   
Section of Science and Technology Libraries NewsletterSummer 2000Sci -Tech Libraries Section Standing Committee 2000-2001
Sci-Tech Section MembershipIFLA Headquarters reports that during 1999 Sci -Tech Section membership reached 118. This was declined by 3 from 1998, but was still the largest membership for sections in the IFLA Division of Special Libraries. Members come from over forty countries on six continents.2001 will be an election year which means also that some committee appointments expire. Terms of seven S-T Committee members expire after the Boston Conference and two of those are not renewable. Section members are invited to nominate committee members for terms 2001-2005. For more information, contact the IFLA HQ, Website, a Sci-Tech officer or member Report From BangkokThe 65th IFLA Council and General Conference 1999 was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from August 20-28, 1999 with the theme "Libraries as Gateways to an Enlightened World". Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) was the venue for most events, providing admirably air-conditioned refuge from the blazing sun. By and large, traffic was not nearly as bad as had been feared and many of us were pleasantly surprised by how incredibly quietly Thai drive, rarely resorting to horns. Indeed fine manners and warm, welcoming ways were the marks of our hosts in the beautiful and fascinating city of Bangkok!A total of 2,237 delegates (including 204 accompanying persons) attended, hailing from 117 different countries. The top ten delegates' countries present were (USA (310), Thailand (305), China (162), Russian Federation (112), France (102), United Kingdom ( 91), Denmark (60, Sweden (58), Australia (57), Malaysia (56). The Thai Organizing Committee deserves congratulations for its achievement in making this conference so successful and enjoyable. The opening ceremony was graced by the presence of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who is the Patron of the Thai Library Association and was a delegate at the Conference. Amidst high security, the packed audience was rehearsed before her arrival and told that when she arises, so must we, and if she stands to make her speech, then so shall we. Happily, she chose to sit when she delivered her speech, written by herself on the theme "Books for all and all for books". After this, the audience was treated to a performance of five dances from different regions of Thailand culminating in a spectacular enactment of a battle between Good and Evil, for this Conference most appropriately entitled "Victory of Enlightenment over Darkness". Standing Committee MeetingsThe Sci-Tech Standing Committee met twice during the conference, 21st and 27th August. As well as domestic issues, the Committee discussed its activities at this conference and commenced planning those for the forthcoming conferences in Jerusalem and Boston.In order better to inform the project "Needs Assessment of Sci-Tech Libraries in Less-Developed and Developing Countries", a Focus Group was held which eleven delegates attended. It reported back to the Standing Committee, drawing attention to certain issues, in particular the fact that many studies have been conducted by various agencies worldwide. It suggested that it could be useful to maintain a list of Sci-Tech related associations to enable them to be easily located and contacted. As a pilot, one could focus on a region, e.g. S.E. Asia and mount it on a website. Sci-Tech Section Open SessionThe Section's Open Session, "The Global Crisis in Science Literature: Developing Responses", was held on Tuesday 24 August. It was very well attended and feedback was positive. English, French and German versions of all three papers are available on the IFLA website, http://www.ifla.org. The following papers were presented:ROBERT STUEART (Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA), "The economic crisis and other challenges in accessing scientific and technical information in Asia". Summary: The greatest threat to access for libraries in Asia is not technology, rather in the cost and pricing and the eventual policies and regulations that enforce it, while the greatest frustration, for professionals trying to facilitate access, is to find that full-text scientific and technical information cited in bibliographic databases remains outside the financial grasp of many of those libraries. The education of professionals and individuals users regarding their own use or misuse of information can contribute greatly to resolving the problem, perhaps even more than the development of complex systems or the introduction of advanced technologies. DUANE WEBSTER (Association of Research Libraries, Washington DC, USA), "Emerging responses to the science journal crisis". Abstract: The continuing problem of the high cost of accessing scientific, technical and medical (STM) literature haunts both developed and developing economies. Maintaining access to significant research and scholarship at a time when both the volume and price of information have increased nearly three-fold in the last decade requires fresh strategies and new creative efforts. This paper comments on the array of coping mechanisms adopted by US libraries including canceling lesser used titles, moving from ownership to access, resource sharing, and consortial purchasing. The paper will then look at the recently developed strategic responses aimed at addressing some of the root causes of the STM crisis: an imperfect marketplace, growing presence of commercial publishers, consolidation of STM publishers, and proliferation of titles. As a result of this economic analysis and legislative developments, the Academic community needs to consider dramatically different strategies for responding to the crisis. Some of the emerging strategies are noted in the paper. MILTON WOLF (Center for Research Libraries, Chicago, Illinois, USA), "Collecting science materials from developing regions; universal dilemma, collaborative solutions". Extract: The worldwide glut of information and knowledge currently doubles every year and is expected to double every 73 days by the year 2020. Like the unforeseen consequences of the proliferation of the automobile, what are the consequences of a world smothered in inaccessible information? in unauthenticated