"I still have a suitcase in Berlin"

"Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" (I still have a suitcase in Berlin).  This is the song of Marlene Dietrich sung by those who are so fascinated by Berlin that they leave a suitcase there on purpose to go back again.

This summer, librarians and information specialists have another significant motive to travel to Berlin.  From 1st – 9th August 2003 the 69th IFLA General Conference with the theme "Access Point Library: Media-Information-Culture" will take place in Berlin.  Approximately 5,000 participants from all over the world will be expected for this Conference at the International Congress Centre (http://www.icc-berlin.de).

Maybe you want to prepare for this trip in Hong Kong, before you are welcomed by the German librarians in Berlin.  The Information Centre of the Goethe-Institut Hong Kong, one of 128 Cultural Centres to promote German language and culture in 76 countries, assists you to collect all the information about Germany you need.

This is our particular task. You can use our various services to prepare your trip for the IFLA General Conference in Berlin.

Our online information service "Berlin! Berlin!" (http://www.goethe.de/os/hon/berlin/) with links to institutions and festivals, event calendars and internet resources gives you an impression about the cultural life in Berlin.  More websites in English and Chinese translated or created by the Goethe-Institutes Beijing and Hong Kong for China are summarised on this website: http://www.goethe.de/os/hon/eninfo.htm

Furthermore, this website presents the documentation of two seminars in Hong Kong that were held by librarians from Berlin, which can give you an insight in the German Library System particularly in Berlin.  In May 2001 Dr. Claudia Lux, General Director of the Berlin Central and Regional Library gave a lecture about "Basic Structures and New Developments in the German Library System" in Beijing, Hong Kong, Canton and Shanghai (http://www.goethe.de/os/hon/lux/enindex.htm).  "Towards an Internet Based Information Portal for Berlin and Brandenburg" was the theme of a lecture held by Beate Rusch, Senior System Librarian at Cooperative Library Network Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV), on 13th July 2002 at the Goethe-Institut Hong Kong. (http://www.goethe.de/os/hon/dei02-1.htm)

In "express no. 2" the IFLA organisation committee introduces to us the keynote speaker and plenary speakers.  Furthermore it discloses some highlights of the Preliminary Conference Programme and the introduction to "Libraries in Germany – in a Nutshell"  (http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla69/xpress2-e.pdf).

You can find this introduction as well on the homepage of the Goethe-Institut under "Culture and Society", supplemented with news, topics, projects and commented links on the German Library System (http://www.goethe.de/kug/mui/bib/thm/enindex.htm).

If you are not merely visiting the IFLA Conference in Berlin, we can procure contacts to libraries and other institutions in Germany, which could be interesting for you.

Last, but not least, you can visit our library (http://www.goethe.de/os/hon/enibib.htm) at 14/F HK Arts Centre during opening hours or by appointment.  You can take a glance at our current tour guides and videos about Berlin, books about arts and culture in Berlin and may borrow them as well.  In total our collection of books and media in the library includes 5,000 items in German, English and Chinese, primarily topics on culture, language, arts and history of contemporary Germany.

And if you come back to Hong Kong after the trip, hopefully you have left "your suitcase in Berlin and have to go back soon again."
 

Sybille Deselaers
Goethe-Institut Hong Kong
(info@hongkong.goethe.org)