IFLA 2005

News

March 4. Svanhild Aabø, Associate professor at Oslo University College, Faculty of Journalism, Library and Information Science, defended her doctoral thesis on The Value of Public libraries : a methodological discussion and empirical study applying the contingent valuation method.

The thesis shows that the population values their public libraries highly. For each Norwegian crown invested people judge that they get services worth four crowns back. 94 per cent of the population sees it as a democratic right to have a public library in each municipality.

This study is the first to use the contingent valuation method, both on a national and international level. The thesis is a solid argument in favour of continued support of public libraries.

February 22. A total of 37 libraries in the wider Oslo region are preparing to receive delegates during the IFLA conference. The list includes 11 public libraries are on the list. They are all modern libraries and active participants in their respective local communities. Here are their web sites.

[ Archive ]

The working group

Contact

In September 2003 a few practising public librarians decided to set up a small working group on public library policy [ Arbeidsgruppen for folkebibliotekpolitikk - SFO].

At the (biannual) national meeting of the Norwegian Library Association [Norsk Bibliotekforening - NBF] in March 2004, the organisation accepted our proposal to create a Special Interest Group on Public Library Policy.

The new SIG is organised as a network and uses the WWW for most of its activities. We run a web site and a mailing list.

The interim board consists of:

• Trond Minken, Head of Lillehammer PL (chair)
• Bozena Rasmussen, Head of Ask PL (deputy)
• Anne Kristin Undlien, Head of Kristiansand PL
• Eli Wilhelmsen, Head of Ullensaker PL
• Vigdis Jakobsen, Head of Tønsberg and Nøtterøy PL

Consultants

The group is supported by a number of voluntary consultants

Contributions

SFP welcomes written comments and articles on public library policy - in English as well as in Norwegian - for digital publication on this web site. We encourage parallell publication in relevant print media.

Publications in English

Eli Wilhelmsen. The library as part of the regional impact of a town. Lecture in Belgium, September 2004.

Bozena Rasmussen. Access for everybody!. On physical accessibility in libraries. Lecture in Hungary, July 2004.

Background

During the last few years Norwegian public libraries have experienced many new challenges. Three examples:

Digital developments make library users more self-sufficient. Some members of the public are already asking whether we will need public libraries in the future.

The national Law on Public Libraries [Lov om folkebibliotek], which regulates the public library system. is under pressure. Our municipalities, which finance public libraries, are given more leeway - and some want to reduce services to a minimum.

At the national level, libraries, museums and archives have been asked to work more closely together. The two parastatal organizations that used to coordinate library activities (for public and professional libraries respectively), have been merged with the corresponding bodies for museums and archives (see ABM-utvikling).

External links

• NBF. For information in English, choose About us
• Organizing committeee IFLA 2005. List of members.
• ABM-utvikling. English
• IFLA 2005. Home page (IFLANET)

@your library

• Ways to use the @ your library brand.
• The Campaign for the World's Libraries. From IFLA
• La Campaña para las Bibliotecas del Mundo.
• @your library. Home page for the US campaign.