Annual Report 2001 - Library Association of Ireland

Library Association of Ireland [Cumann Leabharlann na hEireann] Representing libraries and librarians in Ireland

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Cumann Leabharlann na hÉireann
The Library Association of Ireland Annual Report 2001

[Print Copy:
© The Library Association of Ireland, 53 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2
issn: 0791-6248
Design by David Cooke
Printed by Goodson Print]

Honorary Officers and Members of the Executive Board 2001/2002
Foreword from the President
Annual General Meeting 2001
National Activities 2001
Library Association of Ireland Website
Policy Document on Services to Children and Young People
Babies Love Books
Professional Qualifications
Primary School Libraries Research Project
International Activities 2001
EBLIDA
Visit of Italian Librarians
Celtic Conference 2001
North-South Liaison Committee
Bid to host IFLA 2007
Committees of the Executive Board
Children's and School Libraries Panel
Education and Training Panel
European and International Affairs Panel
Finance and General Purposes Committee
Healthcare Libraries Panel
Information Society Panel
Committee on School Library Development
Representing the Association
Nominees and Members of External Committees
Conferences
Functions
Delegations
Publications
Sections & Groups
Academic & Special Libraries Section
Assistant Librarians' Section
Cataloguing and Indexing Group
County and City Librarians' Section
Government Libraries Section
Health Sciences Libraries' Section
Munster Regional Section
Rare Books
Western Regional Section
Youth Library Group
Keeping in touch
Obituaries
Acknowledgements
Membership

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[ PDF copy (381kb) of Annual Report 2001]

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Honorary Officers 2001/2002

President Marjory Sliney, Senior Librarian, Fingal County Libraries.
Vice-Presidents Ruth Flanagan, County Librarian, Cork County Library; Gobnait O'Riordan, Head of Library Administration, University of Limerick.
Hon. Secretary Helen Hughes, Librarian,Fingal County Libraries.
Hon. Treasurer Catherine Watters, Information Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Membership Secretary Nicola Rogers.
Administrative Secretary Eileen O'Donoghue.

Executive Board 2001/2002

Kathleen Browne, Kerry County Library
Valerie Coghlan, Church of Ireland College of Education
Margaret Dillon, Mid-Western Health Board
Joe Donnelly, The Judges' Library
Beatrice Doran, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Deirdre Ellis-King, Dublin City Public Libraries
Ruth Flanagan, Cork County Library
Fionnuala Hanrahan, Wexford County Library
Pat Lonergan, Kildare County Library Service
Kate Murphy, Waterford County Library
Pat McMahon , Galway County Library
Micheal O'hAodha, University of Limerick
Gobnait O'Riordan, University of Limerick
Sean O'Suilleabhain, Leitrim County Library
Hanna O'Sullivan, Cork City Library
Liam Ronayne, Donegal County Libraries
Marjory Sliney (chair), Fingal County Libraries
Brendan Teeling, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna
Teresa Walsh, Dublin City Public Libraries
the Hon. Treasurer
the Hon. Secretary.

The Executive Board met 4 times during the year: June 28th (Blanchardstown Library); September 13th (An Chomhairle Leabharlanna); November 15th (Cabra Library); January 17th (An Chomhairle Leabharlanna).

Attendance Record Kathleen Browne (0);Valerie Coghlan (1); Margaret Dillon (2); Joe Donnelly (3); Beatrice Doran (0); Deirdre Ellis-King (2); Ruth Flanagan (3); Fionnuala Hanrahan (0); Helen Hughes (4); Pat Lonergan (3); Kate Murphy (1); Pat McMahon (1); Micheal O'hAodha (1); Gobnait O'Riordan (3); Sean O'Sulleabhain (2); Hanna O'Sullivan (3); Liam Ronayne (4); Marjory Sliney (4); Brendan Teeling (1); Teresa Walsh (3); Catherine Watters (4).

Foreword from the President

Despite the earlier precautionary restrictions in relation to Foot and Mouth disease in Ireland, the Library Association of Ireland had a very busy year, as can be seen in this report of the Association's activities. The Association, through Kerry County Library, played host to the second Celtic Libraries Conference, held in Killarney, from the 1st to the 4th May, 2001. Some 250 delegates from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England attended.

Different sections and groups of the Association held a very full programme of events, workshops, library visits and weekend seminars. The activities of the Sections and Groups in relation to the provision of continuing professional education are to be commended.

The publications programme of the Association continued during the year with publication of the following:

Annual Report 2000
Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 - Poster
Policy Document on Library Services to Children and Young People

There were two e-publications:

The new website of the Library Association of Ireland at www.libraryassociation.ie
Directory of Library and Information Services in Ireland
The latter is a joint publication with our colleagues in the Library Association (Northern Ireland branch).

Professional issues with which the Association has been concerned include developments in relation to copyright and the appointment of professionally qualified staff. The European and International Affairs Panel was active in preparing a poster for display in all libraries and also with the preparation for publication of an explanatory leaflet for library staff. In relation to professional qualifications for librarians, the Association's stated policy is that professional qualifications are required for appointments to professional positions.

In May, the Association welcomed the announcement of IR£25million in additional capital funding for public libraries by the Minister for Environment and Local Government, Noel Dempsey T.D. There were two developments in relation to library provision for children and young people. The Association welcomes the commitment given by the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Michael Woods T. D. to fund the Babies Love Books project. We also welcome the Department of Education and Science's commitment to fund the publication of the findings of the Primary School Library Research Report. It is hoped that this research will be published in March 2002.

The Association was represented at EBLIDA (Bremen) and the Public Library Authorities' Conference (Torquay).

2001 saw many new library buildings open and the Executive Board took the opportunity to hold meetings in the new public libraries in Blanchardstown and Cabra. As President, it is wonderful to see so many new facilities being made available to staff. Our users, of course, are the main beneficiaries of such new and exciting library buildings. As President, I was fortunate to visit a number of libraries during the past year and I am impressed with the level of commitment to serving our users in all libraries.

