French libraries seeking greater collaboration and cooperation

Greater cooperation needed between the library science profession, documentation and library associations in France.

Christian Massault

The following is based on an interview with Christian Massault, Associate Director of the Loire Department library and Treasurer of Archives, Libraries and Documentation Inter-association (IABD- Interassociation Archives Bibliothèques Documentation). Christian is also serving as an IFLA WLIC 2014 volunteer coordinator.

IABD, which gathers 16 French professional associations, will be hosting a booth inside the My French Library installation during the whole congress week. The association aims at being a leading source of proposals for the definition and elaboration of French public policies, as well as in international treaties.

During the conference, IABD will be signing together with IFLA a manifesto on 18 August to protect the exceptions to authors’ rights and copyrighted material for libraries and documentation centers.

The agreement reads in part:

“Libraries and archives including the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) have been leading since 2009 a campaign directed at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a Treaty Proposal on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives that sets out the key issues for libraries and archives.”

This new manifesto is centered on three main points:

• national laws on copyrighted materials are not always applicable
• private licenses do not necessarily solve the problem
• exceptions and limitations are essential, as they allow libraries and archives to fulfill their missions in the print and digital environment

The linking between professional librarian associations, documentation and archive services in France has up till now been quite decentralized. According to Christian Massault, it will be necessary to give increased linkage, weight and focus in their collaboration with the private sector and in their negotiations with institutional and elected officials. 

This new manifesto is an important step in the right direction.