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Annual Report 2000/01

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

The Medical Library Association's (MLA) activity in IFLA fulfills the following objectives in the MLA Strategic Plan 1999-2002:

Goal 2. Advocacy

f. MLA develops and maintains liaisons with other national and international health care and library associations, agencies, and relevant corporations.

The 66th IFLA Council and General Conference convened in Jerusalem, from August 13-18, 2000. The meeting theme "Information for Co-operation: Creating the Global Library of the Future", stressed the enormous potential for international co-operation in the exchange and utilization of information which technology offers. Over 1,600 librarians from around the world gathered together to discuss copyright standards, resource sharing, electronic resources, and the reorganization of IFLA. IFLA's Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries Section officers include MLA members Ysabel Bertolucci, chair, and Rick Forsman, secretary. The section's programs including global library cooperation in the health sciences featuring presentations on library cooperation, electronic document delivery, and a virtual health library developed by MLA members Claire Hamasu, Irene Lovas, Harvey Brenneise, and Lois Ann Colaianni. The Round Table on the Management of Library Associations sponsored a workshop on library associations for the 21st century where members discussed challenges faced by the associations including relevancy in the new generation. In another session, the round table members discussed the role of library associations as advocates for democracy. MLA Executive Director Carla Funk serves on the executive committee of the round table. MLA members attending the conference got together for their annual Dutch treat dinner at a wonderful local restaurant.

IFLA Major Reorganization

IFLA submitted proposed revised statutes to the Council for vote at the meeting. The revised statutes adopted by the Council changed the board structure of the association, the terms of officers, added a core values statement, and approved postal and eventual electronic balloting and annual business meetings instead of biennial meetings. There were also a number of minor revisions that were approved. The Council also adopted changes in the nominating process and dues structure. The first postal balloting will occur in 2001 and will be reported on at the IFLA 2001 meeting in Boston in August 2001.

Goal 3. Organization

c. MLA develops the leadership capabilities of its members and provides opportunities for association work at all levels.

MLA sponsored the following members as candidates for election to section executive committees: Tovah Reis, Science and Technology Libraries; Elizabeth Eaton, Information Techology; and Ysabel Bertolucci, Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries. MLA members currently serving on section and roundtable standing or executive committees include: Ysabel Bertolucci, AHIP, Chair/Treasurer, and Rick Forsman, AHIP, Secretary, Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries; Larry Woods, Information Technology; Diane C. P. Ebro, AHIP and Rivkah Frank, AHIP, Science and Technology Libraries; Nancy Mary Panella, Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons; and Carla J. Funk, CAE, Roundtable on the Management of Library Associations.

Goal 5. National Information Policy

c. MLA forms coalitions with organizations that have similar legislative goals and interests.

IFLA 2001

The 67th Council and General Conference of IFLA will be held in Boston, MA, in August 16 - 25, 2001. The conference is co-sponsored by the American Association of Law Libraries, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of Library Information Science and Education, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association. Each association has two representatives on the U.S. National Organizing Committee (NOC) that is planning the meeting. Tovah Reis, Brown University, and Carla Funk, MLA Executive Director both represent MLA on the committee. The NOC has worked together for almost six years planning the conference, meeting two to four times per year. Ms. Funk serves as the conference treasurer and Ms. Reis chairs the conference local arrangements committee. Many MLA members have volunteered to work at the meeting thanks to Ms. Reis' hard work. This is the first time that IFLA has been held in the U.S. since 1985.

The theme of the meeting is "Libraries and Librarians: Making a Difference in the Knowledge Age. The conference will include sessions on advancing the leadership role of the librarian, lifelong learning, managing information and technology, developing information policies, forging partnerships, and impacts that libraries can have on various sectors of society. MLA will sponsor a reception at the Countway Library of Medicine in cooperation with the Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries Section for health sciences librarians registered for the meeting. MLA is also responsible for organizing the U.S. reception at the conference this year. MLA and the National Library of Medicine are also sponsoring ten health sciences librarians from developing countries to attend the meeting through the IFLA 2001 Fellows program. Carla Funk, IFLA 2001 Treasurer, Gary Strong, IFLA 2001 Co-Chair, and the conference's meeting planners met with the IFLA Professional and Executives Boards in Amsterdam in February 2001 to present details about the conference to IFLA board members. The U.S. library associations also hosted a reception for the IFLA Boards and staff at the U.S. ambassador to The Netherlands' residence in The Hague.

MOTION

This report is informational and requires no action by the Board of Directors.

Carla J. Funk,

CAE MLA Executive Director Representative to IFLA