ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

The 1989 Annual Conference of German Librarians

By Siegfried Feller Chief Bibliographer University of Massachusetts Our German counterparts meet in Bonn.

Held this year on May 18-20 in West Germany’s capital city, Bonn, the Annual German Librarians’ Conference (Bibliothekartag) is sponsored jointly by the Verein deutscher Bibliothekare (VdB = Association of German Librarians) and the Verein deutscher Diplom-Bibliothekare an wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken (VdDB = Association of German Certified Librarians at Scholarly Libraries). Germany has two strata of professional librarians, and although this is a slight oversimplification, members of the VdB hold a Ph.D. or terminal graduate degree in one of the sciences, followed by a program of education with certification as librarian. VdDB members take professional education and training as librarians (two or more years), usually after matriculating from a gymnasium, without completing a university Ph.D. program. Paraprofessional organizations are also invited to participate in the Bibliothekartag (a fairly recent development), but as yet, they do not attend in large numbers. The typical Bibliothekartag can be compared with our ACRL meetings, in terms of programs and attendance; nearly all of the participating librarians are from academic and research libraries (which includes most of the state libraries and a few public libraries). Every fifth year (most recently in West Berlin, 1988) there is a Kongress, which more closely resembles the summer ALA conference, with participants from libraries of every type and size invited.

There is always a host institution—usually a university—whose facilities are made available for conference/lecture rooms, exhibitors, and various amenities. Library staff of the host institution devote considerable time and effort in planning and preparation for most of the year before the event; they are assisted by volunteers from other nearby libraries, some of whom may act as co-hosts for selected activities, and to some extent by state and local authorities. Municipal auditoriums and other facilities are usually also used, for program presentations, receptions, and other ceremonies, and both the municipal and state governments act as co-hosts for such an occasion. Conference funding comes from various sources: membership dues, registration fees, exhibitors’ fees, and grants from a number of agencies and sponsors. Held (always) from Tuesday through Saturday following Pfingsten (the seventh Sunday after Easter—our Whitsun, or Pentecost) each German Bibliothekartag (at least for the last several years) follows a fairly standardized schedule.

Tuesday is devoted to “Arbeitssitzungen” (working committees), some of which are entirely closed (intern, such as the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Parlamentsund Behördenbibliotheken), some of which are completely open (öffentlich, such as the DBI Aukommission); others begin with a closed session and then later open their doors to all interested participants, such as the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Regionalbibliotheken. Meetings are generally scheduled for one to four hours, between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Twenty-three are listed in this year’s Tuesday program.

The registration desk opens at 9:00 a.m. on the first day, where participants can obtain name tags, tickets for various events requiring reservations or payments in advance, and the usual heavy information packet (mostly advertisements catalogs from the commercial exhibitors). Since I was an early arrival, I had time to sort through these materials and was able to lighten my load considerably by judicious weeding. At the same time I had ample opportunity to greet (and be greeted by) arriving German colleagues, many of whom I had met during earlier travels. As at ALA, foreign visitors (and library school students and retired or unemployed librarians) are not required to pay registration fees for the conference, but must pay for such things as bus/excursion and concert tickets. For the 1989 conference, 1,749 people had pre-registered (compared with 2,455 for the 1988 Kongress in West Berlin); of these, at least 1,096 were members of one of the several West German associations, 62 were foreign librarians, 120 were among the exhibitors, and 800 were non-members. Late registrants, day visitors, etc., brought the grand total to 2,003.

Exhibit areas also opened at 9:00 of the first day, but quite a few of the 60 firms listed in the exhibitors’ index were not set up until late Tuesday or early Wednesday, and a few never showed up at all. A “fringe benefit” of attendance at a Bibliothekartag is that at least a few publishers or vendors that our library deals with can be seen in the exhibit areas, providing an opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest. As at ALA, there is a mixture of book wholesalers, publishers, and vendors of electronic processing systems, library furniture and supplies, and databases. A recent innovation has been the scheduling of presentations by exhibitors; these are usually held in some of the rooms near the lecture halls, available for a moderate fee. Five such sessions were scheduled on Wednesday afternoon, nine on Thursday, and four on Friday morning.

