newsletter - international federation of library

no. 2 • Spring• 2003

library services toibrary services toibrary services toibrary services toibrary services to

multicultural populationsmulticultural populationsmulticultural populationsmulticultural populationsmulticultural populationsnewsletter

Marketing the Library

continued on pg. 3

using the Business model

22

11

33

2004

2005

2006

World Library and

Information Congress

has been adopted as the

new title for future IFLA

annual Conferences

beginning with the

2003 event to take place

in Berlin, Germany. The

new title is designed to

ensure that the event

has a greater impact

outside the profession

and in the city in which

it takes place.

New Name for MajorInternationalLibrary Conference

Durban, South Africa

Oslo, Norway

Buenos Aires, Argentina

2007

Seoul, Republic of Korea

August 1-9, 2003

IFLA Berlin

www.

BY AMY GISCHE LYONS

Globalization, technical advances and the importance of information have plunged libraries into aworld where they are seeing new competition on a daily basis. Being forced to compete in newarenas, libraries need to function within an environment that demands greater attention be paid tomarketing the library and its services.

Understanding MarketingTo remain vital and competitive in the information management market, libraries need to

understand what marketing is and how to apply marketing principles to their best advantage.According to Philip Kotler’s, “Principles of Marketing,” one of the most widely used marketingtextbooks in graduate schools of business, marketing is “a societal process by which individualsand groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering, and freely exchangingproducts and services of value with others.”

Using a model derived from business practices this article presents libraries with a six stepprocess by which to undertake marketing a library. These steps include conducting marketingresearch, analyzing the market, determining a marketing mix, targeting the market population,developing a plan and then evaluating its effectiveness.

Before marketing your organization, consider three factors:

Understand the organizational environment.Know the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological environment in which yourorganization functions. The process an organization undertakes to learn more about thesefactors is known as marketing research. Conducting marketing research and understandingthe library environment is essential to developing a successful marketing plan. Gainingknowledge of the environment is an ongoing process.

Know your customers.Libraries need to be familiar with their clientele. It is important to understand who they are,what they need, want or even demand. Visitors to libraries typically seek information,education, and enjoyment. They want immediate availability to a wide array of resources.In fact, depending upon the environment of the library, users may indicate a need to haveaccess to everything on a given topic. In marketing terms, such needs, wants and demandsare met by “product offerings or services.” Libraries, generally known for providingservices, also offer products, for example, photocopies, bibliographies, etc.

Do your homework.Before offering a new product or service, it is necessary to conduct well thought-out marketresearch. Think about whether the service or product will provide value to library users.

newsletternewsletter

newsletter library services to multicultural populations Spring 2003

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http://www. ifla.org/VIII/s32/slsmp.htm

Message from the Chair

The Newsletter is the official publicationof the IFLA Section on Library Servicesto Multicultural Populations. It ispublished three times per year — Fall,Spring, and Summer.

The Newsletter is mailed to all Section members as abenefit of membership. Issues are also available on-line at the Section’s Web site at http://ifla.org/VII/s32/slsmp.htm.

Articles for publication and /or requests forinformation should be sent to Barbara von Wahldeat bvw@ buffalo.edu or Jane Pyper [email protected]

EDITOR Barbara von Wahlde

CO-EDITOR Jane Pyper

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Donna Serafin

FI LA

After our StandingCommittee Midwintermeeting March 3-4 inParis, the followingweek Kirsten and Iattended the Coordinat-ing Board meeting heldin The Hague, The

Netherlands. Among agenda items wasthe “Creating a Green Light for IFLA”paper prepared by Board member,Marian Koren. The background forMarian Koren’s paper is based ondebates and discussions in differentforums about the growth in the numberof sections. Discussion groups turn intosections though discussion groups havean administrative life of only three years.Round tables as well become sectionsthus increasing the number of sectionswithin the IFLA organization. IFLAneeds a simpler overall structure withmore democratic and broad involvementfrom the profession, and a strongerpolitical profile to become a moreeffective and prominent player in thedeveloping global information society.

Some of the questions Marian Korenasked include:

• Are there too many Sections compet-ing for scarce resources and conferencetime slots?

• Are there gaps in the coverage ofSections (e.g., in the corporate sector)which need to be met by new Sectionsespecially in the light of the demise ofFID?

• Is there undesirable competitionbetween Sections with similar interests?

• Should there be a realignment ofSections within the Divisions?

• How can we encourage and facilitatemore collaboration between Sections on projects and programmes?

• Are there ways in which we canrelease more resources for professionalprogrammes?

The “Green Light” paper raised manydifficult issues which lead to interestingquestions. For example, is it necessary foreach Standing Committee to present oneor two professional programmes at everyIFLA World Library and InformationCongress. In our Standing Committee,we decided at our 2001 midwintermeeting in Granada to have a post orpre-conference (satellite meeting) onlyevery second year due to the enormousamount of effort and resources requiredin preparation for such a session. Wouldit be acceptable to have a professionalprogram at the main conference only inthose years without a post or pre-conference (satellite meeting)?

All these questions will be importantissues for debate in all IFLA StandingCommittees. We will have this issueof examining IFLA’s organization andpractices as a regular item on our agendain the coming years.

Jane Dreisig

Visit the Section’s

website’s at:

http://ifla.org/VII/s32/slsmp.htm.

Marketing cont. from pg. 1

Marketing continued on pg.4

Know whether the library will have the resources to sustain the service on an ongoingbasis. Review all information gathered before introducing any service. Remember, thegreater the value a library patron places on a product or service, the greater his or herlevel of satisfaction.

