[10772] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Highlights from IFLA '96 - Beijing, China - An Overwhelming Experience!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kuny Terry)
Thu Oct 31 20:33:08 1996
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 17:26:48 -0600 (CST)
From: Kuny Terry <txk@ITS.NLC-BNC.CA>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
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Highlights from IFLA '96 - Beijing, China -
An Overwhelming Experience!
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PRESS RELEASE: for immediate release
October 1996
Long before the IFLA Conference delegates began to arrive in Beijing
at the end of August, the 62nd IFLA Conference had already begun to
break records. As early as May 1996, a record number of 880 foreign
pre-registrations had been recorded and an estimated 800 Chinese
librarians were expected. The final attendance figures exceeded
expectations: the 62nd IFLA Conference was one of the largest in the
history of IFLA, with a total of 2384 delegates from 91 countries,
and surpassed all others in its unique combination of spectacular
events involving vast numbers of people and spontaneous, poignant
gestures by a handful of very special individuals. As
Robert Wedgeworth put it: "If one had to sum up the IFLA Conference
in Beijing in one word, it would be 'Overwhelming'".
*** Opening Session ***
The official opening on Monday, 26 August was a formidable occasion.
Assembled on the podium were: Premier Li Peng of the State Council;
Luo Gan, Chair of the Chinese Organizing Committee (COC), Lui Xhongde,
Executive Chair; Li Yuanchao and Xu Wenbo, Deputy Executive Chairs;
He Luli, Vice-Mayor of Beijing; Du Ke, Secretary General of the COC;
Sun Beixing, Member of IFLA's Executive Board, Robert Wedgeworth,
IFLA President; Leo Voogt, IFLA Secretary General; representatives
from other international organizations: UNESCO, Phillipe Quau; FID,
Ben Goedegebuure; ICA, Jean-Pierre Wallot; and IPA, Arnoud de
Kemp. The opening ceremony was chaired by Liu Deyou, Vice President
of the COC.
In keeping with the main theme of the Conference - "The Challenge
of Change: Libraries and Economic Development", Premier Li Peng
underlined the important role that the library has always played
in society as the treasure house of knowledge and assured all
those present of the Chinese government's commitment to librarianship
"...Our commitment to knowledge underlines the historical responsibility
of the library and our staff of Chinese librarians. The government,
as well as society as a whole, will continue its support of
librarianship so that it meets the needs of China's social and
economical development." A few days after the IFLA Opening
Session, an article running the headline "Every Town in China to get
Library before 2010" was published in an English language Chinese
daily. The article gave extensive coverage of the IFLA Conference.
Professor Fei Xiaotong gave a moving and personal keynote address.
He outlined the important mission that libraries will have in the
new world order "...With the twenty-first century on the near horizon,
the world will aim to survive and develop through pluralism and
integration. The key will be to minimize the problems of estrangement
and contradiction caused by economic, political, social and cultural
imbalances and differences, through greater cultural information
dissemination and exchange...Librarians across the world should
set themselves the lofty task of striving to create a global society
in which people enjoy peaceful coexistence". IFLA is firmly
committed towards helping librarians realize this goal!
Robert Wedgeworth, President of IFLA, thanked the China Society of
Library Science and the government of China for their invitation to
host the IFLA Conference. This is the first time that IFLA has
held its international conference in China, even though China
was one of the founding members of IFLA in 1927.
Marianne Scott, National Librarian of Canada, and Universal
Dataflow and Telecommunications (UDT) Core Programme host,
Thomas Tottie, Advancement of Librarianship in the Third World (ALP)
Core Programme host (represented by Birgitta Bergdahl) and
Ben Goedegebuure of the International Federation for
Information and Documentation (FID), were awarded honorary scrolls
by IFLA in recognition of their outstanding services to the
international library community.
*** "IFLANET Unplugged" ***
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of one of IFLA's Patron Sponsors,
SilverPlatter and the National Library of Canada, the "IFLANET Unplugged"
CD-ROM, an image of IFLA's WWW site "frozen" on 18 June, was distributed
free of charge to all IFLA Conference delegates. Maureen Maher, representing
SilverPlatter President, Mr Bela Hatvany, presented the first CD-ROM to
Mr Wedgeworth at the Opening Session.
*** First-Day Cover ***
To commemorate the IFLA Conference, a special first day cover
was issued on 25 August 1996 by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.
Mr Gong Caidai, Vice Director of the Telecommunications Department
of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, announced the issuing
of the commemorative cover at a special ceremony on 25 August
at the BICC, and Mr Liu Deyou, Vice Chair of the COC, and Mr Du Ke,
Secretary General of the COC, presided over the unveiling ceremony.
