   
Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments
Annual Report
September 2000- September 2001
Scope Statement
In accordance with the mission and objectives of IFLA, the Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments recognises the central role that information must play in the effective functioning of a democratic legislature. In representing parliamentary libraries, the Section encompasses parliamentary and legislative libraries that provide information and documentation services to Parliamentarians and also those that include a research and analysis service. These services are provided to national legislatures in unitary states, and to both national and regional legislatures in countries with a federal system of government. The activities undertaken by those who provide library and research services for parliaments range from the identification, location, interpretation, synthesis, and timely delivery of information to in-depth analysis and development of choices for the legislature.
In addition to the library skills of acquisition, indexing, reference work and the use of information technology, there is often a need for subject and disciplinary expertise, significant presentational skills and an understanding of legislative procedures and official publications. The concept of service to members of the legislature, the primary clientele, is fundamental to parliamentary libraries and research services.
Standing Committee Executive 1999-2001
Chair:
Richard Paré, Parliamentary Librarian
Library of Parliament, Parliament of Canada
Ottawa, Canada
E-mail: parer@parl.gc.ca
fax: +(1)(613)9967297
Secretary/Treasurer:
Jan Keukens
Library of Second Chamber
The Hague, Netherlands
E-mail: jc.keukens@tk.parlement.nl
fax: +(31)(70)3185606
Information Co-ordinator:
Marialyse Délano Serrano
Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile
Santiago, Chile
E-mail: mdelano@biblioteca.congreso.cl
fax: +(56)(2)2701747
Membership
The Section had 115 members representing 58 countries as of 1 September 2001. There are 85 Institutions, 16 National Associations, 12 Personal Affiliates, and 2 International Associations. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Janet Seaton of the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) as a new member of the Section. Also, I welcome Christine Wellems of the Buergerschaft, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as a "German Observer" on the Standing Committee.
In addition to the institutional membership of the Scottish Parliament, the following 3 institutions have joined our Section in 2001: The Library Assembly of Euroasia (LAE) in the Moscow Russian Federation, the Assembleia da Republica in Lisbon Portugal and the Indian Journal of Library and Information Science in Kerala, India.
Library Assembly of Euroasia (LAE)
c/o Russian State Library, 3/5 Vozdvizhenka,
MOSCOW Russian Federation
E-mail: irgb@glas.apc.org
Code: RU-8001
Assembleia da Republica
Biblioteca, Palacio de Sao Bento
1249 Lisbon
Portugal
E-mail: jlt@centro.parlamento.pt
Code: PT-1012
Indian Journal of Library and Information Science
Kaiparetu House, Uzhavoor PO, Kottayam District
Kerala 686 634
India
E-mail: editorijlis@hotmail.com
Code: IN-1025
IFLAPARL2
Communications continue by way of the IFLAPARL2 listserv for all Section members including Standing Committee Members. Close to 800 messages had been registered on the listserv from August 2000 to August 2001. Peak periods were noted pre and post IFLA conference. As of August 2001 the listserv had more than 90 members, as opposed to 80 members in August 2000. In 2000-2001, all new members of the Section were added to the Section's listserv IFLAPARL2. The listserv is being used more and more for comparative information and research purposes. Data that is provided gives accurate and -up-to-the-minute information on what Library and Research Services are being offered in well established as well as in new Parliamentary and Legislative Libraries all over the world with the distinct comparative and analytical research value that such information can provide to members for their own planning and management purposes. We believe that this activity has an important role with regard to IFLA’s mission of collaboration and cooperation among similar libraries all over the world.
