Newsletter, July 2009
by Iain Watt
IFLA Section on Parliamentary Libraries and Research Services
Newsletter, Volume 27, No. 6, July 2009
Contents:
1. Message from the Chair2. Rome Pre-Conference
3. Training day
4. Milan IFLA Conference
5. Standing Committee agendas
6. Reports and News
• Knowledge cafe 2008
• CRS tops poll
• Recent developments in Australia and New Zealand
7. Standing Committee membership list
8. Directory1. MESSAGE FROM SECTION CHAIR, GRO SANDGRIND
Dear Colleagues,
I very much hope to welcome you to the Pre-Conference in Rome and the IFLA Conference in Milan. You will find details or online links to the details of both programmes in this newsletter. Our contact person in Rome, Raissa Teodori is working very hard and it has been a great pleasure to cooperate with her.
If you will be in Milan can I urge you, please, to register for the Management Workshop day on Wednesday. You can register now by emailing Bushra Navqi Nazli: bushranazli@yahoo.com You can also vote for the topics to be worked on at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=lkPlv9wOCfbyUU0hWrNyXg_3d_3dI congratulate a stalwart of the Section and former Chair, Donna Scheeder, on her election to the IFLA Governing Board. And on her election to the Hall of Fame of the SLA!
For anyone who has not heard the news already, please note that the 2010 IFLA Conference has changed location from Brisbane, Australia to Göteborg, Sweden. For more information, see http://www.ifla.org/en/news. This is an unfortunate turn of events for our Australian colleagues who were already hard at work on the Pre-Conference for 2010. The Standing Committee will be considering the implications of this change of plans.Please note that the Section web address has changed to http://www.ifla.org/en/services-for-parliaments. This change follows the redesign of the IFLA website.Gro Sandgrind, Chair of the Section
2. ROME PRE-CONFERENCE 19 - 21 August
"The theme for this conference ‒ Digital Information for Democracy: Management, Access and Preservation ‒ is the cutting edge in innovation and development of parliamentary libraries and documentation services, which are the hub of a complex information system gathering, processing and providing documentation services to the institutions, and networking legislatures." Full information regarding the Pre-Conference can be found on the website http://www.preifla2009.parlamento.it/. You are invited to use it to register for the Pre-Conference and also to make your hotel reservations. If the answer is not on the website then please contact for further information:
Email: preifla2009@parlamento.it
Fax:(+39)0667063603
Raissa Teodori Tel:(+39)0667065023
Stefano Tabacchi Tel:(+39)0667604370
3. TRAINING DAY
18 August (pre-Pre-Conference) Library and IT staff from parliaments of developing countries and economies in transition have been targeted for a training event. The event is sponsored by the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament, hosted by the Italian Parliament and co-organised with our Section. It will take place on August 18th, in the Italian Joint Parliamentary Library, focusing on the use of new technologies to enhance the capacity of parliamentary libraries and research services to respond to parliaments’ information needs. (Note that this is not part of the Pre-Conference and the training is by invitation only. However all registered participants to the conference are free to attend as observers and only need to give previous notice by sending an email to preifla2009@parlamento.it).
4. MILAN CONFERENCE
World Library and Information Congress: 75th IFLA General Conference and Assembly with the theme: "Libraries create futures: Building on cultural heritage" will be held 23-27 August 2009, Milan, Italy. Conference homepage: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla75/index.htm.Conference programme: http://www.ifla.org/annual-conference/ifla75/programme2009-en.php
Section highlights:
Saturday - Standing Committee meeting I at 14.30 (All members, not only elected SC representatives, are welcome)
Monday – 09.30-12.45 Open session together with Library History Section on "Changing visions: parliamentary libraries past, present and future". Tuesday – 09.30-12.45 Open session together with Knowledge Management Section and Information Technology Section on "Social computing tools for learning and knowledge sharing"Tuesday SCII 14.00 -16.00 (All members, not only elected SC representatives, are welcome)
Wednesday – a whole-day Management Workshop off-site - see details below. Note that you will need your passport or identity card to enter the building. (See the report of last year's event in News & Reports to get a flavour of what the day might bring).---------------------------------
IFLA Conference Management Workshops Day 26 August
This is not a traditional conference day where delegates sit around and listen to a series of presentations. It is designed as a dynamic and interactive event with time to share our ideas, identify new approaches and strategies, explore solutions to key issues and learn from the experience of our colleagues.