May I take this opportunity to extend my own and the Association's good wishes to Noel Hughes, a former president of the Association, and wish him all the best in his retirement from librarianship. Also, I am most grateful to my predecessor Pat McMahon for staying in the office of President beyond the normal limit, due to the Foot and Mouth restrictions.

During my year as President, I came to rely upon the support and advice of members of the Executive Board. I am very grateful to all members of the Board. I should like to thank Helen Hughes, Honorary Secretary, who is resigning this year, for her tremendous work during the year. I would also like to thank Catherine Watters, out-going Honorary Treasurer of the Association for her stewardship of the Association's financial health over several years. It is to be hoped that the Association's robust interest in library matters continues in the coming years.

Marjory Sliney, President.

Annual General Meeting 2001

The Annual General Meeting was held in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday 8th June, 2001. The relatively late date was due to Foot and Mouth restrictions. Marjory Sliney, Senior Librarian with Fingal County Libraries, was elected President of the Association. Catherine Watters, Information Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, was elected Honorary Treasurer. Helen Hughes, Librarian with Fingal County Libraries, became the Honorary Secretary. Finally, Gobnait O'Riordan of the University of Limerick and Ruth Flanagan of Cork County Library, were returned as Vice-Presidents of the Association.

The following resolutions were passed at the meeting for action by the Executive Board:

That the Library Association of Ireland requests the Department of Education and Science, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children and the Department of the Environment and Local Government, to continue the Babies Love Books Scheme initiated in 2000 by the National Reading Initiative. Proposed by the Executive Board and by the County and City Librarians Section.
The Library Association of Ireland, as the principal representative professional body of library and information mangers in Ireland, considers it to be inappropriate that Section 59 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 should be used to regulate aspects of library policy and operational matters that are not directly related to the remuneration of copyright owners; in particular, that it considers it inappropriate that a policy has been imposed on all prescribed libraries to charge for services which, under the Act, are exempted from an obligation to remunerate the rights-holder; and that this Annual General meeting direct the incoming Executive Board to raise these matters with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment as a matter of urgency. Proposed by Jennefer Aston, Consultant Librarian, The Law Library.
That this Annual General Meeting direct the incoming Executive Board to monitor the effect of the implementation of the Statutory Instruments which are issuing following the coming into force of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 , and to bring to the immediate notice of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment any concerns by librarians arising in the initial period after the first S.I.s are introduced. Proposed by the Executive Board.
In the context of proposals emerging under the Branching-Out, a New Public Library Service report, that this Annual General meeting direct the Executive Board of the Library Association of Ireland to take action to ensure that all professional posts in the library service be staffed by qualified librarians. Proposed by the Assistant Librarians' Section.
That this Association calls on the Minister for Finance to remove VAT from Audio Books, Language tapes and Braille. Proposed by the County and City Librarians' Section.
The National Reading Initiative has given local authorities and libraries the opportunity to work with other organisations such as the Health Boards, Literacy groups, Education Centres, Colleges, Age and Opportunity, Active Age groups, those at home and in nursing homes and day care centres, and the many other strands within the community. The initiative is successful. It is just beginning to break new ground and to make an imaginative difference. This Association requests that the Minister for Education and Science keeps the initiative structure in place and continues to build on what has already been achieved. Proposed by Joan Ann Lloyd.
That, given the crucial role of the public library network in bringing the benefits of the Information Society to the public, the Library Association of Ireland welcomes the introduction of public Internet access services in public libraries, and looks forward to the further development of such services. Proposed by the Executive Board.
That, given the importance of staff training and development to the library profession, and in support of the work of the new Standing Committee on Public Library Staff Training & Development managed by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, the incoming Executive Board should examine the Association's role in continuing professional development, with a view to enabling better co-operation between the education and training bodies and providers in all library sectors. Proposed by the Executive Board.
That, in the light of changing social, cultural and technological circumstances in this country, the Library Association of Ireland continues to remind all of us that the public library is everybody's library, and must serve everybody's interests, that it belongs to all the people, and that it is not there to provide an environment or a public space that is defined by any set of narrow sensibilities. Proposed by the Executive Board.
That this Annual General meeting direct the incoming Executive Board to publish and promote the findings of the School Library Research Project, and that the findings be used within the working party on School Library Development (as established by the Department of the Environment and Local Government and the Department of Education and Science) to ensure the development of a comprehensive national School Library Service. Proposed by the Executive Board.
That this Annual General Meeting give authority to the Finance and General Purposes committee of the Executive Board to translate the personal and institutional membership subscription fees from Irish punt into Euro when issuing membership renewal notices for 2002. Proposed by the Executive Board.

National Activities 2001

Library Association of Ireland Website

The LAI's revamped website was launched at the AGM in June 2001. The website is the result of collaboration between Brendan Teeling of the Executive Board and Eddie Byrne who maintains the site. In December, the Directory of Library and Information Services in Ireland (a joint venture with the Library Association (Northern Ireland branch)) through the North-South Liaison Committee was launched in an on-line version. This is accessible through the LAI website. The printed version will no longer appear.

Policy Document on Services to Children and Young People

The Policy, originally adopted at the 1998 Annual General Meeting of the Association, was launched at Cabra Library during Childrens' Book Festival 2001. The document has been sent to every government Minister and each member of the Oireachtas. In addition, each public library authority has received copies for distribution to its elected members. While some improvements have been made since the policy was formally adopted, it is hoped that all remaining issues will be dealt with before long. The Policy document is being used to highlight all outstanding issues.

Babies Love Books

December 2001 saw the launch of the Babies Love Books Scheme by Dr. Michael Woods, Minister for Education and Science. The Association was successful in making representations to the Minister to continue the earlier scheme, Books for Babies. At their 9 month check-up, some 65, 000 babies will receive a gift pack of 5 books which have been selected by professional librarians. The monumental task of distribution could not be affected without the support of public library staff throughout the country. From public libraries, the packs will be distributed to all local health centres. The Library Association of Ireland acknowledges the contribution of the Department of Education and Science in funding this initiative, public library staff in administering it and public health nurses in ensuring that the gift packs reach the babies and their parents or guardians. It is the hope of the Association that Babies Love Books will be a recurring project that could be monitored over time. The beneficial effects of bringing books to very small children are internationally recognised.