Sponsorship
For IFLA 2001, the Section prepared letters of request for support for approximately 50 members of the Section including some Standing Committee members. The Section is grateful to Mr. Dick Toornstra and the European Union for the financial support that the EU provided to the Section for specific projects including Web site enhancement. Also, on behalf of the Section, I was happy to provide an evaluation of a business plan prepared by Mr. Simon Engitu of APLESA and suggested the support of the Africa Fund. Information on this fund is available at http://www.theafricafund.org. For further information contact:
The Africa Fund
50 Broad Street, Suite 1701
New York NY 10004
Tel: 212 785-1024
Fax: 212 785-1078
E-mail: africafund@igc.org
CONFERENCES
17th Annual International Conference of Parliamentary Librarians
Prior to Boston 2001, the Section held its 17th Annual International Conference of Parliamentary Librarians on 14-15 August 2001 in Ottawa, Canada. The attendance was impressive with 103 people from 39 different countries. This conference was hosted by the Library of Canada’s Parliament as a pre-conference in conjunction with the 67th Meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Ottawa conference overview
The first evening of the conference on 14 August 2001, after the registration and reception portion of the Conference, tours in French, English and Spanish of the Centre Block and the Library took place.
The theme of the pre-conference on 15 August 2001 guided the content of panel discussions and presentations:
Parliamentary and Legislative Libraries on the Cutting Edge of Information - Striving together to support the role of parliamentary libraries in society; to promote resource sharing and to address libraries in the technological marketplace.
Les bibliothèques parlementaires et législatives à la fine pointe de l’information - pour appuyer le rôle des bibliothèques parlementaires dans la société; pour promouvoir le partage des ressources et pour entamer la question des bibliothèques à l’aire du marché technologique.
As host of the 17th international conference of Parliamentary Librarians, I was honoured to open the conference. We were delighted to have as keynote speaker, the Honourable Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons. He responded with much expertise and accuracy to many questions from the audience on the role of the Speakership at the House of Commons and to his interesting exposé on the Library of Parliament. Jan Keukens, the Section Secretary thanked the keynote speaker in his usual eloquent and professional manner. Representatives of the Libraries of the Parliaments of Cuba, Costa Rica and Brazil, of several of Canada’s Legislative Assembly Libraries and of Canada’s Library of Parliament made presentations, which were followed by questions and answers from the audience.
As Chair of the IFLA Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments, I would also like to offer a special word of thanks to the different presenters. Our South American delegates formed the first panel of the day. I would like to thank Cristian Maia supported by Marli Elisabeth Schreiber (Brazil), and Olga Castro Gutierez (Costa Rica) for their presentations on their respective Legislative Library Services. We are also indebted to Mrs. Marialyse Delano for not only giving a summary of the Cuba presentation by standing in for Rita Pages Hernandez but also for acting as moderator for the South American panel at the Ottawa conference.
As for the next panel, Mary Dickerson of the Ontario Legislative Assembly very proficiently led the panel discussion of representatives of Canada's Legislative Library Services on the theme Evolving Toward the Electronic Sphere. The participating panellists -- Joan Barton of British Columbia, Kimberley Hammond of Newfoundland and Marian Powell of Saskatchewan are to be gratefully thanked for their interesting and lively presentations.
I also want to personally thank Canada’s Parliamentary Library representatives for their most interesting delivery and comments on Canada’s Library of Parliament and its Services, namely: Hugh Finsten, Kate Dunkley, Alain Guimont of the Parliamentary Research Branch, and Mike Graham, Lynn Brodie from the Information and Documentation Branch and Dianne Brydon from the Parliamentary Public Programs.
The following papers were circulated at the pre-conference and are available on the IFLA Section Web site at: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s3/conten-e.htm#7
The Honourable Peter Milliken, Keynote speaker
Speaker of the House of Commons - Role of the Library of Parliament
Mr. Richard Paré
Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament -The Library of Parliament at the dawn of a new century/ La Bibliothèque du Parlement à l’aube d’un siècle nouveau
Mrs. Cristiane de A. Maia and Mrs. Marli E. Schreiber
Documentation and Information Center, Brazilian House of Representatives, Brazil - The role and services of the Documentation and Information Center of the Brazilian House of Representatives
Mrs. Olga Castro Gutiérrez
Dpto. Servicios Bibliotecarios, Documentación e Información, Costa Rica -The role and services of the Library of Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly, in the context of a comparative view of the activities of the different parliamentary and legislative libraries in the Americas
Mrs. Rita Caridad Hernandez
Asamblea Nacional Del Poder Popular, Cuba -The role and services of the Library of Cuba's National Assembly, in the context of a comparative view of the activities of the different parliamentary and legislative libraries in America.
