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 The
first international conference of repository libraries took place in Kuopio, Finland on
9-11.5.1999. Conference was organised by The National Repository Library of Finland in
co-operation with Universal Availability of Publications Core programme of the
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), The Center for
Research Libraries (Chicago, USA) and Kuopio University Library. The theme of the
conference was: "Solving collection problems through repository strategies".
A repository has been defined as a storage facility to which libraries can transfer books
and periodicals which are no longer required by their readers. By transferring such
materials to a repository the libraries can reduce their storage costs and the pressure to
expand library buildings, while the transferred materials can still be retrieved if
required by library users. There is however new understanding of the concept which implies
an active approach to collection co-operation and resource sharing. A modern repository
not only stores and keeps available material transferred from other libraries but actively
participates in collection co-operation on a regional, national or consortial level e.g.
through a profiled acquisition programme to add the availability of seldom used scholarly
material. A modern repository not only participates in solving problems connected with
housing collections but also gives other libraries possibilities to profile their
acquisitions on most needed materials.
The purpose of the conference was to discuss how repository strategies can contribute
to managing collections and the availability of less used materials. The conference also
aimed at revising the UAP publication about National Repository solutions. More than 50
delegates from Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, representing different library types,
had a chance to listen to 21 papers.
Keynote speakers were Don Simpson, Center for Research Libraries, USA and
Peter Lor, State Library, South Africa, the chairman of the Conference of
the Directors of the National Libraries (CDNL). Simpson's paper discussed the role of a
repository in co-operative collection management. He stressed the importance of active
repositories in contrast to passive storage libraries. Peter Lor spoke about the need of a
repository strategy in a national library network. His conclusion was that repositories
can take care of many functions that are listed as national library functions in UNESCO's
Guidelines for Legislation for National Library Services. He ended in stressing that
national libraries should be involved with repository strategies. The matter will be on
the agenda of the next CDNL meeting in Bangkok, in August.
Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) Programme of IFLA has undertaken a survey on
repository solutions in different countries. The results indicate that there is a need for
a research agenda that starts by defining what is a repository library today and how will
it change in the electronic era. There is also a need for standard methods of measuring
the efficiency of differing repository solutions along with a list of best work practices
with comparable cost data.
The first conference showed that there is interest to share experiences and plan forms of
co-operation. It was agreed to continue co-operation between repository libraries and
other interested parties. A meeting of all interested parties will be held at the Bangkok
IFLA Conference. The next conference is scheduled for the year 2001 as a satellite
conference to the Boston IFLA conference. |