IFLA Officers Handbook - Continued

Planning Professional Meetings Held at IFLA Conferences

1. Open Programme Sessions and Division Open Forums
2. Workshops
3. Poster Sessions
4. Contributed Paper Sessions
5. Discussion Groups

(The Contributed Paper Sessions were suspended for 1999, and will be discussed in November 1999, by the PB)

These meetings may be sponsored by one particular Division, Section, or Round Table, or two or more of these groups. The IFLA Core Programmes may also be asked by Sections and Round Tables to co-sponsor the meetings.

1. Open Programme Sessions and Open Forums

1.1 Introduction

The primary purpose of Open Programme Sessions and Open Forums is for designated speakers to present papers. In an Open Programme Session, speakers prepare papers in advance and deliver them to an audience. Although there may be scheduled time for questions and answers following the presentations, informal discussion is limited in an Open Programme Session than in a Workshop or a Discussion Group.

Open Programme Sessions are most often topical in nature. The theme of an Open Programme Session may center on one particular subject relevant to the sponsoring group(s) discussed by several different speakers, or may consist of presenters speaking on a number of different subjects relevant to the scope or goals of the sponsoring group(s). Some professional groups may choose to have a library visit or a series of visits in lieu of a formal programme session.

Sections and Round Tables are encouraged to hold joint sessions with other professional groups. By putting together their programme sessions to run consecutively, Sections can avail themselves of a much longer time slot so that a subject can be covered in depth. (In this way, it would be possible to have a time slot of five hours or even seven and a half hours.) This is a good mechanism for Sections with common interests to use from time to time.

Generally, Divisions do not hold Open Programme Sessions, but they may hold a Division Open Forum. Open Forums are most often used to report on the work of the Division and its various Sections and Round Tables. Professional papers are normally not presented at Division Forums. Occasionally, however, a Division may hold an Open Forum on a topic that is of general interest to the entire Division.

1.2 Preparing for an Open Programme Session

Officers of Divisions, Sections and Round Tables should begin to plan for their Programme Sessions two years before they will take place. Possible topics and speakers for Programme Sessions are usually discussed during IFLA Conferences. Other IFLA Sections or Round Tables, or the Core Programmes may be approached to co-sponsor the session at this time. The groups involved will need to determine each group's level of participation: if they will co-sponsor in name only, if they are expected to identify speakers, help with translations, etc. The organizing group(s) must select an individual or a small programme planning subcommittee to identify speakers and provide them with appropriate information about presenting papers at IFLA Conferences.

1.3 Selection of Topics and Speakers

In selecting subjects and speakers, officers should make every effort to ensure that the presentations and papers are timely, relevant, relate to and augment the topic of the meeting and the work of the professional group, and are of a high quality. It is recommended that the programme be based on a single topic with papers or a panel discussing various aspects of the subject. Ideas for the content of meetings may be found in the Conference Theme, the Medium-Term Programme of the sponsoring group(s), projects, identified training needs, or other aspects of the group's work. The conference location may provide an opportunity to use expert speakers or to address particular needs and concerns of the country involved.

Session planners may wish to draw upon the suggestions of the sponsoring groups for speakers so that IFLA's diversity can be well represented. Officers are urged to provide opportunities to speakers who are relatively new to IFLA, or who offer a perspective not frequently presented. IFLA rarely is able to provide financial assistance to Open Programme Session speakers, and officers need to take this into consideration when approaching a potential speaker.

An open programme session of 2.5 hours provides (usually) for a maximum of three papers or a panel discussion or a combination of one or two papers and a panel, allowing time for discussion and interaction by the audience. These limits take into consideration the need for presenters to speak slowly for the benefit of the interpreters and for those whose first language is not that of the speaker.

To keep paper handling within affordable bounds for the Conference Organizing Committee, the Professional Board limits the number of pages that may be copied and distributed at the Conference for each open programme session to a maximum of 30 pages of text plus title pages, abstracts, references and appendices. It is up to the officers to decide how many of the 30 pages are allotted to each of the speakers in the session. This limit on the number of pages refers only to the version presented at the professional meeting and duplicated by the Conference organizers. Authors can, of course, prepare a fuller version for other purposes such as publication.

1.4 Forms Required by IFLA Headquarters

During the course of the year, officers are requested to fill out two forms, thus providing IFLA Headquarters with information about upcoming open sessions. Preliminary information for the group's Open Programme is requested on Form A, which IFLA Headquarters distributes in the fall of each year. It is due at IFLA Headquarters at the beginning of December. Form B is sent out at the beginning of the calendar year. Officers should provide detailed information on the open session programme, namely: names of speakers, titles of papers, number of pages allotted to each speaker, language to be used by the speaker, request for simultaneous interpretations, projected size of the audience, and audio-visual requests. This form is usually due back to IFLA Headquarters in March.

2. Workshops

2.1 Introduction

Workshops are programmes within the IFLA Conference structure that allow for concentrated discussion on very specific topics. These events are designed to include programmes that normally would not fit into the Conference structure, that also would appeal to smaller groups. As determined by the IFLA Professional Board in 1990-1991, IFLA devotes one day to workshops in the middle of the conference and they are thus considered an integral part of the conference programme. Only a limited number of workshops are scheduled for either a half-day or a full day's duration, and those planning them must submit a detailed description of the workshop to the Professional Board. Workshops are usually limited to 50 participants and on a first-come first-served basis.

Workshop papers are listed in the conference programme. The Paper Handling Center copies workshop papers and makes them available to interested parties in exchange for vouchers or cash. The sponsoring professional groups, Divisions, Sections, Round Tables, or Core Programmes, are responsible for planning and conducting the workshop in the same way as they are for open programme sessions, as well as for any expenses involved. As only a limited number of workshops can be accommodated at each conference because of meeting room constraints (although occasionally they can be held offsite), professional groups should not expect to hold a workshop every year. Applications to hold a workshop must be approved by the Professional Board.