There will be a choice of two Knowledge Cafés - a place where lively conversations can take place around questions that matter. The real value of a Knowledge Café is what you can take away with you in your head, and the new connections you have made.
By popular demand the Section’s version of Speed Dating will return. One person on each table will volunteer their most pressing headaches. In a rapid 10 minute consultancy the rest of the table then offers their collective knowledge and experience to the owner of the headache, suggesting as many practical solutions as possible. Then they move onto the next table and the next problem. It creates quite a buzz in the room and if you volunteer an issue you get the benefit of around 50 consultants working on your problem.
There will also be a choice of two Best Practice Workshops – where we can identify and make accessible to others our know-how, lessons learned and our successfully-demonstrated practices. It is a great environment in which to solve problems and do some informal benchmarking.Vote for Topics
Please vote on the suggested topics using the link below. The top two for each workshop type will be offered as choices on the day. The survey takes less than five minutes so make this your day and vote for what you want to do. (Thanks to those who made suggestions for this list).
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=lkPlv9wOCfbyUU0hWrNyXg_3d_3d
Date and Venue
Management Workshops Day will be on Wednesday 26th August from 9am until 5pm. The Regione Lombardia, Giunta Regionale, in Milan, has kindly offered to be our hosts for the day and all workshops will be held there. To enter the building you will need to show an identity card or passport. Please wear your conference badge if you have it.
Address:
Regione Lombardia, Giunta regionale
via Pola, 12-14,
Milan
Underground:
MM2 (green line) Stop Gioia
MM3 (yellow line) Stop Zara
Registration
It would be very helpful to the planning if you could pre-register for the day by emailing Bushra Navqi Nazli: bushranazli@yahoo.com
More Information
Block out Wednesday 26th August 2009 in your diaries now. For more information please contact one of the organisers:
Bushra Navqi Nazli - bushranazli@yahoo.com Milvia Priano - milvia.priano@europarl.europa.eu Susan Mansfield – susan.mansfield@scottish.parliament.uk5. STANDING COMMITTEE AGENDAS
All members of the Section are welcome to attend and contribute. (Those who are not Committee members attend as non-voting observers).
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LIBRARY AND RESEARCH SERVICES FOR PARLIAMENTS STANDING COMMITTEE I AGENDA
SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2009 AT 14.30 – 17.20 TO BE HELD AT THE MAIN IFLA CONFERENCE VENUE IN MILAN
1. Opening of the meeting
2. Approval of the Agenda
3. Approval of the Minutes of the Standing Committee meetings in Quebec, Canada
4. Roll call of Standing Committee members
5. Officers report (membership report, financial report)
• Ms. Gro Sandgrind : financial report
• Report by the Information Coordinator, Ms. Moira Fraser
6. Elections of Section Chair, Secretary and Information Coordinator for 2009-2011
7. News from the Coordinating Board
8. Program Schedule for the Week
. IPU/ASGP/IFLA – follow up on the conference held 16 October 2008 in Geneva.
9. Informing democracy: Building capacity to meet parliamentarian’s information and knowledge needs
10. Global Centre for ICT in Parliament/ IFLA Library and Research Services for Parliaments Section – training day in Rome – report and follow up
11. Guidelines for legislative libraries – report on status
12. Strategic Plan 2009-2011. Discussion
13. Future Conferences and Pre-conferences
IFLA 2010, Göteborg, Sweden
IFLA 2011, San Juan, Puerto Rico
14. Subjects of interest for future conferences: information from previous conferences and possible new suggestions. Discussion.
