Par. 1. - Executive Board held ordinary meeting in August.

Par. 2. - Agenda included comments and reactions to Mr. Byrne's (IFLA/FAIFE) electronic mail concerning the press release "Campaign to oppose repression in libraries in Cuba".

Par. 3. - Marta Terry (Chair) reported that she and other members of the Executive Board of ASCUBI conducted an inquiry on the issues put forward by the press release (political troubles for Cuban librarians), as well as on the very existence of the libraries referred to, since we had no information on them at all, and the persons mentioned in the press release had no contact with ASCUBI or the profession at large in Cuba.

Par. 4. - Contacts with the authorities concerned resulted in the confirmation that the persons mentioned in the press release were never subject to arrest or imprisonment.

Par. 5. - The executive board of ASCUBI recomended to the Chair and Vice-Chairs to send this preliminary report to IFLA/FAIFE, as well as to offer Mr. Byrne and IFLA/FAIFE members background information on events and developments of librarianship in Cuba.

Par. 6. - This report is a preliminary one, since ASCUBI is preparing the publication of a monograph on libraries and librarianship in Cuba.

Par. 7. - When Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, the total population of the country was a rough 6 millions and almost one third (24,3%) were illiterate; there were a few libraries known as "public" libraries, but there was in place no system of school, science and technology, or university libraries. There were no institutions responsible for official training in librarianship. In the late 1950s a very limited group of librarians were striving hard to establish the foundations for librarianship as a profession as well as for the first associations of libraries.

Par. 8. - After 40 years of revolutionary work, illiteracy is only a 4,3% out of a population of 11,5 millions, according to UNESCO. A system for public libraries is in place, as well as for school libraries, science and technology libraries, and university libraries.

Par. 9. - Even though raw statistical data may reveal qualitative improvements by themselves, it seems to be commonsense to think that such a broad and comprehensive system has made a deep impact on the conscience, wishes and expectations of its beneficiaries, giving birth and roots to the need, curiosity and habit of reading among the Cuban population.

Par. 10. - During the 1990s, after the fall of the USSR and with the worsening of the USA blockade, the economic situation in Cuba became even more precarious; all vital social and economic activities suffered and the country run into shortages of electricity and transport, lack of food and medicines, and difficulties in the daily operation of schools and hospitals.

Par. 11. - All too naturally this situation had to impact very negatively on the cultural life and the scientific and intellectual work all over the country; book production went down and the import of books and journals for libraries almost ceased. Many libraries had to adapt their opening times to the availability of electricity supply, and their collections lost currency.

Par. 12. - In this situation, librarians in all kind of libraries, as well as teachers and students in all professional schools, put all their strengths and efforts in the maintenance of facilities and services within the best possible conditions.

Par. 13. - In 1994, the 60 IFLA Conference was held in Havana with a great success. Several Cuban librarians held positions in Standing Committees and Round Tables, and this experience helped us to raise our professional profile, know the most current trends in the profession at large and share very practical experiences with colleagues from all over the world.

Par. 14. - In 1996-97 the economic situation begins slightly to improve, a trend that has been maintained with difficulties over the last years, thanks to the effort of the Cuban people, so that the spheres of activity most damaged during the "Special Period" start to recover.

Par. 15. - In 1996 the School of Communication of the University of Havana launched a new curriculum and program for the degree in Scientific Information and Librarianship; they introduced new topics and approaches, use of new technologies for the teaching of librarianship was encouraged and a new official name was adopted: Library and Information Science.

Par. 16. - In 1998 new medium level schools were created to provide access for all students at that level coming from every region of the country.

Par. 17. - In March 1998, in Santa Clara, a National Reading Program was launched to coordinate "the efforts of all institutions, groups and persons of the country interested in the promotion of the book and of reading among our people..."

Par. 18. - Tasks within this program included:

• acquisition of 40 collections of children's books (more than 80 titles in each) from publishing houses in Cuba, Spain, México and other countries, thanks to the special funding of the Ministry of Culture through its Development Fund for Education and Culture. These basic collections were housed in the provincial libraires of the country, in 15 municipal libraries; and 7 collections travelled to remote places as part of the Plan Turquino (Economic, social and cultural development plan for mountain regions). Another collection is housed in the Department of Children's Literature, National Library José Martí; and the last one is travelling along the country.
• Part of this Reading Program are the Minerva clubs, which offer circulation services for recently acquired titles to all segments of the population for a very small inscription fee. Up to this very moment the following are in operation and well accepted by the population: 3 in Havana, 2 in Havana province, and 2 in Santiago de Cuba; and one club in each of the following provinces: Las Tunas, ... 3.252 persons have registered and 6.000 titles are available.
• Another important side to the Reading Programme is the annual literary competition Leer a Martí (Reading Martí), especially designed for adolescents and children, whereby the best comments on the literary work by José Martí will be rewarded. In the first edition, 5.544 contributions came from 93 towns; and 50 of them received the award for each category.
• Within this Reading Program two special collections on contemporary social thought have been set up in Biblioteca Memorial ...
• As from 1997, ASCUBI has been going through a phase of renovated strength. Later in October, during the Day of Cuban Culture, it will move to new facilities. And a new Congress of ASCUBI will be held next year.