2.2 Structure of Workshops

Workshops should be structured to provide the greatest opportunity for interactivity of both speakers and the audience. The workshop model is designed to bring the audience into contact with experts within a given discipline, or in order to facilitate exchanges of ideas. For workshop planners, this structure means thinking about the content of workshop in a different light than for an open programme session or forum. First, it is important not to set up the workshop as a continuous series of lectures by a panel of speakers. Nothing is more discouraging to an audience at a workshop to notice that a programme has no room allotted for discussion or actual application in exercises of material discussed in lectures. There should be a balance between the amount of information presented formally, and the amount of informal exchange that is encouraged between speakers and the audience.

For workshop organizers, it is vital that you notify your workshop speakers that the format is informal. Emphasize interactivity. As your speakers to bring examples, exercises, and other tools that will encourage a lively discussion. For speakers in a workshop, allow plenty of time in your presentation for a dialogue with the audience. Think of ways to stimulate discussion. It may be necessary to bring exercises or problems to the programme to act as a catalyst for the audience.

For moderators, think about how you can best stimulate interaction between an audience and a group of speakers. Keep a close watch on time if discussion indeed becomes interesting and involved. Try to prevent one or a few individuals from dominating the discussion. If there are elements of the dialogue between speaker and audience that do not work well, look at how you can best steer interests of speaker and audience towards a common ground. Most importantly, watch both your audience and speakers carefully, for difficulties to avoid and areas of mutual interest.

An ideal half-day programme will involve no more than three or four speakers over the course of 150 minutes or 2.5 hours, examining a very specific topic. If 120 minutes are dedicated to formal presentations, that leaves a mere half hour for discussion. A better format would consist of formal presentations for no more than 60 minutes, followed by a break of half an hour. Then with the assistance of the moderator, discussions or exercises that would stimulate discussion, would occur between speakers and audience for 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for a summary and wrap-up by both moderator and speakers. This sort of schedule would ideally suit the definition of a workshop as an interactive event.

A full-day workshop essentially has five hours to work with in morning and afternoon sessions. With six to eight speakers, there is a greater opportunity for a moderator or moderators to engage in dialogues between different panels (morning and afternoon panelists and their moderators). These discussions between panels would then stimulate audience participation. The structure would allow for an hour in both the morning and afternoon sessions for formal presentations, 30 minutes for intra-panel discussions in the morning and afternoon, and an hour in the morning and afternoon for panel/audience discussion and interactivity. Logistically, full-day workshops encourage the development of more lively programmes, giving both audience and speakers additional opportunities for discussion.

2.3 Evaluation

Workshop planners and moderators should design basic questionnaires for the audience to react to a program. This information will provide you with a basic reading on how well or badly a programme fared with the audience. It will also give some clues as to which parts of the programme were successful and why others were not. Speakers generally appreciate feedback from their audiences and participants like to have a means for anonymous criticism and praise. For IFLA, it also provides a means to learn about new topics of interest to the library community, which may be incorporated into future conferences.

2.4 Reporting

Moderators and workshop planners will need to summarize evaluations, speaker reactions, and their own analysis of workshops for IFLA and their own records. These reports should include some record of the audience, secured from the sign-up sheets as well as from actual attendance. There should be some summary of the presentations and a brief evaluation of the speakers' successes or failures in reaching their audience. Papers from workshops may also be considered for publication in the IFLA Journal or in some specialized periodical or publication of a given Division or Section.

2.5 Conclusion

Workshops have provided a means for IFLA Conference participants to learn about new areas of interest and to work with specialists in given areas of information science, librarianship, management, and computing. They provide in a concentrated form a way for audience and speakers to interact, unlike any other IFLA Conference forum. Workshops will continue to flourish at Conferences if there is an emphasis on these events as educational, interactive forums for all parties involved. They represent a way for professionals from diverse backgrounds to communicate and learn from each other.

Summary: What is an IFLA Workshop?

An IFLA Workshop is place for interaction and activity - where skills are learned and practiced, and information is both exchanged and applied.

An IFLA Workshop is not:

• a group of lectures;
• an excuse to develop an additional program during the IFLA Conference;
• a business meeting of an IFLA Standing Committee; or,
• an informal way to socialize with colleagues.

A Successful IFLA Workshop will:

• give participants opportunities to practice skills they can apply;
• allow every participant a chance to learn new and specific information, in such a way that they will be able to explain these new discoveries to others;
• present new and interesting ideas and give participants time to discuss how they might adapt these ideas; and,
• ultimately give each and every participant some idea, program, or case study that they can take with them.

IFLA Workshops fail when there's:

• too much presentation and not enough discussion;
• too much demonstration and not enough hands-on practice; and,
• poor preparation of handouts and presentations.

Keys to great workshop:

• Ask yourself: What will participants know and be able to do as a result of this workshop?
• Keep it simple.
• Think about the whole experience during the Workshop. Involve the speakers, moderators, and participants in the event, continuously from the start to the end.

And remember, at the end of an IFLA Workshop, all participants should be:

• excited about the Workshop as an experience, by interacting professionally on a given topic with their colleagues;
• more aware of about the nuances of an issue facing them in their institutions;
• ready to contact you for more information; and,
• motivated to take action.

3. Poster Sessions

3.1 Introduction

Poster sessions were established at the 1989 Conference as a means for IFLA participants to present information on a specific theme or research project, independent of other formal Conference formats. These are usually around 20 "posters", displayed in an area where a great deal of traffic is expected. Poster programmes are presented twice with speakers present for two-hour intervals, 12:00 to 14:00 of the Tuesday and Wednesday of the Conference. Those who present poster programmes generally provide handouts, printed materials, pamphlets, even diskettes for distribution. Although the poster sessions are presented twice, the material remains on display during the rest of the conference.

