UNESCO Ratifies IFLA
School Library Manifesto
UNESCO has ratified the School Library Manifesto created by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and approved by the IFLA Professional Board at the federation’s 1998 conference in Amsterdam. The action was taken on November 12 +during UNESCO’s 30th General Conference, October 26 to November 17 in Paris.
Modeled after the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, which was introduced at IFLA’s 1995 conference in Istanbul, the School Library Manifesto argues that school library services are vital and should be provided equally regardless of age, race, gender, religion, nationality, language, or professional or social status. It urges governments, through their ministries for education, to develop strategies, policies, and plans that implement these principles.
“This is a major step to ensure that the role of the school library in the new information environment is understood and agreed upon worldwide,” said Glenys Willars, chair of IFLA’s Section for School Libraries and Resource Centres.
IFLA now plans to translate the manifesto and publish it in as many languages as possible.
Posted December 6, 1999.
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