Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments

Annual Report 1994/95

William H. Robinson (Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Room LM-203, Washington, D.C. 20540, USA) is Chair of the Section of Parliamentary Libraries. Ms. Brit Fløistad (Library of the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget, Karl Johanssgate 22, N-0026 Oslo, Norway) finished her term as Secretary during this reporting year. Jennifer Tanfield (House of Commons Library, U.K.) was elected to succeed her for the 1995-97 term.

Introduction

The Parliamentary Libraries Section was created in 1966 and in its nearly thirty-year history has become a cohesive group that enjoys meeting and sharing ideas on how to improve services to our respective legislatures.

Much of the history of the section can be traced through its leadership, starting with the efforts of three German Chairmen: Wernicke, 1967-71; Dietz, 1979-83; and Kohl, 1989-92. Ernst Kohl finished his tenure on the Standing Committee in August, 1995, and was given special recognition by the Section on Parliamentary Libraries for his long service to the Section at its closing session of the Standing Committee in Turkey. In addition to his tenure as Chairman, he edited the distinguished series entitled World Directory of National Parliamentary Libraries, and also published World Directory of Parliamentary Libraries of Federated States and Autonomous Territories (1993).

A unique and sustaining role has also been played by Erik Spicer of Canada, who became associated with the work of the Section in 1961, and was elected Chairman for a record period of eight years (from 1972-79). He was responsible for much of the Section's early growth, and continues to be a source of ideas from his current role on the Standing Committee. The Section also gave Erik Spicer special recognition for his many years of service during the final meeting of the Standing Committee in Istanbul.

Dermot Englefield (U.K.) served effectively as Chairman (1985-88) and edited two volumes of distinction and great utility to the Section: Parliamentary Libraries and Information Services (1990) and the long-planned Guidelines for Parliamentary Libraries (1993). The other two Chairs have come from the U.S., with Gilbert Gude (1983-85), and William Robinson (1993-to the present).

At the closing session of the Standing Committee in Istanbul, the Section also paid a special tribute to Eeva-Maija Tammekan of Finland, who has been a source of inspiration and counsel in the Section and on the IFLA Board for many years.

Members

The Parliamentary Libraries Section of IFLA had 98 members as of August, 1995. Of the total, 53 were national parliamentary libraries, 8 were (subnational) parliamentary libraries, and the balance were associations, individual members, and some that were both national libraries and parliamentary libraries. The total number of members represents a net increase of 10 over the previous year, with 10 new additions, and no terminations. Since 1990, the section has grown by 66%. The potential for growth is still quite large, since there are 139 national parliamentary libraries in the world.

New members in 1995 are: Parliamentary Library of Bulgaria; Parliamentary Library of Kazakhstan; Library of the Knesset, Israel (rejoined); Legislative Library, Senate, Philippines (rejoined); and Library of the Consultative Council, Saudi Arabia. In addition to these libraries, the Japan Library Association; National Library and Archives, Kiribati; Russian Library Association; Frank Kirkwood from Library of Parliament, Ottawa and Carmen Chipana Choque, Peru, have joined the Section.

Officers and Standing Committee

William Robinson (U.S. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress) is the Chairman of the Section. Jennifer Tanfield (House of Commons Library, U.K.) serves as Secretary of the Section. Rosa Maria Fernandez de Zamora (Parliamentary Library of Mexico) served as the Coordinator of Special Projects for one year. The Section continues to function with a full complement of 20 members on its Standing Committee, as well as four Corresponding Members.

Regional Associations

One of the most effective ways to share practical information and technology is through conferences and personal visits to the libraries of neighboring countries. This is the pattern followed by the Parliamentary Libraries Section of IFLA, which gathers once each year to share ideas to improve parliamentary information practices in their respective legislatures. However, the cost of travel to international conferences has become increasingly difficult to manage for many libraries, particularly in light of the fiscal squeeze on legislatures generally. As a result, there has been a trend toward the encouragement and creation of regional associations of parliamentary libraries to lessen the distances and costs involved in these exchange activities.

The oldest regional association is the Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Australasia (APLA), which was created in 1972. It includes the nations in Australia and Oceania. Europe created the second regional grouping, the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD), in 1977. In Asia and the entire Pacific Rim, there is the Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Asia and the Pacific (APLAP)-- founded in 1990.

The newest regional group is the Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Eastern and Southern Africa (APLESA), begun in October 1994. There is a new group forming to cover the entire continent of Africa. It is to be named ALDAAP (Association of Librarians, Documentalists, and Archivists of African Parliaments). Under consideration is a regional association for Latin America, following the first conference of Ibero-American Parliamentary Libraries in Mexico City in 1993.