3.2 The Art of a Poster Session

Poster sessions are a combination of content and appearance. Content must be interesting, professional, and appealing to a broad audience. The appearance of the panels should be attractive, with a combination of graphics, photographs, and text. In the absence of any technical vehicles for presentation, the speaker for a given poster session depends on the materials at hand to explain a given project.

A speaker in a poster session should develop a presentation that concisely states the purpose, findings, and conclusion of a given project. This presentation should be informal, and give the audience (one or many individuals) opportunities to ask questions or present alternatives. In addition, the presentation should be tightly coupled to graphical elements in the poster display itself, to accent and highlight a specific point. Handouts, too, give the audience a way of remembering a special component of the presentation and the poster display itself, plus provide a way for follow-up and contact with the author of the poster program.

Handouts are an important part of a poster session. They may be simply a title, abstract, and brief bibliography, or they may be as complicated as a diskette with programmes. (At one poster session at the 1992 Conference, a poster session on computer viruses gave as a handout to the audience formatted diskettes with vaccines for use in library personal computers. The supply of the diskettes was soon exhausted.) It is important to bring reasonable quantities of handouts as part of a session, as it may be difficult to duplicate or otherwise make additional copies at the Conference site.

In summary, a successful poster session will include an attractive and graphically-enhanced poster for display on panels; a short presentation that works in tandem with the display and materials for distribution; and handouts, printed or other materials for use by the audience.

3.3 Evaluation

Poster sessions will be monitored to check on the efficiency and utility of this model to present information to the library community at Conferences. In addition, speakers should note queries and other comments from the audience and relay these to the IFLA Office, members of the IFLA Professional Board, and IFLA officers. These comments might relate to a specific display, or the poster session venue. These comments will assist IFLA in improving this tactic in future Conferences.

3.4 Conclusion

Poster sessions make it possible for a wider group of IFLA participants to present professional information at Conferences. The setting provides an informal arena for discussion and the exchange of ideas. The success of these sessions since 1989 prove the value of this mechanism for reaching out to the IFLA and library communities, and providing an alternative route for communication. Poster sessions will improve at future conferences by noting audience reactions to this medium, participant interactions, and the quality of displays.

4. Discussion Groups

Discussion Groups may be set up, on a temporary and informal basis, to allow groups of IFLA Members to meet to discuss specific Professional issues, or social or cultural issues insofar as they affect or are likely to affect the library and information profession.

4.1 Starting a Discussion Group

Discussion Groups are established by IFLA's Professional Board upon approval of a Discussion Group Proposal signed by at least 10 IFLA Members and stating their IFLA affiliation. The proposal must include a proposed name for the Group and outline the issues the group wishes to discuss. Each Discussion Group must be sponsored by an existing IFLA Section and an indication of active support for the Discussion Group should be included in the proposal.

Before giving its approval, the Professional Board must be reasonably satisfied that the issues to be discussed (a) will not be unduly divisive, (b) are not to the terms of reference of an existing formal IFLA group, (c) are professional topics related to the library and information science profession, and (d) are appropriate to the sponsoring Section suggested in the proposal.

Discussion Groups are established for two-year renewal terms. Renewal may be granted upon submission of a request form the Group convener including a statement of the Group's activities to date. A Discussion Group will usually no be renewed more than two times.

Discussion Group Meetings are open to any IFLA member.

4.2 Organizational Relationships

Discussion Groups are officially sponsored by and affiliated with a Section or Sections.

Discussion Groups receive no support from IFLA and, as such, cannot plan programmes, workshops, and seminars. Such groups may, however, generate ideas to take their sponsoring Section(s) for possible adoption and sponsorships as workshops or projects.

Ideas emanating from Discussion Groups cannot be considered as the views or policy of IFLA.

Discussion Groups may not produce publications except under the sponsorship of the sponsoring section(s). They may, however produce leaflets and fliers to advertise their meetings, at members' own expense.

Discussion Groups may not set up formal links with bodies outside IFLA.

4.3 Discussion Group Administration

Discussion Groups choose their own convener. If the Discussion Group is affiliated with more than one Section, it will have co-conveners, one liasing with each sponsoring Section.

Conveners may serve for a maximum of 2 years.

If a Convener is not an elected member of the Standing Committee of the sponsoring Section, the convener becomes an ex-officio member of the Standing Committee for his/her term as convener. (The general IFLA rule that n individual may not be on two Standing Committee simultaneously still applies.

Conveners attend all SC meetings of the Section Standing Committees at each conference and report on activities of the Discussion Group, with a brief written report submitted to the Section during or after the conference. Activities of Discussion Groups should be included in the Section Annual Reports.

Conveners are responsible for announcing a topic, obtaining meeting space and convening the Discussion Group during the conference time allocated to the Discussion Group. Discussion Groups will be assigned one meeting slot at the conference on a "first-come first-served" basis after all formal meetings have been scheduled. Generally a slot will be no longer than two hours. Meetings will be listed in the conference programme, assuming that deadlines are met. Brief announcements of meetings may be placed on IFLANET, in Standing Committee newsletters and in IFLA Express.

Satellite Meetings

Satellite meetings must be organized independently of the IFLA Conference and their organization is very similar to that of any conference or meeting. A planning committee and a coordinator should be appointed as well as a local coordinator in the city where the meeting will be held. These people are responsible for all local arrangements, fund raising, publicity, registration and collection of fees, paper copying, simultaneous interpretation (if any), payment of all expenses, and publication of proceedings if desired.

3. Mechanics for Holding a Satellite Meeting

• Satellite meetings are from two to five days in duration.

