11th International IFLA "Interlending and Document Supply Conference (ILDS)" 2009 in Hannover with 190 participants from 35 countries
"Strategic Alliances and Partnerships in Interlending and Document Supply" was the motto of the international conference in Hannover from 20 til 22 October 2009.
It is the mission and the concern of the IFLA “Section on Document Delivery and Resource Sharing” to facilitate networking between partners from the fields of librarianship, information provision and publishing. There is no future in isolated ways of thinking and working; the cooperation of partners from different areas such as journal agencies and database providers is of strategic importance. Therefore libraries should not regard document delivery as a separate area of responsibility, but as the key component of library management. This approach includes political and legal issues such as the exploitation and management of rights as well as technological innovations.
The conference in Hannover offered the entire spectrum of ILDS topics and tried to indicate where interlending, document and full-text supply are headed. A high-calibre programme presented contributions of renowned experts from 16 countries and engendered lively discussions within the sessions. These covered topics such as “Cooperation in Document Supply and Interlending”, “International Experiences in Resource Sharing”, “Country Case Studies in Resource Sharing”, “Open Access and Copyright” and “The Future of Information Services”. Many national and international co-operations and projects, such as the handling of Open Access resources or the embedding of non-textual materials into holdings, serve as yardsticks and provide examples for future developments in these areas.
The lectures were accompanied by an international exhibition, where 18 organisations and companies presented their products and services to the audience. Among them were the British Library, Goportis, INIST, vascoda, subito, OCLC, ExLibris and the German subject information centres. Company presentations rounded off the information on offer.
Evening events such as the Get Together at the Old Town Hall or the Conference Dinner at the New Town Hall offered many opportunities for professional and private exchanges which could be continued during the guided tours at the TIB (German National Library of Science and Technology) and the Hannover Medical School Library or during the guided tour of Hannover itself.
The conference guests constituted a remarkably international gathering: 195 library and information specialists arrived from 35 countries on all five continents, from Australia to Nepal and Zimbabwe. 80% of all visitors came from Europe, with Germany and Northern Europe representing 30% respectively.
The evaluation showed highly positive feedback from participants. In particular the content and quality of the programme, the choice of keynote speakers, the conference website, the registration, the catering and the structuring of the breaks, which made generous allowance for networking activities, were rated as “excellent” or “very good”. The atmosphere, mood, professionalism of the organisation and the friendliness of the helping staff were all commended.
The conference was organised jointly by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the three German National Libraries, namely the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB), the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) in Bonn and Cologne and the German National Library of Economics - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (ZBW) in Kiel and Hamburg. These three have joined forces within the strategic network Goportis, pooling their long-standing experience and competences in the areas of full-text supply, licensing, non-textual materials, long-term availability and Open Access.
The German Federal Minister for Education and Research, Professor Annette Schavan, was the patroness of the conference. In her written welcome address she pointed out the need for easier and faster access to information that is both structured and peer-reviewed for quality as well as for the creation of strategies to maintain and preserve resources.
The programme, the presentations and full-texts as well as further information and impressions from the conference can be found at www.ilds2009.de.