Ms. Pierrette Landry
Office of the Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament -The Library of Parliament Today/La Bibliothèque du Parlement aujourd’hui
On the evening of 15 August, I was very proud to be host to 100 or more delegates from different parts of the world at the Mackenzie King Estate. Luckily, the late summer weather was wonderful and allowed us to enjoy the final portion of this conference. I want to express my appreciation to all attendees for making this conference a great success. I hope your experience at the 17th Annual International Conference of Parliamentary Librarians will be a memorable one.
Conference: 67th Meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
IFLA Program Highlights for the 67th International Annual IFLA Conference
- Three Open Meeting papers were made available in English, French, Spanish, German and Russian on the Section's website prior to the conference.
- Eight Research Seminar papers were made available on IFLANET and on the Section's website in English prior to the conference.
- For the benefit of Section Members, and thanks to Mrs Donna Scheeder of the Library of Congress, the Section made provisions for six workshops on Library Management that were held at MIT during the Boston 2001 conference.
Programs in Boston included:
Saturday, 18 August 2001
Standing Committee 1 (65 attendees - 35 countries) Jan Keukens, the outgoing IFLA Section Secretary, is preparing the minutes of the Standing Committee meetings, which will be made available to all Section members in December 2001. Elections for the new executive were held. Margareta Brundin, Chief Librarian, Parliament of Sweden, was unanimously elected Chair of the Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments. Marialyse Delano, Chief Librarian, Library of the Parliament of Chile, was unanimously elected Secretary of the Section. Eleni Mitrakou, of the Library of the Hellenic Parliament accepted to replace Marialyse Delano as Information Coordinator of the Section.
Sunday, 19 August 2001
Joint Conference and Town Hall Meeting of the Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments and the Government Information & Official Publications Section. (112 attendees - 42 countries)
Theme:
Information and Research Support to Parliaments and Legislatures: New Challenges and the Public Interest
Keynote Speaker: Dan Mulhollan: The Developments in Technology and the Possible Implications for Legislative Services.
Presenter: Paul Anderson: Library Partnerships Bring Information to the People from the Newly Restored Parliament of Scotland.
Moderator: Frank Kirkwood: ParlGovInfo.Speak: Wherein our International Panel Faces a Town Hall Meeting
Comments were very positive on this joint session. Most agree that this type of collaboration between sessions should be encouraged. Further, collaboration of this nature not only creates room for thoughtful reflexion but also supports the IFLA Coordinating Board mandate in supporting collaboration and information sharing between IFLA Sections.
As for feedback, some were of the view that as we are evolving as a Section, and that increasing contacts between sections are being encouraged, it is suggested that we plan well in advance to develop a joint frame of reference, in order to provide and to receive input on format and content of joint sessions for future conferences.