• Satellite meetings may be listed in the IFLA Express and in the IFLA Conference Programme.

• Satellite meetings are normally open to all IFLA members on a first registration received basis. The 0rganizers may decide on the maximum number of participants.

• Participants must pre-register with the satellite meeting organizer.

• All expenses of meetings must be met by the organizers, and sponsors may be sought and fees may be charged.

• The National Organizing Committee for the IFLA Conference is not responsible for helping with the organization and financial guarantees for satellite meetings.

• Efforts should be made to have papers translated into IFLA languages.

• If simultaneous interpretation is required, members of the IFLA team of volunteer interpreters may be called on.

• The Section's Information Coordinators should publicize the meeting.

• If the Sponsoring Section wishes IFLA to publish the meeting papers (selected or full proceedings) it should apply to the Professional Board [see section on Publication Policies]

• Section project money can be used for planning a satellite meeting, but such funds must be recovered and refunded to IFLA Headquarters, except in the case of satellite meetings for developing countries.

A full set of papers given at satellite meetings should be sent to IFLA Headquarters in order to keep a complete file of all IFLA papers, and to update the bibliography of IFLA papers.

Form A

Not available on IFLANET at this time

Form B

Not available on IFLANET at this time

Instructions to Conference Speakers

1.1 Invitations to Speakers

The invitations to speakers and panelists at programme sessions should be made as early as possible. It is important that speakers are informed of the overall programme and coverage of the session, the names of the other speakers and their subjects, as well as the scope and subject to be covered in their own paper. Officers should provide the invited speakers with all the necessary information on preparation, presentation and handling of IFLA Conference papers.

1.2 Language and Style

Not only are IFLA papers presented during their specific sessions, they are also included in paper in the "IFLA Booklets" distributed during Conference as well as in electronic form, on IFLANET. Furthermore, as many of these papers as possible should be translated into the five IFLA working languages.
• IFLA Conference-goers come from all over the world and simultaneous translation is not provided in all sessions. Therefore, authors are urged to follow these guidelines when presenting papers during conference.
• Use the proper names of countries or regions instead of terms like "the West" which may be interpreted in different ways in different areas of the world;
• Spell out abbreviations and acronyms the first time they are used;
• Limit literary, historical or religious allusions that may be familiar to everyone in the writer's own society, but which may be unknown or meaningless to readers elsewhere. (They also present difficulties to translators and interpreters.)
• Use technical language that is understood on an international basis rather than using localized jargon.
• Chose short, clear, and meaningful titles; more details about the subject can be given in the subtitle.

1.3 Abstracts

Authors are expected to prepare an abstract for the papers they present at the IFLA General Conference. Abstracts should contain approximately 100 words, and should summarize the major points of the paper.
Example:
UAP: what can we do about it?

UAP is defined as a target to be aimed at which will never be completely achieved. The main enemy is complacency born of ignorance about the failures of the existing arrangements. To a great extent, this complacency arises from the attitude of librarians in their work. These attitudes affect the public image of the librarian and this affects his status and the support libraries receive. The article suggests how the drive to achieve UAP should be linked to a drive to improve the public image of the librarian. The main requirement, in both campaigns, is the development of new attitudes in the library profession.

1.4 Number of Pages

Authors are limited to a specific number of pages when submitting their papers to IFLA Headquarters for the conference, due to cost constraints. The officers of the professional group in whose session papers will be delivered will inform the authors of the number of pages. Although there is a page limit for presentations at a General Conference, authors can prepare a longer version for later publication in library journals (bearing in mind that IFLA has the right of first publication).

1.5 Form

Authors are asked to follow these rules when submitting papers for IFLA Conferences.
• All papers must be submitted electronically, either by e-mail or on diskette, in standard word-processing programmes such as Word or WordPerfect or in ASCII format.
• Footnotes and bibliographic references should be numbered consecutively and placed at the end of the text.
• Graphics may be used.

1.6 The Title Page

IFLA Headquarters prepares a standard title page and attaches this to the electronic document. However, the title page sent to officers will require the following information:
• Theme of the meeting
• Title of the paper
• Author(s) (do NOT use capital letters for the title and author's name)
• Authors should give the name and the location of their institution as it can facilitate a possible contact between the audience and the speaker
• Signature of officer accepting the paper
• Indication by officer on whether translations have been arranged into IFLA's Working Languages

1.7 Mailing of Manuscripts

1.7.1

The officers of the Division, Section or Round Table in whose meeting the paper will be delivered will inform authors of dates for submitting their papers. IFLA Headquarters provides these dates in conjunction with paper handling requirements from the Conference Organizing Committee.

1.7.2

Authors should submit the original manuscript to the officers of the Division, Section or Round Table in whose meeting the paper will be delivered. In turn, the officers will forward papers to IFLA Headquarters. Authors of papers are reminded that they should never send their text directly to the local organizing committee or IFLANET.

[NOTE: If papers must be sent by fax, authors or officers must follow up by air-mail or e-mail an electronic version of the paper.]

1.7.3

Deadlines for the receipt of papers and translations at IFLA Headquarters are set each year and officers are informed of these dates annually. The date for the receipt of original papers is usually mid May and for translations by the end of July, but these may be changed depending on the location of the Conference. Officers should request that papers be submitted to them well before this date in order to allow time to evaluate the papers, return them to the authors for revision if necessary, and to have them translated. Papers which reach IFLA Headquarters after the deadlines will not be included in the booklets or translations distributed at the Conference.

• Speakers should not overrun the time allotted for the presentation of their paper.

• Speakers should use one of the official IFLA languages when presenting their papers, and whenever one of these languages is their mother tongue, use that particular language.