Libraries are already familiar with some of the processes used to gather informa-tion for marketing research. To assist libraries, the following are considerations thatneed to be kept in mind.

� Know why you are collecting the information.

� Be specific about what you are trying to investigate.

� Determine what tools will be used to collect the information.Will you gather information about your patrons via interviews, focus groups,or surveys? Will the information be gathered in person or through a webinterface?

� Become familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of the methodologyyou select prior to conducting your research. Know if one methodologyworks more effectively than another to gather the information you arelooking to collect.

Information that has been gathered by or for another purpose may also be helpful.Secondary sources, such as journal literature, organizational studies, public records, aswell as networking with colleagues, can provide a wealth of information.


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Sister Library Relationships

Establishing Sister Library relation-ships isone meaningful way that librarians caninitiate and promote greaterunderstanding in the world. Often therelationships come about becauselibrarians, who have traveled to anothercountry, have established professionalcontacts and wish to maintain theirconnection with colleagues. Others comethrough service clubs, Sister Cityrelationships, church affiliations, Fullbrightscholarships, IFLA, and otherinternational programs. In the late 1990s,the U.S. National Commission onLibraries and Information Science(NCLIS) encouraged Sister Libraryrelationships throughout the worldthrough a special program that certifiedboth participating libraries and cities.

The story of how Crandall PublicLibrary and the Saga City MunicipalLibrary became Sister Libraries centers onhot air ballooning, a surprisingconnection. Balloon teams from GlensFalls, New York and Saga City, Japanmet at ballooning events in Canada,Japan and the United States. Both SagaCity and Glens Falls hold annualballooning events that draw thousands ofpeople from all over the world. Buildingupon their mutual interest in hot airballoons, the two cities acknowledgedthat they wanted to continue to maintaintheir connections and they formallyestablished a Sister Cities relationship in1988. The two cities enlarged upon theballoon connection to include exchangesof high school and community collegestudents, tae kwan do instructors,municipal leaders and eventually, the twolibraries were invited to discuss becomingSister Libraries.

The path to becoming a Sister Libraryfor Crandall Public Library began in the

early 1990s with meetings with theCommon Council of Glens Falls. Thecouncil wanted to find a way tostrengthen ties with Saga City byexhibiting and storing splendid examplesof folk art and fine crafts gifted to GlensFalls from Saga City. By 1995, CrandallPublic Library had established apermanent exhibit of the fine arts, folkarts and local crafts from the Saga Cityarea. Saga is known as the only place inthe world where silk and silverembroidery is produced and examples ofthis extraordinary work were given apermanent home at Crandall. Saga isalso known for fine porcelain, manyexamples of which are also on display.Crandall has a unique Center for Folklife,History and Cultural Programs dedicatedto the study and preservation of the livingtraditions of the Adirondack region andto explore other cultures. Crandall alsodonated crafts of the region to the SagaCity Library which were put on display in2001.

At the invitation of the mayor of SagaCity, I traveled in 1996 with a Sister Citydelegation to Japan to celebrate theopening of the new, 238,000 square footpublic library, the Saga City MunicipalLibrary. Along with the Mayor of GlensFalls and other delegates, I participatedin the opening of the new facility asdirector of Crandall Public Library. Thetwo mayors and the two library directorssigned a treaty of cooperation as SisterLibraries on August 8, 1996. All signerswere asked to speak to those present astranslators assisted in delivering themessages of cooperation and futurecollaborations. It was a great privilege toaddress the Saga community and theentire delegation was treated with greathospitality. At one point duringintroductions, the women in the audience

gave me a standing ovation because, asthey told me later, I was a femalemanager, a rarity in Japan. At theceremony, I presented books related tothe Adirondack region of New York Stateserved by Crandall, which are within thelibrary’s central library service area.Wordless picture books, other children’sbooks, a reproduction of an oil paintingof Crandall Public Library and a delightfulprimitive folk art print of the librarydepicted as the “Heart of theCommunity” were also presented to ourSaga colleagues. The Saga City Librarianpresented Crandall Public Library withbooks and videos on Japan and SagaCity and porcelain from local artists.

Maintaining the Sister Libraryrelationship has been facilitated by yearlyvisits from both communities. Delegatesfrom both communities always visit thetwo libraries during the yearly visits as aregular itinerary stop. One of Crandall’sreference librarians traveled in 2001 toSaga City and represented our library inceremonies there. Crandall and SagaCity continue to exchange materials,which are catalogued and circulated.Saga City produces a newsletter inEnglish about Sister City activities which isavailable at Crandall for the communityand for people interested in joining futuredelegation to Saga. During the springand summer of 2000, Crandall had anexhibition of student artwork from severalgrade schools and high schools in SagaCity. Many of the student artists includedpictures of themselves and a short

Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls, New York and theSaga City Municipal Library, Saga City, Japan

Sister Library continued on pg.11


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2 4

3

Marketing cont. from pg. 2

ANALYZING THE MARKET

Many libraries have applied a toolconsidered to be one of the mostcommon environmental marketinganalysis instruments. This tool, known asStrengths Weakness OpportunitiesThreats (SWOT) analysis, is used tounderstand both the internal andexternal factors that impact decisions.Strengths and Weaknesses (S and W) areinternal considerations, while Opportu-nities and Threats (O and T) are externalconsiderations. For example, whenplanning a new library program, aninternal strength (S) could be theresources that the library owns in aparticular subject area. A weakness (W)may be that there is no person on staffwith the subject expertise necessary andskills required to offer the service.External opportunities (O) may be achance for the library to fill a specific

subjectneed in thecommunityby offeringthe plannednewservice.Conversely,a threat (T)may be thata commer-cial ventureis consider-ing offeringa similar

service. The benefit of this tool is that itenables an organization to examine therelationship of the strengths, weak-nesses, opportunities and threatssimultaneously.