Monday 20 August 2001
A special full-day meeting on Research Services (94 people, 43 countries)
This meeting was successfully co-ordinated by June Verrier, Head of the Australian Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Parliament of Australia. This year we were able to obtain an extension of the timetable to a full-day Research session. This format allowed for a broader range of topics and geographic representation as well as the point of view of the parliamentary client. Comments on the whole were very positive on the content and format of the Research Meeting. As a strategic planning and facilitating tool, the Strength – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats (SWOT) analysis approach to presentations seems to have contributed to more interaction between panellists and audience. June Verrier’s excellent coordination of this session gave wonderful results. Panels were well conducted and questions and answers led to productive discussions. Some felt that the full-day format, although very beneficial in many respects, does make it difficult to attend other IFLA sessions. The following Research Seminar papers are available on IFLANET at: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla67/pprog-e.htm#4 and on the Section web site along with other 2001 conference papers at: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s3/conf/conf00.htm
Panel 1: 'How parliamentary research services have evolved: how they were created, to whom do they report (then and now) and how their charter has changed'
Establishing a research service in the Norwegian parliament: why the right time was now
BRIT FLØISTAD (Head, Research Service of the Norwegian Parliament, Oslo, Norway)
The role of the Directorate of Studies in the Legislative Work of the Hellenic Parliament
STAVROULA VASSILOUNI (Research Fellow, Directorate of Studies, Hellenic Parliament, Athens, Greece) (Presentation made by Eleni Mitrakou)
Challenges and opportunities to deliver research services to parliamentarians in the Japanese Diet
MICHIYO TAKEDA (Legislative Reference and Information Resources Division, Research and Legislative Reference Bureau, National Diet Library, Tokyo, Japan)
Integration of Information Services in the Parliament of Zimbabwe
LYN CHIWANDAMIRA (Head, Parliamentary Information Provision and Analysis Service, Parliament of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe)
Panel 2: 'The Case for and the Case against Separate Parliamentary Library and Research Services in the Context of the Continuum debate'
Friends or fences: relationships matter more than structures
MOIRA FRASER (Parliamentary Librarian, Parliamentary Library of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand)
Essential information for post-encyclopaedic parliaments: the Italian case
GIOVANNI RIZZONI (Chamber of Deputies, Rome, Italy) (Presentation made by Dick Toornstra)
Functioning of the Bureau of Research as a Separate Unit of Parliamentary Services: Obstacles and Challenges
DONNA SCHEEDER (Deputy Assistant Director, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Washington, USA)
Panel 3: 'The comparative advantage of parliamentary research services in changing political contexts and a competitive information environment'
The "disadvantaged" or "special" legislator client: the parliamentary research service's challenge
KOSI KEDEM (Member of Parliament, Parliament of Ghana, Accra, Ghana)
One of a kind: parliamentary information and research services for parliamentarians – an Australian Senator tells
ROSEMARY CROWLEY (Senator, Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, Australia)
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
Open Meeting (94 attendees - 43 countries)
Three members of the Section presented papers on topics of interest to all IFLA Section members; a question and answer period followed each presentation. I wish to thank Sara Parker from the Missouri State Library for acting as rapporteur for this meeting. The papers have been published by IFLA and are available in Russian, German, Spanish, Polish, French and English on IFLANET and on the website of the Section at: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s3/conf/conf00.htm
The Open Meeting Papers carried the theme: Parliamentary and Legislative electronic libraries in co-operation
Toward the electronic parliamentary library in the context of the European Union
DICK TOORNSTRA (Director of Parliamentary Documentation and International Cooperation, European Union, Brussels, Belgium)
The web-site library and its parliamentary information and dissemination services: case study of the Parliamentary Library of Taipei, Taiwan, China
KARL MIN KU (Head, Library and Information Service, Legislative Yuna, Taipei, Taiwan, China)
Making a difference in the knowledge age at the New Zealand Parliamentary Library
MOIRA FRASER (Librarian, Parliament of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand)
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
Parliamentary Library Management Workshop (74 attendees -36 countries)
The Section's Library Management workshops were held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). For the third consecutive year, workshops covered topics requested by Section members. Though attendance was quite high in some workshops, they were productive and interesting. It is the view of most people that delegates should register for these workshops well in advance of the IFLA General conference to ensure better logistics.