In the early evening, around 6:30, there is always a reception for foreign guests, plus selected officers and members of the VdB/VdDB, held by the host institution or a local authority. At this conference, the Prorektor of the Universität Bonn did the honors on Tuesday evening, with the city’s Oberbürgermeister sponsoring the traditional Wednesday evening reception for selected conference participants. Both of these receptions are usually followed by supper, either by invitation of one or another of the exhibitors, or in smaller groups of conferees striking out on their own.

On Wednesday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the formal opening ceremonies take place, most often in a large auditorium provided by the host city in this case, in Bonn’s sumptuous Beethovenhalle. The presidents of the VdB and VdDB alternate in making introductory remarks at the opening and closing sessions; this year it fell to Dr. Wiegand to begin. He was followed by a series of “ex officio” persons, who expressed their thanks and offered greetings:

Anke Brunn, Minister for Science and Research of Nordrhein-Westfalen (on behalf of the state);

Dr. Hans Daniels, Oberbürgermeister, Bonn (on behalf of the city);

Prof. Dr. Kurt Fleischauer, Rector, University of Bonn (on behalf of the university);

Dr. Horst Waffenschmidt, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Interior (on behalf of the nation);

Dr. Magda Strebl, General Director, Austrian National Library (on behalf of the 20 foreign librarians’ associations officially represented, and of the more than 62 foreign participants).

The Bibliothekartag’s keynote address was by Dr. Eberhard Lämmert, Berlin, on “The Covered Labyrinth.

As usual, Wednesday afternoon featured several parallel sessions, each offering four 30-minute papers on the chosen subject, plus two 30-minute discussion periods. I was able to hear Dr. Barckow’s update on the Corvey Library project in Paderborn from the librarian’s point of view and— like the editor—he was pleased with the progress made in cataloging, classifying, and indexing the volumes to date. In addition to these major theme sessions, several other smaller meetings were scheduled, to bring Wednesday’s total of papers to 16, plus 5 exhibitor presentations. There were also four planned cultural/social events in the evening, including a brief reception of the Oberbürgermeister, which was the only celebration I felt strong enough to attend that evening.

Thursday mornings are always devoted to membership meetings, of the VdB, VdDB, and of the Assistenten (“other ranks”). Although as an honorary (non-voting but also non-assessed) member I am welcome to attend the gathering of my VdB colleagues, I opted instead for a lecture tour of medieval Bonn, beginning at the Rheinische Landesmuseum and its exhibits, followed by a visit to the cathedral and vicinity. As 1989 commemorates Bonn’s 2,000th year, the city had polished its image, and the list of exhibits and celebrations was lavish indeed. More committee meetings and other presentations were offered in the afternoon (14), but as these were chiefly of “internal” interest, I toured the exhibits, contacting publishers and other vendors. The Festabend (Festive Evening) is held on Thursdays (so participants can depart for points elsewhere by Friday afternoon), and this year offered three options: an evening at the Opera; buffet supper and dancing to live music aboard either of two riverboats, with choice of “classical dance music” or “hot rhythms,” from 7:30 to 11:30. With favorable weather and lovely scenery (Bonn to Linz, and return), I didn’t much mind that the Musikanten failed to appear, and that the cassette rhythms were lukewarm. But many of the younger folk felt shortchanged.

Friday mornings usually offer more theme sessions in parallel; on this occasion, two formal programs offered three papers each, and two “free forums” offered four papers each. One of these was by Susan Aramayo, Bonn, whose subject was the U.S. Information Service and the libraries of the several Amerika-Haus installations in the Federal Republic of Germany. The closing session was chaired by Hans-Jürgen Kuhlmeyer (Göttingen), President of the VdDB; the main discussion was on deterioration of paper in libraries, conducted by a panel of librarians, paper manufacturers, and publishers. Two separate presentations were made, followed by Herr Kuhlmeyer’s closing remarks. The conference was adjourned shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturdays are entirely devoted to excursions, and in this case there were several attractive tour options, for a half or full day, depending on individual schedules.