Professional Qualifications

The issue of appointing unqualified personnel to professional posts, especially within the public libraries sector, has been discussed for some years. It was the subject of a motion at the 2001 Annual General Meeting. The position of the Executive Board and of the Association at large is that a professional qualification in librarianship is a prerequisite for any professional appointment as librarian. Further, in line with best practise internationally, we would recommend that all professional librarians hold a university degree and an academic or professional qualification in librarianship. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government lays down the qualifications for the post of Assistant Librarian-the entry-level professional post in the public library sector. Furthermore, an Chomhairle Leabharlanna recommended in 1948 that the profession should be staffed by graduates. 15 years ago, in 1987, the Public Library Service Review Group made a similar recommendation. During the year, the President was instructed by the Executive Board to write to the County and City Mangers' Association expressing concerns at recent developments. Correspondence continues on this issue; this will continue to be a priority issue for the Association.

Primary School Libraries Research Project

In the Annual Report 1998, it was noted that the Department of Education and Science provided the Association with a grant to undertake research into the current state of libraries in primary schools. A Project Management team was responsible for selecting a researcher. Having received the completed research report, the Association was anxious to have it widely distributed. In December 2001, we were successful in receiving confirmation from the Department of Education and Science that they will fund the publication of the report. Siobhan Parkinson has undertaken to edit the report and, at the time of writing, we are hopeful of a publication date of March 2002.

International Activities 2001

EBLIDA

Every year the Association is involved in European librarianship through membership of EBLIDA and attendance at conferences. The Association is represented by Liam Ronayne, County Librarian, Donegal County Libraries.

Visit of Italian Librarians

This year heralded greater Association involvement in international affairs. In June, a group of librarians from the ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA BIBLIOTECHE visited Ireland and many individual members of the Association played host to them in libraries in Cork, Galway and Dublin. The Association was delighted to host a reception for our Italian colleagues on their final evening in Dublin. This event was held in the Royal Irish Academy and was attended, on behalf of the Executive Board, by Deirdre Ellis-King, Joseph Donnelly and Marjory Sliney. Norma McDermott, (Director of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna) Bill Simpson, (Librarian, Trinity College) and Siobhan O' Rafferty (Royal Irish Academy) also attended.

An interesting account of the Italian librarians' visit to Ireland has been published in A.I.B. Notizie, n.8, September 2001 and can be accessed in Italian at www.aib.it/aib/editoria/aibnotizie.htm.

Celtic Conference 2001

2001 saw the second Celtic Libraries Conference organised by the LAI, the LA (Northern Ireland Branch), the Scottish Library Association and the Welsh Library Association. The Celtic Conference replaced the usual Joint Conference this year.

The first Celtic conference took place at Peebles, in Scotland, in 1996. The Great Southern Hotel, Killarney, County Kerry, was the venue for the 2001 conference, titled 'Celtic Connections : the cultural gateway'.

The conference ran from 1st-4th May and was officially opened by Martin Nolan, Kerry County Manager. Speakers included:

Norma McDermott, Director , An Chomhairle Leabharlanna on 'Public Libraries and Culture: Issues and Images';
Neville Mackay, Chief Executive of RESOURCE: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, U.K. on 'Routes to Culture and Learning: The Public Library in the 21st Century';
Bruce Royan, Director, Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN) on 'Access to Heritage : The Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network';
Deirdre Wildy, Project Officer for Northern Ireland Publications Resource on 'NIPR 0 - 6 months';
Alan Watkin, Chief Officer, Leisure, Libraries and Culture, Wrexham County Council on '21st Century Public Libraries- engine of an inclusive society';
Mons. Pádraig Ó Fiannachta on 'Irish and Celtic Spirituality';
Rhona Arthur, Acting Director, Scottish Library Association on 'The Scottish Writers' Project';
Philip Davis, Head of the Welsh Book Council on 'www.gwales.com - your key to the Books of Wales';
Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, broadcaster with R.T.E. and Chairperson of Guaranteed Irish on 'The place of the Irish Language in the Public Library Service';
Elaine Fulton, Acting Director, Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) on 'A Strategic Framework for Best Value in Scotland';
George Kerr, Support Services Manager, West Lothian Library Services on 'An e-business approach to stock exploitation';
Kathleen Hardie, Author and Lecturer on 'A Sense of Place - Scotland/ Ireland'.

A highlight of the programme was the Presidential forum on the theme 'Issues affecting Libraries and the Profession in 2001'. This session featured: Andrew Green, President, Welsh Library Association; Madeleine Coyle, Chair, Library Association Northern Ireland Branch; Stuart James, President, Scottish Library Association; Pat McMahon, President, Library Association of Ireland. Bernard Naylor, President, Library Association. The Presidential Forum was chaired by Bob McKee, Chief Executive, Library Association.

Delegates were also delighted to welcome the Minister for the Environment & Local Government, Noel Dempsey, T.D. who addressed the conference during a visit to Killarney Public Library. While at the library delegates were able to view an exhibition titled 'From the Wireless to the Web: 75 years of radio in Ireland'. This exhibition was mounted by RTE Radio to coincide with the conference, as part of a joint venture with An Chomhairle Leabharlanna.

Despite the late confirmation of the conference due to the Foot & Mouth restrictions, some 250 delegates from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England attended the conference. 200 delegates attended the conference dinner on the evening of 3rd May, which was preceded by a reception hosted by Kerry County Council. The Executive Board wishes to acknowledge the work of the organising committee, in particular Katherine McCloskey (Programme Secretary) and Tommy O'Connor (Conference Secretary) and the contribution of Kathleen Browne and all the staff of Kerry County Libraries.

