IFLA Journal, Vol. 31 2005
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00_prelims (jk-d) 30/11/05 1:04 pm Page 297 IFLA JOURNAL Official Journal of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Volume 31 (2005) No. 4, pp. 297–398. ISSN 0340-0352 SAGE Publications CONTENTS Editorial: Hallo from Oslo! Stephen Parker . 299 Correction and Apology: Samira Sambaino and Laura Susan Ward . 300 Freedom of Information in a Modern Society Francis Sejersted . 301 Rising from the Wreckage: development of tsunami-affected libraries in Sri Lanka Upali Amarasiri . 307 Public Libraries and the Millennium Development Goals Ellen Forsyth . 315 Copyright and Book Piracy in Pakistan Khalid Mahmood and Muhammad Ilyas . 324 Bioinformatics and the Library and Information Science Community Harinder P.S. Kalra . 333 Globalization of Information and the Nigerian Librarian Josephine I. Iwe . 342 REPORTS TO COUNCIL IN OSLO President’s Report Kay Raseroka . 350 Kay Raseroka, IFLA President 2003–2005 Alex Byrne . 355 Partnership to Advance Library and Information Service: Presidential Address Alex Byrne . 357 Secretary General’s Report Peter Lor . 360 Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters (CLM) Winston Tabb . 364 Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) Paul Sturges . 368 NEWS (with separate Table of Contents) . 370 INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR . 390 ABSTRACTS 391 — SOMMAIRES 392 — ZUSAMMENFASSUNGEN 393 — RESÚMENES 394 — Ρефераты статей 395 . 391 Index, Vol. 31, 2005 . 397 Notes for Contributors . 398 Visit http://ifl.sagepub.com Free access to tables of contents and abstracts. Site-wide access to the full text for members of subscribing institutions. 01_editorial_061227 (jk-t) 30/11/05 1:05 pm Page 299 EDITORIAL Hallo from Oslo! Stephen Parker local communities and the response of the inter- national community. Noting that the rebuilding Like the Berlin conference two years ago, the of the village-based social fabric in the coastal World Library and Information Congress in zone of Sri Lanka is the principal challenge at Oslo, on the theme, ‘Libraries: a Voyage of Dis- present, Mr Amarasiri concludes by emphasizing covery’, was blessed with beautiful weather and the need to keep libraries on the reconstruction an impressive number of participants. Some agenda and to establish an international rapid 3,000 speakers, delegates, exhibitors, volunteers response team able to team up with local and accompanying persons from 133 countries librarians, archivists, archaeologists and others in enjoyed brilliant sunshine, warm temperatures countries affected by similar disasters to identify and even warmer Norwegian hospitality. vulnerable resources, assess the damage and take Officially opened by the Minister of Culture and remedial action. Church Affairs in the presence of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, the Congress got off More papers from the Oslo Congress will appear to a flying start with lively and original musical in the next issue (Vol. 32, no. 1, March 2006. and dramatic presentations. Meanwhile, we go on to present a number of general papers submitted for publication in The opening ceremony included the Congress recent months. The first of these, ‘Public keynote address, ‘Freedom of Information in a Libraries and the Millennium Development Modern Society’ by Professor Francis Sejersted Goals’, by Ellen Forsyth, discusses the contri- of the Norwegian Institute for Social Research, bution which public libraries can make to the which is the first of two Oslo papers to be achievement of the eight United Nations Millen- included in this issue. Noting that the Nor- nium Development Goals, highlighting the wegian Parliament had recently adopted a new importance of libraries to community develop- article of the Constitution on freedom of ment and providing examples, such as mobile expression, Professor Sejersted goes on to libraries in slums and reading tents, where public discuss the problems confronting a liberal libraries are already helping in the achievement society in this connection, giving special atten- of the Millennium Development Goals in tion to the conditions for the freedom of infor- various parts of the world. mation in a modern society, the problems of information policy of public authorities and the The next paper, ‘Copyright and Book Piracy in problems and possibilities arising from new Pakistan’, by Khalid Mahmood and Muhammad technological developments. The paper empha- Ilyas, notes that Pakistan has to face tremendous sizes the importance of the institutional setting pressure from Western countries due to wide- and the need for diversity. spread book piracy in the country and presents the results of a survey of the views of book trade The second Oslo paper in this issue was pre- representatives