Latin America and the Caribbean Section

Strategic Plan
2004-2005

Mission

To promote development, upgrading and improved performance of Latin American and Caribbean information professionals, in order to strenthen the Library associations, and library and information services, enabling them to respond to the needs emerging out of the social dynamics of the countries in the region, with emphasis on the processes of develop literacy, promotion of reading and improve the cultural life.

To encourage processes related to information access and knowledge, the development of Library associations, and library and information services with top priority on literacy, the promotion of reading and the application of new technologies in the countries of the region to improve the cultural life.

To achieve this general objective, the Section will define strategic actions on the basis of exchange and concentration of efforts and resources with other IFLA Programmes and Professional Groups, especially with Division VIII and the ALP Programme. Thus, the Section will be directed towards the establishement of effective links and the outline of joint projects with IFLA Programmes being sensitive to the problems of the region and that wish to plan and carry on relevant activities in a co-operative manner with Latin-American and Caribbean institutions and Library associations. Equally, it will seek for the support of regional and international agencies.

Goals

1. To stimulate the development of library and information services in promoting reading and literacy

Professional Priorities: a - Supporting the role of libraries in society
b - Defending the principle of freedom and information
c - Promoting literacy and reading
d - Providing unrestricted access to information.

Actions

1.1 Expansion of coverage for illiteracy in Bibliographic Information and management of information network in the community ( Project ALP 360, Guatemala);

1.2 Books loan points in Markets and street fairs of south Cone (Project ALP 364, Chile);

1.3 To organize and carry out plans for the promotion of reading in minorities groups;

• New readers: training functional illiterates ( Originally Project ALP 341, Brazil, In development to a new project);
• Quechuas Rural Libraries network: pilot project to information services acess ( Project ALP 363, Ayaviri- Puno - Peru);
• II Seminar "Acess to library and information services in the indigenous communitties of Latin America" ( Brasil, to be scheduled);

1.4 To disseminate in the Region the new standards of the document: "Public Libraries Service: IFLA/UNESCO guidelines for development" and translate into English , Spanish and French;

1.5 To disseminate in the Region the new standards of the document: "School Libraries Service: IFLA/UNESCO guidelines for development" and translate into English , Spanish and French;

1.6 To organize and conduct a Latin America Seminar on IFLA/UNESCO Manifestos and Guidelines for School and Public Libraries ( to be scheduled).

2. To encourage and support the introduction and planning of new technologies as a means of improving information access and general public knowledge, in coordination with the IFLA Sections.

a - Providing unrestricted access to information
b - Representing libraries in the technological marketplace.

Actions

2.1 IFLA Pre-Conference Satelite 2004. The virtual user: a new paradigm to improve the relationship between users and libraries information services. São Paulo/USP ago 18th - 20th /2004

3. To promote the formation and upgrading of professionals and para-professionals.

a - Developing library professionals
b - Provide irrestrict acess to information

3.1 To continue conducting apprenticeship programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean;

3.2 Training for Paraprofessional through Distance Education in the Caribbean countries (Agreement: IFLA/LAC, ACURIL and Porto Rico University, 2003)

3.3 To publicize widely IFLA´s General Conference 2004, to be held in Argentina and to promote the active participation of the representatives from the different countries in its professional activities;

3.4 To produce an interactive teaching unit in compact disk for cataloguing (Project ALP 351, Costa Rica , In Progress);

3.5 Programme for the Training of Library personnel for serving Indigenous Communities in the Latin American Region (Project ALP 365, Mexico);

3.6 To support the Spanish , Portuguese and French translation of works published by IFLA to disseminate them in the Region.

4. To carry out actions geared towards the organization and the head of the professional associations.Professional Priorities

a - Supporting the infrastructure of library associations

4.1 Strengthening Professional Ties in Librarianship for Central America (Project ALP 361, El Salvador);

4.2 Ibero-american Libraries Association Seminar before The World Library and Information Congress in Buenos Aires, Aug.19th and 20th, 2004;

4.3 Latin American and Caribbean Libraries Associations Directory;

4.4 To disseminate the Guidelines of Manegement of Library Associations Section .

5. To promote the standardization of the region´s library activities.

a - Promoting standards, guidelines and best practice

Actions

5.1 To support the identification and circulation of bibliographies on norms used in the region. Issue survey of the standards most used in the region. ( Mexico, Unam);

5.2 To publicize a guideline and one multimedia kit to disseminate the libraries services to the LAC Region Communities (Colombia , to be submitted to PB for funds).

6. To formulate and carry out IFLA promotional programmes in order to attract new members.

a - Developing library professionals.

Actions

6.1 To disseminate IFLA´s and LAC Section promotional materials, by traditional and electronic media;

6.2 Publication of the "Newsletter of IFLA LAC Section"( jun. and dec.2004, jun. and dec. 2005);

6.3 To up date printed and audio-visual materials for the promotion and circulation of the Regional Section´s activities;

6.4 To increase contacts with relevant regional institutions and association, as well participate in local events, in order to promote IFLA.

7. To reclaim and circulate the intellectual production on librarianship and information sciences in the region.

a - Preserving our cultural heritage
b - Developing library professionals

Actions

7.1 To promote the INFOBILA services and their use in the region, and to look for other complementary data bases already in use in the region( Mexico, CUIB/Unam)

7.2 Increase the INFOBILA to including the Digital Libraries of the Region ( Mexico, CUIB/Unam).

8. To co-ordinate actions for the preservation and conservation with the PAC Regional Centre which has its headquarters in Venezuela.

a - Preserving our cultural heritege
b - Developing library professionals.

Actions

8.1 To disseminate programmes and activities of PAC´s Regional Centre in the Section´s Newsletter.

8.2 To establish new Regional Centers of PAC in Brazil, Chile and Trinidad &Tobbago jointly with PAC Programme.

9. To generate inter-regional projects

a - Developing library professionals

Actions

9.1 5th International Meeting of Portuguese Speaking Librarians in conjunction with the Africa and Asia /Oceania Sections ( FEBAB/BAD (Brazilian and Portugal Library Associations) , African lusophone countries Library Associations and East Timor Library Association).