15. Reports on regional activities:
Regional reports should be circulated in advance and the meetings will only hear highlights and questions/answers in the SC I meeting
• Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Australasia: APLA
• The Association of Parliamentary Librarians of Asia and the Pacific: APLAP
• The Association of Parliamentary Librarians in Canada: APLIC/ABPAC
• The Association of Parliamentary Libraries of Eastern and Southern Africa: APLESA
• European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation : ECPRD
• Latin American Parliamentary Library Association
• The National Conference of State Legislatures: NCLS
• Nordic Countries
• PARDOC
• IPRIN
16. Useful information
World Directory of Parliamentary Libraries
17. Any other business
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LIBRARY AND RESEARCH SERVICES FOR PARLIAMENTS STANDING COMMITTEE II AGENDA
25 AUGUST 2009 - TO BE HELD AT THE MAIN IFLA CONFERENCE VENUE IN MILAN AT 14.00-16.00
1. Opening of the meeting
2. Approval of the Agenda
3. Approval of the Minutes of the Standing Committee Meetings I
4. Roll call of Standing Committee members – SC members
5. Officers report
• Report by the Chair, treasurer
• Report by the Secretary
• Report by the Information Coordinator
6. Strategic Plans (2009-2011)
7. News from the Coordinating Board
8. Evaluation of the Conference
9. Future Conferences
10. Other Business
• Nominating a paper for the IFLA Journal
_______________________________________________
6. REPORTS AND NEWS
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KNOWLEDGE CAFÉ
"Understanding our clients: the common traits and universal behaviour of law makers"
Quebec City, Wednesday 13 August 2008
Eleni Mitrakou (Greece)
Six tables dressed in white crude paper tablecloth to write on were set out to receive the 43 participants working on the theme "Understanding our clients: the common traits and universal behaviour of law makers", in the Senate Hall at the Quebec Parliament building.
The diversity of the group represented a range of Parliaments and consequently, of the Members of Parliament of the world. As we were diverse so are the respective Members of Parliament as far as the national, social, ideological, educational and/or other levels are concerned. It was in this diversity and variety that we were looking for the MPs’ common characteristics, their general, overall profile.
Each café table appointed one person responsible for recording the dialogue and ideas shared and exchanged. Thanks go to them as it is their contribution I am summing up here, using their notes combined to my own.
According to the collective comments produced, the general traits of the MPs are here below presented in no evaluative order:
• Time pressure: MPs are constantly under time pressure ("time poor"). Time is the enemy and a luxury. Their expectations have a rather short time frame for satisfaction. As new issues arise, there are ever changing priorities compressing time, their requests being dynamic, shifting from one issue to another and at times even altering scope. It may occur that some MPs have pro-active seeking habits and therefore, ask for information they reckon will be requested in the future.
• High public profile: MPs have a social profile (in a large number of countries the very highest profile), their every action (and non-action) and word is under scrutiny; in other words they find themselves in another kind of pressure.
• Diverse decision makers: MPs have to take decisions on a variety of matters, some of which they are not so well versed in, as a consequence they feel they are on insecure ground. As a result they rely on people they trust and have expertise on the issues.
• Competitive personalities: MPs have to be constantly alert, function competitively and are control and power driven.
• Multi-task performers: MPs have to satisfy multiple, often differing, demands coming from voters/constituents, party, lobbies, caucuses, unions, committees, the parliamentary institution, staff, etc. At the same time, they have their own career desires, personal expectations and personal aspirations to fulfill.
• Deal-makers: caught among various conflicting national and international interests, they have to reach the best possible outcome. They rely on their personal insight and they must have contextual information.
• Communicators: part of their job is to convey information, messages to different parties, from the legislative level to the social sphere. They talk, they communicate orally via the media (TV, radio) and the new technologies (Internet, web 2.0).
• Advocators: MPs have to speak and write, to explain, to justify and defend their political decisions.
• Role players: MPs develop personas in order to satisfy the roles they are called to demonstrate.MPs are demanding clients on one hand, appreciative on the other if information is timely delivered, accurate, factual and neutral –even in terms of language expression- they trust and can depend on it. The MPs’ profile and common characteristic traits can lead to mapping their basic needs.If, at the beginning, the conversation drifted to matters close to the theme under discussion and did not focus exclusively at the given subject, I think that it did not matter at all, as all participants with no exception were drawn in the exchange, had something to say and to share. And this is important because people whose first language is not English are, usually, intimidated; afraid to make mistakes, to mispronounce, not to be understood. As a result they hesitate to stand up and speak in public; they stay withdrawn, physically present but silent.