When using the SWOT method,develop marketing opportunities thatare mostly S/O strategies.

CHOOSING A MARKETING MIXOnce the market analysis is complete,

attention turns to the marketing mix ofProduct, Price, Place and Promotion.Frequently referred to as the 4Ps, eachvariable can be controlled and deter-mined by the library. By assessing each

S/O - opportunities that are a good fit tolibrary strengths

W/O - weaknesses must be overcometo pursue opportunities

S/T - how can the library uses itsstrengths to overcome threats

W/T - weaknesses make the librarysusceptible to external threats

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities S/O W/O

Threats S/T W/T

element of the 4Ps individually, a librarycan determine the interrelationship of allthe variables and how they can be appliedto accomplish marketing objectives.

The first “P” to be examined isProduct. In a library environment,products can be tangible items or servicesthe library has to offer. For example, alibrary may gather information resourceson a particular topic that it makesavailable to its users in a packagedform. This would be the product. Onthe other hand, it may be that thelibrary makes available theopportunity for a patron togather information on hisor her own with thestaff’s assistance. This isconsidered a service.

In for-profit organizations, Price isnormally what is exchanged or set todetermine the value of the product. Innot-for-profit organizations, particularlylibraries, the price or value is whatpatrons are willing to attribute to aproduct or service. To determine price,libraries need to know how important thenew service or product is to its clientele.”It is important for this information to begained directly from feedback of libraryusers rather than assumptions notsupported by data.

Place is where, when and how theproduct is being made available. Thisaspect is more ambiguous becauselibraries are offering services in expand-ing and diversified environments. Forexample, libraries provide in person and24/7 electronic, virtual reference service.

Finally, Promotion is the communica-tion tool of an organization. Traditionallylibraries have informed users about theirproducts and services through publicity,public relations, print publications, andincreasingly through web sites. Librariesneed to be creative about seeking ways topromote its services.

4Ps

Promotion

PlacePrice

Product

During the planning stage, anorganization has to, in marketing terms,“target ” the market. This means thatafter examining its overall population,the library determines if the new servicewill be targeted to a specific segment ofthe population it serves. Multiple factorssuch as geography, demography, socio-cultural and psychosocial perspectivesshould be considered. For example, a

public library that is consideringlending motion picture DVDs to its

patrons, could apply asegmented approach. Ifso, the library would

want to think about to whomit is going to offer this service:

adults, young adults or children? Thetypes of motion pictures that a library

would purchase to lend to adults mightbe very different than those it wouldconsider lending to young adults orchildren. Think about the group(s) thelibrary wants to target.

After identifying the target popula-tion, the organization needs to deter-mine how the service will be perceivedby its clientele. The question to askwhen considering perception is: Howdoes the public view and value theservice? Information gained from earlierinvestigations using the focus groups,networking and research, will produceresults that will aid in the process todetermine value.

Lucille Thomas, former commit-tee member and Editor of theNewsletter for the IFLA Sectionon Library Services to Multi-cultural Populations, has beenawarded with an honorarymembership to the AmericanLibrary Association. Ms. Thomas,former supervisor of libraries forthe New York City Board ofEducation, will be honored at theOpening General Session of theannual conference in Toronto.

. . . in the NewsMarketing continued on pg.8

The publication MulticulturalCommunities: Guidelines forLibrary Services is available inseveral translations at the IFLANETwebsite at < http://ifla.org/VII/s32/slsmp.htm>

TARGETING THE MARKET POPULATION


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Biblored, Colombia’s

Innovative Library NetworkMaría Cristina Caballero

(2/03, 24 pp.) $20

ISBN 1-887334-98-X

This report describes Biblored, the librarynetwork in Bogotá, Colombia, thatreceived the 2002 Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation Access to Learning Award fortheir exceptional efforts to expand accessto information, computers and theInternet for all people.

BibloRed is an integrated network of19 public libraries that offers no-costaccess to digital information to patronsin low-income areas who otherwisewould have little access to suchinformation. In just four years, BibloRedbuilt three major libraries and upgraded16 local libraries that now attract anaverage of 10,000 daily visitors in Bogotá.The libraries are strategically located toserve at least 70 percent of the school-agepopulation and 40 percent of the adultpopulation.

Drawing on extensive interviews ofthe network’s users and planners,journalist María Cristina Caballero tellsthe story of how the library network wasborn, the challenges it has faced, and theimpact it has had on the lives of Bogotáresidents.

The report is available in English andSpanish from http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub113abst.html or can berequested from the Council on Libraryand Information Resources (CLIR),1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036Tel. 202-939-4750 Fax: 202-939-4765E-mail: [email protected]

Pu

bli

cati

on

s Library Service to Ethnic Minorities

T he Danish National LibraryAuthority has launched a two-year development programmewith the aim of creating a

common library platform for servicingethnic minorities. The programme isbased on a network of four regionallybased consultants and compriseslibrary services to the well-integratedcitizen with a non-Danish ethnicbackground as well as the newlyarrived refugee or immigrant.

The programme will be in effectfrom August 2002 until August 2004. Itinvolves public libraries in fournetwork regions, covering most of thecountry, together with the StateLibrary/Central Library for ImmigrantLiterature, the latter being in charge ofthe programme and responsible for itscoordination.

The goals of the programme are:1. To develop the role of public

libraries in the interface betweencultural diversity and the integrationprocess.

