IN THIS DOCUMENT: Scope Statement Membership Meetings Projects Publications Conference Programmes Relationship with other bodies

Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments

Annual Report
September 1996 - August 1997

Scope Statement

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.

Membership

The membership of the Section in July 1997 was 104 compared with 102 in July 1996. The 104 members comprised 73 parliamentary libraries, 3 associations of parliamentary libraries (APLA, APLIC, and NCSL - US National Conference of State Legislatures), 3 national libraries (that are not also parliamentary libraries), 13 library associations, 2 international organisations (IPU and UN), 7 individuals, 2 university libraries and one other organisation.

Officers:

Chair: William H Robinson
Congressional Research Service
Library of Congress, Washington DC 20540 -7440
Email: wrobinson@crs.loc.gov
Phone: 1-202-707-2092
Fax: 1-202-707-3176

[Jennifer Tanfield - see below - was elected to the chair in September]
Secretary: Jennifer Tanfield
Librarian
House of Commons Library
London SW1A OAA, UK
Email: TANFIELDJB@parliament.uk
Phone: 44-171-219 3635Fax: 44-171-219 4285

[Jan Keukens was elected Secretary in September]
Jan Keukens
Head of the Library
Tweede Kamer der Staten-General, PO Box 30804
25000 GV, The Hague, The Netherlands
Email: jc.keukens@parlement.tk.nl
Phone: 31-70-3182306
Fax: 31-70-3182307]

Information Coordinator: Nick Bannenberg
Parliamentary Librarian
Queensland Parliamentary Library, Australia
Email: Nick.Bannenberg@parliament.qld.gov.au
Phone: 61-7-3406 7280
Fax: 61-7-3210 0172

Meetings

The Section conducted the following meetings during the Copenhagen Conference:

• Standing Committee I (37 attendees, 26 countries) and II, (54 attendees, 33 countries)
  
• Special Meeting on Research (47 attendees from 31 countries)
  
• Open Meeting (73 attendees from 47 countries)
  
• Informal Meeting, including reports from regional associations - 58 attendees, 36 countries
  
• Full Day Workshop (104 attendees)
  
• Participation in joint forum on "Copyright and Electronic Data"

Projects

Four projects, all related to publications, are currently being completed by the Section.

• Parliamentary Libraries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Iberia.
  
  This publication is based on papers presented at the pre-meeting in Costa Rica and subsequently updated and extended. All the chapters are now complete and the Spanish version is expected to be published in 1998 by either the Parliament of Mexico or the Parliament of Costa Rica. An English translation is planned for later publication in 1998.

• Parliamentary Libraries and Research Services of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
  The text of this publication is complete except for the overview and summary table. Saur will publish it in the autumn of 1998.

• Translations of Guidelines for Legislative Libraries
  
  An updated and extended version of this publication is available in 5 languages:
  - Spanish: published in the IFA professional series in Sept/Oct 1997;
  - French: in the same series;
  - Russian: will be published by the Duma in 1998;
  - German: published by the Bundestag, which also provided the translation;
  - Arabic: published by the King Fahd National Library of Saudi Arabia.

  It is anticipated that a new English edition, with the same updating and additional information, will be published in 1998, perhaps by Saur.

• Parliamentary Libraries of Asia and the Pacific.
  This publication edited by Rob Brian, (N.S.W., Australia) from the papers prepared for the Bejing Conference, has been published by Saur.

Publications

The location is: http://www.bundestag.de/datbk/library/wd.htm

One of the members of the Standing Committee will arrange to print a limited number of hard copy directories for the benefit of countries not linked to the Internet.

Parliamentary libraries and information services of Asia and the Pacific: papers prepared for the 62nd IFLA conference Beijing, China August 25 -31, 1996/ Ed. by Rob Brian under the auspices of the Section of Libraries and Research Services for Parliaments.- München: Saur, 1997. - 106 p. (IFLA publications; 83) ISBN 3-598-21808-7.

Guide practique a l'usage des bibliotheques législatives : version francaise, mise a jour, de Guidelines for legislative libraries edité par Dermot Englefield / Traduction par Guy Archambault. Editeur: Ernst Kohl. - La Haye : Federation Internationale des Associations de Bibliothecaires et des Bibliotheques, 1997. -XVI, 145 p. (IFLA professional reports ; 51) ISBN 90-70916-61-4

Leitfaden für Parlamentsbibliotheken: mit einem Anhang über die Wissenschaftlichen Fachdienste von Parlamenten/beareitet und hrsg. von Ernst Kohl, Internationaler Verband der bibliothekarischen Vereine und Institutionen.- Bonn. Deutscher Bundestag, Wissenschaftliche Dienste, 1997 - XXIV, 228p. ISBN 3-89372-016-2

Lineamientos para bibliotecas legislativas / Editor: Ernst Kohl. Traduccion a cargo de Dulce Maria Liahut Baldomar. - La Haya: Secretariado de la IFLA, 1997. - XVIII, 136 p., 30 cm. (Informes profesionales de IFLA: 53) Titulo de la version en Ingles: Guidelines for legislative libraries / ed. by Dermot Englefield.- Munchen; New Providence; London; Paris: K.G. Saur, 1993. - (IFLA Publications; 64) ISBN 90-70916-63-0

'Idara al maktabat al barlamanya. Arabic version of the Guidelines published by the King Fahd National Library of Saudi Arabia.