Celtic Conference Committee: Kathleen Browne (Kerry County Library); Robert Craig (Scottish Library Association); Huw Evans (Welsh Library Association); Katherine McCloskey (Programme Secretary, Belfast Education and Library Board); Andrew Morrow (LANI); Tommy O'Connor (Conference Secretary, Kerry County Library); Brendan Teeling (LAI) and Catherine Watters (LAI).

North-South Liaison Committee

The committee met in Dublin and Belfast in the course of the year. Priorities included the publication of the on-line Directory of Library and Information Services in Ireland. This invaluable electronic resource, edited by Brendan Teeling, gives names and addresses of all academic, public and special libraries in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. It is accessible through the LAI's web-site at www.libraryassociation.ie. The directory will no longer be available in a hard-copy format. Meanwhile, proofreading of the next issue of An Leabharlann continues and should be published shortly. In a related matter, proposals were also considered for a re-styling of the periodical. Pat McMahon has undertaken to handle marketing while Donna O'Doibhlin agreed to provide details of current library events in the Republic. Finally, work is progressing on the 2002 Joint Conference.

Bid to host IFLA 2007

Towards the end of June, a group of librarians from the Dublin area met in Trinity College Dublin to consider the possibility of making a bid to host the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Conference in Dublin in 2007. The President represented the Library Association of Ireland. Libraries represented included Dublin City Libraries, National Library of Ireland, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (Library Council), National University of Ireland, Dublin, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology and University of Dublin. A representative from the Ovation Group (conference organisers) was also present. At the June meeting of the Executive Board, it was agreed that the Association would make a formal bid to host the conference in 2007.

By coincidence, the President attended IFLA 2001 in Boston as part of a pre-arranged trip to the United States. Beatrice Doran (RCSI) and Mary Burke (DEPLIS, NUI, Dublin) were also present. Attendance in Boston proved invaluable in preparing the formal bid document.

Letters of support to accompany the bid were received from the following: An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, T.D.; Noel Dempsey, T.D., Minister for the Environment and Local Government; Jim McDaid, T.D., Minister for Tourism and Sport; Aer Lingus; Bord Failte; the Right Hon. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Michael Mulcahy; William Soffe, County Manager, Fingal County Council; and Mairead Gilheany, LISC (NI).

Dublin has much to offer our international colleagues in terms of unique libraries (Chester Beatty, Marsh's and RIA), new academic library buildings (DCU and TCD) and new public libraries (Blanchardstown and Cabra). Furthermore, Dublin is accessible to many venues of interest (Cork, Galway, Limerick and Belfast, for example) for library visits and pre-or post-IFLA meetings.

Unfortunately, we were not successful in our bid attempt. However, we have flagged our interest and would hope that this application would herald the beginning of more active membership involvement in IFLA activities.

Committees of the Executive Board

Children's and School Libraries Panel

Pat Lonergan, Marjory Sliney, Fionnuala Hanrahan, and Valerie Coghlan.

While this committee did not meet this year, members conferenced via e-mail. We would like to acknowledge the work of all those individuals who contributed to the Policy Statement on Library Services to Children and Young People.

Education and Training Panel

Deirdre Ellis-King, Teresa Walsh, Marjory Sliney and Helen Hughes.

The panel did not meet. However, the most pressing issue at this time is, as mentioned previously, the question of professional qualifications, particularly in the public and healthcare sectors.

European and International Affairs Panel

Liam Ronayne, Jennefer Aston, Donal Tinney, Caroline Brazier, Marjory Sliney, Deirdre Ellis-King, Joseph Donnelly and Mary Doyle.

During the year the Panel devoted much of its attention to the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000. The Panel worked on producing aids for library Ôfront-line' staff in dealing with the Act and the relevant regulations which are contained in Statutory Instruments, in particular No. 427 of 2000. All prescribed libraries, including academic, public and most special libraries, must ensure that people making copies of library materials in the library complete and sign a form which asserts 1) that the copy is made for the purposes of research or private study; 2) that the user has not previously been supplied with a copy of the same material; or 3) that she/ he has been supplied with a copy but that copy has since been lost, stolen, discarded or destroyed, or a period of some considerable time has elapsed.

During 2001 copies of a poster commissioned by the Panel, alerting library staff and library users to the provisions of the Act, were circulated to all libraries. At year-end the panel was close to finalising the text of a leaflet for library staff. It is intended that this leaflet will be distributed to libraries around the country early in 2002.

The Panel was involved in lobbying Irish MEPs in the Spring of 2001 on the EU Directive on Copyright in the Information Society. This was part of a Europe-wide process co-ordinated by EBLIDA, which led to a reasonably satisfactory outcome when the Directive was finally adopted by the EU Institutions in April. The deadline for the Oireachtas to enact the provisions of the Directive into Irish law is 9th October 2002.

During the year the Panel circulated information to libraries encouraging the attendance of the maximum number of Irish librarians at IFLA 2002 in Glasgow, and assisted in preparing a bid for Dublin to host the conference in 2007.

The Convenor attended the Annual Council of EBLIDA in Bremen, on 11-12th May, at which the main issue was discussion of the medium-term strategy for EBLIDA.

The document agreed on 11th May gives the organisation an updated mission statement and objectives; it calls on it to work on behalf of libraries and librarians on issues such as policies on books and reading, copyright, regional and cultural policies, library aspects of trade policy (e.g. GATS, WTO etc.), information society policies and other such issues.

Finance and General Purposes Committee

Marjory Sliney, Brendan Teeling, Catherine Watters, Liam Ronayne and Helen Hughes.

The committee met four times during the year. The single greatest issue on the agenda was the re-organisation of the administrative side of the Association. To gain greater insights, all sections and panels were asked to contribute to a vigorous discussion of the organisation's current functions, strengths and weaknesses. Brendan Teeling proposed that the Association move towards the appointment of a full-time director, in order to facilitate the continued growth and effectiveness of the organisation. At this time, terms of reference for a review are being drawn up for consultation.