2. To develop new models forlibrary service to ethnic minorities.

3. To create and spread interest inthis line of library work, as well as inlibrary management.

4. To experiment with new forms ofcooperation between libraries in thenetworks.

Points 1 and 2 refer to user directedactivities. The ambition is to developnew strategies, taking into account theneeds of ethnic minorities forknowledge, culture and information,and at the same time promotingintegration of immigrants and refugeesinto society. Points 3 and 4 refer tointernal library activities and internalprocesses of adaptation to culturaldiversity and user needs.

The models will be based onintegration policies at the localcommunity level. At the same time, themodels should boost the developmentof new cooperation patterns betweenvarious professions, institutions andbranches at the municipal, county andnational level.

ConsultancyFor each of the four network regions,

a consultant has been appointed as partof the programme. These will be thespearheads of the public library system indevelopment of new roles, methods andforms of cooperation in the field oflibrary service to ethnic minorities.Finally, the consultants will contribute tofurther strengthening the role of theCentral Library of Immigrant Literatureas the nation wide centre of knowledge ofliteratures and cultures in the countries oforigin of the Danish immigrant andrefugee community.

Project StatusThe regional consultants have

prepared action plans which are dividedin two categories:

• Nationwide: includes themes andworking plans which are of a commoninterest to all public libraries

• Regional/local: responsible forthemes and working plans of regionalinterest; more user oriented.

Some examples from a wide range ofactivities in relation to the action plans:

• Development programme forcompetencies in library service for ethnicminorities

• Cultural events• Bilingualism – children, identity

and language• What is intercultural competence?

And is that all we need to know?• Courses in Internet and its

potential for ethnic minorities.

All the different kinds of activities willbe implemented during 2003 and 2004.

For further information:www.indvandrerbiblioteket.dk/konsulenter

Postal address:The Danish Central Library of ImmigrantLiterature, Telegrafvej 2, DK-2750Ballerup, DenmarkPhone: 44 73 46 00e-mail: [email protected]

BY BENEDIKTE KRAGH-SCHWARZ


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Project DescriptionThe aim of Project Cross-Cultural

Bridge Building was to:� provide participants with

individually tailorededucation, according topersonal needs and skills

� up-grade participants’qualifications

� provide on-the-job training

All instruction and training occurredat the same workplace.

Right at the beginning of the course,emphasis was placed on teaching all thebasic skills necessary for employment at alibrary. These included computer skills(both searching in the library’s automatedsystem and mastering the computer-based lending system), familiarity withthe alphabetical ordering andarrangement of library materials, as wellas developing custumer service skills. Allparticipants of the project attendedclasses together at the main library andthe courses were combined with job-training in custumer service at thelending counter, also at the main library.

EvaluationProject Cross-Cultural Bridge Building

succeeded in achieving its mainobjectives — providing jobs forparticipants and strengthening cross-cultural initiatives at the library. Of the130 immigrants/refugees who initiallyinquired about the project, 70 completedapplication forms, and 12 finally beganthe one year course at the library. Whenthe project ended, six participants foundemployment within the library as generaloffice workers, a computer administrator,cross-cultural employees, and one as aprojectmaker! Two participants havepermanent jobs in private firms and twoothers are in job-training positions. Of thefinal two participants, one left the

program early to start training as ahairdresser, and one left due to illness.

In evaluating the program, someaspects proved unexpectedly difficult —making sure that all fit well into the socialculture of the workplace, and dealingwith the fact that the participants were inreality competing with each other forpermanent jobs.

Project Cross-Cultural Bridge Building:Bridging the gap between cultures in thecity of Odense, Denmark, is based on theconviction that among the target group ofimmigrants and refugees, many possessprofessional and social skills which couldbenefit the cross-cultural dimension ofthe library. Likewise, the project complieswith the personnel policies of theMunicipality of Odense and of theOdense Public Library, both of which arecommitted to promoting the employmentof immigrants and refugees.

GoalsThe goal of Project Cross-Cultural

Bridge Building was twofold:� to improve services to the

various ethnic minoritiesusing the Odense PublicLibrary

� to up-grade the projectparticipants’ employmentafterwards (All participants wereon social welfare; six participantswere guaranteed permanentemployment at the library ofOdense.)

Planning StageThe planning stage, which lasted one

year, began during the fall of 2000. Thescope of the project was discussed atmeetings between the administration ofthe Odense Public Library, theEmployment and Welfare Department ofthe Municipality of Odense, and variousinstitutions of education. A workingmodel was agreed upon andsubsequently presented to the employeesand administration of the library forfurther discussion at a joint meeting withthe trade unions. At the meeting, it wasdecided to go ahead with the one-yearproject.

1. Have realistic goals of employmentfor the participants.

2. Assure sufficient funding for the project.3. Be familiar with all levels of the organization4. Encourage a tolerant and respectful

culture within the organization.5. Have the full support of administration

and unions.6. Ease demands on “documented

qualifications”.7. Provide suitable teaching facilities.8. Inform participants of the unspoken rules

of the workplace.9. Confirm that participants understand that

they will be supervised and evaluated.10. Cooperate with agencies that choose

project participants.11. Provide opportunities for participants

to show initiative.12. Expect changes in the organization

as a consequence of the project.

