Information and informatics unisist newsletter

In their introductory remarks, the President of the General Council of Martinique, the President of the University of the Antilles and Guyana, and the President of the General Council placed emphasis on the challenge of the development of knowledge, the promotion of reading and the use of information, and the utilization of new technologies which favor - from primary school to the University - the autonomy of the student and documentary research in a society having an oral tradition. They all underlined that oral tradition and new technologies should not be set against one another, but rather face the challenges of tomorrow by associating tradition and modernization, promoting books and reading in a world which has a thirst for images, while taking advantage of modern access techniques and stressing the importance of the universal documentary heritage, particularly that of the Caribbean.

The state of libraries in the various countries of the Caribbean was developed in a series of brief exposés, followed by a lively debate. The major problems which Caribbean libraries face can be summarized in five points:

0. 
   lack of national policies and appropriate legislation;
   
1. 
   lack of premises which conform to norms and consequences of seismic and other national calamities; as well as lack of funds and qualified personal;
   
2. 
   a less-than-accurate image of libraries and librarians with the consequence that governments do not give a high priority to libraries in their plans and develop-ment projects;
   
3. 
   limited access to local and international information resources;
   
4. 
   lack of adequate telecommunications infrastructures
   

The exposé of the representative of UNESCO at the Seminar, Mr Abdulaziz Abid, centered on the new mandate of the Information and Informatics Division (INF) the challenges of the information society, and the innovator role of libraries in the development of countries. The concept of polyvalent community “telecenters” was positively received by the participants.

The discussion which followed this exposé allowed different strategies and solutions to be put forward, which can be summarized as follows:

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   adapt training programmes for libraries to the exigencies of the information society, to bring about a new “savoir faire” centered on means of research, the creation of web pages, the valorization of the documentary heritage of the Caribbean, and the marketing of this heritage;
   
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   divisify the documentary services and products and assure the marketing of them;
   
2. 
   launching activities which can generate revenue and sensitize government authorities and users to the economic value of information;
   
3. 
   sensitize users and non-users to the role of libraries as community centers which can contribute to producing better-informed citizens;
   
4. 
   set-up a consortium of libraries which can share their resources;
   
5. 
   establish regional mobile conservation laboratories;
   
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   record and diffuse the oral tradition of the Caribbean;
   
7. 
   launch and/or support literacy cam-paigns and distance education pro-grammes.
   

This Seminar proved to be an excellent occasion to mobilize librarians in the Caribbean region to further the new UNESCO strategy and mandate which places the accent on increased use of new information and communication techno-logies. It is expected that UNESCO will now receive various requests from participating countries under the 1998/1999 Participation Programme of the Organiz-ation within the framework of the "Memory of the World Programme", UNESCO Network of Associated Libraries (UNAL), and Telematics applications.

In addition, steps have been taken to ensure that the Alexandria Library is equipped with modern information techno-logies, to enable it to serve as a “virtual library” of the future. In this regard, an Internet Server has been purchased for the Library from Regular Programme funds ($20,000) on which a website, developed by the International Executive Secretariat, will be made available.

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   PGI continues to provide technical support and administrative and organ-ization services for the establishment of the National Archives Centre in Sana’a, Yemen (project YEM/92/041 - Records and Archives Management). The project, which was initiated by UNESCO and which is funded by the United Nations Development Pro-gramme (UNDP), is to be completed by the end of 1997.
   
1. 
   An emergency programme for the safeguarding of vital records in case of armed conflicts is presently being established by the International Council on Archives (ICA) within the framework of a contract established with UNESCO. This programme will apply the “Guidelines of the Safeguarding of Records and Archives in the event of armed conflicts” which is presently being elaborated by the ICA, upon request of UNESCO.
   
2. 
   The revised edition of the “Guide to the Archives of International Organizations” is being prepared by the ICA, upon a UNESCO initiative. This guide will be published in paper form and will also be made available on the Internet through CII’s website thus contributing to easier access to information in the public domain.
   

0. 
   As part of the activities to ensure the preservation of the world's audiovisual heritage a codified philosophy, defining the media, archives, heritage, profession, etc., is being prepared under contract. The publication will provide a theoretical synthesis of the current practices, values and guiding principles of audiovisual archiving to increase the profile of audiovisual archivists and to facilitate professional identity and recognition.
   

At the end of the symposium, on 8 May 1997, RAITNET held its first general assembly. This Arab Network for Inform-ation and Communication Technologies is a NGO open to public and private organisations from the Arab world specialised in information and commu-nication technologies. It was founded in 1995 in Cairo where its headquarters is located, and is supported by both UNESCO and ITU. It aims at fostering the establishment and the development inform-ation services, stimulating exchange of knowledge, experience and know-how among its members, and co-operation with international organisations, supporting regional projects by providing technicalassistance and advice to decision makers. It is in line with the symposium and will lead to the undertaking of actions and projects in the areas discussed during the symposium; and become a spokesman for the Arab countries within the information world and its mondialisation. Its ambitions are great, and the road may be long and difficult to follow. Therefore, all necessary resources will be put together within partnerships among institutions, countries and co-operative organisations.

A pilot project has been initiated on virtual laboratory techniques, between the research centres in Kazakstan and the United States of America, working in the area of the migration of radioactive products in human populations and in the environment. An expert group is being planned for late 1997 in Paris to advise on appropriate methodologies and techno-logies to enable researchers in the South and North to collaborate on priority research projects for development through the establishment of virtual laboratories.

