Newsletter of the Section for Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons

Issue 43
Fall 1996

Editorial

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the Editor's control, the fall issue of the Newsletter has been delayed. However, the meaty contents should compensate for the late arrival.

First of all there is an abridged version of IFLA's very important position paper on Copyright. The Report of the hospital library situation in France in French shows that we are also trying to reach the French-speaking Disadvantaged community. The article is very interesting also because the Section is nearing the completion of its "Guidelines for Hospital Libraries" which will be presented to the Section members at the upcoming Copenhagen Annual Conference of IFLA (1997).

Dr. Sue Lithgow's detailed report of the Beijing (1996) Annual IFLA Conference gives an insight into the proceedings, presentations and public forums that took place during this conference, and allows those who could not attend a good overview of events in general and the Section's work in particular

The Editor hopes that the full version of the Section's Medium Term Program will be included in the next issue of the Newsletter. In the meantime we are presenting a copy of the New logo, as it appears on the Section's recently revised Pamphlets, which will be available in several languages.

Due to the poor response in the last issue of the Newsletter,we are also repeating the call for the mailing list update, so kindly respond!

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Position Paper by IFLA on

IFLA asserts its belief that:

Librarians are crucial to the access to electronic information.
This role needs to be protected and enhanced.

IFLA states that copyright stimulates intellectual activity and should not prevent access to information and ideas. Unless librarians and individual end-users have clear rights, without prejudice to the legitimate interests of rights owners, this will create a greater divide between the information rich and the information poor.

IFLA also believes that:

In national copyright legislation, exceptions, allowed in the Bern Convention and other similar copyright conventions should be revised, if necessary, to ensure that permitted uses apply equally to information in electronic form and to information in print.

Furthermore, IFLA believes that:

For copying which exceeds that allowed under such specified exceptions, there should be administratively simple payment schemes.

For works in digital format, without incurring a charge or seeking permission, library users should be able to :

read, listen to, or view publicly marketed copyright material privately, on site or remotely,

browse publicly available copyright material,

copy, or have copied for them by a librarian a reasonable proportion of a digital work in copyright, for personal or educational use.

As to Lending, IFLA believes that:

The lending of published electronic resources by libraries for cultural and educational purposes should not be restricted by legislation.

Legislation should prevent the setting of terms by suppliers of published electronic resources which aim to restrict the reasonable lending of such resources by librarians.

The IFLA document also addresses the question of document delivery, Preservation and conservation and International control.

In order to obtain the entire document either electronically or by mail, contact:

Theresa Stanton, Publications Assistant.
IFLA Headquarters
POB 95312, 2509 CH The Hague, Netherlands.
Internet: http://www.ifla.org/index.htm

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En France' Les Bibliotheques en Milieu Hospitalier

Une enquête nationale sur l'état des lieux de l'offre de lecture à l'hôpital, réalisée en 1992 par le Ministère de l'Education Nationale et de la Culture, a mis en évidence la richesse et la diversité des initiatives en faveur du livre et de la lecture en milieu hospitalier.

Les situations sont très diverses en termes de moyens, de collections, de qualification et de formation professionnelles. L'absence de status, d'emplois salariés (seulement 8%) de partenariat avec le réseau des bibliothèques publiques sont encore à déplorer, mais l'offre de lecture est maintenant bien inscrite dans la vie des établissements.

En 1993/94, un groupe de travail s'est réuni à la Direction du Livre et de la Lecture pour préparer une convention entre les Ministères de la Santé et de la Culture. Ce groupe de travail réaffirme la nécessité de ne pas couper les bibliothèques d'hopitaux de l'ensemble du réseau de la lecture publique: recrûtement et formation sur les mêmes bases que dans la fonction publique, complétés par une formation préparant à travailler dans l'environnement particulier qu'est l'hopital. Il rappelle aussi les normes souhaitées par l'IFLA : un bibliothécaire et un assistant à plein-temps pour 500 lits dans les hopitaux de court séjour - et pour 300 lits dans les hopitaux de long séjour.