Workshop topics included:
Managing the political environment:
Leader June Verrier – Rapporteur Hugh Finsten
The sensitivities and difficulties that occur in a highly charged environment when working with members from all parties
Case studies and discussions on the Information and Research Services in some Parliaments
Change management and the selection of good staff:
Leader Rob Brian – RapporteurBob Gardner
How to carry your staff with you on the roller coaster of change
What some Parliamentary Libraries are doing to achieve this goal
The selection process including staff profile, interviews and other ways of testing the competency and suitability of staff
Managerial decision-making:
LeaderDonna Scheeder – Rapporteur Gro Sandgrind
Establishment of policies related to library employment and collection development
Performance indicators as a way of ensuring high quality services
Towards the electronic parliamentary library:
Leader Keith Cunninghame Rapporteurs Nick Bannenberg andAnita Dudina
What can be done with limited resources: case studies
Electronic access to information (Internet and Intranet)
Electronic dissemination to users
Making sources available to users and allowing them to be interrogated
Striking a balance between old and new technologies
Informing the public about parliament:
Leader Christine Wellems –Rapporteur Roslynn Membrey
Electronic storage and the pressure of making information available to the wider public
The role of parliamentary libraries and information services in the Internet presentation of parliaments
The issue of an informed public
Parliamentary Library Committees:
Leader Elise Holt –Rapporteurs Eleni Mitrakou and Mary Dickerson
The functions of Library Committees and their impact on the operation of Parliamentary Libraries
Should we encourage their establishment?
Evening at the Massachusetts State House
The evening proved to be a remarkable farewell event for our Section's conference activities. Dr James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress, and the Hon. Jane Swift, Governor of Massachusetts, are to be thanked for a most enjoyable and interesting evening for all members of the Section. Thanks also to Donna Scheeder for forwarding this lovely invitation to all Section members.
Thursday, August 23, 2001
Standing Committee II ( 62 attendees-35 countries) The minutes of Standing Committee II will be available in December 2001. Margareta Brundin as new Chair of the Section presided over the second Standing Committee Meeting with Marialyse Delano, the newly elected Secretary of the Section.
Annual Reports and Section Leaflets
For information purposes, the September 2000 annual report from the Chair covering the period 1999 2000 is available on the Section’s web site at http://www.ifla.org/VII/s3/annual/rep01-e.pdf
Also, please note that the Section’s information leaflets were updated and made available in four English, French, Spanish, Russian and German at the Section’s information kiosk during Boston 2001. Approximately 20 copies of each version of the leaflets were handed out in response to information requested on our IFLA Section. Copies are available from the Information Co-ordinator. We suggest that an electronic copy of the leaflets be put on the Section’s web site.
Concluding Remarks
According to comments from all the Section members in attendance, IFLA 2001 - both Ottawa and Boston - was very successful and very profitable to our members. I’d like to thank the team at the Library of Parliament for the organisation of the conference in Ottawa. As for Boston, the excellent work of Donna Scheeder at the Library of Congress and Sara Parker at the Missouri State Library was very much appreciated.
As far as the Section’s program is concerned, I would like to add that this year, thanks to the IFLA Conference Organising Committee, we were successful in shortening the Boston sessions so that members could leave after the second Standing Committee meeting on Thursday 23 August. We were happy to respond to a wish that had been expressed by the Section delegates at the Jerusalem Conference in 2000.
As outgoing Section Chair, I offer sincere thanks and appreciation to Ross Shimmon and his team at IFLA HQ for the help and support that they provided with the organisation of the Section's program. Feedback from the Section's members indicates that the program of the Conference as a whole, and specifically the program of the Section, proved to be most interesting and valuable. Of course, I would like to thank very sincerely Jan Keukens, the Section’s Secretary whose advice and counsel was so important to me during my mandate as Chair, and Marialyse Delano whose input as Information Co-ordinator always proved to be very useful to me. Without the commitment and the dedicated efforts of many individuals, the Section’s activities would not have been so successful. Congratulations and best wishes to the new IFLA Section executive, Margareta Brundin, Marialyse Delano and Eleni Mitrakou in carrying out the Section’s mandate and activities for the next term of office.
Prepared by:
Richard Paré
Past Chair, IFLA Section
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