• Speakers should speak slowly and clearly and keep continuously in mind that for a large percentage of their audience, the language of the presentation is a foreign one.

• Speakers should pay due attention to requests from the interpreters (e.g., to speak more slowly, to speak into the microphone, etc.).

• Speakers should inform officers of the equipment needed for the presentation of their papers. IFLA Headquarters supplies a form expressly for this purpose which should be filled out by the appropriate officer.

• Whenever possible, speakers should not read their papers, but introduce it, highlight the most important points and in this way encourage the audience to discuss the content of the paper. It is much easier to hold the attention of an audience when speaking from notes.

• Speakers should inform the officers in early March of the conference year (at the latest) of the equipment they need for the presentation of their papers.

Holding Meetings During IFLA Conferences

In order to have a good discussion following the presentation of the papers or the panel and to encourage audience participation, it is helpful for the officers to have one or two questions or comments in hand to stimulate and to start off the discussion if necessary. Some Section officers send advance copies of their papers to the Standing Committee or Round Table members or to the registered members of the Section. This has proved to be a very helpful way to enable participants to come to the session prepared to discuss the papers.

2. Simultaneous Interpretation

Obtaining translations of Conference papers is primarily the responsibility of the officers of the professional groups. They should arrange for translations into English, French, German and Spanish by members of their Standing Committee or their Section or Round Table, or by other colleagues or national library associations. This should be done on a volunteer basis without charge as a service to the Section or Round Table concerned. (If, as a last resort, translations must be paid for, the costs should be borne by the administrative budget of the professional group concerned). The National IFLA Committees of France, Germany, Russia and Spain may be able to nominate translators. The network of IFLA language advisers includes translators who have agreed to provide written translations for IFLA (under certain conditions). Information about these possibilities is available from the Coordinator of Professional Activities at IFLA Headquarters.

[NOTE: papers cannot normally be accepted for translation after 15 June]

In the event that not all papers can be translated, officers are requested to give priority to the translation of those papers that are delivered in meetings where no simultaneous interpretation is available. Officers should send the translations of papers as soon as they are ready to IFLA Headquarters where they will be coded and sent to the Conference organizers.

Paper Handling and Distribution

• the author has respected the number of pages allocated to him or her;
• the technical requirements of IFLA are met;
• the abstract and author form (with notes for the Chairperson to introduce the speaker) have been received.

Once paper has been approved by the officers, the original manuscript, abstract or diskette in one of the standard word processing programmes (e.g., Word, WordPerfect or ASCII) should be sent to:

IFLA Headquarters, P.O. Box 95312, 2509 CH The Hague, Netherlands
Email: IFLA@ifla.org

IFLA Headquarters will code the papers, forward them to the Conference Organizing Committee and put them up on IFLANET. The Conference Organizing Committee will reproduce papers and translations for distribution to Conference participants as follows: copies of papers in the original language will be reproduced in the Paper Booklets, available during the Conference at the Paper Handling Center. Translations and Workshop papers will be available from the Paper Handling Center. During the Conference, translations should be taken first to the IFLA Secretariat at the Conference for coding. The Secretariat will ensure that they will reach the Paper Handling Center so that copies can be made on request. Late original papers cannot be accepted after 1 August.

2. Publication of IFLA Conference Papers

3.1 Clearinghouses

The local organizers send a full set of papers to the IFLA Clearinghouses. Interested colleagues can obtain photocopies of conference papers from the clearinghouse of their region.

3.2 IFLANET

See Section on IFLANET Policy and Procedures in this handbook.

Division Liaison Persons and Volunteers for IFLA Conferences

1.1

IFLA Headquarters usually asks the national organizing committee for the IFLA Conference to nominate eight Division liaison persons.

1.2

The aim is to establish a link between each Division of IFLA and the professional community in the city/country hosting the conference in order to facilitate the Divisions' programme planning for the conference and satellite meetings. An experienced professional librarian is nominated to maintain regular and informal contact with the officers of his/her Division.

1.3

Tasks of the liaison persons are not rigidly defined. They may include the following:

• Advising on the local planning of open sessions, workshops or pre-conference meetings of the groups within a Division;
• arranging equipment;
• arranging social events specifically for the Sections or Round Tables in their Division;
• advising on social and cultural matters in response to enquiries from their Division and speakers invited by their Division (if these matters are not already covered in IFLA Express).

1.4

Division liaisons are not expected to provide a routine general conference information service which is properly the function of other bodies such as the secretariat of the organizing committee, the conference center or travel agents.

1.5

The function is non-statutory, and in no way takes precedence over any formal arrangements or policies of the national conference organizing committee or IFLA Headquarters, nor substitutes for the responsibility of elected IFLA officers (unless the liaison persons are themselves the elected officers of the IFLA groups which they are advising).

1.6

The persons concerned should not normally occupy positions of responsibility on the organizing committee, to avoid excessive workload. They should be in positions within their own employing institutions which are senior enough to enable them to command resources and direct volunteers which may be assigned to them [see: Volunteers], but preferably at operational level (it is not advisable for persons at Director level to be "Division liaisons").

1.7

The names of the Division liaisons should be communicated to IFLA Headquarters and the Professional Board in good time, preferably not later than the end of the year before the conference.

2.1

It is usual practice for a large number of volunteers to work at the IFLA Conference. The number may vary (usually between 100 and 200), and is usually fixed by the national organizing committee.

2.2

Volunteers are usually young people (students of librarianship, students of foreign languages, or others), who are willing to assist with various tasks in connection with the IFLA Conference. They may also be practicing professionals or retired professionals.

2.3

Principles:

• they receive no payment other than reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses (meals, bus tickets, etc.);
• they must be fluent in at least one of the official working languages of IFLA in addition to the language of the host country;
• they must be available for work during the conference period, including time before the conference which the national organizing committee may deem necessary for training;
• they should be willing to submit to team discipline and follow instructions;
• they should be willing and able to work flexible hours;
• they should be service-minded.