“You can’t build bridges long distance”. . . Bridging the gap between cultures in the city of Odense, DenmarkBridging the gap between cultures in the city of Odense, DenmarkBridging the gap between cultures in the city of Odense, DenmarkBridging the gap between cultures in the city of Odense, DenmarkBridging the gap between cultures in the city of Odense, Denmark

Project Cross-Cultural Bridge Building

BY BENTE WEISBJERG & SØREN DAHL MORTENSEN

TRANSLATED BY VIBEKE STAGE & SUSY TASTESEN

tips for successFUL projectstips for successFUL projectstips for successFUL projectstips for successFUL projectstips for successFUL projects


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A new selection tool for the Nordiclibraries, NA&T is a joint project,developed by the State Library/ DanishCentral Library of Immigrant Literature(DCLIL) in close cooperation with theNordic “sister libraries” for ethnicminorities in Finland, Norway andSweden. The three other Nordic librarieswith national responsibilities for themulticultural/ multilingual libraryservices are Helsingfors Public Library,Oslo Public Library/ The MultilingualLibrary and Stockholm Public Library/The International Library.

Shared responsibilityThe library service to ethnic minorities onthe local level should includenewspapers/ periodicals according to thelocal needs. The user survey from 2001“Refuge for Integration” showed thatnewspaper reading was one of the mostimportant reasons for visiting the library(50%). DCLIL supports this servicethrough information and advise for theselection. The database is a new tool tofurther support this activity. It is just inthe last stage of testing and will beopened to all Nordic libraries in thebeginning of March 2003.

NA&TThe database includes descriptions onseveral hundred newspapers andperiodicals in 33 languages. Each recordincludes bibliographical information anda description of the content and in somecases also information on political orreligious direction, reading level, etc. Ifavailable, price information is alsoincluded. In addition, each record cancontain comments. The intention is thatlibraries with knowledge about userexperiences with given titles will use thisfacility and share their knowledge tobenefit all involved in this work and toconsolidate the quality of the work.Thedatabase is being developedcooperatively among the Nordiccountries as a multilingual tool.Keywords and user interface are in eitherDanish, Norwegian or Swedishdepending on your logon.

User orientationThe user interface includes an option forlibraries to provide listings of specifictitles described in the database. Thelibraries often have requests from theirusers to take up a new subscription on aspecific title. If this title is not known tothe library and is not included in thedatabase already, the library can send arequest to DCLIL to have a descriptionmade which the library can use when thedecision is taken whether to meet theuser request. i

The Future: A guide to collections inthe public librariesFurther developments of the databaseand the service from The State Library/DCLIL include general access to thedatabase in an edited form and extendedto be a guide for the library users withinformation on the local librariescollections of newspapers andperiodicals. The purpose of this guide isto give easy access for the users where togo to read his or her preferrednewspaper.

Circulation of special periodicalsVery few libraries will subscribe to abroad selection of periodicals on specificsubjects or for specific topics such ascomputer magazines, literary magazinesor magazines for women in the ethniclanguages. For more special periodicals/magazines with a limited numbers ofreaders, often spread all over the countrya new service will be developed for thelibraries. The libraries can share asubscription to a periodical together witha small number of other libraries. TheState Library will develop a service tocirculate these magazines between thelibraries. Each issue will be available ineach library for a period of one monthand then be sent onwards to the nextlibrary. A mail service will be connectedto the service. Through this servicelibrary users can be informed when anew issue is available in their locallibrary.

NA&T: Nordic database for newspapers and periodicals

BY BENEDIKTE KRAGH-SCHWARZ

Migrations in Society,Culture and the Library

March 22-26, 2004Paris, France

The Western European StudiesSection (WESS) of the Associationof College & Research Libraries(ACRL) will host a four-dayconference bringing together NorthAmerican and European librarians.It will be held during the 24th Salondu Livre. The WESS Migrationsconference will set the course forWestern European collectionbuilding in the new millennium andoffer participating librariansoutstanding opportunities forprofessional growth and encounter.

About the conference: Since the seismictransformations to the map of Europe ofthe late 1980s and early 90s, librarianson both sides of the Atlantic havebecome increasingly aware thattraditional, nation-based collectionstrategies are inadequate to reflect andto address the consequences of change.Canons in all fields of scholarly andcultural endeavor explode as monolithiccultures become multicultures. Bordersbecome porous and disappear, whileairports become the new borders ofEurope. The impoverished andpopulation-rich countries of Africa andAsia become the new, immediateneighbors of wealthy Western Europeancountries, even as Eastern Europe andWestern Europe co-mingle again,restoring a sense of community knownsince the 1930s.

See the website http://www.library.jhu.edu/rsd/other/wess2004/wess2004.html. for Call forPapers, Registration and Sponsorshipopportunities.Benedikte Kragh-Schwarz is Director of the

Danish Central Lib. of ImmigrantLiterature. E-mail [email protected]


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5Marketing continued from pg. 4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in the News

CREATING THE MARKETING PLAN

Having completed the “market” analysis,the next step is to set specific objectivesand prepare a marketing plan. Objectivesshould be SMART — Specific, Measur-able, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.Simply put, the plan you put in place

should be doable andresult in success.Avoid offeringservices or productswhere there areinsufficient resourcesto sustain them. Goalsthat can be realizedare far more reward-ing to an organizationand its clientele thanthose promised andnot delivered. Aim forachievements inincrements that areworkable for the

organization.Be as Specific and precise about the

goals the library wants to accomplish,and then do it. Make certain that the goalsare Measurable. Can they be quantifiedand evaluated? Are the objectivesAchievable? Make the goals Realistic.And will the needs of the patrons be metin a Timely fashion?

SMARTMarket Plan

S

M

A

R

T

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

pecific

easurable

chievable

ealistic

imely

once services are introduced and provensuccessful, that is not the end of the cycle.Periodically review your service andproduct offerings to confirm that they arestill meeting user needs.

