My IFLA Experience
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
(IFLA)
organizes a large international conference in different parts of the
world
each year. The first IFLA Conference was dated back to the
Glasgow Conference
in 1927. I began to attend IFLA in 1996 and the conference was
held in Beijing
then. As one of the largest library conferences in the world,
IFLA has more
than 4,000 delegates coming from all the continents. Meeting such
a large
delegation from diverse geographic and cultural background has always
been
a most interesting and rewarding experience.
Professional librarians in Hong Kong are mostly trained along the lines
of
the Anglo-American library tradition. I am no exception to
this. Therefore,
IFLA has a special meaning to me because I can open my eyes to some
unfamiliar
experiences, practice and ideas. For example, in one of the
sessions this
year, a library administrator told us that there had been no material
budget
for her library for the past 10 years. In other words, there has
been no
new addition to the library for a long time. What surprised me
more was
that at her end, staff did not have the training and experience to
serve
in libraries. Despite such adverse conditions, librarians there
are still
trying their best to offer good services to their users.
IFLA not only
fosters a closer tie among the worldwide library community, it also
draws
the attention of participants to issues and concerns arising from the
global
context.
Naturally, joining the IFLA Conferences offers me much more than
hearing
the presentations and looking at the product exhibitions. It
provides me
a golden opportunity to visit many famous libraries. Some of them
are historical
monuments themselves. At the same time, I can make use of the
chance to
visit the major museums, art galleries and other cultural facilities of
the
host cities. The IFLA Conference was held in Berlin this
year. I managed
to spare an afternoon to visit the newly completed world renowned
Jewish
Museum there.
China is an emerging superpower in international affairs. The
country is
actively learning international practice in order to better bridge with
the
world. China sends a large delegation to IFLA each year. I
believe that
this is a necessary step to enable the Chinese librarians to look at
the
work being done by other people, and to get to know the activities and
operations
of such a large international body. Today, the number of Chinese
librarians
serving in the IFLA committees and working groups is still small.
I look
forward to seeing more Chinese professionals serving in the IFLA
organization
and the country becoming a driving force behind the future development
of
the international library community.
IFLA Conference takes place in different parts of the world. The
last East
Asian host was Bangkok in 1999. The conference will be back to
Asia soon
when Seoul becomes the host in 2006. I sincerely hope that our
Association
will organize a delegation to Seoul.
Tommy Yeung
Lingnan University Library
Photo with Ms. Li Jingxia, Associate Research Librarian and Assistant to Director, Wuhan Library
Berlin State Library at Unter den Linden
