Course:LIBR562/S2012/Group3/Legislation

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National Libraries

According to IFLA’s National Libraries Section (NLS), national libraries carry certain responsibilities regarding legal deposit, cataloging and acquisitions, preservation of national heritage, and literacy, among others.[1] Some national libraries also provide library services to the country’s legislature and other government bodies. For developed nations, these purposes are commonly outlined by law; many of the countries discussed in this project have a national library supported by legislation, though a few do not.

The NLS is responsible for maintaining a list of national libraries on Wikipedia not only to provide a simple catalog to the world’s national libraries, but also to encourage the establishment and promotion of national libraries[2]. Polynesian countries included in this list are: the Cook Islands (in Rarotonga), Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu (in Funafuti), as well as New Zealand (in Wellington).[3]

IFLA also provides a document of guidelines for writing a national library law, written by Peter J. Lor and Elizabeth A. S. Sonnekus and based on related UNESCO-authored documents.[4] In his preface, Lor mentions the need to balance the final document between the needs of developed and developing nations. He favored the needs of the developing nations by being somewhat more prescriptive than developed nations required. This results in a better tool for developing nations to establish, by law, a national library that will be responsible for meeting national information needs.

Several of the nations within Polynesia have national libraries supported by the government and various library associations. However, Paula H. Jones mentions that of the twelve countries served by the University of the South Pacific, only five (in 2003) have national libraries, and that the USP library essentially functions as a “de facto national library”.[5] More generally, she argues that this is a result of weak leadership at the national level, and is therefore one of the major problems nations in Polynesia must confront.

National Information Policy

On the whole, the nations of Polynesia have a long way to go to advance the concept of a national information policy (NIP). Even New Zealand, with a sophisticated national library established by law[6], has been unsuccessful creating a unified, all-in-one national information policy; Smith argues that this might be the result of several existing policies that “cover” information related issues like education, privacy, and publishing.[7] If New Zealand is struggling with the development of a national information policy, then the lesser developed nations in the region must have even greater obstacles to overcome.

Among the many hurdles to the creation of a thriving library system and information society is certainly the lack of a national information policy and the lack of government support for libraries.[8] Despite the library world’s understanding of the importance of the issue, lesser developed nations like Tonga favor more pressing national needs like health services, especially when dealing with small budgets, which is very hard to criticize.[9] As of 2000, the government of Fiji had not yet taken formal steps to address the issue at all, despite the urging of the Fiji Library Association and their preparation and coordination measures with other associations.[10] As Calanag clearly points out, “even the lack of a policy is a policy”.[11] By omitting an official position on the development, organization, and accessibility of information for a nation, a government has indicated a lack of sympathy for or underestimation of the power of information to its development on many fronts.

Recommendations

While Calanag’s progression of national information policy development begins with the ratification and implementation of an NIP, and continues through improvements and program development[12], how are nations with struggling library systems to arrive at her step #1? The following are recommended steps for librarians and information professionals working in developing nations in pursuing the goal of an NIP. Following these recommendations will further ground the library system as the best resource a nation has to “organiz[e] and provid[e] information”, which supports development in other ways.[13]

  • Establish and cultivate cooperative associations, library associations, and school partnerships. By strengthening these relationships and sharing the work, more can be accomplished across a wider sphere of influence, as seen with the activities of the Samoan Library Association (www.las.org.ws) and the list of strategies for libraries in the Samoan Strategic Policies and Plan[14].
  • Develop information literacy programming and outreach initiatives, also demonstrated by the Samoan Library Association[15] and the Cook Islands’ Ministry of Education “success factors” outlined in the 2009/2010 Library Audit Checklist[16].
  • Petition for funding from government and outside groups, as argued by Paula H. Jones.[17] Additional funding will also enable libraries to address problems Jones identifies, like poor building conditions, lack of staff training, and collections that rely significantly on donations.[18] Krolak also recognizes the importance of funding from international groups.[19]
  • Draft a proposed NIP and a national library law to present to government officials, using Lor’s UNESCO resources[20], as well as the recommendations from Calanag and Krolak regarding national information policies.[21]

References

  1. ↑ National Libraries Section. IFLA. http://www.ifla.org/national-libraries. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  2. ↑ Annual Report, 2009. IFLA National Libraries Section. http://www.ifla.org/en/publications/national-libraries-section-annual-report. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  3. ↑ List of National and State Libraries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_libraries. Retrieved Mary 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ Lor, Peter, & Sonnekus, Elizabeth A. S. (1997). Guidelines for legislation for national library services. UNESCO General Information Program and UNISIST.
  5. ↑ p. 97. Jones, Paula H. (2003). Shaping Oceania’s libraries: Library training as an agent for change. The New Review of Libraries and Lifelong Learning. DOI: 10.1080/1468994042000240241
  6. ↑ The legislation that governs us. National Library of New Zealand. http://www.natlib.govt.nz/about-us/role-vision/the-legislation-that-governs-us. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ Smith, Alan. (2002). Building on sure foundations: the overlooked dimension of national information policies. 68th IFLA Council and General Conference.
  8. ↑ Krolak, Lisa. (2005). The role of libraries in the creation of literate environments. UNESCO Institute for Education.
  9. ↑ McFall-McCaffery, Julie Taligalu. The struggle for libraries: With special reference to Tonga and the Pacific Region. Fiji Library Association Journal (43 & 44), January and June 2000. p. 1-8.
  10. ↑ Yee, Sin Joan. National Information Policy. Fiji Library Association Journal (43 & 44), January and June 2000. p. 27-33.
  11. ↑ p. 2, Calanag, Maria Luisa. Public libraries in the information society: What do information policies say? (2003). World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council.
  12. ↑ p. 5, Calanag, Maria Luisa. Public libraries in the information society: What do information policies say? (2003). World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council.
  13. ↑ p. 7, Calanag, Maria Luisa. Public libraries in the information society: What do information policies say? (2003). World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council.
  14. ↑ (Samoan) Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture. (2006). Strategic Policies and Plan, July 2006-June 2015. http://mesc.gov.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=322:strategic-plan&catid=53:executive&Itemid=197. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  15. ↑ Library Association of Samoa. Events and Activities. http://www.las.org.ws/EventsActivities/tabid/4385/language/en-US/Default.aspx. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  16. ↑ (Cook Islands) Ministry of Education. (2009-2010). Library audit checklist: Environment and utilization of the library. http://www.education.gov.ck/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=291&Itemid=44. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  17. ↑ p. 97. Jones, Paula H. (2003). Shaping Oceania’s libraries: Library training as an agent for change, The New Review of Libraries and Lifelong Learning. DOI: 10.1080/1468994042000240241.
  18. ↑ ibid.
  19. ↑ Section VI. International Support for Libraries. Krolak, Lisa. (2005). The role of libraries in the creation of literate environments. UNESCO Institute for Education.
  20. ↑ Lor, Peter, & Sonnekus, Elizabeth A. S. (1997). Guidelines for legislation for national library services. UNESCO General Information Program and UNISIST.
  21. ↑ Calanag, Maria Luisa. Public libraries in the information society: What do information policies say? (2003). World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council. Section “Policy Recommendations” Krolak, Lisa. (2005). The role of libraries in the creation of literate environments. UNESCO Institute for Education.
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