In summary, the most importantelement of marketing the library is tocarefully consider the impact that theservices or products have on the library’sculture. Libraries have been marketingtheir services and products for a longtime. In today’s environment however,the need for marketing is greater andefforts need to be coupled with smarterand better informed decisions. ■

Finally, when setting goals andobjectives of the marketing plan, considerwhether the service can be replicated andused by another unit in the same organi-zation.

6EVALUATING THE PLAN

An essential part of the marketingprocess is the evaluation or reviewcomponent. Are users satisfied with theresulting service or product? Does itfulfill the intended purpose? Is thatpurpose still valid? Or have needschanged? Develop a mechanism thatenables library users as well as staff toprovide timely feedback about newservices and products. Collecting feed-back is an ongoing activity and part of thecyclical nature of marketing. Remember,

Amy Gische Lyons, MBA, MLS, isAssociate Director of the Health SciencesLibrary, University at Buffalo, State Universityof New York E-mail: [email protected]

United Nations Literacy Decade2003-2012

Education for All

United Nations Secretary-General KofiAnnan is urging stepped-up efforts toclose the education gap, which he calls “a fundamental inequality in our globaliz-ing world.” On February 13, 2003, the UNlaunched the United Nations LiteracyDecade – Education for All, an initiativeagreed to by all countries to work towardsreaching the goal of increasing literacylevels by 50 per cent by the year 2015. It isspearheaded by UNESCO, as the leadagency for the Decade. “Literacy asFreedom” is the theme for the Decade.

As societies enter into the informationand knowledge era, and modern technolo-gies develop and spread at rapid speed,860 million adults are illiterate, and over100 million children have no access toschool. Countless children, youth andadults who attend school or other educa-tion programmes fall short of the requiredlevel to be considered literate in today´scomplex world. Literacy takes many forms:on paper, on the computer screen, on TV,on posters and signs. Those who useliteracy take it for granted - but those who

cannot useit areexcludedfrom muchcommunicationin today’s world.

The outcome of the Decade will belocally sustainable literate environments.These environments will give peopleopportunities to express their ideas andviews, engage in effective learning,participate in the written communicationwhich characterizes democratic societies,and exchange knowledge with others. Thiswill include increasingly the use of elec-tronic media and information technologies,both as a means of self-expression and foraccessing and assessing the vast stores ofknowledge available today.

Literacy is a plural concept, with diverseliteracies shaped by their use in particularcontexts. The Decade will work to promoteliteracies across the full range of purposes,contexts, languages, and modes of acquisi-tion with communities of learners.

Library Director Gary E. StrongResignsJAMAICA, NY, March 17, 2003 —Queens Library Director Gary E. Strongrecently announced his resignation toaccept an appointment as Head Librarianthe University of California at Los AngelesLibraries. Since 1994, Mr. Strong has been thehead of Queens Library, the busiestpublic library in America. He led the wayfor many technological advances acrossthe Queens system and oversaw theopening of three new facilities. TheQueens Borough Public Library serves apopulation of more than two million in themost ethnically diverse county in theUnited States. With 16.8 million items incirculation for Fiscal Year 2002, theLibrary has the highest circulation of anylibrary system in the country. Mr. Strong’s departure will take effectin mid-August 2003.


9......


K

kvinde.finfo.dkBY BENEDIKTE KRAGH-SCHWARZ

vinde.finfo is a new website forwomen aged 20 to 35 with a non-Danish ethnic background. Wehave pinpointed a specific

segment of the target audience for whichwe use the term mediators. A mediator is aperson who is well integrated into Danishsociety and who plays an important role inrelation to other women who still have away to go in terms of integration. At thesame time, the website expects to appeal toa secondary target group: recently arrivedwomen within the same age group.

The overall purpose of Kvinde.finfo is tocontribute to the integration of immigrantwomen into the Danish society. The site willprovide a gateway to relevant informationdesigned to match the background andneeds of the user. The site will promoteaccess to information about the Danishsociety and contribute to the disseminationof such knowledge among ethnic minoritiesin Denmark in general.

Kvinde.finfo is in the phase ofdevelopment and will eventually appear asan integrated part of the websitewww.finfo.dk.

Kvinde.finfo is a free public serviceprovided by the Danish Central Library forImmigrant Literature, a section of the Stateand University Library.

What is Kvinde.finfo?Kvinde.finfo is intended as a common

platform for distribution of informationfrom institutions and organisations involvedin integration of and production ofinformation for immigrant women. A solidnetwork has been established to ensureeasy and smooth access to relevantinformation on a single web address.

BackgroundThe Danish State and University Library

in the autumn of 2001 carried out a usabilitystudy. The purpose of this study was to:

� Chart the existing web basedinformation for the target audience

� Analyze the need of the target group, itscompetencies and behaviour patterns inseeking information on the Internet.

The usability study showed:� The existence of an unsatisfied need for

information in essential fields, such asinformation for newly arrived personsand facts about education, job, healthcare, marriage, sex, children, etc.

� The existing information is in generaltoo difficult to find and the language inwhich this information is presented, isoften above the level of languagecompetence of the targeted user.

� Users prefer a dialogue based approachto information seeking on the Internet.

Thus, the study clearly documented theneed for a new portal with one single,structured entrance to the information.

SubjectsThe usability study pinpointed the followingareas to be covered:� Education and employment� Health care� Marriage/relationships� Marital relations, pregnancy, birth� “Us and them” – cultural encounters� Newcomer in Denmark� Children

In addition to the above, the site willoffer questions and answers in selectedfields and links to relevant libraries and websites.