In keeping with the desire of the General Conference to increase inter-disciplinary and inter-sectorial co-operation, CII/INF assisted the Sector of Culture in the creation of its website. Also an Internet Guide has been published and distributed to Member States.

Libraries provide such effective tools to broaden horizons and increase knowledge that they play a key role in supporting UNESCO's programmes to combat illi-teracy, improve the environment, promote human rights and, in particular, the status of women, develop a culture of peace, etc.. The UNAL Network was therefore created as a means of creating awareness of these world issues and setting up a mechanism for the sharing of information in these fields.

UNAL is primarily a partnership of libraries whose members collaborate at an international level to achieve some of UNESCO's major objectives for the betterment of humanity. It is a voluntary organization whose success is made possible with the motivation and commit-ment of all its partners. Membership opens the door to certain privileges that libraries are encouraged to exploit fully: special ties with other members for pooling inform-ation and experiences; exchange pro-grammes involving librarians and materials; organizing joint events in support of better understanding among peoples etc.

The Network was intended to bring together public libraries from all over the world, each serving a local community, within the framework of a cooperative scheme. However, because the organi-zation of libraries varies from country to country, UNAL's original mandate was widened to allow the admission of libraries serving the public (and not only public libraries). It was felt that this would create greater symbiosis among members in support of national development. Con-sequently, there is now a considerably vast range of information sources within the Network which can be tapped for the benefit of all. Members are encouraged to make known their needs as well as their strengths so that paired interests can be easily catalogued. It is stressed that this type of cooperation is mutual and should not be regarded as a typical transfer of ideas and material from the "haves" to the "have-nots". Many libraries in developing countries have much to offer their counterparts in other regions of the world, both developed and developing, and this needs to be reflected more in UNAL's activities.

Information on activities carried out by its members are publicized in the Newsletter UNAL INFO which is published quarterly and distributed free-of-charge to members. It also contains their suggestions for collaboration, offers of and requests for assistance as well as reports on national, regional or international seminars con-ducted within the framework of the Network.

UNESCO's role is one of coordination. It helps to orient the programme towards those areas where needs are most apparent and promotes closer ties between libraries with similar goals for their mutual benefit and support. It encourages the exchange of information on members' activities and ensures the flow of information among them. Although some limited financial support for worthy activities may be possible, UNAL does not cater to the needs of individual libraries. While its prime objective is to ensure that global as well as local concerns are addressed, any assistance which is provided is for the collective rather than the single entity.

Any library that is open to the public may join the Network by completing and returning the membership application form included in this Newsletter to the address below. There is no fee but libraries must undertake to remain a member for at least two years and provide annual reports on their activities within the Network.

For more information on UNAL, please contact Mrs Joie Springer, CII/INF, UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France. Tel: (33-1) 45.68.44.97. Fax: (33-1) 45.68.55.82. E-mail: j.springer@unesco.org

(Please see page 47 for UNAL Membership Application Form)

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SAFEGUARDING OF THE SARGIANO MONASTIC LIBRARY
The Sargiano Library (Italy) was created in 1454 A.D. in the Monastery of the same name, founded originally for the Order of St. Claire at the end of the fourteenth century. The first volumes, numerous and varied in subject matter, were received as a gift from Ser Nastasio di Biagio. The library kept growing in the centuries to come, as Sargiano became the center of Theological Study of the Tuscan Province of the Franciscan Order, and according to the inventory of the library as recorded in 1929, it was enriched by no less than 14,000 volumes and 20,000 journal issues attributed to Fr. Teodosio.

A thorough review of the world of information, from East to West and from North to South, is offered in Part I of the Report. For the first time, a general picture covering both developed and developing countries describes: national archives, libraries and information centres; school, university and public libraries; national and international networks; data-base producers; professional associations and education; public and private institutions providing all sorts of information services. Tables and figures synthesize the data available region by region.

Part II deals with the basic technical components of information work, which are presented in the form of state-of-the-art reports. Computers, telecommunication and multimedia technologies, and Internet together with library buildings are accordingly reviewed from an information perspective.

Part III is concerned with issues and trends of relevance to information provision. Crucial problems such as the future of books and copyright, access to archives, preservation of the archival heritage, and international co-operation and assistance are presented for the benefit of the layman. Prevailing trends leading to the twenty-first century’s information world are covered in chapters such as The Information Society, Information High-ways, and Economic Intelligence.

Prepared by UNESCO, which secured the contribution of the best specialists from all over the world, the World Information Report is an instrument of both diagnosis and decision. It will provide decision-makers, government officials, information professionals and the public at large with a better understanding of the information world as it is today and a more acute insight of what it will be tomorrow.

Sample available on Internet : http://www.unesco.org/webworld/wirerpt/

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INTRODUCTION, Yves Courrier and Andrew Large

Directory: webworld -> publications
publications -> Report of unesco workshop: News Agencies in the Era of the Internet
webworld -> Trends on the African media scene a decade after the Windhoek Declaration by S. T. Kwame Boafo, Chief, Executive Office, Communication and Information Sector, unesco introduction
webworld -> Southern africa regional perspectives background paper prepared by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (misa)
webworld -> Uganda's contribution to the Task Force Consultation on unesco for the 21st Century
webworld -> Archives destroyed in the twentieth century
webworld -> 10. 2 Reflection on unesco in the twenty-first century 10. 6 The visibility of unesco in the Member States
publications -> Opening Ceremony 3 Election of Officers 5 II plenary session 1: The situation of the media in the Arab world: the issue of independence and pluralism 6 III plenary session 2: Public Service Media 9 IV
publications -> General information programme unisist newsletter

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