The Section Publishes a Circular Newsletter each May and November, edited by the Secretary.

New Section Brochures in four languages and in colour were prepared for the 1997 Conference to update information about the section for the benefit of members and IFLA attendees.

Conference Programmes

The papers for the Open Meeting were all published in IFLA Booklet No I and have been available in English, French, German and Spanish on the Section Home Page on the Internet http://www.citec.com.au/iflaparl since before the Conference.

1. The Parliament's need for free access to information: possible barriers and practical solutions by Rob Brian, Parliament of the State of New South Wales, Australia (IFLA Ref 003-PAR-1-E)

Rob Brian gave an electronic presentation of his paper. His slides included discussion on the "Legislator's Requirements" which he listed as access to information, access to research and the attributes that this information and research should be free, relevant, accurate, timely and impartial. His "Barriers" slide included lack of adequate staff, lack of an adequate collection, and lack of adequate equipment. "Solutions" were adequate funding, attracting highly qualified and experienced librarians, attracting highly qualified research staff, training and development, collection development (subdivided into books, journals, CD-ROMs and databases), legal deposit (of printed material, microforms, audiovisual/multimedia material, computer disks, CD-ROMs and on-line databases) and copyright law, where he advocated special provision for parliamentarians such as no limits on photocopying and the right to copy from TV and radio. He then discussed the use of the Internet which requires a personal computer, a printer, a modem, a telephone line and a service provider. Publishing on the Net can cover parliamentary debates, legislation, the daily business of the parliament and the "Votes and Proceedings". The two key benefits of good access to information are first, better informed legislators who make better laws, who need to make fewer corrections, who save money and who get re-elected; and also a better informed electorate who are then more likely to elect a good Government. Finally he suggested that the role of parliamentary librarians was to work tirelessly to obtain the necessary resources, to value their staff, to set goals, to negotiate a Guarantee of Service, to produce a Corporate Plan and to deliver.

2. New Developments in Library Services and Technology: Modernization of Information Services of the Parliamentary Library of the Czech Republic by Karel Sosna, Parliamentary Library, Parliament of the Czech Republic (IFLA Ref 077-PAR-2-E)

During Karel Sosna's presentation he gave details of the project to create an electronic library for the Czech Republic. One of the stages of the project was to send a questionnaire to 37 parliamentary libraries of which 22 replied. Questions following the presentation included retrospective cataloguing, relations with other libraries in the Czech Republic, especially the National Library and science libraries, and the effect of being a UN deposit library.

3. New developments in Parliamentary research services and technology by Jacek Michalowski and Ewa Nawrocka, Research and Analysis Office, Senate of Poland (IFLA Ref 091-PAR-3-E)

This presentation was made by Ewa Nawrocka and included material obtained from a comparative study of 11 countries. Following this presentation there were questions on the use of outside consultants, return of material and dealing with "classified" material.

Workshop:

The Workshop was held in the Folketing, the Danish Parliament, on 4th September 1997. Topics covered included:

• The Danish Parliament Library, Archives and Information Service: Annelise Quirstoff
  
• A Member's use of the Library: Ms Birthe Ronn Hornbech, MP of the Folketing
  
• The Library's service to MPs: Ms Hanne Rasmussen
  
• Future plans for the Library of the Folketing: Elise Holt
  
• The website of the Folketing: Benny Hoyer
  
• Home Page, Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments: Nick Bannenberg
  
• Legislative Web Sites: Bruce Davidson
  
• Digitising the Video Tape Archive, Queensland Parliamentary Library: Nick Bannenberg
  
• A Parliamentarian's use of the Internet: Mr Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, MP

Relationship with other bodies

13th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARIANS
STOCKHOLM 27-28 August 1997

The Conference, held in the Riksdag, was attended by 85 delegates from 45 countries, and opened by Ms Birgit Friggebo, Member of the Riksdag and Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Constitution.

Papers and presentations over the two days included:

• The Administration of the Swedish Parliament
  
• The Division for Library and Research Services
  
• The Research Service
  
• Information Policy and Activities and Presentation of the Home Page
  
• Presentation of the Finnish Library and Research Service
  
• Presentation of the ECPRD Home Page
  
• The Icelandic Library and Information Service
  
• The Norwegian Library and Research Services
  
• 75th Anniversary of the Cooperation of the Nordic Parliamentary Libraries
  
• The ELVIL project
  
• International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance)

Date:
5^th February 1998.