ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries October 1996/593 Conference Circuit IFLA ‘ 9 6 : The Challenge of Change By Hannelore B. Rader IFLA’s 62nd Conference, Beijing, China, August 25–31 M ore than 3,200 delegates and exhibitors from 93 countries participated in the 62nd IFLA Conference held in Beijing, China, from August 25-31, 1996. Among the delegates were more than 200 from the United States. IFLA’s theme this year, “The Challenge o f Change: Libraries and Economic Development,” was reflected in the various programs offered. Libraries worldwide are facing new challenges and expanded roles. Greater recognition is be­ ing given to the educational role o f libraries in assisting with the development o f the intellec­ tual capital o f every country. Information is valued as an economic resource and new tech­ nologies are making information available in­ stantly and globally. Libraries need to use their information management skills to play a lead­ ing role in this new information environment. The IFLA Conference chose this theme to re­ flect different facets o f information as one of the key elements in contemporary economic and social life. Subthemes within the conference were: • libraries as gateways to information; • continuing education o f librarians in a changing environment; • resource sharing: local, national, and in­ ternational issues; • identifying user needs; • taking information to the users; • networking and document delivery; • the library as key to exploring economic resources; • funding o f library information services; • the role and image o f libraries in devel­ oping countries. Is s u e s f o r u n iv e r s it y lib r a r ie s As one of the four officially appointed U.S. rep­ resentatives on IFLA’s University Libraries and Other General Research Libraries Section, I at­ tended that section’s meetings and programs at the conference. The University Libraries Sec­ tion has been very actively working on the fol­ lowing issues: Performance measurement f o r academic libraries A discussion group on this subject has been in place for fours years and a book has just been published: Measuring Quality: International Guidelines f o r Performance Measurement in Academic Libraries, by Roswitha Poll (Munch­ en, Germany: Saur, 1996). The discussion group held its annual meeting at IFLA and reported progress on its efforts. It was also decided to extend the group for four more years. Cost analysis o f library operations The section is now beginning to focus on cost analysis of library operations in relation to per­ formance measures and management o f aca­ demic libraries. Management issues related to academic libraries The section sponsored an all-day workshop for 50 participants on “Managing Academic Librar­ ies: The Challenge o f Change,” which covered the influence of information technology on aca­ demic library activities and services and its ef­ fect on librarians’ roles. Speakers addressing the theme represented China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand. Participants were amazed at how similar managerial issues for academic librar­ ians are worldwide. (IFLA cont. on page 603) Hannelore B. Rader is director o f the Cleveland State University Library in Cleveland, Ohio; e-mail: h.rader@csu-e.csuohio.edu mailto:h.rader@csu-e.csuohio.edu October 1996/603 (233 pages, March 1996), contains 18 articles on the importance o f postcard collections in scholarly research. Although postcards are vastly underutilized in research settings, Stevens re­ minds us that they may contain the on ly re­ maining visual images o f a building, m onu­ ment, person, or place during a specific time period; that postcard collections may repre­ sent the best set o f images o f a natural fea­ ture, an historic event, or a city or town; and that the messages written on the backs o f post­ cards can reveal a great deal about individual or societal attitudes. O f particular interest are articles on the Curt Teich Postcard Archives (Katherine Hamilton-Smith), the Marguerite Archer Collection o f Historic Children’s Materi­ als (Meredith Eliassen), G eorge Watson Cole’s plan for postcard classification and the hold­ ings o f the American Antiquarian Society (Jen­ nifer Henderson), and postcard preservation options (Jan Merrill-Oldham). Simultaneously published as Popular Culture in Libraries, Vol. 3, No. 2. $34.95. Haworth Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, N Y 13904-1580. The Seismo-Wαtch N ew sletter, a w eekly publication now in its fourth year, offers a worldwide survey o f earthquake activity with particular emphasis on North American events. Libraries in fault areas w ill find this newsletter especially useful as a timely record o f local quakes. Predictions and forecasting are explic­ itly excluded. Notable seismic events, trends, historical correlations, seismological and geo­ logical terms, and significant earthquakes o f the past are summarized in sidebars. Preparedness information is also included. A yearly subscrip­ tion is $65.00. Advanced Geologic Exploration, P.O. Box 18012, Reno, NV 89511. ISSN 1079- 2821. ■ (IFLA cont. from page 593) Copyright and intellectual property rights The section sponsored a program on “Copy­ right and Fair Use in the Electronic Information Age: Implications for Academ ic Libraries.” Speakers were from the European Bureau o f Libraries, the Information and Documentation Association in Belgium, the Association o f Re­ search Libraries, and Trondheim University in Norway. Copyright issues were very much on the mind o f most conference delegates and other IFLA groups held meetings on the topic as well. A preconference seminar on the topic was held in Tianjin, China, August 22– 23, and attended by 55 participants from China and other countries. User education Another topic o f interest at the IFLA Confer­ ence was user education. The new IFLA Round­ table on User Education sponsored tw o pro­ grams in Beijing. One was on “Information Literacy: Global Perspectives,” featuring papers from Finland, China, South Africa, and the United States. Another program featured the theme o f “User Education for Remote Library Users,” with speakers from the United States and Canada. Other highlights Li Peng, China’s premier, addressed the open­ ing session o f the conference saying that China is committed to the continued development o f its systems o f libraries, literature preservation and information, and to integrating them with the country’s overall progress. News about the IFLA Conference was featured on Chinese tele­ vision every day and written about in Chinese newspapers. Social and cultural events provided by the Chinese government and the Chinese IFLA Or­ ganizing Committee w ere impressive. All con­ ference participants were taken to tw o events across the city by 90 buses in a police-escorted caravan while all traffic along the route stopped. The first event was a kaleidoscope o f Chinese folk music, dance, acrobatics, and opera. The second event was a sit-down dinner in the Hall o f the People— an elegant, efficiently served dinner o f 12 courses. The host country and thou­ sands o f volunteers ensured that delegates en­ joyed the conference. The exhibits w ere interesting and educa­ tional and especially attractive to thousands o f Chinese w ho were able to attend them. Professional dialogues and exchanges with peers from China and other parts o f the world pro ved most enlightening and useful. The knowledge that w e in academic libraries share problems, issues, and challenges and must work together to find solutions encouraged many o f us to face these challenges here in the U.S. and to seek solutions globally in cooperation with our colleagues in other countries. ■