La question des volontaires est abordée par le rapport du groupe de travail dans l'esprit de "la charte des Volontaires": Non-rémunération mais engagement dans la mission de service public, devoir de formation, respect d'une hiérarchie, remboursement des frais professionnels.

Le project de convention n'a pas encore été signé par les deux ministères et il devrait être complété par une implication des élus locaux, le Maire de chaque ville étant d'office le Président du Conseil de son hôpital.

Espérant des décisions rapides du gouvernement, le Ministère de la Culture a, cette année, financé et développé la diffusion des livres en gros caractère dans les hopitaux et les maisons de retraite. Il a aussi aidé au financement d'achat de livres pour augmenter les collections dans les bibliothèques en milieu hospitalier. Le gros problème reste le financement des créations d'emplois.

Soumis par Geneviève Chavanis, Membre de l'Association des Bibliothèques d'Hopitaux de Lyon et de la Région, et Membre de la Séction pour Bibliothèques au Service des Défavorisés d'IFLA.

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News from Around the World

IBBY promotes Outstanding books for young people with disabilities. As a follow-up to three earlier IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), projects supported by Unesco, the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Disabled Young People in Oslo, Norway, invites the National Section of IBBY to take part in a new project called Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities.

The aim is to survey quality books suitable for young people with disabilities. The results will be presented in an annotated catalogue in English, with approximately 40 titles selected according to special education guidelines and artistic and literary criteria pertaining to design, language and plot structure. The books will be listed under two categories: regular trade books published in 1994 or later; and books specially produced for disabled young people, published in 1991 or later.

IBBY wishes to encourage the production and promotion of such books and to provide information on making them easily available internationally. To this end, the selected titles will be exhibited at the Bologna International Children's Book Fair in April 1997. Later, the display will be available worldwide as a traveling exhibition. For more information, please contact Nina Reidarson, Director, IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Disabled Young People. P.O.Box 1140, Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway: phone + 47 - 22 85 80 05, fax + du - 22 85 80 02

UNITED STATES

NEVADA opens large-cell library. The Northern Nevada Braille Transcribers group has opened a free lending library of large-cell braille books. The volumes are all transcribed in grade 2 braille, and a list of the titles is available on request. The books are produced on brailon plastic, and director Lois Baskerville suggests that they are easier to read if a piece of cardboard id placed behind the page to keep the dots beneath from bleeding through.

Large-cell braille is intended for touch-impaired braille readers or those readers trained to read Jumbo braille. A more recent improvement over Jumbo braille, large-cell braille braille has sharp, clear dots, with increased spacing between dots, cells, and lines.

For further information, write to Northern Nevada Braille Transcribers, 1015 Oxford Avenue, Sparks, NV 89431-3037, Attn.: Lois Baskerville, Director.

AUSTRALIA

Speech Recognition. If you have used Speech Recognition, Ability Research (Australia) would like to talk with you about your experiences. This is part of a research project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services. It seeks to learn about people's experience with speech recognition and technology.

If you would like to be part of this research, or know someone else who would, please call this number: 02 9976 3410.

The results of the research are intended to improve understanding of how this technology can benefit people with disabilities.

Graeme Smith, Ability Research. 8, William Street, Fairlight, NSW 2094. Australia.

Disability Standards. A working group has recently been established in Australia, to investigate and develop disability standards under their DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1992. in relation to access to Commonwealth Information and Communications.

Under section 31, the Attorney-General can make disability standards subject to approval of Parliament. The main purpose of the standards is to make rights and obligations under the act clearer and easier to understand, comply with and enforce.

In August 1993, the former Attorney-General established the DDA Standards Working Group to advise on the need for and development of the standards generally. The Working Group identified employment, access to premises, transport, education and Commonwealth information services as priority areas for the development of standards.

The working group hopes to be in a position to have a draft prepared for public consultation by the end of 1996. Final standards will be prepared after the consultation, which should last three months.

For further information or a copy of the information paper, contact: Kym Duggan, Actin Special Adviser - Disability, Human Rights Branch, Attorney-GeneralŒs Department, Robert Garran Offices, PARKES ACT 2600. Australia.

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