2.4

The national organizing committee should:

• establish procedures to call for volunteers;
• nominate persons to select and train the volunteers;
• define the tasks of the volunteers and ensure discipline;
• seek funding to cover any costs associated with the use of volunteers (e.g., T-shirts, transportation);
• provide transportation, refreshments, etc., as required, or a per diem;
• provide identification for the volunteers.

2.5

The committee should nominate a senior person to coordinate and train the volunteers. The coordinator may consult with IFLA Headquarters on the desired content of the training.

2.6

The committee is responsible for legal questions which may arise from the use of volunteers, in terms of labor legislation, health insurance, etc., but this should not substitute for the civil responsibility of the volunteers themselves.

2.7

Selection criteria should be:

• age/maturity;
• appearance and presentation;
• communication skills;
• tact and diplomacy;
• fluency in languages;
• (para)professional knowledge.

2.8

Tasks should be defined by the national organizing committee. As an individual, volunteers may be requested to:

• provide information to participants (about the programme, rooms, etc.);
• distribute documents (papers in rooms, IFLA Express, etc.);
• run errands for IFLA staff, officers, and national organizers;
• staff information points outside the conference venue (e.g., at the airport, etc.);
• accompany participants in buses;
• communicate between session Chairpersons and interpreters;
• provide assistance to interpreters.

2.9

The allocation of tasks will of course depend on the age and experience of the individual volunteers. Volunteers are not normally given responsibility for handling finance, unless the organizing committee decides this is appropriate in certain circumstances.

2.10

It is recommended that the volunteers be organized into teams, each under the leadership of a more experienced person.

2.11

The organizing committee may allocate a small number of more highly-skilled volunteers to work closely with the Division liaison persons.

2.12

Volunteers are not authorized to comment publicly on the administration of the conference or on matters of IFLA policy which may be under discussion in open or closed meetings.

2.13

Content of training should be given to volunteers in the following general areas:

• the aims, organization and structure of IFLA;
• the identification of officers and staff of IFLA, and members of the national committee;
• the contents of the conference programme;
• the communication skills (in various languages) and etiquette;
• their rights and obligations.

Professional Resolutions

A General Resolution is defined as a written statement aiming at a decision ("be it resolved"). General Resolutions are formally voted on by the Membership at the Council meeting and are then acted on by the Executive Board. Their content concerns matters affecting the direction and policy of IFLA, including formal expressions of IFLA concerns, statements of principles applying to libraries worldwide, and matters which IFLA should bring to the attention of outside authorities for action. They are sometimes of a political nature. They frequently are directed towards action at the national and international government level. General Resolutions are formally worded, often using whereas clauses.

Recent subjects of General Resolutions include: Value added tax on books, Freedom of expression, the Florence Agreement, Copyright.

3. Professional Resolutions

A Professional Resolution is defined as a written statement indicating an intention or a position or proposed action and it will require further consideration by one of IFLA's professional bodies, e.g. the Professional Board, before any follow-up can be expected. These resolutions generally arise from concerns of Divisions, Sections, Round Tables or Core Programmes of IFLA and their content refers to the professional programme of IFLA. Professional Resolutions also come from Pre-Session Seminars, satellite meetings and workshops and are brought forward through appropriate Sections and Divisions. Professional Resolutions are handled by the Professional Board, but they may be passed on to the Executive Board if appropriate.

Recent examples of Professional Resolutions are "Use of permanent paper", "endorsement of OSI standards", "day registration at conferences", "copyright of Audiovisual materials".

4. Format of Professional Resolutions

• Topic of resolution
  Brief title, giving subject of the resolution

• Background
  This consists of one or two paragraphs, never longer than one page, which sets out the reason for and justification of the resolution. (Some resolutions may be so obvious as not to need this section). It is useful to think of this as the text of a letter from IFLA to another body to which IFLA is referring the resolution.

• Resolution itself
  This should be one paragraph covering a single topic. Subordinate points could be given on separate lines. "Whereas" and similar clauses should not be used, as supporting information is to be provided in the Background section. The resolution must clearly state what is being recommended.

• Names of those submitting the Resolution
  Representatives of Association Members and the Divisions, Sections or Round Tables approving the resolution.

• Date of submission

An example of a Professional Resolution in this format is as follows:

Resolution on Permanent Paper

Background:

IFLA Adopted resolutions on permanent paper in 1898 and 1991 and subsequently, through the efforts of its Section on Preservation and Conservation and the PAC Core Programme, contributed to the development of the UNESCO Resolution on Permanent Paper which was adopted in November 1997.

Text:

IFLA strongly supports the 1997 UNESCO Resolution on Permanent Paper and should take action at the highest level to urge its members to intensify efforts among paper producers to provide local supplies of permanent paper meeting the requirements of ISO 9706, and to promote the use of permanent paper in publications and other document which contain information of lasting value.

Submitted by:

Ralph. W. Manning, Chair, Section on Preservation and Conservation and Ms. Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff, Director, IFLA PAC Core Programme.

Many professional resolutions that are now put forward by Sections and Divisions are not really resolutions but proposals for projects, workshops or satellite meetings. In these cases, the "resolution" is likely to be simply referred back for action to the professional group which originated it. Therefore, proposals for projects and meetings should not be submitted as resolutions. Instead, the professional group should seek partners with other groups and Core Programmes and design a project, workshop or satellite meeting proposal and put it forward to the Professional Board for funding as a project or for approval as a workshop or satellite meeting. For example, if the Section on Document Delivery and Interlending believes that a Model Interlending Manual should be developed, it should go ahead and develop a plan to produce such a Manual, perhaps in cooperation with the IFLA Office for International Lending, find people to do the work and submit it as a project through its Coordinating Board to the Professional Board for possible funding.

