The Right to Read is the Right To Mine: But Not When Blocked by Technical Protection Measures
LIBER Working Group on Special Collections
LIBER’s 2008 Annual General Conference was hosted by Koc University Suna Kirac Library, Istanbul, from 1 to 5 July 2008. The Conference theme was: ‘Bridging the Digital Divide: Effective Library Partnerships in the Digital Age’. Preceding the Conference, on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 July 2008, a Pre-Conference on the topic ‘Discovery to Delivery – A European Resource Delivery Space?’ was held, which concentrated on strategic questions from the LIBER/EBLIDA Workshop on the Digitization of Library Material in Europe held in Copenhagen in October 2007. The Host Conference website, with PowerPoints of Conference papers is at http://liber2008.ku.edu.tr.
At its last Annual General Assembly, LIBER set up a Working Group on Special Collections, chaired by Mr Ivan Boserup, Head of Manuscripts and Rare Books, Royal Library, Copenhagen, to advise the LIBER Executive Board on the best representation of Special Collections’ interests within the framework of LIBER’s professional activities.
AIMS
- The LIBER Executive Board has proposed the establishment of a working group to advise the Board by looking at the best way to represent special collections interests at a pan-European level
- The LIBER Development Plan 2007-2010 calls for a review of its expert committees and the establishment of any further committees required to complete representation of special collections at a European level (see below 2.10)
- As a priority the Group will first establish its membership and agree terms of reference with the Board
- Special collections will be considered in the widest sense, i.e. rare books and manuscripts but also the other classic special collections areas, e.g. maps, music, etc
- The point of contact with LIBER with be Ms Trix Bakker, Chairman of the LIBER Collection Development Division
- The work of the Group will be complementary to current activities and will not supersede them nor affect them directly, i.e. the statement of commitment on special collections, co-operation with CERL, the LIBER Expert Group of European Manuscripts Librarians, planned conferences, etc.
- The Group will consult widely with LIBER members on this topic
- It will restrict it to drawing up recommendations on the representation of special collections within LIBER, and will not consider other matters
- It will report to the LIBER Executive Board in time for the next LIBER Board meeting, before the Istanbul Annual General Conference in July 2008
- The task of the Working Group will then be completed and it will dissolve.
MEMBERS were Mr Ivan Boserup (Chairman), The Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark; Mr André Bouwman, Leiden University Library, Leiden, The Netherlands; Dr Claudia Fabian, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Germany and Mr Graham Jefcoate, Nijmegen University Library, The Netherlands
LIBER Consultation on Special Collections
The Working Group has produced its interim report and would like to have the views of LIBER members on the questions set out in page 5 of the Report (nib@kb.dk), if possible, by Friday 9 May 2008.