information? One of the consequences is the improper storage and inevitable deterioration and loss of much information, including information about Science itself. Whatever your philosophical position is on Science and Technology, not to mention the Information Age, I suspect that you would not want the history of science to be lost because we failed to collect, store and preserve its materials. But in much of the world, including the Western World, the scientific record is not only being shunted aside, its longevity is also being compromised by inadequate storage. In the rush to keep up with the unrelenting production of scientific knowledge and the costs associated with it, we are now at that point where very few institutions have the financial resources to store and preserve the vast amounts of information that the Science-Technical-Medical (STM) field is currently generating. In astronomy, for example, hundreds of thousands of computer-generated charts and documents are piling up, unread, and in peril of being lost or destroyed because there is no money to spend on proper storage facilities. The information cup runneth over! Sci-Tech Section Study TourJOINT WITH USER EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE,
24 delegates joined the Study Tour to King Mongkut Institute of Technology Library and were warmly greeted with refreshments and an orchid each as a button-hole. After a welcome address by the Vice-President of KMITNB, Prof. Dr Teravuti Boonyasopon, the Director of the Central Library, Prof. Thanakorn Kiatbanlue gave a presentation outlining its history, its current state and activities, and its future plans - it will shortly be moving to a new, prestigious building which will increase its size threefold. Delegates were then taken on tours when they were able to converse informally with library staff. After a sumptuous lunch, a workshop was held in a modern and well-equipped computer laboratory with sessions presented M. Kesselman, P. Yocum, S. Koskiala and H. Schwarz, covering different aspects of teaching and learning in the digital world.
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Preliminary Programme Summary |
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| FRIDAY AUGUST 11 2000 | |
| Morning: | Professional Board |
| Afternoon: | Executive Board, Coordinating Boards of Divisions |
| SATURDAY AUGUST 12 2000 | |
| All day: | Standing Committees and Executive Committees |
| Evening: | Reception for IFLA Officers (by invitation only) |
| SUNDAY AUGUST 13 2000 | |
| Morning: | Welcome to IFLA for Newcomers, Discussion Groups, Workshops, Open Forums |
| Afternoon: | IFLA Council |
| Evening: | Exhibition Opening |
| MONDAY AUGUST 14 2000 | |
| Morning: | Programme Sessions, Discussion Groups, Workshopsv |
| Afternoon: | Opening Session, Plenary Sessionv |
| Evening: | Reception and Folklore Entertainment |
| TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 2000 | |
| All day: | Programme Sessions, |
| Mid-day: | Poster Sessions, Guest Lecture |
| WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16 2000 | |
| All day: | Programme Sessions, Study Tours/Library Visits (1/2 day) |
| Midday: | Poster Sessions, Guest Lecture |
| Evening: | Cultural Evening at the Israeli Museum |
| THURSDAY, AUGUST 17 2000 | |
| All day: | WorkshopsLibrary Visits and Tours |
| FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 2000 | |
| All day: | Coordinating Boards, Standing Committees Divisions |
| Afternoon: | Council, Closing Session |
| SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 2000 | |
| All day: | Optional Post-Conference Tours |
VISAS / LETTERS OF INVITATION
A valid passport is required for entry into Israel. Please check with your travel agent or the Secretariat for visa requirements or concerns. (Note: visas are not required from most countries.) Participants from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel should contact the nearest Israeli embassy for assistance. Upon request the Secretariat will issue an official letter of invitation to facilitate visa applications. This invitation does not include financial support.
Sci-Tech Open Session Tuesday 15th August
15:30-18:00
The theme of our session will be "Managing Science Libraries in an Increasingly Digital Environment". It will be moderated by Julia Gelfand, University of California, Irvine, USA, and the speakers and their titles are:NURIT ROITBERG (Elyachar Central Library, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel), "The influence of the electronic library on library management: a technological university library experience".
Abstract: The electronic library is growing fast in parallel to the traditional library. The high rate of growth is dictated by factors outside the library. Library's administration is under a lot of pressure to achieve goals much faster than planned, to adopt new technologies, to compete with others in the ground play of the information world and to be able to lead in this area. This process adds an enormous burden on library staff and budget. The library should check and update its strategic plan and change priorities frequently. As a result, the workflow should be changed and librarians should adopt new and additional duties. This is a dynamic process that require constant re-examination. The organization of electronic databases and e-journals, the migrating to new integrated library systems, the link between the print and electronic collections, the new type of reader' help and guidance, the growing of web-based university-teaching materials are affecting library management today. The library is facing new realities and must deal with them.
The old hierarchy and departmental division is not always applicable. Special workgroups and special assignments can be the answer. Also, employees can become part of the new mission on the basis of their specific knowledge and enthusiasm. Vision, leadership and a new organizational culture which is based on professional achievements and pride are needed to motivate people to take part and to invest more and more in additional goals.
In the electronic library era, new duties can grow such that a new job or a new department is created. Sometimes a major administrative change in needed in library systems where there is more than one library in the institution.