in Pakistan on the issues of copy- sented in the first plenary session of the right and book piracy. The survey revealed that Congress. In ‘Rising from the Wreckage: develop- the high price of foreign books is the main cause ment of tsunami-affected libraries in Sri Lanka’, of book piracy in Pakistan, and that local pub- the Director of the National Library and Docu- lishers and booksellers are the major beneficiar- mentation Centre of Sri Lanka and the National ies. The authors put forward suggestions for Library and Documentation Services Board, protecting copyright in Pakistan, but conclude Upali Amarasiri, describes the devastation that measures to minimize book piracy will not caused to public, school and other kinds of be successful until books at low price are avail- libraries and public records by the tsunami which able for local readers. hit the coasts of Sri Lanka and other Asian countries on 26 December 2004. He goes on to The next paper takes us into a very different area outline the rebuilding efforts now under way, and one which is new to IFLA Journal – and including the establishment of a national disaster possibly to many readers. In ‘Bioinformatics management committee for library and infor- and the Library and Information Science mation services and archives, the involvement of Community’ Harinder P.S. Kalra discusses the Copyright © 2005 International Federation of Library Associations & Institutions (www.ifla.org). IFLA Journal 31(4): 299–300. ISSN: 0340-0352. DOI: 10.1177/0340035205061227 299 01_editorial_061227 (jk-t) 30/11/05 1:05 pm Page 300 Editorial emergence of bioinformatics in the last three local, state, and federal governments of Nigeria decades as a trans-disciplinary area drawing on should increase the resources allocated to edu- many subjects, and emphasizes that the core cation and information and increase their invest- activities of library and information science can ment in the human capital required to maximize be of immense value in advancing the theoreti- the benefits of ICT applications in a globalized cal foundations of this emerging subject, as well system. as developing mechanisms and tools for provid- ing quality biomedical information in a timely Although more Oslo Congress papers will not manner. appear until next year, this issue includes a number of the official reports submitted to IFLA In the final paper in this issue, ‘Globalization of Council in Oslo, including the President’s Report, Information and the Nigerian Librarian’, a tribute to outgoing President Kay Raseroka by Josephine I. Iwe notes that the globalization of incoming President Alex Byrne, and Alex Byrne’s information is strongly identified with the appli- own Presidential Address, ‘Partnership to cation of information and communications tech- Advance Library and Information Service’. Also nologies (ICTs). Nigerian librarians may be included are the Secretary General’s Report and constrained from maximizing ICT usage and reports from the Committee on Copyright and application but have many opportunities and other Legal Matters (CLM) and the Committee new possibilities for the future in a globalized on Free Access to Information and Freedom of economic system. The author proposes that the Expression (FAIFE). Correction and Apology: Samira Sambaino and Laura Susan Ward In IFLA Journal Vol. 31 no. 3, the authors’ photographs for Samira Sambaino (‘Images and Sounds in Uruguay’, p. 249) and Laura Susan Ward (‘A Revolution in Preservation: digitizing political posters at the National Library of Cuba’, p. 260) were accidentally transposed. The correct photographs are shown below. Our apologies to both contributors. Samira Sambaino Laura Susan Ward 300 02_sejersted_061233 (jk-t) 30/11/05 1:07 pm Page 301 Freedom of Information in a Modern Society Francis Sejersted A year ago the Norwegian Storting [Parliament] adopted a revised version of the old article 100 of the Constitution on freedom of expression. The old article had remained unchanged since the adoption of the Constitution in 1814, which is quite unique in Europe. The revision had been prepared by a commission that was appointed in 1996, and which submitted its report in 1999. During the eight years in which the new article was being con- sidered, there was a quite extensive public debate on the grounds for and restrictions on freedom of expression. Norway is a typical Western liberal democracy, where freedom of expression and freedom of information are taken for granted. However, this does not preclude the possibility of considerable disagreement concerning where the boundaries for this freedom should be drawn. When the Swedish government took the initia- tive to make a similar study during the 1980s, it was held that the position that freedom of expression was so obvious that it was not necessary to