“Libraries Driving Access to Knowledge”

Norwegian Library AssociationAnnual Meeting, Hamar 2010

Ellen R. TiseIFLA President 2009-2011Stellenbosch University

General introduction

General introduction on Presidential theme

How do and can libraries drive access to knowledge?

My agenda

Access to knowledge initiatives

General introduction

• Libraries at a critical juncture• Library evolving along a new continuum• Demands a revisit of the roles and

functions of libraries and librarians in the digital era

• Ubiquity of information and the challenge of the library as place calls for re-examination of founding principles

• Libraries have, without doubt reached a watershed in the evolving digital era

General introduction

The question is, do librarians have the commitment and valour to come to the fore and stake their claim as the key drivers to access to knowledge, orare librarians going to persist with their buns sensible shoes and shushing people as noted by Howells and wither into oblivion?

General introduction

• Move away from traditional focus of organising collections to making resources available

• Relevant platform to focus on the ‘larger social and cultural forces’

• Enhances the capacity of the librarian to uphold the value of freedom and equitable access for all

• Decline in the use of physical collections and services

• However, gate count has increased significantly

General introduction

• Gathering of information never been easier

• We are at a historic juncture• Hold on gathering of information as

the focus, or step into new territory• Adopt something fuzzy, far more

process than product• Less tangible, although more

valuable

General introduction

• Decline in physical use lends itself to another paradigm shift

• Ownership to Access• Fixation of adequacy of collections

replaces with adequacy of access• Ownership not practical anymore –

immediate access is• Exponential growth institutional

repositories and open publishing models• Virtual Access or iAccess to become the

norm

General introduction to presidential theme Access to knowledge –of great social and

democratic importance - described as a human need, in developed as well as developing countries.

Not only is access to knowledge globally acknowledged as a desirable value, worthy of being promoted and protected; there is also a widely shared feeling that in the ‘knowledge economy” the ongoing expansion of intellectual property law, as well as the way exclusive rights in contents are exercised, actually threatens access to knowledge in many ways.

General introduction on Presidential theme Knowledge is foundational to all spheres

of life Knowledge is produced when information

is absorbed, processed and internalized by individuals

Knowledge is critical for the growth of society

Libraries are critical providers of information

Libraries have an important role to play in the creation of new knowledge

General introduction on Presidential theme

Libraries are vital institutions for the creation, development and sustainability of knowledge societies

Libraries are primary gateways to information an therefore important vehicles for the acquisition of knowledge

Libraries as knowledge institutions provide spaces for information-sharing and learning

Libraries facilitate access to information thereby the means through which new knowledge is developed and made available to all

General introduction on Presidential theme• Paradigm shift from a custodial

approach to libraries driving access to knowledge

• Nothing new, the library sector is well underway in this, to varying degrees around the world and to varying degrees with IFLA members, and

• libraries have always been extremely proactive in engaging new technologies to enhance service delivery

How do and can libraries drive access to knowledge?

1. Become more user-oriented by- bringing libraries and their

resources to the users- empowering users through information literacy, social networking, etc.- enabling access to information (a paradign shift from a custodial approach), and - facilitating the full participation of all citizens in societal activities

2. Become active in advocacy by actively promoting libraries:

- including the perspective of the users in their operations- communicating effectively with stakeholders on library/society matters- driving library policy/ies- facilitating and supporting open access for all- promoting a broader library agenda with key partners- becoming innovative information agents

3. Create partnerships and foster opportunities for convergences with:

- other societal stakeholders such as health workers, teachers, environmentalists, etc.,- commercial/private enterprises- other cultural/knowledge institutions

4. Foster a library as space and place- information for ALL

- opportunities/gateways for social inclusion- “wow” environments and experiences- content in formats that appeal to all library user groups- community knowledge space/s- libraries as safe and trusted public spaces- gate-openers to information

My agenda• Advancing IFLA’s advocacy role

at the international level• Increasing advocacy training

opportunities for librarians• Continuing to position libraries

within the Information Society as drivers of access to information and facilitators of knowledge generation

My agenda• Strengthening existing

partnership• Creating new

paradigms/partnerships within and related to the sector

• Leveraging the emerging global movement of A2K to the benefit of the profession

Digital Library Initiatives Across Europe

• Candle (Controlled Access to Network Digital Libraries in Europe)

• Dieper (Digitized European Periodicals)

• Miracle (Music Information Resources Assisted Computer Library Exchange)

National Digital Library Initiatives

France: Classical Gallica -literary works of the great French writers

Germany: Global Info, the German Digital Libraries Project

Denmark: Danmarks Elektroniske Forsknings-bibliotek (DEF, the Danish Electronic Research Library)

Finland: National Electronic Library, FinELib

Spain: Memoria HispanicaThe Netherlands: Medieval Illuminated

Manuscripts

Summary“Digital libraries and archives

can enable worldwide access to a never-ending supply of distributed information and knowledge that is constantly available, easily updated, and convenient to use.”

Summary“In a manner never quite achieved

before on the same scale, digital library issues are bringing together cooperative groupings of libraries with participation from and funding by public, private, and governmental bodies to discuss common standards, collaborative management, intellectual property rights, electronic publishing, and document delivery.!”

Summary“There are several reasons why

information experts are choosing to create digital libraries: There is not only the need to preserve and conserve materials, but also the desire to increase the customer base by making older and rarer or more-heavily-used documents available to a much wider audience.”

Summary“ Whether they are called

electronic, virtual, hybrid, or digital libraries, it is clear that such entities are becoming more and more prevalent, and that the increasing scope of the Internet is making their accessibility even greater and more likely.”

In conclusion• Libraries in the digital era are poised

to play a critical role in building communities and connecting people.

• The trend for the future of the profession of librarianship, therefore, is towards a community development role whereby librarians can act as facilitators and partners in the development of social capital for their local communities

In conclusion• As libraries evolve to meet new

challenges, they must retain the best of the past and a sense of the history of libraries and of scholarly communication.

• With a sense of history, and a knowledge of enduring values and the continuity of our mission, there must also be the acceptance of the challenge of innovation

ZahaHadid Architects – selected architects for the Library and Learning Centre,

University of Economics & Business, Vienna

The Library and Learning Centerthe centerpiece of the University’s campus

Rick Luce, HKUL May ‘09

THANK YOU!