There is also some cooperation occurring among the French-speaking parliaments and a new cooperative effort among the parliaments of the Black Sea region, which affects parliamentary libraries in those areas. Within Canada, there is a subnational group of parliamentary libraries, APLIC (the Association of Parliamentary Libraries in Canada).

Projects and Publications

The sixth edition of the World Directory of National Parliamentary Libraries was completed and will be published soon.

Progress was made on the proposed book on the Parliamentary Libraries of Latin America. The book will combine the presentations made at the First Encuentra of Parliamentary Libraries of Ibero-America in Mexico City in October 1993, and the 10th International Conference of Parliamentary Libraries in San Jose, Costa Rica in August 1994 (held just prior to the 60th IFLA Conference in Havana, Cuba). The principal paper was presented by Guillermo Molinelli, who is recognized internationally as one of the leading comparative political scientists specializing in legislatures. His paper will become the introduction to the book. Other presentations made in San Jose will also be used to complete material for the book, which will be published in both English and Spanish in 1996. (IFLA Project PAR 7/94).

Work is beginning on a volume covering the Parliamentary Libraries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. This project was discussed at IFLA in Cuba, as well as at special meetings of the Parliamentary Libraries of the region in Budapest and Prague sponsored by a special U.S. Congressional Task Force on Parliamentary Development in that region. Additional materials were presented at the Section pre-conference in Ankara and at the IFLA Conference in Istanbul. As a result of these efforts, nearly all chapters have been drafted and will be edited in early 1996-- and published later in the year.

A new project was proposed in 1994 (and subsequently approved in early 1995). The highly successful volume Guidelines for Parliamentary Libraries (published in 1993, and already out of print by 1994) will be translated into Spanish, French, and Russian. The hope is to reprint the English version in 1995, along with versions in these three additional languages-- which will help promote parliamentary librarianship in many regions of the world. We hope to have the work done in 1995, with publication in early 1996.

Two editions of the Section Newsletter were published in June and December of 1995.

Revisions in Medium Term Program

Much of the work plan for the section of parliamentary libraries has been accomplished or is currently on target as of December 1995. Therefore, the section amended its work plan by adding two new initiatives and by increasing its emphasis on two existing directions in 1994. These carried forward into 1995 and the near-term future.

New initiatives:

Foster and encourage the development of regional associations of parliamentary libraries. Special emphasis will be given to encouraging organizational efforts in the following two regions: Africa, where APLESA was established in late 1994 to serve the Parliamentary Libraries of Eastern and Southern Africa in late 1994 and ALDAAP was well on its way to becoming reality by 1995; and Latin America. At the meetings in Istanbul, further progress was made in planning a formative meeting in Latin America during 1996. Continuing encouragement will be provided to the two existing regional associations APLA (Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Australasia) and APLAP (Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Asia and the Pacific).

Launch an integrated series of publications analyzing the development of parliamentary libraries in various areas of the world, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union-- where the pace of change has been most dramatic.

Additional Emphasis:

Give additional emphasis to promoting greater understanding of developments in automation as they affect the work of parliamentary libraries. This will take the form of regular presentations at appropriate IFLA and section fora (open meetings, workshops, Annual Conferences of Parliamentary Libraries preceding IFLA Annual Meetings, etc.), regular articles in the section newsletter, periodic surveys, and appropriate publications. The lead paper for the Section Open Meeting in Istanbul focused on the implications of automation, and the planned meeting in Copenhagen will have this topic as the core of the program in 1997.

Promote greater attention to multilingual and multicultural dimensions of parliamentary library work. The section will continue to ensure that its Standing Committee reflects the rich multilingual and multicultural makeup of the world's parliamentary libraries. Special efforts will be made to encourage greater participation by Francophone countries and by Arabic nations, and to continue the recent progress with Spanish-speaking countries. The papers for the Open Meeting in Istanbul were translated into French, Spanish, and Russian.

Meetings

In conjunction with the IFLA Conference in Istanbul, the Section held its 11th International Conference of Parliamentary Libraries in Ankara. The Conference carried the theme "Parliamentary Libraries of the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea Region."

