INTAMEL 1999 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN CITY LIBRARIES NUMBER 17 INTAMEL–AROUNDTMETRABLE OF IFLA DECEMBER Edited and typeset by Pat Wressell Associates, 36 Highbury, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3EA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)191 281 3502 Fax: +44 (0)191 212 0146 E-mail: [email protected] MILLENNIUM CLOSER CONNECTIONS CONFERENCE the obligations and benefits of IFLA Round Table status. ST. LOUIS pecial guest at the He outlined IFLA’s current struc- S INTAMEL Business ture, which includes Round Tables, NTAMEL’s Conference in Meeting in Zürich was and threw the ball into I the landmark year 2000 is Ross Shimmon, new Secretary INTAMEL’s court: it was for to be held in St. Louis, General of IFLA and formerly INTAMEL members to decide Missouri, USA. Jointly hosted by Chief Executive of the UK Library whether they wished to be more the St. Louis Public Library and the Association. closely involved with IFLA, or St. Louis County Library, the whether they wished to become Ross was invited to speak follow- Conference will take as its theme IFLA Secretary General Ross free of the IFLA connection. ing discussion on INTAMEL’s “Public Libraries in a Global Shimmon – up to INTAMEL to relationship with IFLA at the Round Tables usually had an Society”. The dates are Sunday 17 develop stronger ties if it wishes Budapest Conference in 1998 and organised presence at IFLA to Friday 22 September 2000, Photo: Apollo Conferences, for which some with an optional extra few days for funding was available. IFLANET, a visit to New Orleans, if sufficient the IFLA Web site, managed by members opt in. BANGKOK REPORT the National Library of Canada, At the Zürich Conference, ørge Sørensen (Copenhagen) governing body of 30 to 35 mem- contained pages for Round Tables INTAMEL President Dan Wilson, Breported on the recent IFLA bers was proposed. They would and the option was available for Director of St. Louis County Conference in Bangkok. Elections communicate by e-mail and meet INTAMEL to make use of the Library, outlined the provisional to four positions on the new annually during the Conference. facility and to set up a listserv. In Conference programme. He will Executive Board had resulted in It was also proposed that elections addition, IFLA was reviewing its be writing to members in early success only for candidates from should be by postal and e-mail structure and, as a Round Table, 2000 with more details. Western countries, including ballot, rather than in person at the INTAMEL had the opportunity to The Conference organisers plan to Claudia Lux (Berlin) and himself. Conference, enabling a wider contribute to the process. Chinese, Russian and Thai candi- membership to influence IFLA involve the Missouri State Library, Following discussion, it was agreed dates had not been successful. governance. the Urban Libraries Council, that Barbara Gubbin (Houston) Washington University Library and However, proposals for a change FAIFE, IFLA’s Committee on Free and Susan Kent (Los Angeles) with the MBG Library (rare books col- in structure and rules of procedure Access to Information and Gary Strong (Queens), co-Chair lection), as well as the two host aimed to enable non-Western Freedom of Expression, now in its of the 2001 Boston Conference libraries and their staff. As at countries to participate more fully second year and based in Organising Committee, would recent Conferences, sessions for in IFLA affairs and to be elected on Copenhagen, continued to work towards an INTAMEL pres- INTAMEL member presentations to IFLA governing bodies. It was address issues arising from all over ence at Boston. and discussions will be included. proposed that in future the Vice the world. Its final report would It was further agreed that The next issue of Metro, scheduled President should serve for two be to the Jerusalem Conference. years, then President for two INTAMEL’s IFLA Co-ordinator for July 2000, will carry information FAIFE was currently investigating years, on the UK and US model. If Stuart Brewer and Metro Editor on the near-final programme. reports of prosecution and arrest approved the change would take Pat Wressell would look into in Cuba of private individuals and Contact Dan Wilson, details effect at the Boston Conference. developing INTAMEL Web pages page 8. librarians who were setting up col- on the IFLA Web site. In place of the current Executive lections of banned works in their and Professional Boards, a new own homes. G G http://www.ifla.org PARIS 2001 INTAMEL Conference IFLA 2000 August 13-18 Jerusalem 2003 August 1-8 Berlin 2006 Seoul CONFERENCE 2001 August 16-25 Boston 2004 Buenos Aires 2007 open slot Date to be announced DATES 2002 August 18-24 Glasgow 2005 open slot INTAMEL METRO ISSN 0965-3554 NO 17 DECEMBER 1999 INTAMEL IN ZÜRICH agencies, and collaboration and CONFERENCE partnership. Ensuing discussions lead to the ifty delegates from 17 sharing of many leading-edge F countries and 34 cities ideas and experiences. Among gathered in Zürich for this these were how Queens works year’s conference, representing with the Police Department to cities