Issues by Examining Passages Toronto in 1987
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nber 31/ Spring 2002 ibrisNews A's Annual Get-Together )01: A Summary TORY OF THE BOOK six universities across Canada. ;ANADA PROJECT RESENTATION BY As Judy indicated, the project will not just cover "the book" but all )Y DONNELLY formats, including newspapers, maps, music, posters, as well as 2001 annual Get-Together of subjects of Canadian print cul- :x-Libris Association began ture: children's literature, fiction, a fascinating presentation by scientific works, cookbooks, text- r Donnelly, Project Manager books, etc. In essence the project e History of the Book in will investigate how those materi- ida project. als are "written, printed, pub- lished, distributed, sold, read and national five-year project will collected." It in three volumes in both ish and French covering the Judy then went on to outline iry of Canadian book and some of the topics that will be culture from the beginnings covered in each volume. The edi- e year 2000. tors must ensure that themes ini- tiated in earlier volumes be car- seeds of the project were ried on into later volumes and ted in the mid- 1990's during there must also be a geographical ings of Canadian scholars at and gender bal ance. Highlights 3ibliographical Society of from the proposed volume con- ida conferences and else- tents help give us a flavour of the •e who were monitoring other work. final history of the book pro- particularly in Great Britain, For instance Volume I (Beginnings ce, USA, and Australia. The to 1840) will look at, among other ding conference was held in topics, European publications ' at the National Library of about Canada and their circula- ida in which an editorial tion before the establishment of nittee was assembled under the printing press in 1751, litera- !ssors Patricia Fleming, cy and the origins of libraries, ersity of Toronto and Yvan and interactions between Native )nde, McGill University and a peoples and non-natives and their t proposal sent to SSHRCC. impact on manuscript and print ^cember 1999, $2.3 million culture. granted and in 2000 the pro- lot under way under the joint Volume 11 (1840-1918) will look rship of Fleming and more closely at who was publish- )nde and based, through the rs of individual volumes, at continuted on page 2 2 ELA's Annual Get-Together 2001: A Summary ing and how, and technological regions and periods. Elaine Hoag GATS AND PUBLIC developments and legislation that of the National Library of Canada SECTOR LIBRARIES IN spread the print culture and is assisting with this. And finally influenced its reception. a bibliography of Canadian CANADA: A almanacs to 1950 is being pre- PRESENTATION BY HARRY Volume III (1918-2000), perhaps pared. CAMPBELL AND KEITH the most challenging of the three CROUCH because of the rapid changes in Judy ended her talk with an technology in the period (and the intriguing slide presentation on In the afternoon session, Harry lack of research), will cover such the iconography of the Canadian Campbell and Keith Crouch dealt diverse topics as censorship, the book (from early paintings and with the question of how the growth of libraries, and the prints), showing various people World Trade Organization (WTO) impact of social, demographic and reading, using or making books. could change the role of the public political events on print. Oral his- There were many questions and library sector in Canada through tories conducted with members of comments on her presentation the General Agreement on Trade the book trades and librarians indicating a strong interest in the in Services (GATS). They also dealt will form an important resource project. with how the Agreement on Trade- for the third volume. Related Aspects of Intellectual For further information on the Property Rights (TRIPS) could One of the aims of the project is project, and to keep up with place constraints on intellectual to help train the next generation developments, see the HBIC web- property arising from the public of history-of-the-book scholars in site: www.hbic.library.utoronto.ca library sector. Canada. The project has been able to hire post-doctoral and Judy Donnelly is a graduate of Harry Campbell led the audience graduate students to work on var- McMaster University and received through an understanding of the ious aspects. her MLS from the University of issues by examining passages Toronto in 1987. She has held a from a number of key documents. Electronic Resources will form a variety of librarian and informa- Harry referenced an article by crucial resource for all scholars tion research positions. In the Fiona Hunt entitled "WTO and the involved, and six databases are year 2000 she was appointed pro- Threat to Libraries," published in now in progress. One is a bibliog- ject manager and senior business the Progressive Librarian. He raphy of secondary sources on administrator of the five-year, pointed out that GATS, created in Canadian book history and a the- $2.3-million bilingual History of 1994 