Regional Standing Committee for Asia and Oceania

Minutes of the Meetings Held in Bangkok, Thailand on 21 & 27 August 1999

Present on 21 August 1999

Observers :

Ms. Arlene Cohen (Guam) Ms. Ann Charlotte Gangopadhya Lundmark (Sweden) Andrew Gosling (Australia) Peter Haddad (Australia) Ms. Helen Jarvis (Australia) Ms. Carole Joling (IDRC) Ms. Jayshree Mamtora (Fiji) Mohd. Sharif Mohd. Saad (Malaysia) Ms. Shahar Banun Jaafar (Malaysia) M. Shahzad Yusuf (Pakistan) Ms. Masuko Sonobe (Japan) Togi A. Tunupopo (Samoa)

Present on 27 August 1999

Observers :

Ms. Helen Bikhazi (Lebanon) Ms. Margaret Bywater (Cambodia) Ms. Aree Cheunwattana (Thailand) Ms. Arlene Cohen (Guam) Ms. Danny Chin (USA) Diljit Singh (Malaysia) Ms. Sharon E. Henry (Philippines) Ms. Betsie L. Kaltabang (Vanuatu) Ms. Yasuko Kitano (Japan) Ms. Jayshree Mamtora (Fiji) R. Ramachandran (Singapore) Ms. Shahar Banun Jaafar (Malaysia) Ms. Sangeeta Kaul (India) Ms. Marie Sexton (Australia) Ms. Catherine Tan (Singapore) Togi A. Tunupopo (Samoa) Ms. Sun XueLei (China) Tomikubo, Takashi (Japan)

Apologies :

Ravinder Kumar Chadha (Member) Ms. Khunying Maenmas Chavalit (Member) Ms. Elizabeth Fong (Member) A.P. Gakhar (Member) Abbas Horri (Member) Jiang Weiming (Member) Zhu Qiang (Member) Ms. Anna Shirinian (Member) Ms. Donita Simmons (Member) c.c.

D.E.K. Wijasuriya (Special Advisor) Ms. Mandana Sadigh-Behzadi (Corresponding Member) Ms. Birgitta Sandell (IFLA/ALP Core Programme) Ms. Daruna Somboonkun (Co-ordinator, ALP Scholarships/Training) Adolfo Rodriguez (Chairman, Division VIII) Ross Shimmon (Secretary-General, IFLA) Sjoerd M.J. Koopman (Coordinator of Professional Activities, IFLA)

Welcoming Remarks

Ms. Elizabeth Fong (University of South Pacific Library, Fiji)
Ms. Sun Liping (National Library of China)
P.E. Harrison Perera (British Council, Sri Lanka)
Gary E. Gorman (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and
Zhu Qiang (Peking University Library, China).

The Committee now has 18 members out of a possible 20. The Chair extended her thanks to Ms. Donita Simmons who has finished her maximum term of office, Jiang Weiming who did not re-nominate, and Peter Durey (Corresponding member)for their valuable contributions during their term of office. Apologies were received from several members who were not able to attend.

Agenda

Confirmation of minutes of the Mid-Conference Meeting held in Chiangmai, Thailand, 3 - 5 March 1999

• Minute 10(e)(viii): Advancement of Librarianship Program (ALP) Add "Sri Lanka" after "Myanmar"
• Minute 15: Nominations to the Executive Board Add "for 1999 - 2003" after "RSAO Standing Committee"

Matters Arising

The Committee was informed that UNESCO was unable to support the proposal for a Workshop on Education and Training for Internet Use in Library and Information Work in Asia and the Pacific Region.

Financial Reports

• The major expenses from the Administrative Funds was for the printing of publicity materials.
• The Meetings Budget was used to pay hotel and per diem of 4 RSCAO members attending the Conference in Bangkok.

Reports

The Committee noted that the homepage will be updated.

Regional office Reports

The Committee considered the Report and working time table and the meeting budgets (Appendix A) and noted that the Regional Office has contributed significantly to the preparations for the 65th IFLA Council and General Conference. Besides fund raising, the Regional Office also took care of the local hospitality for more than 40 participants from developing countries who had received the DANIDA Grant.

RSCAO Annual Report, 1998 - 99

The Committee noted the report (Appendix B).