The committee also considered the need to review subscription rates; a proposal will go before the Annual General Meeting in 2002. Other issues raised included the need to increase membership and improve communication between individual members, sections, panels and Executive Board members.

Healthcare Libraries Panel

Beatrice Doran, Margaret Dillon, Tony Linnane, Ann Tierney, Mary Riordan.

Though the Panel did not formally meet during the year Panel members are active on the Health Sciences Section Committee and at Executive Board level in highlighting and progressing issues of concern to the sector. Of critical importance to the sector currently is the endeavour of updating the 'Standards for Irish Healthcare Libraries' document published by the LAI in 1993. A first Workshop aimed at setting this process in train held during the year commanded a high level of interest from members throughout the sector and some 80-90 points for discussion emerged. A follow-up Workshop scheduled for early 2002 should put in place a framework and structure for developing these revised standards. The support of the Executive and the imprimatur of the Association will be paramount in securing the acceptance and widespread adoption of these standards by healthcare organisations and professional and academic bodies.

At the special meeting of the LAI Executive Board held on November 15th to deal with the Directorship proposal Panel member Tony Linnane took the opportunity to give a very robust presentation to the Executive on the poor state of librarianship within the health services in Ireland. He portrayed a scene where there is a dearth of staffing and resources and where in real terms there has been an erosion of library services in recent years. A key factor contributing toward this is the continued absence of a librarian in the Department of Health & Children. This post has remained vacant for almost three years. Representations were made to the Executive Board to enlist their active support in pursuing the Department on this matter. The panel is also concerned at the Department's failure to implement in full the recommendations of the 1995 MacDougall Report 'Information for Health'. The report provides the blueprint for the development of libraries in the healthcare sector.

Information Society Panel

Deirdre Ellis-King, Beatrice Doran, Teresa Walsh, Donal Tinney, Jess Codd and Gobnait O'Riordan.

The panel did not meet during the year.

Committee on School Library Development

Pat Lonergan, Valerie Coghlan, Liz Turley, Mary Carleton Reynolds, Helen Kilclyne, Patricia Quigley and Rosemary Walton.

We continue to receive requests for copies of Library File and we are still getting most favourable responses to the resource. Members from this committee have provided in-service training for the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland.

Representing the Association

Nominees and Members of External Committees

An Comhairle Leabharlanna: Deirdre Ellis-King, Ruth Flanagan.
Committee on Library Co-operation and Development: Leslie Bryan.
EBLIDA: Liam Ronayne.
Editorial Panel for An Leabharlann: Pat McMahon.
Local Government Computer Services Board: Ann Coughlan, Dolores Doyle, Helen Kilcline, Tom King (Chair), and Martin Maher.
Newsplan: Marjory Sliney.
North-South Liaison Committee: Jane Alger (retired Autumn 2001), Pat McMahon, Sean O'Suilleabhain, Marjory Sliney, Brendan Teeling and Catherine Watters.
School Library Research Project: Valerie Coghlan and Fionnuala Hanrahan.
Standing Committee on Public Library Staff Training and Development: Pat Lonergan and Austin Vaughan.
Working Party on School Library Development: Fionnuala Hanrahan and Mary Carleton Reynolds.

Conferences

EBLIDA Council Meeting, Bremen: Liam Ronayne
Public Library Authorities Conference, Torquay: Marjory Sliney

Functions

An Chomhairle Leabharlanna reception for Univ. Wales, Aberystwyth Distance Learning students, 4th July: Marjory Sliney.
An Chomhairle Leabharlanna prize-giving ceremony for Without My Library Essay Competition, September: Marjory Sliney.
Tercentenary of Marsh's Library, 8th November: Marjory Sliney.
School Library Association, Republic of Ireland Branch: Marjory Sliney.
Early Literacy Initiative, Dublin, 3rd December: Marjory Sliney and Ruth Flanagan.
Official Opening, Dr. T.K.Whitaker Building, Dundalk Institute of Technology, 7th December: Marjory Sliney.

Delegations

To the Minister for Education and Science: Marjory Sliney, Ruth Flanagan, Helen Hughes and Ciaran Mangan. Senator Pascal Mooney assisted and accompanied the delegation in its meeting with Dr. Michael Woods. The group successfully lobbied for continued funding for the Babies Love Books reading initiative.

Publications

Annual Report 2000. Dublin: Library Association of Ireland, 2001. ISSN 0791-6248.
Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000. Poster. Dublin: European and International Affairs Panel, Library Association of Ireland, 2001. A3 and A4 sizes.
Policy Document on Library Services to Children and Young People. Dublin: Library Association of Ireland, 2000(copyright date).
Directory of Irish Libraries. Joint publication with the Library Association (Northern Ireland Branch). On-line in December 2001.

Sections & Groups

Academic & Special Libraries Section

Chairperson: Caitriona Sharkey, Ernst & Young Treasurer: Colleen O'Kane, LK Shields Solicitors Committee: Nicky Kilroy, KPMG, Teresa Wittington, Central Catholic Library, Elaine Doherty, DIT

During 2001 the activities of the section included the following:

Annual Seminar The Annual Seminar was held in Dublin on 23rd March 2001, and was entitled 'e-Libraries, e-Roles : Our Future'. The seminar was chaired by Dr. Brid McGrath, and the speakers were: Sarah Ormes (UKOLN); Joanna Finegan & Grainne MacLochlainn (National Library); Anne Murray (Cambridge University Library); Joseph Donnelly (Judges Library); Prof. Jennifer Rowley (Edge Hill College); Deirdre Kennedy (Institute of Technology, Tallaght). All presentations from the seminar are posted on the ASL website: http://www.aslireland.org/

Library Visits During the past year the Section organised a visit to the library of the Mater Dei Institute of Education

Annual General Meeting The Section's AGM was held on 14th June 2001 in the Royal Irish Academy. After the meeting Domitilla Fagan (An Chomhairle Leabharlanna), gave a talk entitled 'The Vatican Library: An Introduction'. The Committee of the Academic & Special Libraries Section would like to thank all of those who participated in, supported and attended the events organised.