*** Unprecedented Press Coverage ***
There were frequent television interviews with members of the Chinese
Organizing Committee and IFLA's President, Robert Wedgeworth and
Secretary General, Leo Voogt, as well as a stream of newspaper
articles in English and Chinese. The People's Daily, in particular,
featured a special editorial entitled "Embrace a New
Epoch in Library Science" to celebrate the IFLA Conference.
Prior to the conference our hosts sponsored a contest, the Chaoyang Cup
Library and IFLA Quiz, the purpose of which was to promote library
and information science and to attract more people to attend the
conference, and from the number of participants from
China, this effort was visibly a success.
*** Copyright in the Electronic Environment ***
IFLA's 3-day Pre-Session Seminar on Copyright in Tianjin
attracted 56 participants. A lively and sometimes impassioned
debate, chaired by Sandy Norman, IFLA Copyright Adviser, took place.
IFLA's Position Paper on Copyright in the Electronic Environment
was approved by the Executive and Professional Boards on 23
August and distributed to delegates through IFLA Express,
IFLA's daily conference newsletter.
Free copies available from IFLA Headquarters and from the IFLANET
WWW site: <URL: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/ifla/V/ebpb/copy.htm>
IFLA's Round Table for the Management of Library Associations
also passed the following resolution: "IFLA, with its long-standing
interest in ready access to information, is urged to take a stronger
role on copyright issues, representing the worldwide interest of
libraries and library users, to assure full and equitable access
to information in an increasingly electronic environment."
The Caife (Committee for Access to Information and Freedom of Expression)
Committee Open Forum was held for the first time in Beijing, China
and was chaired by Tony Evans (UK). Its aim was to gather membership
opinion and enable all IFLA members to express their points of view.
Key points made included: libraries are more important than the
incidents themselves; CAIFE is concerned with the impact on libraries
to carry out their responsibilities; ways must be devised to handle
issues, not the issues themselves.
*** Tours and Festivities ***
*** Gala Performance ***
On Tuesday, 27 August, a Gala Performance arranged by the Ministry of
Culture was given for all the IFLA Conference delegates. The journey
to the theatre will be as memorable to most conference delegates
as the Gala Performance itself, and is testimony to the incredible
skills of the COC and the municipality of Beijing. The
prospect of transporting more than 2600 individuals through a
capital city, in the middle of rush hour, and ensuring that they
all arrive within one hour at a specified designation would daunt
even the most experienced conference organizers. In order to execute
this mammoth task, the route to the theatre was completely cleared
immediately before the convoy set off, a convoy of 80 buses headed
by two limousines and a police escort (complete with siren) hurtled its
way through the streets of Beijing. During the performance,
Chinese actors and actresses staged a variety of Chinese cultural
art forms, including Peking Opera, acrobatics, and traditional
Chinese music.
*** Banquet at the Great Hall of the People ***
Again, the convoy of 80 coaches, headed by a police escort,
transported approximately 2800 conference particip-ants to a
sumptuous banquet at the Great Hall of the People, the
headquarters of the National People's Congress of China.
Mr Luo Gan and Robert Wedgeworth toasted the success of the
IFLA Conference.
*** Special Prize awarded ***
Mr Dong Ming who works at the Sanwieshuwu Book Shop in Shenyang,
Liaoning Province, embarked on an eight-day bicycle ride to Beijing
at his own expense in order to attend the IFLA Conference.
Throughout his journey, he promoted IFLA by inviting librarians
to sign a banner. During the Closing Session, Leo Voogt
formally presented him with a cash award to purchase books
for his library as a mark of appreciation from IFLA.
*** Guest Lecture ***
Following the closing session, Alain Peyrefitte, currently a
member of the French Parliament and author of many books
(Quand la Chine s'eveillera and L'Empire
immobile), delivered the Guest Lecture, which was designed to
"bridge" the close of the IFLA Conference with the opening of
the ICA Conference on 2 September in Beijing.
*** Denmark '97 and Amsterdam '98 ***
Representatives from the Organizing Committees for
Amsterdam '98 and Copenhagen '97 invited the international
library community to attend their respective
conferences. During the Copenhagen invitation, Danish flags
were suddenly produced and passed out among the crowd who began
waving them enthusiastically. To quote Mr Wedgeworth,
"the baton for the next IFLA Con-ference has now been transferred
from the Chinese Organizing Committee to the Danish
Organizing Committee. A fitting end to a truly successful
conference".
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Proceedings from the 1996 Beijing Conference are available at
the IFLANET WWW site:
<URL: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/ifla/>
Further information regarding IFLA activities and membership can be obtained
by contacting IFLA Headquarters at: ifla.hq@ifla.nl
Mailing Address:
IFLA Headquarters
P.O.B. 95312
2509 CH The Hague
The Hague, Netherlands
Telephone: 31-70-314-0884
Fax: 31-70-383-4827
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