Regional Section Projects

• The mobile Library pre-study project
  This project is continuing.
• Video project
  A video documentary entitled " Librarianship in Asia & Oceania on the Move!" has been produced to enhance awareness and dissemination of IFLA activities in the Asia-Oceania region. Members and observers at the second RSCAO meeting had an opportunity to view the video which was directed and produced by a committee led by Maria Lao Sunthara. It was agreed that additional funding would be requested from the professional Board to reproduce the video for distribution to librarians, policy-makers and funding agencies throughout the region. Narration notes will accompany the video.
• Networking for effective library and information services (ALP project no. 240)
  Russell informed the Committee that the Workshop held in co-operation with the Sri Lanka Library Association (SLLA) would be held from 17 - 23 October 1999 at Hotel Galadari, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and experts from Australia, Malaysia, United States, Canada and United Kingdom are expected to attend the workshop. Registration fees of USD200.00 will be charged and will include hotel accommodation and meal expenses.
• Regional conference on public libraries: Planning for future needs
  The proceedings of the conference have been published by Uppsala University Library (Edited by Eve Johnson, ISBN 91-85092-55-X, price 100 SEK).

65th IFLA Council and General Conference, 20 - 28 August 1999, Bangkok

1. RSCAO Open Session: Asia in the Global Information Village: The role of the Internet in Developing Countries, 25 August 1999 (Chair: Ms. Amelia McKenzie)

   The Session which was held in the Grand Hall was attended by about 110 participants. Four papers were presented as follows :

   1. Internet: contribution to Asia and Oceania information resources' construction (Liu Luyin).
   2. South Asia in the global electronic village: issues and implications (Jagtar Singh).
   3. The Internet as a means of information resources' integration: the regional aspect (B.S. Elepov, E.B. Soboleva, Olga Fedotova & A.V. Shabanov).
   4. Internet use in libraries in Southeast Asia with special reference to the role of the Universiti Sains Malaysia Library in promoting the use of the Internet for teaching and learning (Rashidah Begum & Wong Sook Jean).
   Jagjit Singh was unable to attend, but his paper was summarised by the Chair.

   The papers were received with considerable interest and there were many questions and comments at the end of the session. For the first time, simultaneous interpretation into French, German, Spanish and Russian was provided.

2. RSCAO/RTMLA Workshop on Management and Development of Library Associations in Developing Countries, 26 August 1999

   The full-day Workshop was entitled "Common problems, different solutions: managing library associations in developing countries". The morning session, chaired by Rashidah was introduced by Russell, a founder member of RTMLA and was attended by about 60 participants.

   The following papers were presented:
   

   1. Back to the basics: principles of organisation Peter Lor (Director, State Library, Pretoria, South Africa)
   2. Stages of development: case studies Sri Lanka Library Association (P.E. Harrison Perera, British Council Library, Colombo) Vanuatu Library Association (Ms. Betsie Kaltabang, Vanuatu Reserve Bank Library, Port Vila) Uruguay Library Association (Ms. Graciela Dacosta, University School of Librarianship, Montevideo)
   3. Strategies for success How the Myanmar Library Association was established (U Thaw Kaung, former Director, Universities Central Library, Yangon) Motivating strategies in the Pacific Islands context (Arlene Cohen, Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives)
   4. Raising funds (Mohd. Sharif Mohd. Saad, Faculty of Information Studies, MARA Institute of Technology, Malaysia)

   Ms. Christina Stenberg, the new Chair of RTMLA and the Secretary General of the Swedish Library Association was unable to present her paper as she was indisposed. The morning session ended with a lively question and answer session.

   The afternoon session on library advocacy strategies chaired by Ms.Amelia, was attended by about 40 participants. Again there was a very lively discussion and brainstorming session on the meaning of 'advocacy' and how to apply it in library association development. This was followed by small group work on practical advocacy strategies to implement in libraries and library associations, and the presentation of results and discussions.

   At the close of the session, participants were presented with a small RSCAO souvenir.

   The full day workshop ended with a reception and buffet dinner at the Pacific Rim Restaurant, BITEC Centre. Ms. Amelia agreed to edit the proceedings of the workshop and to develop them into a publication that will serve as a guide for those involved in managing library associations in developing countries.

3. IFLA Newcomers Session

   Ms. Amelia and Ms. Rashidah were invited to represent the Division VIII and the Section on Asia/Oceania to speak on the objectives and activities of the Section at two newcomer sessions on Sunday, 22 August 1999 and Monday, 23 August 1999.

4. IFLA Booth Schedule

   Ms. Amelia and Ms. Rashidah were on duty at the IFLA booth on 29 August, 2.00 - 3.00 p.m. to speak to visitors interested in RSAO activities.

5. Co-ordinating Board (CB) Meetings

   Ms. Amelia and Ms. Rashidah attended the meeting on 20 and the next meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of 27 August 1999. Matters discussed included the action plans for ALP for the next 3 years and resolution to IFLA Council to withdraw Resolution 12. The theme for the Division session would be Cross-cultural networking partnership and there would be 1 speaker from each Section, and 2 from outside the Division.

   The Committee was informed that the new Chair of Division VIII is Adolfo Rodriguez, (Chair, Regional Standing Committee, Latin America & the Carribean) while the Secretary is Amelia Mckenzie (Chair, Regional Standing Committee, Asia and Oceania).