It seems important to make certain that ALA is officially represented at each Bibliothekartag, whenever possible. Our German counterparts are glad to welcome representatives of foreign librarians’s associations, both for the chance to exchange views, and just to know that what German librarians are doing is of interest and significance to the outside world. One of the most important and interesting personal aspects of my participation in the annual Bibliothekartag (this was my seventh since 1975, and my sixth as official ALA representative) is the opportunity to discuss mutual problems/solutions, policies/procedures, and other topics with professional colleagues and friends in West Germany. While I have always managed quite a few site visits during my German trips (usually for four weeks, but for twelve weeks on two occasions), it has been possible to meet and talk with literally hundreds of librarians at the conference whom I had not seen during my other travels. Many of these colleagues have become good and close friends, and I am grateful to have been able to maintain so many of these relationships over the years.

Satellite link to Poland’s Central Medical Library

The high cost of producing printed material in Poland and the country’s insufficient foreign currency have limited the Polish medical community’s access to world medical and scientific literature. To remedy this, SatelLife, an international health communications organization, has agreed to provide direct satellite transmission of urgent and current medical information to Polish physicians. The memorandum of understanding to inaugurate an Anglo-Polish Medical Information Retrieval Service was signed by the director of the Polish Central Medical Library, Janusz Kapuscik, and the librarian of the British Medical Association, Dr. John Dawson. The project director at the British Medical Association library is Tony McSean.

This is the first medical information retrieval service to use direct satellite transmission. SatelLife will provide Ultra-Small Aperture Terminals (USAT), or small satellite dishes, first in the Central Medical Library in Warsaw and eventually in each medical academy and institute in Poland. The small dishes are connected to a fax machine and can receive medical data directly from the privately owned Pan-American Satellite-1. On the same satellite dishes, Microspace Communications provides satellite transmissions to Europe and the United States. Microspace is a subsidiary of Capitol Broadcasting Company and has donated three years of time for this project.

Once the system is in operation, a Polish physician or researcher can request from the Polish Central Medical Library copies of articles in journals owned by the British Medical Association. The BMA library will copy up to several hundred pages of reference materials into a memory/storage fax machine that sends the data through packet switching circuits to the Microspace European Network Control Center. The data will then be sent by satellite to an 18-inch US AT where it will either be stored in a computer or printed as a fax.

The Central Medical Library will manage the project in Poland, coordinating and transmitting requests from Polish medical libraries and physicians, promoting the use of the Anglo-Polish link, and managing the technical and training aspects of connecting other institutions in the link.

The SatelLife project was made possible by a grant from the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation, an American philanthropic organization. In the near future SatelLife hopes to extend the Medical Information Retrieval Service to other countries in the developing world that face similar obstacles of telephone systems unable to support fax or data transmission.

SatelLife is a not-for-profit organization that uses modem communications technologies to link medical centers and physicians throughout the world with critical sources of information. Overseen by an international board of distinguished scientists and physicians, SatelLife is an east-west partnership with offices in both the United States and the Soviet Union.

For more information, contact SatelLife, 225 Fifth St., Cambridge, MA 02142; (617) 868-2560.

Eight Library/Book Fellow positions open

Applications are now being accepted for the 1990-91 Library/Book Fellows Program. The joint program of the American Library Association and the United States Information Agency (USIA) will place approximately eight U.S. citizens overseas beginning in September 1990. While 16 positions are listed, funding will permit approximately eight placements.

Stipends for Library/Book Fellows are $28,000 per year. Travel expenses (fellow and one dependent) to and from the host country will be reimbursed, and health and life insurance coverage is provided. Some hosts will assist with housing. Eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship; command of the language of the host country is desired; education and experience in library or information science, publishing, or other fields directly related to the interests and needs of specific projects, with demonstrated competency as required. Persons who have lived abroad for a ten-year period immediately preceding their applications are not eligible.