Assistant Librarians' Section

Chairperson Teresa Walsh, Dublin Public Libraries Vice-Chairperson Breeda Gilligan, Roscommon Co. Library Secretary Gerard Flannery, Tipperary Libraries Treasurer Pat Lonergan, Kildare Co. Library Members Liam Bergin, Donegal Co. Library Eileen Burgess, Donegal Co. Library Tony Cox, Westmeath Co. Library Carmel Daly, Clare Co. Library Dorothy O' Reilly, Kilkenny Co. Library Peter Rabbitt, Galway Co. Library Sheila Tierney, Louth Co. Library Josephine Vahey, Galway Co. Library

The Committee met four times during the year. The AGM of the Section was held at The Central Library, ILAC Centre, Dublin on 15th February. This meeting was preceded by a guided tour of the exhibition ÔThe Story of the Capital' in Dublin's City Hall.

The Section's Annual Conference was held in the Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath from 19 - 21 October. Entitled Libraries for Life, it dealt with Lifelong Learning and also Library Standards. The Conference was officially opened by Marjory Sliney, (President, Library Association of Ireland), and was attended by 65 delegates representing library services throughout the country and library support trades.

Ms. Margaret Hayes, Deputy Dublin City Librarian, examined in the opening paper Lifelong Learning through the professional context and practical content of formal and informal learning. This paper was followed by two workshops. Workshop A on Adult Literacy was facilitated by Ms. Mary Carleton-Reynolds, Longford County Librarian. Workshop B on Reader Promotion was facilitated by Ms. Mary Farrell, Westmeath County Librarian. The final conference paper was given by Mr. Alan Watkin, Chief Officer, Libraries, Leisure and Culture, Wrexham Borough Council, Wrexham, Wales. He discussed the introduction of Library Standards in England and Wales. Delegates also toured the nearby Belvedere House and Gardens.

Cataloguing and Indexing Group

Chairperson Jane Gribbon, University of Limerick Treasurer Breda Long, National University of Ireland, Cork Secretary Mícheál Ó hAodha, University of Limerick

The group organised a very successful course in Music Cataloguing at the University of Limerick in early December. The purpose of the day was to focus on the special challenges of cataloguing scores and sound recordings. The workshop included practical sessions using AACR2, MARC and LCSH. Other issues pertinent to music librarianship were covered during this in depth workshop including classification, security, storage and access policies/procedures relating to music materials.

Events being planned for 2002 include seminars on the cataloguing of Digital Images and on Marc 21.

County and City Librarians' Section

Chairperson Deirdre Ellis-King, Dublin City Public Libraries Vice-Chairman Breda Gleeson, Kildare County Library Secretary Austin Vaughan, Mayo County Library

The A.G.M. of the section was held in Mullingar on 8th November, 2001. The highlight of the year for this section was a successful Study Tour to libraries in the Catalonia region of Spain. Delegates included County Managers, Directors of Service, the Chairman and Director of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, a representative from the Dept. of the Environment & Local Government, as well as County and City Librarians.

The purpose of the trip was to:

Learn how the Barcelona and Catalonian Library Service is adapting to I.T. developments, including the Internet.
Explore the similar experience of Barcelona and Ireland in accommodating rapid library development in a short period.
Visit a number of high quality library buildings.

The most impressive aspect of the service in Catalonia was the amount of space allocated within library buildings.

A variety of issues was discussed by members of the section during the year. These included the Schools Library Service, Genealogy Centres and Public Libraries, the Prison Library Service and the Public Library User Survey.

The Autumn Seminar held in Mullingar covered such topics as the Newsplan Project, Asylum Seekers, the 2003 Special Olympics, Bullying and Harassment Issues in the Workplace, together with E-government, Intranet, GIS Initiatives and One Stop Shops.

Ruth Flanagan, Cork County Librarian, must also be congratulated for her persistence in persuading the Department for Education and Science to continue the Baby Book Pack initiative for another year.

Government Libraries Section

Eight Committee meetings took place in the year 2001.

Chairperson Carol Flynn, Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment Minutes Secretary Nicola Maher, The Office of Public Works Correspondence Secretary & PRO Valerie Ingram, The Office of Public Works Treasurer Ruth O'Flaherty, Health & Safety Authority Committee Andrea Lydon, Carol Flynn, Donal McSweeney, Joe Donnelly, Mary Doyle, Michael O'Gorman, Niamh O'Sullivan, Orla Gillen

Due to a promotion that required her to leave the Library area, Carol Flynn resigned from the Section towards the end of 2001 and Michael O'Gorman replaced her as Chairperson. The AGM was held on the 23rd of May 2001 in the Office of Public Works.

Monitoring the implementation of the Statutory Instruments on Copyright was the main issue for the group earlier in the year. Members of the Group were active in seeking the removal of the requirement to charge from SI 427 of 2001, which deals with copyright and the role of Librarians & Archivists in providing copies from copyrighted material, and were instrumental in the decision to remove the requirement. The group is now focusing more on copyright licensing in relation to the whole area of electronic access to publications.

As a GLS representative elected to the LAI Executive Board, Joe Donnelly continued to provide feedback to the Section on general LAI issues.

The Group also co-operated with the Internet Information Specialist Eddie Byrne who is currently employed by CMOD/Department of Finance to define a standard Metadata text that can be used throughout the Public Service. In December he gave a stimulating presentation to the Group on the Metadata Standard inviting feedback particularly in relation to the development of a Thesaurus for the IPSMS.

A sub-committee of the Section continued to liaise with the Government Supplies Agency Publications Section.

Due to the Foot and Mouth crisis a planned Copyright Seminar to be held by the GLS in Dublin Castle in April had to be postponed and is now due to take place in February 2002.

The year ended on a pleasurable note with Christmas lunch followed by a visit to the Farmleigh Library.