(1) The 11th International Conference of Parliamentary Libraries: Ankara, Turkey (August 17-18, 1995)

There were 69 participants from 35 different countries in attendance at the conference that was held in the Chambers of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

On the first day of the Conference, welcoming remarks were presented by Dr. Mustafa Kalemli, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Library Committee; Mr. Fahri Koprülü, Deputy Secretary General, who also discussed the history and organization of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; Mr. Hilmi Celik, Director, Library and Documentation Center; and Mr. William Robinson, Chair of the Section. The following individuals presented reports on the parliamentary libraries of their countries: Ms. Zana Bufi, (People's Assembly of Albania), Ms. Hajar Mammadova (Azerbaijan), Ms. Margarita Angelova (Bulgaria), Mr. Gökhan Sengör (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), Ms. Madiha Abd El Dayum (Egypt), Mr. Irakli Garibashvili (Georgia), and Ms. Lilia Calancea (Moldova). A paper prepared by Panayotis Christopoulos about the Greek Chamber of Deputies Library was read by the Chair.

The second day of the Conference focused on the information services and facilities of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). Mr. Hilmi Celik, Director of Library and Documentation Center spoke about services provided to the TBMM; a more detailed discussion of library services was provided by Ms. Nurhayat Yasar, Specialist; Ms. Sevgi Korkut, Head of Research Services described the research services provided to Members of TBMM and some of the products produced by the Research Service; and Ms. Bahar Varli, Specialist, gave a presentation about Documentation Services including a description of various databases they produce. Mr. Tinaz Titiz, a Member of Parliament, closed the Conference with a discussion of the types of information services expected by Members.

(2) The 61st IFLA General Conference: Istanbul, Turkey (August 19 - 26, 1995)

During the IFLA Conference, the Section held two meetings of its Standing Committee, an Open Meeting, its third annual Informal Meeting, and a full-day Workshop.

The Open Meeting was well attended by representatives of many different nations. The papers presented at the Open Meeting included: "The Parliamentary Library of the Future," by William Robinson, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; "The Future of Parliamentary Research Services: To Lead or To Follow?" by Dr. June Verrier, Head of Parliamentary Research Service, Commonwealth Parliamentary Library, Australia; "The Role of Assessment of Services in Planning Future Developments in Parliamentary Libraries," by Jennifer Tanfield, Librarian for the House of Commons, United Kingdom; "Assisting Committees in the Canadian Parliament," Hugh Finsten, Director General of Research Branch, Library of Parliament, Canada; and "The Legislative Support Services of Japan's Diet," Fumihisa Nakagawa, Deputy Director, Research and Legislative Reference Bureau, National Diet Library, Japan.

(3) Future Conferences

The 12th International Conference of Parliamentary Librarians will be held in Beijing, China. The 62nd IFLA Conference will be held in Beijing from August 25 - August 31, 1996. Plans are being made for the meetings in Copenhagen in 1997.

New Directions for the Section

Parliamentary libraries must respond to a very dynamic environment. Thus, change has become an important force and a common theme in the lives of these institutions. Many of these changes are incremental in nature, but some of the more important ones have reached nearly revolutionary dimensions. Their combined impacts have been and will continue to be profound.

The universal pinch of resource constraints has had a more incremental effect on parliamentary libraries. We have become more conscious of the need for finding more cost-effective ways to conduct our business, and to stay in closer touch with the needs of our "market"-- the legislatures. One result has been an interest in developing new ways to gauge the response of the legislature to the products and services of parliamentary libraries. The revival of interest in creating regional organizations is another response to the cost-effective imperative. Regional meetings offer the opportunity of maintaining more frequent contacts with colleagues to share ideas on improved services for legislatures and for more effective ways of operation, while at the same time keeping the costs within reason.

The democratic revolutions begun in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in late 1989 and carried into the 1990s worked a profound change in world politics and in the makeup of the Parliamentary Libraries Section. We have added dynamic new colleagues from this region of the world, who have drawn our enthusiastic response to their request for more information and ideas from some of the older, more established parliamentary libraries. The key to effective legislatures in today's complex world is the knowledge and information that will facilitate wise decisions and enhance the role of the legislature in the policymaking process of the nation. The parliamentary library is central to this effort-- especially in Central and Eastern Europe. The result of responding to the needs of our new colleagues has been to add new perspective and dynamism to the ongoing work for the legislatures of the older democracies-- and to bring new interest to creating or strengthening research capabilities for the parliament.

The twin revolutions in automation and telecommunications will have profound meaning for the work of parliaments and parliamentary libraries today and for the next several decades. Special attention will be given to tracing the implications of these changes for our work over the next several years, and to sharing ideas about how to make effective use of these powerful new tools. In keeping with this focus, the theme of the Section's Open Meeting in Istanbul was "Parliamentary Libraries of the Future," and there will be special papers requested on automation and telecommunication for the conference in Beijing and a special focus will be placed on this topic in Copenhagen-- perhaps in conjunction with other members of the Coordinating Board (National Libraries and University Libraries).

Latest Revision: Februrary 28, 1997