Library management at present and in the coming years needs a different approach in which flexibility, team work and enthusiasm are the keywords.
STEPHEN PINFIELD (Hallward Library, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK), "Managing academic library services in a digital world: institutional, regional and national developments in the UK".
Abstract: One of the important features of digital library development in UK Higher Education has been national co-ordination. Since 1994, the Higher Education Funding Councils have devoted considerable funds to a major research and development programme known as eLib (the Electronic Libraries Programme). National data centres have also been established which host datasets available to all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at nationally agreed prices. Most recently, the concept of the Distributed National Electronic Resource has been formulated to take these developments forward in a strategically co-ordinated way.
This paper discusses the impact national initiatives such as these have had on individual HEIs in the UK. Written from the perspective of an institutional library manager (and former eLib project leader), this paper examines the interface between local electronic library provision and national developments. Individual institutions have been active in taking forward the electronic library agenda both with and without earmarked government funding, but often the way in which this has been managed has been strongly influenced by the national strategy. The practical challenge has been to integrate locally provided digital resources with the national resources (plus, of course, existing traditional library resources) in a coherent way for users. Examples of different ways in which this has been done are discussed, particularly in relation to the University of Nottingham and other research libraries.
New ways of working in library services have also been developed in many institutions, once again often accelerated by national initiatives. These include adopting project-based working, developing multi-skilled teams and forming institutional consortia. The consequences of this are examined.
UK-wide and institutional developments have thus far been most important but there are now an increasing number of regional initiatives which are having an impact on library developments. The balance between the institutional, regional and national are evaluated and the possibilities for the future summarised.
JEAN POLAND (Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA), "Cooperative development of the digital library: identifying and working with potential partners".
Abstract: In a university environment, the library can benefit from interest in the digital future on the part of other nterested groups. Computer science departments are natural partners in the development of digital libraries. Professional societies, for-profit companies, and foundations are also potential sources of support. Cornell University Library has worked closely with a variety of interested individuals and organizations in providing access to and preservation of digital materials. This paper describes the evolution of some of those projects, the resulting innovations and technology enhancements.
Sci-Tech Study Tour Thursday, Thursday 17th August
The Science and Technology Libraries Section has planned a full day study tour to Haifa that will encompass professional visits to two outstanding university libraries.Bus transportation is being provided under the auspices of the Israel Organizing Committee. Seats are limited and will be reserved on a first-come basis. To register, please send email to Rivkah Frank (rivkahf@netvision.net.il)
| ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED | |
| PROGRAM | |
| 8:00am | Departure from Jerusalem |
| 10:30am | Arrival at the TECHNION in Haifa |
| Tour of facilities | |
| Host: Nurit Roitberg, Director of Libraries, "New Technologies: the Cutting Edge" (includes demos) | |
| Lunch Tour participants will be guests of the Technion |
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| Afternoon | Site visit to the University of Haifa LibraryHost: Professor Baruch Kipnis,Professor of Geography and Director of the Library |
| Highlights of Haifa | |
| 5:30pm | Departure for Jerusalem |
| 8:00pm | Arrival in Jerusalem (approximately) |
Future Conferences
67TH IFLA COUNCIL AND GENERAL CONFERENCE, BOSTON, USA, AUGUST 16-25, 2001
Theme: Libraries and Librarians: Making a Difference in the Knowledge AgeThe library exists as an idea and a symbol as well as a physical reality. Throughout history the mission of the library - to facilitate the free flow of information - remains unchanged although change is constantly occurring in the ways in which librarians fulfil the library's mission. Librarians, as knowledge workers, collect, transmit and preserve recorded messages. They organize and manage the storage, retrieval and use of information. They provide personal assistance in tailoring information services for people and institutions. Librarians analyze, evaluate and synthesize the information they collect to create new forms of knowledge. The technology changes, but the mission endures.
The power of technology supports sophisticated systems for connecting people to new forms of knowledge and creates linkages between the expanding physical and intellectual universes. By harnessing rapidly developing technology with a reaffirmation of the historical values and contributions of librarianship, the chaos and experimentation of the Information Age transforms into a new era of human development -- the Knowledge Age. Subthemes:
- Advancing the Leadership Role of the Librarian in the Information Age
- Delivering Lifelong Learning Across Space and Time
- Managing Information and Technology in the Knowledge Age
- Developing Information Policies for the Knowledge Age
- Forging Collaborative Partnerships
- Making a Difference --
- to Government and Industry in Economic Development
- to Society in Social and Cultural Development
- to Researchers and Scientists Exploring the Frontiers of Knowledge
- to Children and Young Adults in Learning Opportunities
- in the Quality of Life to the Public
68th IFLA General Conference 2002 -- Glasgow, UK
69th IFLA Council and General Conference 2003 --Berlin
70th IFLA Council and General Conference 2004 --Buenos Aires
71st IFLA General Conference, 2005 -- Expressions of Interest are Invited
72nd General Conference 2006 -- Seoul
Sci-Tech Listserv
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IFLANET
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