At that closing point, I would like to make a comment on the working style of the Section. Initially, the "Management days" operated differently and were called seminars, then workshops, and now Knowledge cafés. Just by observing the terms used to describe the way of function, one remarks the evolution of the process; there is an undisputable movement towards to broader participation, to communication induction, to openness. And most important it leads to a path of less rigid, looser and interactive structures.
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CRS tops poll
The website http://www.showusthedata.org/ conducted an online poll to identify which US Federal Government documents and data citizens wanted to see online. The "winner" in first place in the poll was CRS Research Reports: "The Congressional Research Service (CRS) uses taxpayer dollars to produce excellent reports on public policy issues ranging from foreign affairs to agriculture to health care. These reports are posted online, but on an internal system available only to Congressional offices through a password. Citizens can ask for these reports through their member of Congress, but they must know that the report exists. Currently, reports are sold by third parties or made available, when possible, by advocacy groups and others. Congress should make CRS release these reports to the public proactively and directly." Thanks to Ellie Valentine for the info.---------------------------------
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARIES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Roxanne Missingham, Parliamentary Librarian, Australian Parliament
i) Australian Parliamentary Papers historic papers published online: The Australian Department of the Senate have digitised a number of historic Parliamentary papers as part of a project to digitise a complete set.
The papers which have been digitised so far can be found from the link ‘Senate Tabled Papers’ on http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/work/index.htm#tabledpapers
Currently the following are available:
• From 12 February 2002 to 16 August 2006.There are some documents available for the years 1901 to 1932 but it is by no means a complete set (the years are listed on the search) Development is ongoing both for content and searching.
ii) Australian Parliamentary Papers current papers: The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) recently published a report entitled Online Availability of Government Entities' Documents Tabled in the Australian Parliament http://www.anao.gov.au/uploads/documents/2008-09_Audit_Report_37.pdf It found that 10 per cent of the tabled papers examined in any one year were not available online. The report recommends:Recommendation No.1: that entities review the accessibility of their online documents against the requirements of the web accessibility standard endorsed by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Recommendation No 2: that government entities that do not have a web presence, table multiple documents in the Parliament each year, and/or have been affected by a Machinery of Government change, implement arrangements to ensure the online availability of their tabled papers in accordance with Australian Government policy.
Recommendation No.3: that the Australian Government Information Management Office and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, in consultation with other relevant government entities, review their guidance and clarify the requirements to publish and maintain documents presented to the Parliament.
The Australian Library and Information Association is writing to encourage early implementation of the recommendations and that consideration be given to ensuring than a single set of papers is published on the Parliament’s web site.
iii) Public Sphere #2 - Government 2.0: Policy and Practice: Government/Parliament 2.0 is very topical on Australia and New Zealand. Senator Kate Lundy has established "Public Sphere" discussions to gather views on how creating an even more participatory form of government in Australia will improve the effectiveness of public administration, enable communities to better help themselves, promote renewed engagement in the democratic process and enhance our capacity to respond to emerging complex social, geopolitical and environmental challenges. The 2nd Public Sphere topic - Government 2.0: policy and practice for Australia was run on Monday 22 June 2009 and attended by a wide range of groups and individuals. Presentations included one from the Parliamentary Library on redeveloping the Parliament web site.
The web site notes that a "…"Public Sphere" is a space that "…through the vehicle of public opinion it puts the state in touch with the needs of society" [2]. This kind of engagement in public policy is a great way to represent different views and harness a broad range of expertise, particularly on topical issues of the day. All contributions to Public Sphere topics are published openly for public access and peer review by the public, interest groups and officials.’
The web site can be found at: http://www.katelundy.com.au/2009/05/29/public-sphere-2-open-government-policy-and-practice/iv) Australasian Parliamentary Libraries Association (APLA) web site: The web site has now moved to new hosting arrangements and new resources will be added regularly. The web site can be found at: http://www.apla.org.au/
v) Australasian Parliamentary Libraries Association (APLA) conference and annual general meeting: These events will be held on 30 and 31 July 2009 in Adelaide. The conference program includes the following sessions:
- Dr. Edmund Balnaves, Principal and Founder, Prosentient Systems - The desktop commons: bringing e-journal and e-resource archiving to the desktop
- Mr. Ian McDonald, Senior Legal Officer, Australian Copyright Council - Beyond the copyright comfort zone: contracts, social networking sites and new technologies for parliamentary librarians.
