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No. 3 December 2005 CCChhh aaaiiirrr’’’sss CCCooollluuummmnnn EEEdddiiitttooorrr’’’sss NNNooottteee Kirsten Leth Nielsen Jane Pyper First of all: Thank you for trusting me and As this newsletter comes to completion, winter is choosing me as new chair of the setting into my home city of Toronto. Since our last Committee! I will do my best to be a good issue the annual IFLA conference has come and chair. gone. You will find articles on the very successful pre-conference held in Stockholm by our Section and the swap-and- Committee Involvement shop workshop in Oslo. It was also the 25th anniversary of our Section I have been a member of the committee since 1999. this year and a former chair of our Section, Charles Towney, provides The situation in the committee in 2000 was rather critical. There were us with some thoughts on that major and important milestone, looking few active members and most members who had been engaged as both backwards and forwards. officers were outgoing. That is why I attended my first midyear meeting I got involved immediately in planning the Section’s session in Jerusalem. Earlier this fall the Metropolis conference was held in Toronto. At first sight Jane Driesig and I hit the right note in the planning of the Metropolis is an international forum for comparative research and public session. At that time Jane was secretary and Souad chair. However, it policy development about population migration, cultural diversity and was impossible for Souad to attend the conference in Jerusalem due to the challenges of immigrant integration in cities around the world. We the political situation in the Middle East. Fortunately, Jane and I had were able to provide workshop on the role of the public library in aiding worked together with the programme and ever since we have had a very immigrant settlement. A Dutch colleague, Ton van Vlimmeren, from the constructive and good teamwork! Public Library of Utrecht also spoke about their experiences in this area. It was an interesting and lively discussion. Perhaps even more Secretary since fall 2001 importantly, it took place amongst other presentations on the role of Therefore it was natural for me to run for the office of secretary in 2001. schools, health care providers, day care, and many other municipal I have now finished my second term as secretary. There have been public services in contributing to the important goal of successful problems – at the beginning of my second term as secretary the IFLA immigrant reception and settlement. Looking at the role of the library in Headquarters rejected my nomination in the Committee and the broader public context and recognizing that this is a global issue consequently the office of secretary. That was a problem for me, but it faced by many countries was important. was also a problem for the committee who had no secretary and no other candidate to choose from. But luckily the situation was solved due Enjoy this issue and all the best for 2006! to hard work from our beloved chair Jane Dreisig. Don’t forget to visit our Section’s website at: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s32/index.htm ■ I have been head of the Multicultural Library at Oslo Public Library for nine years. During these years I have gained a lot of experience. It is my hope that this experience will be of use for my contribution as chair of Multicultural Section. As chair you must have vision and it is important I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE that you initiate and follow up activities. I hope that I will be able to live 1 Chair’s Column/Editor’s Note up to these expectations. 2 Thank you to Jane Driesig 3 Swap & Shop Highlights By: Kirsten Leth Nielsen Libraries worldwide need the IFLA organization. I believe that IFLA is an 4 Moe Thauk Kye: The Morning Star important organization and that IFLA will be even more important in the By: Yasuko Hirata // Meet our New Members years to come. If we want libraries to be important factors with great 5 Multicultural Librarianship for Mutual impact on society in the future we need a strong and visible organization. Responsibility and Interdependence By: Charles Townley Continued on Page 2 7 The Stockholm Conference – A Summary By: Ann- The Newsletter is the official publication of the IFLA Section on Library Services to Katrin Ursberg Multicultural Populations. 9 Resolution on Strengthening IFLA’s Position on The The Newsletter is made available to all Section members as a benefit of membership. Theme Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Articles for publication and/or requests for information should be sent to Jane Pyper 10 Multicultural Library Services – A Special Service at [email protected] for Minorities or a Mainstream Service for all EDITOR: Jane Pyper Library users? By: Kirsten Leth Nielsen CHAIR: Kirsten Leth Nielsen 11 Professional Education for Multicultural DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Diana Mohammed Librarianship By Brian Hall Chair’s Column Continued from Page 1 IFLA is on its way to becoming that but still has a long way to go. I would like to participate in this development THANK YOU TO and I am convinced that the committee is a strong pillar in TTHHAANNKK YYOOUU TTOO this work. I do have a vision for the work in the committee. In the near future the IFLA organization will JANE DREISEG have to undergo a comprehensive change. The A TRIBUTE FROM THE INCOMING multicultural diversity of the world’s societies is one of the most significant features of the modern world. Libraries CHAIR TO THE OUTGOING CHAIR in most parts of the world do not reflect this. Dear Jane Dreisig, Today, multicultural library services in general are considered “special services for special people” and not a Warm thanks from new chair Kirsten Leth Nielsen to Jane part of mainstream library management. A consequence Dreisig; the outgoing chair of the Committee. of this is low priority and low status on these issues. This attitude has to be changed. We need a much broader It is hard for me, and for the other members of the perspective on library goals and missions due to the fact Committee as well, to understand and comprehend that that the world is increasingly becoming more after the Conference in Oslo, you will no longer be an multicultural. Therefore we need enthusiastic staff elected member of the Committee. You have been chair members and people with vision. And we need strong of Library Services to Multicultural Section for 4 years, advocacy and capable people to address the issue. And and before that, the secretary for another 4 years. how do we handle this within the IFLA organization? To me, you are a brave and fearless person. I shall not How do we maintain a strong focus on multicultural forget the way you handled the situation in Jerusalem issues in a new and slimmer organization with fewer where you on a very short notice had to take over the committees? This will be our greatest challenge in the office as chair and at the same time, function as near future. I have no final answer to this question. But I secretary. That was well done! That event showed all of am sure that we as a group will be able to draw up a us that you are a person of great responsibility, you are strategy for this work. hard working and you are very conscientious in all your doings. The task to deal with formal matters so I could What I do think is that we will not be able to maintain continue as secretary in the Committee also shows that status quo in the future. Our challenge will be to convince you do not give up if you are fighting for a cause you the organization that: believe in. 1. the demand for multicultural library services will During all the Committee meetings, your leadership has increase in the years to come as a consequence been very visible. The meetings has been well prepared, of the economic and demographic development you always bring extra copies of documents for those of in the world us who forgot to bring them and the meetings itself has been carried out in an efficient and professional manner. 2. multicultural library services is an integral part of the mainstream library service, not a special Your hospitality and kindness is well known by all of us service intended for minorities ( We do have our and a majority of the Committee members have had the 10 reasons) pleasure of visiting you! You are a warm-hearted and positive person. As a consequence, the multicultural issue must have a To me personally, working together with you and sharing strong position in a new organization. In this work, your company during many meetings and conferences, cooperation, building of alliances and networking will be has given me new perspectives and a lot of positive key activities. ■ memories! You are not only a colleague, but also a very good friend. I am sure that these feelings are shared by all of the other members of the Committee! That is why we by no means will dismiss you from the Committee. Thank you so much for your contribution to the Committee and welcome back as a corresponding member. Kirsten Leth Nielsen Newsletter ● library services to multicultural populations - 2 - December 2005 “““TTTHHHEEE MMMUUULLLTTTIIICCCUUULLLTTTUUURRRAAALLL However, we could have done parts of the session differently. The time slot for the event was too long. Two BBAAZZAAAARR –– SSWWAAPP AANNDD BAZAAR – SWAP AND hours for the whole event would have been enough.