at the Uruguay Round, saurus of terms. the Book in Canada Project. She introduced trade in "services" to is stationed with the Project the WTO agenda with the aims of Another being created under Director, Professor Patricia deregulating services and provid- Professor Paul Aubin, is a bibliog- Fleming, at the Faculty of ing national treatment for foreign- raphy of Canadian textbooks. Information Studies, University of based companies. Under GATS Toronto. national treatment regulations, A bibliography of Canadian auc- the public library sector could be tion, publishers', booksellers' and Judy has herself done research threatened by challenges placed library catalogues will be comple- on the history of the book and is before the WTO dispute resolution mented by a Canadian book a co-compiler with Pat Fleming court by private information ser- trades index connecting names to and Anne Dondertman of an vices demanding equal financial firms, initially to 1840 and then ongoing bibliography of pre-1900 support or compensation from expanded to 1900. Canadian almanacs. Among other government for unfair trade prac- publications, she has published tices. A database of pre-1840 Canadian with Carl Spadoni A Publisher's imprints is being prepared, legacy: A Bibliography of The International Federation of extending the sort of work done McClelland & Stewart Imprints, Library Associations and by Pat Fleming (Upper Canadian 1906-1985, which appeared in Imprints 1801-1841: a 1994. continued on page 3 Bibliography (1988)) to other Sloan Winearl Continued from page 2 free access that Canadians have Code (subclass 96311) illustrates GATS and Public Sector to cultural information through the difficulty of defining library Libraries in Canada public service libraries. To be services for application to the excluded from GATS regulations, GATS situation. Institutions (IFLA) and the the public library sector must fall CLA has established a committee Canadian Library Association are under the GATS definition of a to communicate an effective two of a number of organizations provider of services in the "exer- library response to GATS and has that have positions on GATS. cise of government authority," engaged a lobbying firm to repre- Harry pointed to the "IFLA (Article 1:3c); and, not operate as sent library interests. CLA will Position on WTO Treaty a commercial or competitive coordinate a second phase study Negotiations," which was repro- enterprise. on the WTO Agreement on Trade duced in IFLA Journal 26, 2001. Related Intellectual Property It states that without tax support, The growing tendency for public Rights (TRIPS). It is necessary for the library's role as a democratic libraries to join with private all of us to support CLA and other institution—which makes avail- enterprise and for-profit informa- associations in their efforts to able the widest range of material tion providers due to funding investigate and lobby to ensure reflecting the diversity of society— pressures may be a threat to non- that public sector library service will be compromised. competitive and non-commercial can continue to reflect the public claims made by these services. interest of citizens. Article VI of GATS challenges The current "exempt status" of qualification requirements and the public library sector may be —John Arndt licensing, which could mean that threatened if American informa- professional qualifications for tion services lay charges before librarians, teachers and others the WTO dispute panel that pub- may be barriers to trade in ser- lic funding, fee charges, and pub- Ex Libris vices. IFLA's position is that lic-private partnerships are a libraries should be part of protec- competitive threat to them. If a Annual tions proposed for culture, and WTO dispute panel were to rule should be part of a separate that library services are commer- treaty which allows for cultural cial and not exempt from GATS C^C^f^°BOO o C^^ l^C^^' goods and services in internation- disciplines, the Canadian govern- al trade. ment would be faced with three choices: The Canadian Library Association, Monday in a Resolution passed at the CLA 1. Fund private providers equal to Conference in June, 2001, reiter- the public system; 2. November 4 ated its opposition to the GATS on Withdraw public services; the basis of the Agreement's lack 3. Face retaliation. 2002 of transparency, documentation and negative impact on the provi- Are public library services sion of public sector library exempt? Since GATS definitions debate. CLA urges the federal gov- are unclear, clear definitions ernment to release all GATS docu- must be found for terms which Stimulating... ments, to consult with Canadians apply to the public library sector about them, and to ensure that before the government submits • Speakers public sector libraries be exempt "library services" to GATS disci- • Program from GATS disciplines "as services plines, or before a challenge is delivered in the exercise of gov- presented to the WTO by a private • Fellowship ernment authority." organization.