American Libraries

AL: The 73rd World Library and Information Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, commonly known as IFLA, convened August 19th in Durban, South Africa, with a new emphasis on indigenous knowledge and oral history. For five days some 3,100 delegates from 116 nations had the opportunity to witness first-hand the transformations that have occurred in South African libraries and in the nation itself since the end of apartheid in 1994.

Ellen Tise: It's rewarding to be involved, it's very rewarding to participate in it. I think it shows that there is hope, in terms of each of us—even within the developing world. We all deal with the same kinds of issues.

King Mchombu: We see that now the crisis of HIV/AIDS has also become the crisis of HIV/AIDS information and knowledge, in terms of reaching the people, in terms of leading to action, to prevent further spread of HIV/AIDS.

Alex Bryne: This is the same heart beating in librarians around the world, even though there are so many difference is what we need to do and what we can do.

AL: Welcoming the delegates to South Africa, IFLA president Alex Bryne of Australia alluded to the life of Mohandas Gandhi, whose civil rights struggle began in Durban in 1819 when he was thrown off a segregated train for attempting to sit in a first class compartment. President Byrne also announced the establishment of regional IFLA offices in Pretoria, South Africa; Alexandria, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; and Moscow, Russia. Keynote speaker Albie Sachs, a crusader against apartheid and now a Constitutional Court Justice, had attendees glued to their seats as he talked about being held in solitary confinement for two prolonged spells of detention beginning in 1963. "I am a library," he said, urging that the stories that live in every individual are worthy of preservation. Nearly 300 people crowded the room for the announcement of the 2007 winner of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's $1 million Access to Learning Award. The award went to the Northern Territory Library, a regional public library system based in Darwin, Australia.

Martha Choe: These indigenous communities who live in serious poverty, with poor health and economic conditions and educational levels that are far below national averages. Through a special program, full of libraries and knowledge centers, thirteen of the Northern Territory libraries—small community libraries—are helping indigenous people to improve their lives through free access to information and technology.

AL: Representing the foundation, Martha Choe also announced an additional award of $1 million from the Gates Foundation to IFLA for its library advocacy efforts. Traditionally, the IFLA host nation uses the conference as an opportunity to showcase the national culture and South Africa treated delegates to a beach party on the sandy shores of the Indian Ocean, complete with local music and cuisine. OCLC hosted a customer reception for several hundred people at the Durban Aquarium and a gala, themed "Cultures of Africa" was held at the Durban City Hall with entertainment showcasing a cross-spectrum of African cultures.

Loriene Roy: IFLA has been a wonderful forum for discussing and attending to issues related to indigenous library services. Included in this expression have been a number of programs on traditional knowledge, indigenous library services, and President Alex Byrne's Committee on Indigenous Matters.

Keith Michael Fiels: And I just want to say to all ALA members that we're proud to represent you and proud to represent America. We worked hard to try and help people here that were trying to make some big changes. They've made those changes. It's just great to be here and celebrate it. Libraries are doing well here. They've got a long, hard road ahead of them and I feel very proud that we're here to help them to start doing what they need to do to in order to make South Africa a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful place.