as far flung as Los Angeles, encourage youngsters into Wuppertal, Amman, Singapore libraries, “Library Grandparents” and Perth, Western Australia. to support work with children There was also, for the second (Houston, Ljubljana and Los year running, an encouraging Angeles), library staff dealing with number of colleagues from driving licences in Hanover, spon- Central and Eastern Europe, sorship of the business informa- Presentation from Greater Amman – Mohammed Subeihi (left) hands the some again supported by the tion service in Minsk, and a map City’s plaque to INTAMEL President Dan Wilson at Zürich. Soros Foundation and, in one and guide to 120 libraries open to case, by INTAMEL. the public in Paris. A core contribution to the con- Conference host Christian Relly, A PRIORITY SERVICE ference came directly from the (Pestalozzi-Bibiothek Zürich), delegates, with 18 papers or pre- explained how it is that multilin- • Periodicals 600 sentations, 17 of which are sum- AMMAN gual Switzerland’s seven million • Staff 85 marised in the following pages people have 3,000 independent ublic libraries are integral • Users 500 daily. Some of these papers were in municipalities – and independent P to the philosophy of the The Central Children’s Library response to the conference public libraries to match! He also Greater Amman Council, was established in 1964 (the first themes of Services for Multilingual outlined a pilot project in the sys- which views cultural and recre- children’s library in Jordan), to ful- Populations and for Young tem of financing PBZ: the new ational services as essential to the fil reading and cultural needs such Adults. Others dealt with training three-year contract with the City quality of life and personal devel- as drawing, music, story-telling for librarianship, major building specifies how the subsidy is opment of its citizens. The and chess. Policy today is to redevelopment, radical organisa- dependent on output and perfor- Amman public libraries are open establish a children’s library in tion and culture change, IT for mance in terms of membership, to all on equal terms and, in co- every public garden and there are learners, service development in visitors, circulation and income. “I operation with other cultural now 20 in the Amman region. the face of social, political and like it”, Christian says, “it makes institutions, aim to fulfil a series of There are also 20 Branch economic shifts, promotion and our work, strategy and manage- broad cultural and educational Libraries with holdings of 150,000 fundraising, national and regional ment more effective.” G objectives set out in the Public books and with 70 staff members. Libraries Department’s Charter. Looking to the future, Director The Department aims to estab- Mohammed Subeihi outlines the lish a library for children and Public Libraries Department’s adults in every area within the aims as: Council’s jurisdiction. Together with its central and branch • automation of processing and libraries, it is the largest provider implementation of computer of library services in Jordan and systems; contributes to shaping the culture • establishing children’s computer of all the country’s citizens, thanks libraries and children’s cultural in part to its excellent collection centres; of books and other material and • mobile libraries; to its numerous cultural activities. • renewing and developing ser- The Department of Public vices through IT development Libraries has ten Divisions: (the Internet, online databases Circulation desk at the Oerlikon Branch Library, Zürich Acquisition and Exchange; etc.); Cataloguing and Classification; • building up the libraries’ hold- ZÜRICH CONFERENCE SPONSORS Circulation; Periodicals; Reference ings to international standards; • Buch und Kunst, Walter Stender schaft der allgemeinen and Research; Documentation; • training courses for staff; GmbH, Essen öffentlichen Bibliotheken (SAB) Branch Libraries; Children’s • Crédit Suisse • Schweizerische Volksbibliothek Libraries; Administration Affairs; • establishing new branch • Dynix Deutschland GmbH • Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv Computer Division (in process of libraries; • Freunde der Pestalozzi-Bibliothek • Stadt Solothurn being set up). • establishing cultural centres for • Kanton Solothurn • Stadt Zürich • Kanton Uri • Stadtbibliothek Biel Some Central Library statistics: people with disabilities. • Kanton Zürich • Verband der Bibliotheken und der • Established 1960 Mohammed Subeihi • Kantonsbibliothek Altdorf Bibliothekarinnen/Bibliothekare • Area 2,000 m2 Tel/Fax: +962 6 461 0542 • Kantonsbibliothek Glarus der Schweiz (BBS) (direct) • Orell Füssli Buchhandlung AG • Zentral bibliothek Zürich • Holdings 250,000 books Tel: +962 6 462 7718 • Schweizerische Arbeitsgemein- • Zürcher Kantonalbank PAGE 2 INTAMEL METRO NO 17 DECEMBER 1999 GLOBAL CHALLENGES – LOCAL SOLUTIONS Services for Multilingual Big issues for INTAMEL Building on the NAP, the International Resource Center is a library of international Populations members were aired at Zürich studies for students, scholars and general read- through a series of papers, many ers.