Articles and general information willlimit themselves to facts about laws, rulesand regulations in various fields; whereasmatters where different opinions areexpressed, will be covered by the dialogue-based sections. Users can send e-mails withquestions to a letterbox and competentprofessionals will provide the answers. Thecontent of Kvinde.finfo will reflect up-to-dateinformation.

For further information:www.statsbiblioteket.dk/indvportal/

The portal URL will be: www.kvinde.finfo.dkPostal address:The Danish Central Library of ImmigrantLiterature, Telegrafvej 2, DK-2750 BallerupDenmarkPhone: 44 73 46 00e-mail: [email protected]

■ May 15- 18, 2003

International Book Fair

Varsovia, Poland

http://www.arspolona.com.pl

■ May 15 - 25, 2003

Bienal do Livro

Rio de Janiero, Brazil

http://www.bienaldolivro.com.br

■ May 28 - June 1, 2003

Book Expo L.A.

Los Angeles, California, USA

http://www.bookexpo.reesexpo.com

■ June 4 -9, 2003

Seoul International Book Fair

Seoul, Republic of Korea

http://www.sibf.co.kr

■ June 23 -27, 2003

Jerusalem International Book Fair

Jerusalem, Israel

http://www.jerusalembookfair.com

■ August 9 - 25, 2003

Edinburgh International Book

Festival

Edinburgh, Scotland

http://www.edbookfest.co.uk

■ September 3 - 9, 2003

Moscow International Book Fair

Moscow, Russian Federation

http://www.mibf.ru

■ October 8 - 13, 2003

Frankfurt Book Fair

Frankfurt, Germany

http://www.frankfurt-book-fair.com

BookFairs


10......


■ Chair’s Report

Jane Dresig anounced that our Section’sNewletter was voted among the ”best fiveIFLA newsletters in 2002.” Also, thename of the annual conference has beenchanged to World Library and Informa-tion Congress, and that the Open ForumSession held during the conference willbe limited to two hours. Division III alsohas granted 150 Euros to cover the cost ofpublishing the document ”How toArrange a Satellite Meeting” written byBarbara von Wahlde. A final version willbe ready at the Berlin conference.

■ Stategic Planning Update

An updated version of the Strategic Planfor 2003-2005 is due in October 2003. Asummary of accomplishments will bemade by Kirsten. A working group, leadby Lourina, will formulate the updatedstrategic plan based on the committee’sdiscussions and present a draft to thecommittee by June 1, 2003.

■ Guidelines

A working group is being established tobegin the 3rd revision of the Section’spublication, Multicultural Communities:Guidelines for Library Service. Volunteersare sought for this important project andshould contact either Jane Dreisig orKirsten Leth Nielsen.

■ Berlin 2003

The theme for the Sections’s Workshopwill be <Multicultural Libraries inGerman Speaking Countries: Status andProspects>. Susy reported that plans forthe workshop are ongoing and thatiformation will be available in theSummer issue of the Newsletter.

■ Elections

Barbara von Wahlde, Maria Tapaninen,and Ashjorn Langeland will be complet-ing their second terms in August 2003.Nominations for new members havebeen submitted to IFLA Headquartersand election papers distributed via thelistserv. Voting will take place at theBerlin conference.

Midwinter Committee Meeting Highlights3 - 4 March 2003Paris, France

■ Open Forum

John Day, Chairman of the Division IIICoordinating Board, announced that thetheme for the Open Forum Session willbe « Guaranteeing Human culture andvalues». Each Section is asked to brieflysummarize its accomplishments andforward the information to Mr. Day whowill represent Section III at the Session.

■ IFLA in Oslo

To celebrate the Section’s 25the anniver-sary, a presentation entitled «A modellibrary: The multicultural library» will bemade in the exhibition area in Oslo. Aworking group will be established inBerlin for this project.

Full minutes of Standing CommitteeMeetings are available on IFLANET atthe Section’s website at http://www.ifla.org/VII/s32/slsmp.htm

Committee members enjoying their lunch break during the midwinter meetingheld at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.


11......


Editor’s Note

Plans underway for Buenos Aires Workshop

The IFLA Section on Services to Multicultural Populations announces an all-dayworkshop to be held at the World Library and Information Congress in BuenosAires, “From the Global Village to the IndigenousVillage: The Role of theLibrary in Preserving the Cultural Identity of Indigenous Peoples.”Carmen Madrid and Christine McDonald are coordinating the workshop whichwill include panel discussions, papers and possibly a field trip. IFLA memberswho will be attending IFLA Buenos Aires and who also work with indigenouspopulations are encouraged to contact workshop coordinators as they developpanels and discussion topics. A planning meeting for the Buenos Aires work-shop will be held in Berlin (Date to be announced.)

If you are interested in participating, please contact:Christine McDonald at [email protected] Madrid at [email protected]

— submitted by Christine McDonald

We welcome you to a wide variety of topics and news from theSection in our spring newsletter. Our theme article for this issue ison marketing. The satellite meeting to be held August 11-13, 2003in Utrecht will focus on acquisitions, collection development andmarketing. Issues related to marketing are complex enough whenyou are providing services to the native born population in yourown country who speak the language of the country. Inmulticultural library services, we must be sensitive to the needsof users who may need and want information in the language ofthe country where they reside as prospective new citizens and

material also in their mother tongue to provide them with links to their country oforigin, their language, heritage and culture.

While the article speaks about marketing in libraries in general so we can under-stand the basics, I hope reading it will spark interest and discussion within the Sectionand multicultural services libraries about the uniqueness of marketing to multiculturalpopulations as a constituency.

