the Repositories and Storage Libraries Discussion Group), Agneta Lindh (Sweden), Chair; Chris Wright (USA), Secretary; Mary Jackson (USA), Financial Officer.

Guests: Pauline Connolly (IFLA Office), Elda Guerrero, Mexican Library Association

2. Call to Order

Chairman Agneta Lindh convened the meeting at 10:35 a.m.

3. Review of Jerusalem Conference

As is custom, we reviewed the programs and events during the conference. David Kohl gave a brief summary of Wednesday's licensing program. Over 90 crowded into the room and also overflowed into the hallway. He received many positive comments and requests for the presenter's overheads. Sara Gould had not envisioned the papers being published as proceedings by the UAP Office, but she encouraged Jakob and Claudine to submit their written papers to Interlending & Document Supply for consideration. Members agreed that if the papers are not accepted, they should be posted on our Section's Web site.

Sara Gould summarized the UAP workshop. Although the workshop was not terribly well attended, there was good discussion that confirmed UAP's decision that using a database is not the right way to go to promote the concept of library twinning. The Office may include library resource pages on their web site and may produce model networks, guidelines, and other printed materials but does not intend to continue the twinning database.

Annsofie Oscarsson reported on the Reference Work Discussion Group. Over 120 attended the session and an additional 50 were seated in an adjacent room. Comments from attendees confirmed a successful workshop. She also reported that she would like to continue as convenor of the DG for the next two years.

Pentti Vattulainen noted an overflowing attendance for the Repositories and Storage Libraries Discussion Group, 30 in a room that held only 20. The papers presented will form the basis for their Web site, and Pentti will send the papers to Carol Smale. Attendees had a lively discussion for what will be an ambitious program for this new DG. The mailing list for the DG is hosted by the Center for Research Libraries. Pentti also announced a regional repository library conference to be held in Norway in October.

Agneta Lindh encouraged everyone to complete the Conference evaluation form and drop them in the boxes around the convention center.

4. Nordic ILL Conference

Pentti Vattulainen encouraged members to attend the Nordic ILL Conference in Helsinki in October. He distributed copies of the conference announcement. The program includes several non-Nordic speakers.

5. Interlending & Document Supply

Sara Gould reminded everyone that the journal Interlending & Document Supply is always interested in receiving unsolicited papers.

6. Boston 2001 Conference

On behalf of the Americans, Chris Wright officially invited members to the Boston 2001 Conference. Mary Jackson summarized the workshop on the ISO ILL Protocol planned for Boston. She envisions the workshop to include a brief overview of the Protocol and the emerging peer-to-peer ILL model. Participants would then be free to move around the room to see the various products being demonstrated. Pre-registration would help identify the number of attendees. A handout will be developed for participants to record their comments and observations. We need to request a room that will support LAN or Internet connection, and we will request money for supporting the workshop (handouts, etc.)

Poul Erlandsen summarized the program on user-initiated ILL. A title hasn't been finalized, but the purpose will be to explain the practical advantages of user-initiated ILL to those who haven't begun to offer the service. An overview paper will address issues such as why the user should be involved, how libraries approach the services, the pros and cons of the service, and the technology and standards needed to support the model. Three or four short papers will give examples. Speakers from Denmark, Germany, and the U.S. will be invited. Recognizing that the papers present a particular world-view, Elda Guerrero volunteered to ask her colleagues for information on user-initiated systems in Latin American countries. Poul and Elda will draft a solicitation paper for distribution by Elda. We raised the possibility of using one of the scholarships offered by the U.S. National Organizing Committee for a Latin American speaker.

Beth Hanson wondered if Sections could work with the Boston Organizing Committee to coordinate poster sessions and have topics of a like nature placed next to each other in the sessions. Beth also volunteered to share Virginia Tech's booth (VTIC) with the Section.

7. Section's brochures

Chris Wright welcomed Elda Guerrero from the Mexican Library Association. Elda expressed interest in becoming active on the Standing Committee and volunteered to translate the brochure into Spanish. Sara Gould issues a general request to translate our Section's brochure, guidelines, and other materials into all the official IFLA languages.

8. Glasgow 2002

We brainstormed about program and workshop ideas for the Glasgow Conference in 2002. The theme is Libraries for Life: Democracy, diversity, delivery, with delivery being a natural link for our Standing Committee. Vortals, or vertical portals, centralized digital reference services, the globalization of ILL/DD, the expense of providing materials in a global environment, and the digital divide were suggested as ideas. A title was even proposed: Global Access, Global Delivery: For Whom?

For future consideration, Chris Wright suggested that this discussion opened the question of whether it was time to consider changing the name of the Section to something like the Section on Access and Delivery.

Poul Erlandsen noted that the subcommittee revising the Principles has kept developing countries in mind as they have revised the principles.

Perhaps Glasgow could include a workshop on the Principles. Sara Gould reminded us of the high-tech focus for the Boston Conference and suggested that Glasgow might be less high-tech in nature.

9. Revising the Principles Document

The subcommittee is still revising the draft. Sara Gould plans to ask the Committee on Legal Matters to review the sections on copyright and licensing.

Chris Wright proposed the following:

Circulate the initial draft to Standing Committee members via email as soon as the drafting committee is ready this fall.
Drafting committee resolves any matters arising from S/C comments.
Final draft is broadcast on IFLA-L as the S/C's proposed revision of the existing P&G. Reaction is requested with defined comment period.
Paper copies are mailed to all Section members to assure obtaining views of all concerned.
News item carried in Interlending & Document Supply.
After review and inclusion of any changes stemming from comment period, final draft is posted on Section website under "Discussion Documents." Final version of revised Principles and Guidelines submitted for review by PB at March 2000 meeting.

Steps two, three, and four will be done simultaneously. Chris will also explore LC support for mailing to Section members and the availability of IFLA funds to support a face-to-face meeting of the subcommittee. We all agreed that another face-to-face meeting of the subcommittee is important, needed, and more productive than conference calls or email exchange.

10. Electronic Voucher Project

Agneta Lindh reported on the informal meeting of Chris Wright, Mary Jackson, Sara Gould, Pauline Connolly, and herself. The group discussed ways to advance the concept. The Research Libraries Group (RLG) is interested in supporting an electronic voucher. The small group will schedule a conference call with RLG staff this fall to work out the details of the initiative. The group also agreed that referring to electronic payments as electronic vouchers will keep the well known "branding" even if the process does not use vouchers, per se.

11. Customs, Packaging, Material Delivery

Sara Gould will place a notice in the next UAP newsletter of the Section soliciting problems with clearing customs, packaging, and/or delivery. Some shipping problems have been reported by libraries interacting with libraries in Russia, Norway, and Canada.

12. Goal #5

Poul Erlandsen expressed his worries about how the Section was addressing Goal #5: Address the Special Problems of Document Delivery and Interlending in Developing Countries. Chris Wright reminded everyone that, despite everyone's best efforts, it was ultimately impossible to organize a program at this conference that addressed this goal.

During fall Agneta and Chris will solicit ideas for the next Medium Term Programme (MTP). The revision needs to be completed by the end of the Boston Conference. The 1998-2001 MTP was published in our Section's July 2000 Newsletter.

13. Adjournment

Chair Agneta Lindh formally adjourned the Standing Committee meeting at 12:35 p.m.

Latest Revision: October 25, 2000