   
Section on Information Technology
Medium Term Programme 1998-2001
Scope statement
The Section on Information Technology (IT) serves to foster, develop and promote information technologies relevant to modern library and information services. This includes policies and technologies for the creation, storage, retrieval and transfer of information for all types of libraries and information centres. A fundamental aspect of this is the development and application of a range of international standards. Close cooperation with the other Sections and Round Tables is essential to elaborate in the goals. A particularly close affinity exists between this Section and the UDT Core Programme.
Goals, 1998-2001
- Stimulate activities of libraries in the area of networking and promote the use of IT in support of library and information services.
- Foster dissimination of IT-related issues on IFLANET.
- Promote advanced technologies for creation, storage, access, retrieval, manipulation, and transfer of information for all types of libraries.
- Support strategic IT planning in libraries through meetings, seminars, working groups, and publications.
- Investigate economic aspects of electronic access, particularly copyright, fair use, and licensing models.
- Investigate the impact of and support for new technologies in developing countries.
- Encourage international linking of systems by application of network and data standards.
- Promote the digitization of library collections and related digital library technologies.
- Support special projects in the area of IT, particularly networking technologies and standards.
Action Plans, 1998-1999
- Complete development of user GUI icons and pursue international standardization.
- Investigate possible schemes for resolving character set issues.
- Investigate the trends in collection and/or use of electronic and non-electronic documents in libraries internationally.
- Promote awareness of metadata issues, collaborating with other IFLA and external groups.
- Promote implementation of key communication standards, such as ISO's Information Retrieval (Z39.50) and the ILL protocol.
- Work collaboratively on IT training, particularly relating to the Internet in developing countries.
- Investigate various schemes for permanent naming of electronic resources and promote awareness of these developments.
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