The father of modern democracy in Korea, Kim called on libraries to “illuminate the dark shadows of the digital divide” and said “mutual understanding and exchange will fight poverty.” He emphasized communication between the West and the Muslim world, noting that “poverty is at the root of terrorism,” and “stern measures must be tempered with compassion.”
IFLA President Alex Byrne of Australia welcomed delegates with the pronouncement that “Korea is becoming an exemplar of the information society.” Chin Dae-je, former South Korean minister of information and communication, conducted a plenary session that included a video about Korea’s technology explosion, which has placed the nation at number one in the Digital Opportunity Index of the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis.
Attracting some 300 Americans and delegates from some 120 countries, the conference also boasted an additional 2,000 participants from Korea, who swelled the ranks in 160 programs and in the exhibit hall, where 122 companies plied their wares, including IFLA’s corporate partners EBSCO Information Services, Elsevier, Emerald, Extensity (formerly Geac), K. G. Saur Verlag, OCLC, ProQuest Information and Learning, Sage Publications, SirsiDynix, and Tagsys.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Abdul Waheed Khan announced in Seoul that longtime IFLA supporter UNESCO and the federation had entered into a “strategic alliance” aimed at “establishing common strategic approaches and projects to implement library-related parts of the Declaration of Principles and the Geneva Plan of Action” adopted by the WSIS in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005.
IFLA’s Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression sponsored a debate over the publication last year in a Danish newspaper of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed that offended many Muslims around the world. FAIFE chair Paul Sturges of the United Kingdom maintained the middle ground, as librarians from around the world, including several Arab nations, rang in on where to draw the line on “offensive” materials, while President Byrne wrapped up the debate with the old admonition that freedom of speech does not permit yelling “Fire!” at will in a crowded theater. “We live in a crowded theater,” he observed.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation presented its annual $1-million Access to Learning Award to Rural Education And Development (READ), based in Kathmandu, Nepal, “for its commitment to promoting information and literacy.” Accepting the award, Sharad Babu Shrestha, country director of READ, noted that the nongovernmental organization has established 39 self-supporting community libraries throughout Nepal, affecting the lives of more than half a million people.
Also announced at the conference were the five IFLA/OCLC Fellows for 2007 from Ghana, the Philippines, Jamaica, Brazil, and Serbia. SirsiDynix presented the winners of the fourth IFLA International Marketing Award to Cindy van Kranenburg from the public library of Spijkenisse in the Netherlands for a cost-effective campaign to attract nonusers to the library with a simple postcard and the slogan Wij missen u, which means “We miss you” in Dutch.
The American Library Association, American Association of Law Libraries, Association for Library and Information Science Education, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, and Special Libraries Association banded together to present two checks for $15,400 to support rebuilding efforts in Sri Lanka and in Aceh Province in Indonesia through a Library Disaster Relief Fund established in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami.
During the conference, FAIFE announced the publication of Libraries and the Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Poverty, and Corruption, volume six in its World Report Series. The book advocates for the engagement of libraries worldwide in education efforts, in the implementation of information laws, and in raising awareness of the consequences of poverty and corruption.
The IFLA host nation generally pulls out all the stops to treat attendees to top-tier cultural experiences, and Korea was no exception. A “cultural evening” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts featured the National Orchestra of Korea, the National Dance Company of Korea, and the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, dedicated to preserving, performing, and expanding traditional theater forms. South Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism Kim Myung-gon hosted a spectacular dinner and performance of highlights from Gokdu-byulcho, a musical based on the Goryeo Dynasty.
The conference concludes August 24 with a session of the IFLA Council, followed August 25 by over 55 business meetings in which members of sections, divisions, and committees will discuss global issues facing every type of library—from preservation and conservation to management and marketing.
A full report on the IFLA conference is scheduled for the October issue of American Libraries.
Posted August 23, 2006; last modified September 14, 2006.