66th IFLA General Conference, 13 - 18 August, 2000 Jerusalem, Israel

• The theme of the Section will be Networking partnerships in Asia & Oceania.
• The topics suggested for a possible workshop were Global knowledge, Multilingual scripts, Writing project proposals/proposal budgets, and a joint activity with the National Libraries Section on National Libraries Legislation.
  The Committee noted that some members will not be able to attend the Conference because their governments do not have political/diplomatic ties with Israel.

Report of the IFLA Working Group on the Revision of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure: Recommendation 12

The Committee noted that last year the Chairs of the 3 regional sections had been asked to comment on the role and future of the Sections and had provided feedback to IFLA on the positive impact of the Sections on the development of libraries and librarianship in the regions.The recommendation therefore came as a surprise.

Members expressed considerable opposition to this recommendation. IFLA Council was commended on its initiative to review the IFLA statutes and its organisation and its re-affirmation of its commitment to developing libraries and library associations. However, there was an urgent need for IFLA Council to strengthen the Third World librarians' participation in the mainstream of IFLA's professional activities as represented by its present Sections, Roundtables and core programmes, or whatever may replace then.

The Report does not provide any alternative proposals or machinery to ensure that the needs of Division VIII are fully integrated with the totality of IFLA's operations. It is very important that any alternative proposal must prove to be working successfully over a period of time before the existing structure is dismantled.

RSCAO members were urged to attend the Council meetings and voice their concerns. The Committee noted that there were many amongst the IFLA membership at large who did not agree with the recommendation and strong opposition to this recommendation has been expressed by participants from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden. It was agreed that a written resolution on this matter be submitted to Council. Ms. Amelia as Chair of RSCAO is one of the signatories to the CB of Division VIII statement to IFLA members read out by Stan at Council I and Resolution 3 submitted for discussion at Council II.

RSCAO - Medium Term Programme (MTP) 1998 - 2001

Advancement of Librarianship Programme (ALP)

1. List of approved projects and planned activities [Appendix E(i)]
   It was noted that project 248 would be a workshop on Regional Networking and will be held at Lebanon, 6 - 8 March, 2000. Participants from Lebanon, Syria, Jordon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Omen, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and Palestine will be invited.
2. List of activities which have taken place [Appendix E(ii)]
3. Projects rejected in 1999 [Appendix E(iii)]
   It was suggested that members most interested in Project 249 find alternative sponsors.
4. Project reports [Appendix E(iv)]
5. Annual Report (1998) of ALP [Appendix E(v)]
6. Minutes of the Nordic Support Group, 23 November 1998 [Appendix E(vi)]
7. Project Proposals
   

The Committee was requested by ALP to prioritise the projects as ALP was now in the process of preparing an application to SIDA for money for the next 3 year period.

The Committee agreed that priority would be given to IT scholarships, in-service training, library education and networking.

The Committee members were urged to solicit project applications in line with the criteria and priority areas as in the Guideline for ALP project application [Appendix E(vii)]. January 31 of each year is the deadline for project applications to reach the Regional Manager.

Election of Officers and Information Coordinator, 1999 -2001

Ms. Amelia and Ms. Rashidah were unanimously re-elected Chair and Secretary/Treasurer of the Section. Ms. Olga was appointed Information Coordinator (IC). The main duty of the IC will be to disseminate information about the Section through IFLANET. The Committee conveyed its thank to the previous IC, Ravinder Kumar Chadha.

11th Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL 2000)

The Committee was informed that this premier world forum for Southeast Asian Librarianship will be held on 26 - 28 April 2000 at the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore. CONSAL 2000 will be held in conjunction with the Asia International Book Fair and International Library Expo. The theme is "Stepping into the New Millennium: Challenges for Librarians and Information Professionals".

More information on the Conference is available from the CONSAL Booth at BITEC and website at: http://www.consal.org.sg.

DANIDA Grants

The Committee were requested to disseminate information on the availability of this grant as widely as possible in their countries. The Committee agreed that recommendations would be made to the funding bodies for this grant that first time receipients of DANIDA be allowed to reapply for these grants if they have been selected to present papers at subsequent conferences.

Schedule of Regional Section Committee(RSC) meetings during the Conference

Several members commented that they were unable to attend the meetings of other sections that are actively/library based as these meetings are held concurrently with the RSC meeting. As a result, they were unable to contribute to discussions at the other meetings.

Ms. Amelia and Ms. Rashidah agreed to discuss this matter further with headquarters.

Dates for Next Meeting

The next mid conference meeting would be held in Lebanon, 2- 4 March, 2000.

Closing Remarks

The Chair thanked all present for their valuable contributions to the discussions that took place. A special vote of thanks was accorded to the Thai hosts and the staff of the Regional Office for their hard work in making the meetings, open session and the workshop a success.