Health Sciences Libraries' Section

Chairperson Bernard Barrett, South Eastern Health Board Library Secretaries Catherine Breslin, Sligo General Hospital; Tim Collins, NUI Galway Committee Margaret Dillon, Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick Tony Linnane, Western Health Board Angela Rice, Mater Misericordiae Hospital

It was an eventful year for the Section. Energy levels were high in January as a large turnout of members attended the Section's inaugural Workshop on Standards for Healthcare Libraries in Ireland, held at the University of Limerick Library and facilitated by Mr John Lancaster, University Librarian. The aim of the Workshop was to set in train a process of revising and developing the Standards for Irish Healthcare Libraries document published by the Section in 1993 in the light of the continuing proliferation of libraries in this sector, many operating in a perpetual state of budgetary, staffing and resource impoverishment. Some 80-90 points for discussion emerged from the Workshop under various headings. Regrettably a follow-up workshop planned for March in Dublin was postponed due to the prevailing Foot & Mouth Disease travel restrictions. The endeavour was overtaken by other events later in the year but the Section is intent on proceeding with it as soon as possible in 2002.

The Committee met six times during the year to pursue issues and plan activities and the Section AGM was held on 11th May at the Irish College of General Practitioners, hosted by Gillian Doran, Librarian, who also spoke on her Library's role as an information resource for Irish general practitioners.

Meetings from mid-year focused on the planning of the Section's most ambitious event to date - a two-day conference on an 'Introduction to Electronic Journals', held at the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore on 25th-26th October 2001. Guest speakers from academic to Health Board libraries, as well as representatives from journal publishers, intermediaries and agents gave presentations to a gathering of approximately 60 delegates on the various challenges and issues surrounding access to and implementation of electronic journals in our libraries. Feedback to the Committee deemed the Conference a resounding success as well as a very enjoyable social gathering, prompting enthusiasm for the holding of a similar event on an annual basis.

Munster Regional Section

Chair Denis Murphy, Cork County Library Vice Chair Grace Hooley, Cork County Library Secretary Catherine Kennedy, Mid-Western Health Board, Limerick Treasurer Catherine Clehane, Cork Regional Medical Library Committee Mary Corcoran, Cork City Library; Niamh Cronin, Cork County Library; Orlagh Forde, Cork County Library; Emer McGrath, Cork County Library; Lorraine Lynch, Cork County Library; James Cashman, Fexco, Killorglin, Co. Kerry; Rosarii Buttimer, Cork Regional Medical Library.

The Annual General Meeting of the Section was held in University College Cork on Tuesday, February 27th, 2001. Thirty people attended the meeting and enjoyed a presentation entitled 'The Library of St. Finbarre's Cathedral' by Mr. Julian Walton, historian and scholar. The evening concluded with a cheese and wine reception. The Munster Regional Section met on eight occasions during 2001 and three main events were organised by us during the year.

On June 11th we visited the Libraries in Macroom and Killarney. Lunch in Killarney was followed by a tour of Muckross House. The event was well supported with numbers in excess of 50 on the day from Libraries all over the Munster Region. The day proved to be most enjoyable and informative for everybody involved.
On September 17th the Munster Regional Section hosted its annual seminar in UCC. It was entitled 'The Library in the Community' and was attended by 60 delegates. Ms Ruth Flanagan, Cork County Librarian opened the seminar. Mr Ciaran Mangan, Meath County Librarian spoke about 'Public Libraries and the National Reading Initiative' and how Libraries can be at the heart of Reading Promotion in our communities. Ms Valerie King, Head of Customer Services in University College Cork's Boole Library described 'The Boole Experience: Reaching out to our Customers'. Mr Simon Devilly, a Communications Consultant based in Dublin advised us on 'How to Hook the Media' and get publicity for our Libraries. Mr Richard Farrell, who is Project Librarian with Fingal County Libraries, described the Blanchardstown Library project and how the brand new public library there is building a strong sense of place in that community. The five speakers each gave us an excellent personal insight into successfully addressing the key task of promoting our Library Services in the communities they serve. All sectors were catered for and we came away from the event with positive and practical ideas to bring back to our own centres.
On Wednesday, December 5th a Christmas Table Quiz was held in Cork. The event was very well supported and proceeds of approximately £400 were donated to charity.

Rare Books

Chair Charles Horton, Chester Beatty Library Treasurer Joanna Finegan, NLI Secretary Marie Boran, NUI, Galway Committee Charles Benson, TCD; Helen Davis, NUI, Cork; Siobhan O'Rafferty, RIA; Penny Woods, Maynooth.

Once again, despite the exigencies of Foot and Mouth, the Rare Books Group enjoyed a successful year of activities. Our AGM was held in Marsh's Library on 31st January. The Officers of the Committee all agreed to remain on for a further term. Two long-serving committee members, Máire Kennedy and Valerie Seymour, resigned and warm tributes were paid to their immense contribution to the Group's development.

Our Book Collectors' Circle season opened with a lecture on 21st March in Marsh's Library by its keeper, Muriel McCarthy on Dr. Elias Bouhereau, First Librarian of Marsh's Library.

Our activities were somewhat curtailed by the general restrictions on public gatherings as a result of the Foot and Mouth outbreak. However, we were able to proceed with a planned visit to the Irish Railway Record Society Library at Heuston Station and the Worth Library in the former Dr. Steeven's Hospital building on 21st April. This visit proved extremely popular. Tim Moriarty and his colleagues in the Railway Record Society received lots of interested queries. Charles Benson kindly showed us around the Worth Library and members remembered the late Dr. Vincent Kinane, a loved and respected member of the Rare Books Group who died in November 2000 and who did much work on the restoration of the material in the Worth library.

30th June saw our next visit, this time to the Library at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin where we were introduced to some of the library's treasures by the Librarian, Sarah Ball. Once again this visit proved popular with members as did the tour of the gardens afterwards.

Due to unforeseen circumstances our Autumn Book Collectors' Circle with Prof. Dennis Duffy had to be cancelled.