A description of positions available and requirements follows. To apply, send resume with a cover letter briefly stating your desired position, foreign language skills, subject expertise and maximum placement service length. No application forms are available. The application deadline is April 15, 1990. Contact: Robert P. Doyle, Director, Library/ Book Fellows Program, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795; (800) 545-2433.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Gaborone, Botswana:University of Botswana, Department of Library and Information Studies. One year, beginning September 1990. Teach cataloging, classification, and indexing to second-year diploma students and postgraduate students; advise and assist with the university library’s automation procedures, including cataloging and classification.

Roma, Lesotho:Institute of Southern African Studies (ISAS). Four months. Design and create a catalog/index of the ISAS Documentation Division’s collection and train staff to implement project.

Kampala, Uganda:Makerere University, East African School of Librarianship. Eleven months, October 1990-August 1991. Establish a microcomputer teaching laboratory with curriculum development and instruction in required courses for undergraduate and graduate students.

Near East

Islamabad, Pakistan:Pakistan Department of Archives. Six months, October 1990-March 1991. Conduct seminars and workshops on 1) archival theory and practice; 2) organization and management of archives and records; and 3) archival reference service.

Amman, Jordan:University of Jordan Library. Nine months, September 1990-May 1991. Train university and other librarians to search online database services and CD-ROM; and update the staff s knowledge of American bibliographic sources to enhance the acquisition of American books and periodicals.

American republics

Bridgetown, Barbados:University of the West Indies, Faculty of Law Library. Ten months, October 1990-July 1991. Supervise and coordinate a retrospective conversion project and establish an online catalog and a CD-ROM-based catalog.

Belo Horizonte, Brazil:Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), School of Library Science. Six months, April-September 1991. Portuguese language competence preferred, but Spanish may be substituted. Teach graduate-level course in information resources management and assist in planning special courses in this subject.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti:National Library of Haiti. Six months. Fluent French required. Conduct a variety of seminars and workshops on technical services, serials management, and outreach services.

Caracas, Venezuela:Simon Bolivar University, Graduate Program in Management of Information Services. Seven months, January-June 1991. Fluent Spanish required. Teach online search and retrieval techniques, conduct a course on developments in information services, and lead a seminar on enhancing the exchange of information between the United States and Latin America.

Europe

Warsaw, Poland:National Library of Poland. One year, September 1990-August 1991. Polish is desirable, but not required. Provide in-house staff training in the fundamentals of library automation; assess current and future uses of automated applications and make recommendations for their implementation.

Madrid, Spain:Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Academic year, September 1990-June 1991. Fluent Spanish. Teach full courseload in online searching of U.S. databases and use of databases as well as basic reference tools.

Rethymnon, Greece:University of Crete. Ten months, September 1990-June 1991. Advise and oversee the installation of an automated library system network; recommend appropriate uses of automation technology; and present seminars on library automation and networking.

East Asia

Hong Kong:Hong Kong Urban Council Public Libraries. Six months, October 1990-March 1991. Provide assistance and recommendations for reference services; advise on building and staffing for new Central Reference Library; advise and train staff in the use, selection and procurement of American reference tools; train staff in the use of microcomputer technology to upgrade reference services; and develop an interactive microcomputer training package for the library reference staff and an orientation program for the public.

Jakarta, Indonesia:Dr. Soetomo Press Institute. One year, September 1990-August 1991. Establish a press/media reference library, assist in writing and editing a newsletter and/or other publications using desktop publishing equipment.

Quezon City, Philippines:University of the Philippines Library. Three months. Train the university staff in archival organization and management, reference services, computer applications of an archival collection, and conservation and preservation of archival materials.

North America

Montreal, Canada:Université du Quebec à Montreal. Four months. Fluent French required. Evaluate existing American Studies collection, develop a collection development policy, produce an automated bibliography of current holdings, and prepare a bibliography of recommended titles for acquisition.