6. Submission of Professional Resolutions: Deadlines

At the Closing Session of the Conference, the Chairperson of the Professional Board will present resolutions which are in final form as well as any Resolutions which it has received since the last Conference and announce the topics of other resolutions which are not yet in final form. The Chairperson will not report on the action or follow up on newly submitted resolutions, i.e. acceptance, non-acceptance, action to be taken on the previous year's resolutions and on resolutions which were submitted to and studied at its November and April meetings. In this way the Professional Board will have time to give resolutions the attention they deserve and to follow up properly and report on them.

In the case of resolutions coming from a seminar, a workshop or a satellite meeting, the resolutions may be submitted in draft form, and a representative of the seminar, workshop or meeting should be named to put the resolutions into final form as regards wording. The content and meaning of the resolutions should of course not be changed from that approved by the attendees, but good editing of the original and the preparation of translations into other IFLA languages can lead to more effective action.

8. Conclusion

New resolutions and follow-up on previous resolutions will be published in the IFLA Journal at intervals.

Glossary of IFLA Terminology

Advancement of Librarianship (ALP):

one of the IFLA Core Programmes. The purpose of ALP is to further the library profession, library institutions and library and information services in the less developed countries. ALP particularly concentrates on issues which are of vital importance for the developing countries and do not fall within the responsibility of the other Core Programmes.

ALP see Advancement of Librarianship in the Third World

Association Member see Members

CB see Coordinating Board

Chairperson see Officers.

Coordinating Board (CB):

A Coordinating Board consists of the Chairpersons and Secretaries of all Sections (standing committees) belonging to one Division. Working together, they promote and coordinate the professional work of particular relevance to the specific types of libraries or library activities for which the Division is established. A Coordinating Board elects from its membership a Chairperson and a Secretary (one of these officers most often holding the role of Financial Officer). One person from each Coordinating Board serves as the representative to the Professional Board. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 21.5-6) See also Division.

Core Programme (CP):

Core Programmes have been identified by IFLA to represent library activities that are of concern throughout the entire organization (e.g., bibliographic control, preservation of materials, availability of publications, etc.). There is also a Core Programme for regional activities. The Executive Board is responsible for general policies and the Programmes' direction, while the Professional Board is responsible for the professional content of the Programmes and coordinating these activities with those of the standing committees and Round Tables. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 20.) See Advancement of (ALP), Preservation and Conservation (PAC), Universal Availability of Publications (UAP), Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC (UBCIM), Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications (UDT).

Corresponding Member:

Corresponding members of IFLA Standing Committees are those individuals who normally are unable to attend conferences for geographical reasons, and are limited to five per committee. Their role is to represent regions that might not otherwise be represented on the Committee.

CP see Core Programme

Council:

The Council - the highest organ of IFLA - is the general assembly of Members (associations and institutions) - having all powers for achieving the purposes of the organization. Each Member may be represented at a meeting of the Council by one or more delegates, of which one person shall be designated to vote. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 10.)

Discussion Group (Interest Group):

Discussion Groups may be established on a very informal basis to allow groups of IFLA members to meet to discuss specific professional, social or cultural issues insofar as they affect or are likely to affect the library and information profession. Such groups may serve as "think tanks" to produce ideas to take to appropriate Divisions, Sections, and Round Tables for possible adoption and sponsorship as projects. Discussion groups receive no support from IFLA Headquarters and, as such, cannot plan programmes, workshops, or seminars.

Division:

Currently, there are eight Divisions in IFLA organized by type of library or by type of library activity. The function of each Division is to promote and coordinate professional work of particular relevance to the specific types of libraries or library activities for which the Division is established. Each Division is overseen by a Coordinating Board, consisting of the Chairpersons and Secretaries of the Sections belonging to that Division. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 21.) See also Coordinating Board.

EB see Executive Board

Executive Board:

IFLA is overseen by an Executive Board, which has the full powers of administration and management, in so far as these do not lie with the Council, and which are subject to the prerogatives of the Council. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 14-16.)

Financial Officer see Officers.

Honorary Member see Members

IFLA:

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

IFLA HQ:

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Headquarters, located in The Hague, Netherlands.

IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure:

The document that provides the legal definitions, descriptions, and procedures, including the name and purpose of the organization, membership and affiliation, organization, etc. of IFLA.

IFLANET:

The Official IFLA Website. Currently, the National Library of Canada is responsible for IFLANET activities.

Information Coordinator:

The individual from a Standing Committee or Round Table responsible for supplying information about that group to IFLANET.

Institutional Member see Members

Interest Group see Discussion Group

Medium-Term Programme (MTP):

The Medium-Term Programme is a basic statement used both within and outside of IFLA as a guide to the IFLA programme. It can be viewed as IFLA's strategic programmatic plan for a specified period of time (usually four to six years). Each of IFLA's professional groups (Standing Committees, Round Tables, and Core Programmes) develops a scope statement, goals, and action plans for the time period of the Medium Term Programme, in order to provide direction for activities, programmes, and projects.

Members:

There are three categories of membership in IFLA.

Association Member:

Associations of libraries, librarians, and library schools; also associations of bibliographical and research institutes which are primarily concerned with the implementation of the purposes of IFLA. Association Members must function within the framework of national, multinational or international library and information services.

Institutional Member:

libraries, library schools, bibliographical and research institutes and other institutions and bodies primarily concerned with the implementation of the purposes of the Federation.

Honorary Member:

Includes Past Presidents of IFLA on whom the title of Honorary President is conferred by the Council on the recommendation of the Executive Board; and, Honorary Fellows, individuals whose outstanding distinction in the field of libraries, or outstanding services to IFLA are recognized by the IFLA Executive Board.