Librarians believe strongly in marketing and promoting our services to users.Whether we do this appropriately enough considering the diversity of users accessingpublic libraries is the question. I hope the featured article will be provocative andprompt sharing successful and less than successful efforts to market to multiculturalpopulations. Good examples of marketing approaches and techniques would bewelcomed and reported in a future issue of the newsletter. Please feel free to commu-nicate with me via e-mail at [email protected] or with Donna Serafin, editorialassistant and newsletter designer, at [email protected].

Our June issue will highlight the World Library and Information Congress to beheld August 1-9, 2003 in Berlin. Please visit the IFLA Website (http://www.ifla.org )for information on the Utrecht post-conference (satellite meeting) and the programwhich has a segment on marketing.

Barbara von Wahlde

biography. In May of 2000, a studentdelegation from Saga City toured thelibrary and they were pleased anddelighted to see the artwork of friendsback in Saga on display. In 1999,Crandall Public Library and the City ofGlens Falls along with the Saga CityMunicipal Library and the City of Saga,Japan were selected to be NCLIS SisterLibraries.

My own interest in pursuing a SisterLibrary relationship came from havinglived overseas several times in the past.In my early 20s, I lived and worked as aPeace Corps volunteer in a remote partof southern Chile- Patagonia. The smalltown I called home was Puerto Natales,which is located in the Chilean part ofPatagonia. It was there that Iexperienced a community without apublic library. I treasure every momentthat I spent in Chile, although it wasdifficult on a day-to-day basis to livewithout a library nearby. The impact onmy life included becoming a publiclibrarian. Living in another country alsotaught me the valuable lesson that I couldlearn from the people of other cultureswho approached life and the worlddifferently from me and what I learnedchanged my life profoundly.

I encourage librarians to continue toexplore and make connections with therich and diverse cultures of the world. Ifthis exploration leads to a Sister Libraryrelationship, you and your communitywill be enriched by the experiencewhether it lasts one year or a lifetime.■

Christine McDonald is Director of theCrandall Public Library, Glen Falls, NYE-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Sister Library Relationships

continued from pg. 3


12......


Public Libraries & Multilingual Collections

August 11-13, 2003Utrecht, the NetherlandsWebsite: www.ifla-utrecht.nl

The conference theme will focus on the acquisition of multilingual collections in publiclibraries and the marketing of library services to multicultural populations.

Conference participants will have the opportunity to exchange practical informationabout importing, cataloguing and acquiring multilingual books and media as well asdiscuss strategies for marketing library services to the target population.

Full programme details regarding speakers and topics to be addressed are available atthe conference website at www.ifla-utrecht.nl. Information about accommodations,transportation, conference fees and registration are also fully provided.

Utrecht is a medieval university town, 40 km from Amsterdam, located in the centreof the Netherlands. The population is 250.000; one third of the citizens have non-Dutchroots. The lively city-centre offers nice shops and restaurants along the canals and anumber of churches and museums. The Central Station is located in the city centre andgives easy train access to all European countries. (Berlin approx. 5 hours; to Schiphol-airport 35 minutes)

The conference is organized by the Section on Library Services to MulticulturalPopulations. For more information, visit the website at www.ifla-utrecht.nl orcontact: Lourina deVoogd, NBLC, Netherlands Public Library AssociationPostbox 43300, NL-2504 AH The Hague NetherlandsPhone: +31 70 3090 214 FAX: +31 70 3090 200 E-mail: [email protected]

an IFLA post-conference following theWorld Library and Information Congress in Berlin

Call for Papers & Participation

Electronically Enabling Commu-nities for an Information Society:A Colloquium — ResearchResults, Lessons Learned,Policy Recommendations

Prato , Italy15-16 September, 2003www.ccnr.net/prato2003/

The Centre for Community NetworkingResearch, Faculty of InformationTechnology, Monash University, Australiaand the New Jersey Institute of Technol-ogy, USA, cordially invite researchers,practitioners and policymakers toparticipate in the Electronically EnablingCommunities for an Information SocietyColloquium to be held 15-16 September2003 at the Monash Centre, Prato(Florence), Italy.

We are looking to bring togetherresearchers, practitioners and policymakers to discuss, summarize, theorize,and draw conclusions or lessons learnedfrom some ten years of practical workand research experience in applyingInformation and CommunicationsTechnologies to enabling and empower-ing communities both virtual andphysical.

The Colloquium will also provide anopportunity for researchers,practitioners, and policy-makers to reflecton and draw conclusions fromthis experience as a contribution to theWorld Summit on the InformationSociety which will be held in Geneva inDecember of 2003.

For more information, includingproceedings deadlines, visit the websiteat www.ccnr.net/prato2003/

- submitted by Larry Stillman, Australia

Multilingual_Literacy is a new list considering multilingual societies inthe UN Literacy Decade, 2003-2012.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Multilingual_Literacy/

The United Nations launched the Literacy Decade on 13 February 2003with the mission of "Education for all" and the mottos "Literacy asFreedom" and "Literacy for all, voice for all, learning for all."

� What does/will this mean in practice for multilingual societiesand minority language communities?

� What approaches to adult literacy and basic education forchildren work best in these?

� What other issues arise with various approaches to literacy incountries where many languages are spoken (e.g., languagesurvival, national unity, prioritizing limited education resources,etc.) and how can they be addressed?

Multilingual_Literacy will consider these and similar questions.You may subscribe at the group’s web page (URL listed above) orby writing to the list owner at [email protected] —submitted by Andrew Cunningham, Australia

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