- Dr. Edmund Balnaves - Survey of electronic resources
- Ms. Jenni Newton-Farrelly, Ms. Alex Hester and Dr. John Weste, South Australian Parliament Research Library - Library Clients: changing needs and challenging expectations
- Open forum discussion – new initiatives in Australian parliamentary libraries Papers and presentations will be published on the APLA web site.The conference is being organised by Dr Coral Stanley, Parliamentary Librarian, South Australian Parliament The AGM is being organised by the APLA President Mary Seefried, President APLA, Queensland Parliamentary Library
vi) Legislative Assembly Library of the Australian Capital Territory
Since the inception of self-government in the ACT in 1989, the Legislative Assembly Library has been a combined facility, also servicing the ACT Government. This service has been run by the Executive, through the department responsible for all of the Territory’s libraries. From 1 July this year, this arrangement will change, and the Legislative Assembly will assume responsibility for running its own library. Further background from roxanne.missingham@apl.gov.au
vii) Positively Parliament focuses on helping others access Parliamentary information
Last year the NZ Parliamentary Library ran the first one day Positively Parliament seminar, held in Wellington for 80 delegates. In response to demand we recently repeated the seminar in Auckland for 52 delegates and we were again delighted with the success of the day – even away from the splendour of Parliament Buildings.The seminars covered the functions of Parliament, the progress of legislation and the value and use of the hardcopy and electronic resources produced by Parliament. Those attending came from law, public, university and government libraries. Lively discussions on collection management, digitization priorities and website developments provided useful feedback to inform our future planning.
We charged a modest attendance fee to cover the cost of delivering the seminar.
Katherine Close
External Services Manager
New Zealand Parliamentary Library
7. NEW STANDING COMMITTEE
It is my pleasure to inform you about the new SC 2009-2011. Welcome to them all and many thanks to those who are stepping down. There were nominations but no need for ballots – all the persons who were nominated were elected. Gro SandgrindWe should note and give thanks in particular to Gro who will be stepping down from the Standing Committee this year after a very successful (and hard-working!) term in office as the Chair. IW
(In the list below all those mentioned as elected from 2009 will formally become members of the Committee after the Milan Conference. For information the relevant IFLA rule is quoted below.
"R18.27 Successful candidates take office at the close of the Congress which immediately follows the elections. However, only those members who will be serving on the Standing Committee for the two-year term commencing at the end of the Congress are eligible to nominate, be nominated for, and vote for, the Section Officers to be elected at that Congress in accordance with Rule 18.32." http://www.ifla.org/files/hq/ifla-rules-of-procedure-en.pdf )
7. Directory
The official webpage of the IFLA Section is at the NEW ADDRESS http://www.ifla.org/en/services-for-parliaments
News & information exchange is by email. Please subscribe to the IFLAParl list at this address: http://infoserv.inist.fr/wwsympa.fcgi/info/iflaparl2.
We also have another information-sharing website for parliamentary libraries and research services under development at http://www.parlanet.org/
Chair of the Section:
Ms Gro Sandgrind
Library of the Norwegian Parliament,
Stortinget Prinsens gate 26
N-0026 OSLO
Norway
Tel. +(47)(23)313685
Fax +(47)(23)313859
E-mail: gro.sandgrind@stortinget.no
Secretary:
Mr Iain Watt
Head of Unit for Library Operations
European Parliament
Rue Wiertz 60
B-1047 BRUSSELS
Belgium
Tel. +(32)(2)2843113
Fax + (32) (2)2306581
Email: iain.watt@europarl.europa.eu
Information Coordinator:
Ms Moira Fraser
Parliamentary Librarian & Group Manager Information and Knowledge
Parliament of New Zealand,
Parliament Buildings
WELLINGTON
New Zealand
Tel. + (64) (447)19621
Email: moira.fraser@parliament.govt.nz
Newsletter Editor: Iain Watt
If you want to make a comment or contribute a news item, or want to add or remove your name from the mailing list, please contact me at iain.watt@europarl.europa.eu
Last update: 5 March 2010