   
Section of Government LibrariesAnnual Report 1995-1996ScopeThe Section is aimed at the community of libraries which are a part of and work for a body with a governing task, and which have, in any way, a political responsibility or connection; a central government administration, a government department or government agency. Such a government can be at any level, be it local, regional, state, federal, or international. The goal of the section is to help government libraries cope with the difficulties they meet in their position of strong dependence on the parent organization, not only in terms of budget, but also in terms of function and techniques. For this purpose the section should serve as a network, formulate advice on the main topics of interest, and be a place for exchanging experience.Standing Committee and Section MembershipStanding Committee membership totals 11 members from 9 countries plus one advisor. Section membership stands at 71 members, an increase of 8 over last year. The Standing Committee held two meetings in Beijing, at which seven members attended. Secty-Treasurer Judith R. Bernstein chaired the meetings in the absence of the Chair, Edward Valauskas.OfficersEdward J. Valauskas (Internet Mechanics, 5050 South Lake Shore Drive, Apt. 3214, Chicago, IL 60615, USA (fax:(+1-312) 363-0023; e-mail: Valauskas@eworld.com), Chair of the Section of Government Libraries. Ms Judith R. Bernstein (Parish Memorial Business Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1496, USA (fax: (+1-505) 277-9813; e-mail: rosen@unm.edu) Secretary- Treasurer.
Information Coordinator: MeetingTwo meetings of the Section were held during the Beijing Conference attended by seven members and one visitor. The new Medium Term Programme for 1998 - 2003 was discussed. The following scope statement was drafted and sent to the Coordinating Board. "The primary purpose of the Section of Government Libraries is to promote government libraries and to increase awareness of the value of government information services to the administration and the citizenry." The following goals were formulated:
ProjectsPreparation of New Section BrochuresA new section brochure in German was completed by Willibad Fink and is ready for publication. Rita Aars-Nicolaysen will prepare a draft in Spanish and Edward Valauskas in French when the revised draft of the section's current brochure is ready.Directory of Government LibrariesThe members of the Standing Committee decided that a new printed Directory of Government Libraries was not feasible at this time. It was agreed that it would be more productive to begin work on listing government sites on the internet which would have useful hard data. Implementation of this project will be discussed in Copenhagen.PublicationsThe Section's Annual Newsletter is published in June/July by the Secretary, Judith R. Bernstein. INSPEL published three of the four papers from the Section's programme in Istanbul in Vol. 30 (1996) 1.Future ConferencesCopenhagen 1997The programme for the Copenhagen Conference is tentatively entitled "The availability of government information as a means of strengthening democracy". Irja Peltonen and Rita Aars-Nicolaysen will solicit speakers from Finland, the European Commission, and Latvia and/or Estonia.Amsterdam 1998The suggested programme for the Amsterdam meeting is "The reduction in and privatizing of government libraries: the impact on information distribution, effectiveness, and staffing". Speakers were suggested from the Netherlands, Germany and the United States with others to be added as appropriate.Beijing MeetingThe section in cooperation with the ALP core program held a workshop on "Aid Agency Information Services Assisting Economic Development". during the General Conference in Beijing. Four speakers from Western Samoa, New Guinea, Japan, and the United Kingdom outlined activities and challenges in Aid work to some 20 workshop participants. The speakers were followed by a panel discussion of ALP activities and assistance to regional and national library associations in developing countries, in which SC member, John Butsch participated..Developing CountriesThe section awarded $350.00 to Sara Kagoda-Batuwa, Standing Committee Member from Uganda, to help with expenses in attending the conference., She presented her paper on "Free versus fee: the challenge of government libraries in Uganda" at the contributed paper session. It was suggested that for the coming year Ms. Kagoda-Batuwa apply for a special grant being made available by the Danish government for librarians from developing countries to attend the Copenhagen Conference.
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