First Latin American and Caribbean meeting on community information services
(I Coloquio Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Servicios de Información a la Comunidad)

"For the creation of local information services in public libraries"

Comfenalco Antioquia, in association with the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), the Inter-American Faculty of Librarianship at the University of Antioquia and the Ministry of Culture, convened and held the "1^st Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on Community Information Services" in Medellín from 18 to 21 September with the express aim of stimulating the interest of member countries in these services, creating an academic forum for reflection and communication and of socialising the experiences through their design and provision.

The central theme at the meeting was citizen's and community information as seen from four axes: the process and identity of globalisation; conveying information and encouraging reading; the right to information, community participation and public policy and information transfer technology at the service of local communities. The methodology employed consisted in papers given by experts, round table discussions, descriptions of experiences and work groups.

The 1^st Meeting achieved its aims and the expectations held for it by both those attending and the organising committee. The Meeting was attended by 205 people from many countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, México, Panama, Peru, Spain, United Kingdom and Venezuela, as well as many Colombian cities: Apartadó, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Honda, Ibagué, Ipiales, Medellín, Pasto, Quibdó, Tunja, and Villavivencio to mention just a few. The results of the work groups and the ties formed open up positive horizons for public library work in our region.

Some of the conclusions resulting from the work groups which took place during the course of the proceedings are as follows:

• The integration of information services with the community as an essential tool to carry out the public libraries mission. To this end, the commitment of Latin American librarians is required for its administration and development.
• The opening of a continuing debate on the development and provision of such services. In order to achieve this a strategy was proposed of holding biennial meetings of the "Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on Community Information Services" in a Latin American country and the creation of an agenda of topics to be discussed addressing the matter as part of IFLA's public library programme.
• The creation of a librarians' training strategy on community information services in Latin American countries with the participation of public and private institutions both at the national and international level.

The success of this event was due to the support given to it by the various national and international institutions which recognise public library community information services as providing a substantial contribution to the creation of informed, participative, communities aware of their surroundings and empowered to transform them.

November 2001

Translated by Diputació de Barcelona. Servei de Biblioteques
E-mail: s.biblioteques@diba.es