ALCTS Network News v2n05 (September 5, 1991) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v2n05 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 2, Number 5 September 5, 1991 In this issue: IFLA ELECTIONS IFLA REPORT (PART ONE) ROMANIA SITE OF ALA SUMMER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN LIBRARIANSHIP ************************************************************************** IFLA ELECTIONS Robert Wedgeworth, Dean of the School of Library Service, Columbia University, has been elected President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Wedgeworth is the first U.S. President of IFLA in 60 years and only the second in the history of the IFLA which was founded in 1927. William Warner Bishop, University of Michigan, was elected President of IFLA in 1931. At its 57th General Conference and Council meeting attended by more than 1600 delegates from nearly 70 countries, IFLA Council also elected Robert Stueart, Dean, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston, to be a member of its Executive Board. Stueart, Marcelle Beaudiquez (France), Marta Terry (Cuba), Eeva-Maija Tammekann (Finland), and Warren Horton (Australia) were elected from a field of ten candidates. In addition, the programmatic divisions of IFLA elected representatives to the IFLA Professional Board. Nancy John will represent the Bibliographic Control Division, Sally McCallum will represent the Management and Technology Division, and John Day the Libraries Serving the General Public Division. A number of Americans were elected chair or secretary of their Standing Committees and will be serving on the division Coordinating Boards. In IFLA, elections are held every two years, with the members of the Standing Committees for the various Sections being elected by mail ballot during the spring. The delegates to the conference elect the President and the members of the Executive Board during the first Council meeting. The members of the Standing Committees elect their own Chair and Secretary from among their membership. ************************************************************************* IFLA REPORT (PART ONE) Editor's note: This report on the IFLA conference in Moscow will be in two parts: first, reactions to the coup by the ALCTS members of the ALA delegation, and in a the next issue, reports on actions taken by IFLA units. Linda Crismond, ALA Executive Director, has described the "mood of the conference as one that went from excitement and anticipation to anxiety and fear to celebration all in the matter of four days." Here is a sampling of other reactions to the events in Moscow. Before commenting on reactions to the coup, I'd like to make a few observations about the Soviet Union. First, the economy is definitely in disarray. There are two exchange rates--the offical rate, which is distinctly disadvantageous and the "tourist" rate of about three cents per rouble. Hard currency is needed by the government in order to purchase needed goods from abroad, but it is not legal, except in designated places. What is the true value of a meal when five can dine on champagne, caviar, beef stroganoff, and dessert for about 120 roubles (or $4-5) at a rouble restaurant and the same group can dine at a "joint venture" hard currency restaurant for $40 each? Much of daily life is a struggle for the ordinary citizen. There really are long lines whenever reasonably-priced produce--or perhaps any produce--appears. And the barter economy is present (one young man tried to trade a University of Illinois sweatshirt for my Land's End satchel). Yet, there's a generosity and kindness that is unique. On the night the coup leaders imposed a curfew and taxis were scarce, another IFLA delegate and I had secured one just as a Georgian jumped in the front seat. His better command of Russion enabled him to get the driver to take him to his destination first, but then he held the taxi while he bought flowers for the other woman and me. I was also surprised by the intense religious feeling demonstrated by the congregation assembled outside the already packed Cathedral of the Dormition to listen to a two-hour service. And shortly afterward, I was surprised by tanks rumbling towards Red Square. Even as we progressed back to our hotel by Metro--which is as fabulous as all the guidebooks say--it was obvious that Muscovites were going about their business as normally as possible. Yes, they were reading the posted handbills in an attempt to learn what was going on, but they were also continuing their daily lives. The scene I will always remember is the one of tanks and armored personnel carriers lined up on one side of the street and people lined up on the other outside a shoe repair shop. -- Karen Muller Personally, I found the experience of being in Moscow during the coup to be thrilling. I, and most of the people I talked to, knew that history was being made. My hotel, the Rossiya was close to the Kremlin and I could see the tanks. One evening several of us walked up and took a close look at the tanks. The soldiers seemed relaxed--children were playing on the tanks! Due to the barricades, there was some minor inconvenience in getting across the city to the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel where the conference was held, but the metro functioned the whole time. The Moscow crowds were quite orderly. It was an interesting experience in sharing information--some conference attendees had short wave radios with Voice of America and the BBC. The "Mezh" had CNN news. My husband, who spent his days at the Paleontological Institute, came back to the hotel with news from the perspective of his Soviet colleagues. After the coup was over, the Soviet TV resumed coverage of events and we watched Yeltsin speak and deliberations of the Soviet Parliament live. All in all it was a tremendously exciting experience and fortunately there