Libraries for the Blind Section
Access Point Library: where do the blind fit?
Marburg, Germany
27-30 July 2003
1. General Remarks
From July 27th - 30th the German Institute for the Blind /Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt e.V. (Blista) in Marburg, Germany, will host a pre-conference prior to IFLA's 69th General Conference in Berlin (August 1st - 9th). Part of the meeting is an exhibition of products for the blind, visually impaired and print handicapped (July 28th - 30th).
20 years back, in 1983, the first of this series of Pre Conferences (then called expert-meetings) took place in this lively modern university town, with it's mediaeval setting, right in the heart of Germany.
By now an institution, the conference in 2003 will come back to the place, where it started. The meeting is also this time organized by Blista and the Libraries for the Blind Section /LBS of IFLA in cooperation with the three associations of the blind in Germany; they are:
-
Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband / DBSV, Bonn
-
Deutscher Verein der Blinden u. Sehbehinderten in Studium u. Beruf / DVBS, Marburg
-
Bund der Kriegsblinden Deutschland / BKD, Bonn .
The Pre Conference is supported by the German Federal Government. It will take place under the patronage of the Federal Minister of Education and Research ("Bildung und Forschung"), Ms. Edelgard Bulmahn. Highly qualified speakers, representing a variety of institutions, will present papers with the newest development on following topics in 6 sessions (in accordance with the main theme of IFLA's General Conference):
Access Point Library: Where do the Blind Fit?:
- What do Users Want?
- The Integrated Digital Library/IDL
- Reading by Touch
- Braille Music: A Model for Cooperation?
- Managing and Marketing: Change in Libraries for the Blind
- Are we Doing Enough for People With Low Vision?
The expert meeting is planned to attract about 150 participants from all over the world; this year for the first time - and in addition - there will be a workshop of librarians for the blind from francophone countries (July 31st). A group of major vendors has been invited to show their latest products during the conference.
Marburg will be your place of professional interest in the period from July 27th-30th (resp.31st), if you want to
- learn from the presentations and papers,
- collect new products for the blind
- share the experience with colleagues from around the world and
- win international partners for cooperation.
Here you can combine professional work and fruitful discussions in a lovely surrounding and in a relaxed atmosphere. Marburg is the right place to meet the right people.
VENUE
The venue for accommodation, conference and exhibition as well is situated in the centre of down-town Marburg:
SORAT Hotel, Pilgrimstein 29, 35037 Marburg / Lahn (Germany)
ORGANIZING
For inquiries, further information and sending back your filled in Registration Form contact:
Rainer F.V.Witte
Local Organizing Committee
C/o Deutsche Blinden - Bibliothek (DBB) in der Deutschen Blindenstudienanstalt (Blista) e.V.
Am Schlag 8 - 10
35037 Marburg / Lahn (Germany)
Phone: +49-6421-606103 (Rainer Witte, general questions) or
+49-6421-606101 (Marika Winkel, registration)
Fax: +49-6421-606269
URL: http://www.blista.de
Bank account:
Commerzbank Marburg / Lahn (Germany), BCN 533 400 24;
Account "IFLA LBS Pre Conference"
Account-number: 391 275 500
Programme
NOTE: The conference language will be English.
Sunday, July 27th: Arrival
12:00-20:00 - Registration in the conference venue at the SORAT Hotel
17:00 - Sightseeing group I (starting from the SORAT hotel)
18:00 - Sightseeing group II (starting from the SORAT hotel)
20:00 - "Willkommen" and "get together": Dinner and entertainment at Restaurant Stadtsäle
Monday, July 28th: Conference Opening
09:00-10:00 Registration
10:00-11:00 Opening - Master of Ceremony: Henri Chauchat, Association Valentin Haüy (AVH), Paris (France)
Welcome - Rosemary Kavanagh, Chair of IFLA Libraries for the Blind Section (LBS), Toronto (Canada)
Welcome by the Host, Jürgen Hertlein, Director of Blista, Marburg (Germany)
Key note speech by Ms. Edelgard Bulmahn, Federal Minister of Education and Research, Berlin (Germany)
20 Years of Expert Meetings, Rainer Witte, Librarian of Blista, Marburg (Germany)
Announcement of the Ulverscroft Award for Institutions, Helen Brazier, Secretary of IFLA LBS, Stockport (United Kingdom)
11:00-11.30 Coffee Break
11:30-12:30 Session A: What do Users want?