[Note: Affiliation to the Federation is open to the following categories: Personal Affiliates, Sponsors]

MTP see Medium-Term Programme

Officer [of IFLA]:

Officers of IFLA include: the President of IFLA, members of the Executive Board, members of the Professional Board, chairpersons, secretaries, and financial officers of Standing Committees and Round Tables.

Open Forum:

A programme held during IFLA Conferences usually sponsored by a single Coordinating Board. The purpose of an Open Forum is to inform the audience about the activities of the Standing Committees and Round Tables belonging to that Division, and of the Coordinating Board itself. Occasionally, a Division may hold an Open Forum on a topic that is of general interest to the entire division.

Open Programme see Open Session

Open Session:

An Open Programme is an information session presented by one or more Standing Committees, Round Tables, or Core Programmes. Usually, an Open Programme is centered on one specific theme with previously identified speakers addressing that particular topic. Open Programmes can also have different speakers addressing several topics of interest to the sponsors, however. The papers presented during an Open Forum are often found in printed form in the Booklets issued by IFLA during the conference, or they may be accessed over IFLANET.

PAC see Preservation and Conservation

PB see Professional Board

Poster Session:

Poster Sessions are a means for IFLA participants to present information on a specific theme or research project. The setting is very informal, with the object being to give the audience (one or many individuals) opportunities to ask questions or present alternatives. A panel or easel is allotted to the presenter, who then presents his or her session through a combination of graphics, photographs, and text.

Preservation and Conservation (PAC):

one of the IFLA Core Programmes. The goal of PAC is to ensure that library and archives materials, published and unpublished, in all formats will be preserved in accessible form for as long as possible.

Professional Board (PB):

The Professional Board coordinates the professional work of IFLA undertaken by the Core Programmes, Divisions, Sections, Round Tables, and Working Groups. The Professional Board consists of one representative of each of IFLA's Divisions plus a Chairperson who previously served on the PB and has no other official duties. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 17-19.)

Professional Coordinator:

The Professional Coordinator, appointed by the Executive Board, shall act as Secretary to the Professional Board. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 24.4)

Round Table (RT):

Round Tables are small groups of persons with comparable professional status established for the purpose of exchanging experience. They are created or discontinued by either a particular Division or a particular Section or a combination of Divisions and/or Sections, subject to the approval of the Professional Board. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 23.)

RT see Round Table

Satellite Meeting:

Satellite meetings can provide a mechanism for holding a more extended programme, workshop, mini-conference, training course or other specialized meeting. They are usually held either just before or just after an IFLA Conference, and are organized independently of the IFLA Conference. Unlike the programmes occurring during the IFLA Conference, those planning Satellite Meetings assume full responsibility for such things as local arrangements, fund raising, publicity, any fees incurred, paper handling, and simultaneous interpretation.

SC see Standing Committee

Secretariat:

The Secretariat of IFLA shall be headed by a Secretary General who shall be appointment by the Executive Board. The Secretary General shall be responsible for the performance of the administrative and organizational work of the Federation. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 24.1-2).

Section:

Each Division of IFLA may establish Sections pertaining to the field of interest (e.g., University Libraries, Public Libraries, Cataloging and Classification, Document Delivery and Interlending, etc.) of that Division, subject to the approval of the Professional Board. IFLA Association and Institutional Members may select the Sections to which they wish to belong. Only members of a Section are permitted to nominate Standing Committee members to that Section. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 22). See also Standing Committee.

Section Member:

An IFLA Association or Institution Member belonging to a particular IFLA Section.

SI see Simultaneous Interpretation

Simultaneous Interpretation (SI):

Sessions held during the IFLA Conference where the papers and comments are officially translated into one or more of the official languages of IFLA: French, Spanish, German, Russian, and English.

Special Adviser:

A former member of a committee who is invited to work with a committee in order to provide specific information, or a former committee member who is still working on a project for a Standing Committee. A Special Advisor has no other committee responsibility within IFLA.

Standing Committee (SC):

Each IFLA Section has a Standing Committee which is responsible for developing the programme of the Section and ensuring the execution of its programme and activities. No more than twenty individuals can comprise a Standing Committee. These individuals can be nominated only by an association or institution belonging to the section. Each Standing Committee then elects from its members a Chairperson and a Secretary who represent the Standing Committee on the Coordinating Board. See also Section.

UAP see Universal Availability of Publications

UBCIM see Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC

UDT see Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications

Universal Availability of Publications (UAP):

one of the IFLA Core Programmes. The basic concept underlying the UAP is to make all publications available to all who require them. The Programme promotes the concept of availability through publications, seminars, conferences and educational activities.

Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC (UBCIM):

one of the IFLA Core Programmes. UBCIM seeks to coordinate activities aimed at the development of systems and standards for bibliographic control at the national level and the international exchange of bibliographic data. It also seeks to promote the UNIMARC format and coordinate its development and maintenance by experts.

Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications (UDT):

one of the IFLA Core Programmes. UDT seeks to facilitate the international and national exchange of electronic data by providing the library community with pragmatic approaches to resource sharing. The Programme promotes the use of relevant standards (particularly those for Open Systems Interconnection), promotes the use of relevant technologies and monitors relevant policy issues in an effort to overcome barriers to the electronic transfer of data in library fields.

Working Group:

Ad hoc Working Groups are established by either a Division or Section or a combination of Divisions and/or Sections to study specific topics. (IFLA Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Art. 23.)

Workshop:

Workshops are programmes within the IFLA Conference structure that allow for concentrated discussion on very specific topics. Only a limited number of workshops are authorized during an IFLA Conference. Workshops are usually limited to 50 participants.

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