was little bloodshed. We can all hope that Soviet citizens are now closer to democracy as we remember the momentuous events we witnessed. -- Ruth Carter As for the extracurricular activities at IFLA: it is very difficult to put into words the struggle of the residents of the Soviet Union to restructure and reform. I was surprised and impressed with the depth of the commitment of the people to democracy. Observing the quiet passive resistance to the takeover followed by the exuberance of victory was unforgettable. Watching citizens gather to read broadsides with the latest news during the news blackout was a poignant reminder of the power of free speech. The impromptu fireworks display over Red Square on Thursday night was a fitting ending for a truly remarkable conference and experience. -- Nancy John My knowledge of the coup came largely from French press releases at the Rossija Hotel, and word from colleages from Russia and who could speak Russian. The information by word of mouth from the American embassy seemed to be conflicting and uninformative; several colleagues from other countries seemed to have more information from their embassies and in a more organized fashion. We saw the tanks and the armored personnel vehicles, but did not see the fighting. The subways ran very well throughout the coup and were the best way to get to the conference center on time for the meetings. I did get by the Soviet White House (after the coup, of course) and saw the barricades there. The mood during the evening reception at the Pushkin Museum was subdued, and the difference the next night, after the end of the Coup, at the Kremlin was extremely noticeable, with all the happiness and excitement of the end of the coup. -- Dorothy McGarry ************************************************************************* ROMANIA SITE OF ALA SUMMER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN LIBRARIANSHIP The American Library Association sponsored a Summer Institute on Principles and Practices of American Librarianship on August 10-12, 1991, in Brasov, Romania. The ALA Summer Institute was attended by more than 100 Romanian public and academic librarians, administrators and library school educators. It was supported by a grant from the International Research & Exchanges (IREX) Board and the National Library of Romania. The overall intent of the program is to familiarize Romanian librarians with the educational, information science concepts and tools as a basis for further scholarly interaction; informing practicing librarians about public and technical services offered in the United States; promoting the adoption of international library standards facilitating scholarly access to research resources in Romania; and increasing international understanding and scholarly cooperation through the establishment of professional and personal relationships, and the accomplishment of mutual goals. Topics discussed include: education for librarianship, the role and mission of library associations, library organization and management, public and technical services, computer searching, and library automation. The Summer Institute was followed by meetings and discussions with Romanian librarians and on-site visits to major Romanian libraries. The ALA Summer Institute is an outgrowth of ALA's successful Books for Romania project, concluded in May 1991, which delivered more than 240,000 scholarly books and journals to Romanian libraries. The estimated value of the books and journals was more than $4 million. The American delegation consisted of 17 educators, administrators and librarians under the leadership of Marilyn Miller, ALA president-elect and professor and chair of the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Other delegation members include: Joseph A. Boisse, university librarian at the University of California in Santa Barbara; Anita Breland, IBM Academic Information System Inc. (VTLS) in Blacksburg, Va.; Lucinda Covert-Vail, ALA Library Fellow at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain; Robert P. Doyle, director of the ALA Library/Book Fellows Program; Nancy R. John, assistant university librarian for collection control & delivery services at the University of Illinois at Chicago; S. Michael Malinconico, professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; James Moldovan, ALA Library Fellow at Central University Library in Bucharest, Romania; Opritsa D. Popa, business librarian at the University of California, Davis; Jordan Scepanski, director of the University Library and Learning Resources at California State University in Long Beach; Judith Sessions, dean and university librarian at Miami University in Ohio; Elaine Svenonius, professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of California at Los Angeles; and Edward J. Valauskas, assistant director of the library for the Charles E. Merriam Center for Public Administration in Chicago. ************************************************************************* ALCTS NETWORK NEWS (ISSN 1056-6694) is published irregularly by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Editorial offices: ALCTS, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; Arnold Hirshon, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Muller (u34261@uicvm); Contributors to this issue: Robert Doyle, Nancy John, Ruth Carter, and Dorothy McGarry. ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the division. News items and requests for back issues should be sent to the editor at Bitnet address u34261@uicvm. To subscribe, issue the network command "tell listserv@uicvm sub alcts [your account] [your name]." ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is also available on ALANET through the PUBS menu or the command ALANET4. Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions. *************************************************************************