Convener: Dr. Thomas Kahlisch, Director, German Central Library for the Blind (DZB), Leipzig (Germany)
Electronic Access by Gillian Burrington, Chair of National Library for the Blind
(NLB), Stockport (UK)
Accessing Information by Eva Björk, Manager Information and IT, Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (SRF), Stockholm (Sweden)
Questions from the audience after each presentation
12:30-13:00 Opening of Exhibition by Rosemary Kavanagh, Chair IFLA LBS and Exhibition Touring. The show room will be open throughout the conference.
13.00-14:00 Lunch buffet
14:00-15:00 Session B: Future Content 3: The Integrated Digital Library
Convener: Francisco Martinez Calvo, ONCE, Madrid (Spain)
New Books in Old Libraries by Elke Dittmer, Director of North German Library of
Talking Books (NBH), Hamburg (Germany)
Future Content: Acquiring and Safeguarding Publishers' Files by Victoria Owen,
Director, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Library, Toronto (Canada)
Overcoming Print Impairment by Integrating Information Channels by Maarten
Verboom, FNB, Grave (Netherlands)
15:00-15:30 Coffee break
15:30-16:30 - Creating the Digital Library by Thomas Kjellberg Christensen, Technical Director,
Danish National Library for the Blind/DBB, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Russian Language Network of Libraries for the Blind by Galina Elfimova, Main
Librarian, Russian State Library for the Blind, Moscow (Russia)
Questions from the audience in conjunction with each presentation
16:30 -20:00 Exhibition Touring
20:00 Dinner buffet at the SORAT Hotel
Tuesday, July 29th:
9:00-10.30 Session C: Reading tactile Information
Convener: Beatrice Christensen Sköld, Director Research & Development (TPB),
Stockholm (Sweden)
Compensatory Plasticity in Blind Humans by Dr. Brigitte Röder, Assistant Professor,
Philipps-University, Marburg (Germany)
Braille Text and Tactual Representation in School. The situation of Blind Students in
Germany, Comparing Regular Schools and Special Schools by Wilfried Laufenberg,
Blista, Marburg (Germany)
The Tactus Project by Philippe Claudet, les doigts qui rêvent (ldqr), Talant (France)
Questions from the audience in conjunction with each presentation
10:30-11.00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Session D: Braille Music: A Model for Cooperation
Convener: Dick Tucker, Project Manager, FORCE Foundation, The Hague
(Netherlands)
Da-Capo a New Start of Braille Music Production in Germany by Dr. Thomas
Kahlisch, Director (DZB), Leipzig (Germany)
Accessible Music by David Crombie, FNB, Grave (Netherlands)
Sharing Braille Music Internationally by Roger Firman (RNIB), London (UK)
Question from the audience in conjunction with each presentation
12:30-13:00 Exhibition Touring
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:00 Session E: Managing and Marketing Change in Libraries for the Blind
Convener: Marijke van Bodengraven, Director FNB, Grave (Netherlands)
Strategic Development. Bringing an Organisation Forward by Elsebeth Tank,
Executive Director, DBB, Copenhagen (Denmark)
The Swedish DAISY Campaign by Ingar Beckman Hirschfeldt, Executive Director
(tpb), Stockholm (Sweden)
Questions from the audience in conjunction with each presentation
15:00-15:30 Coffee break
15:30-16:00 - Guidelines for Developing Library Services for the Blind Rosemary Kavanagh, Chair
IFLA LBS, Toronto (Canada)
Discussion
16:00-17:30 Exhibition Touring
18:00-19:00 Official Reception hosted by the First Mayor of Marburg, Mr. Dietrich Möller, in the
historical Town hall
20:00 "Festabend" (dinner and entertainment), SORAT Hotel, Denis Papin Room
Wednesday, July 30th:
09:00-10:00 Session F: Are We Doing Enough for People With Low Vision?
Convener: Rosemary Kavanagh, Chair IFLA LBS, Toronto (Canada)
Large Print Services: Magnifying the Options by Frances Cutler, Chair of the Board
of Directors (CNIB), Toronto (Canada)
The Tiresias Project on Large Print by Dr. John Gill, Senior-Scientist (RNIB), London
(UK)
Making Large Print School Books from XML by Heinz Zysset, Head Library Department, Swiss Library for the Blind (SBS), Zurich (Switzerland)
Questions in conjunction with each presentation
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:00 Summing up the Conference
Rosemary Kavanagh, Jürgen Hertlein and Rainer Witte
12:00-13:00 Lunch buffet
13:15-21:00 Excursion (optional)
Thursday, July 31st
08:00 - 11.30 Francophone workshop
Convener: Catherine Desbuquois, Association BrailleNet (ABN), Paris (France)
Note:
There will be a variety of social and cultural activities that will make your stay in Marburg a memorable one. You will also receive suggestions for your own tourist actions to get acquainted with life and landscape of the region.
More information about the contents of the Pre-Conference can be obtained from Rainer Witte, and from Beatrice Christensen Sköld
3. Travel Tips
Marburg is easily accessible via the International Frankfurt/Main Airport (FRA). There are trains from the airport to Marburg at one hour intervals; travelling time is one hour. - From the main station in Marburg it takes five minutes to reach the conference site, the SORAT-hotel.
It is easy to go to Berlin and the General Conference from Marburg after the Preconference. There are trains as well as regular flights via FRA. - For delegates from neighbouring countries, coming by train, it may be of interest; ask your local travel agent for the best connections.
If you let us know the date of your arrival a direct pick-up service at the FRA-airport may be arranged. In any case a help desk will be available from which you will be guided to the transportation facilities (ticket booth, gate and platform of the trains).
In July, Germany usually enjoys summer: sunny and warm (not humid) weather, little or no rain. For strolling in the medieval town of Marburg the ladies are recommended not to wear high-heeled shoes…
Guide dogs are welcome everywhere.
Conference dress is business casual, but don't forget leisure wear.
Electricity is 220 V, 50 Hz, AC.
Local time is CET, one hour before GMT plus an additional hour earlier for daylight-saving (summer)time.
For more information, please look up the official tourism website for Marburg, http://www.marburg.de
For those who will go on to the 69th General Conference at Berlin transportation (by train) will be organized on the afternoon of Thursday, the 31st of July. - (It is an interesting four hours ride across the country.)
4. Registration Information
Registration Fee
The registration fee for the 2003 IFLA LBS Pre-Conference is 650 €. This covers:
- all conference sessions
- exhibition hall admission
- three night's accommodation at the SORAT Hotel, with an arrival in the afternoon of July 27th and a departure on July 30th
- meals and excursions
- print or alternate format materials and equipment costs
Accommodation
All delegates must reserve their own rooms with their registration directly with the organizer's office before the registration deadline. Delegates must identify themselves as IFLA Section of Libraries for the Blind Pre-Conference attendees. Your accommodation is part of your registration fee but as per standard practice you will be asked at the reception for a credit card to reserve the room in your name and to cover incidental costs. If you plan to stay at the SORAT Hotel before or after the conference dates, you will still receive the special conference room rate.
To register and reserve your room, telephone +49-6421-606-102
E-mail: winkel@blista.de
Registration Deadline
Your registration form and payment must be received by June 1st, 2003. Please note that space for the hotel and conference is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. After June 1st the fee will be 50 € in addition.
Cancellations and Refunds
All cancellations must be submitted in writing to the German Institute for the Blind, (Attention: Marika Winkel) before June 1st, 2003. An € 50 administration charge will apply. All refunds will be made after the conference. For cancellations after June 1st, 2003, no refunds will be given.
Registration Queries
Please direct all queries to Marika Winkel at:
winkel@blista.de or Rainer F. V. Witte at: witte@blista.de
Please retain a copy of your registration form for your records.
Costs
Conference fee per person (full accommodation from Sunday-evening
the 27th - lunch at 30th of July, - including social events): 650 €
Conference fee after June 1st per person: 700 €
Conference fee for accompanying person (in the same room): 600 €
Conference fee after June 1st for accompanying person: 650 €
Additional nights at the SORAT Hotel before July 27th and after July 30th
can also be booked with the organizers at the special IFLA-rate.
Per night (including breakfast): 87 €
Fee for the "Francophone Workshop" (July 31st, including room, breakfast, lunch) 120 €
Car parking at the hotel's parking decks in the basement, per day / 24 h
(or free at the campus of Blista, ca. 10 Min. walk away from the SORAT Hotel) 10 €
Administration charge for cancellation (No refunding after June 1st) 50 €
Note: The fee and other costs have to be transferred in advance by money order or cheque, payable to:
Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt,
RE: IFLA LBS Pre-Conference at Commerz- Bank Marburg/Lahn (Germany)
BCN: 533 400 24
Account- Number: 391 275 500
5. Registration Form
IFLA LBS 2003 Pre-Conference, Marburg - Registration Form
Download the registration form:
 
Please complete this form and send it to Blista:
Marika Winkel
Local Organizing Committee
C/o Deutsche Blinden - Bibliothek (DBB) in der Deutschen Blindenstudienanstalt (Blista) e.V.
Am Schlag 8 - 10
35037 Marburg / Lahn (Germany)
Fax: +49-6421-606269
Registration Deadline: June 1st, 2003
Note: One registration form per person. Accompanying Persons must fill in a separate form.
Download this information brochure:
(Full text)
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