On 30th November Maynooth played host to our annual seminar which was entitled 'The Art of Instruction: Textbooks in 18th and 19th Century Ireland'. The scene was set for us by Prof. John Coolahan, Professor of Education at NUI, Maynooth who spoke on 'Key emphases in national school text books in 19th century Ireland' using slides and physical examples. Dr. Susan Parkes of TCD concentrated on the Girls' Reading Book produced by the Commissioners of National Education in the 19th century, once again with actual physical examples. The Irish Hedge School and its Books 1695-1830 was the theme of Dr. Antonia McManus' paper and a lively discussion ensued before lunch. In the afternoon Dr. Chris Stray from the University of Swansea outlined the history of the Feinaiglian Institution in early 19th century Dublin and the books used there, particularly John Hawkesworth's Lucian. The seminar drew to a close with Dr. Máire Kennedy from the Gilbert Library giving a comprehensive survey of French books printed in 18th century Ireland. The Seminar proved that there are many interdisciplinary aspects to the Rare Books world, a fact which we will bear in mind in the future.

Our final event for 2001 was a Book Collectors' Circle presentation on 4th December by Dr. Marie Christine van der Sman, Director, Museum of the Book in the Hague. Dr. van der Sman outlined the rare book and manuscript collections in the museum with a slide show.

Membership of the Group continues at well over 100 and further information about the Group's activities is available on the website at www.iolfree.ie/~rarebooksgroup thanks to the work of our webmaster, Sarah Preston.

Western Regional Section

Chairperson Margaret Waldron, Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology Secretary Siobhan Arkins, Galway City Library Treasurer Majella King, Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology, (Castlebar campus).

The Western Regional Section of the Library Association held its Annual General Meeting on 21st June 2001 at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Discussion at the meeting included proposed training and study trips for the coming year. Training on Web-page design was proposed with enthusiasm, and visits to the new libraries at Carraroe, County Galway and Blanchardstown were suggested.

On August 31st, 2001, the Western Regional Section organised a very successful training seminar on Web-page design. The seminar was held in a fully equipped computer suite in the Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology. The training was provided by Niamh Mac Giolla Ri, of Aro, an Internet design company based in Furbo, County Galway. The twenty-five participants reflected the huge area that makes up the Western Regional Section: Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. The full day's training was intensive and feedback from the participants was extremely positive. The Western Regional Section is planning additional training and a study trip early in 2002.

Youth Library Group

Chairperson Anne Gannon, Dublin City Public Libraries. Secretary Phil Scanlan, Dublin City Public Libraries. Treasurer Mary McLaughlin, Dublin City Public Libraries. Committee Mary Bohan, Leitrim County Libraries; Ciara Cunnane, Donegal County Libraries; Aisling Grennan, Fingal County Libraries; Mary Griffin, Dublin City Public Libraries; Mary O'Driscoll, Wicklow County Libraries; Pearl Quinn, Dublin City Public Libraries; Rosemary Walton, Dublin City Public Libraries.

The committee and officers were elected at the well-attended AGM held at the Dublin City Public Libraries' HQ in Cumberland House on 25th April. The committee met on four occasions during the year.

Children's Book Festival
As usual the Youth Library Group joined forces with Children's Books Ireland to co-ordinate the Children's Book Festival which takes place in October. This was the main event of the year in many children's libraries throughout the country and activities and events also took place in schools and bookshops during the course of the Festival. The celebrity-studded launch in the Hugh Lane Gallery was attended and enjoyed by adults and children alike, with contributions from authors Marie-Louise FitzPatrick and Laurence Anholt among others.

This year the Festival book guide was divided into two publications - a simple book-list in foldout poster form suitable for bookshop promotions of recently published books and a more in-depth age related guide complete with reviews and recommendations which has a longer shelf life and is more suited to libraries and schools. The following members of the YLG contributed reviews to the BookFest publication: Helen ui Cheallaigh, Noreen Walley, Phil Kelly, Marian Caulfield and Deirdre Carty (all of Blanchardstown Library), Helen O'Donnell (Tipperary Libraries), Ciara Farrell and Pearl Quinn (Ballyfermot Library), Phil Scanlan (Charleville Mall Library) and Rosemary Hetherington and Sinead Toolan (Children's & Schools Section, Dublin City Public Libraries). The editor for the 12+ section was Mary McLaughlin (Children's & Schools Section, Dublin City Public Libraries).

The Children's Book Festival promotional material including the BookFest guide to children's books was distributed in ninety-five packs to twenty-nine local authorities. This year the Festival received good coverage on both radio and television, although the loss of funding provided last year through the National Reading Initiative was keenly felt throughout the country.

It is generally felt within the YLG that the library service profile could be raised and would benefit from a single countrywide promotion or campaign to be held as our contribution to the Book Festival. Preferably something simple that could run alongside the local events and would complement them. This is, however, very difficult to organise and fund from our present resources. Ideas and/or suggestions are most welcome.

Other events
During the year members of the YLG have been active in the world of children's books and literature:

Members contributed reviews to iBbY Ireland's recently published 'Changing Faces, Changing Places: a guide to multicultural books for children'.
Members attended iBbY Ireland's conference 'Changing Places: multicultural issues - children and books'.
Members also attended the Children's Books Ireland Summer School.
The officers of the YLG attended LAI meetings as observers on occasion.

Keeping in touch
As with all LAI groups, our members are far flung and extremely busy, making it very difficult for more than three or four to gather together in one physical time and place. We would encourage all members, and potential members, to log on to the LAI website (www.libraryassociation.ie) and follow the instructions for joining the YLG discussion group. It's important that we share our information, insights, brilliant ideas and occasional spectacular failures - so go on- log on!

Obituaries

The Executive Board noted with regret the deaths of past members of the Association: Howard, Margaret, Kildare County Libraries. Kinane, Vincent, MA, DLT, FLAI, ALAI, Assistant Librarian, Trinity College Dublin Smith, Gillian, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Acknowledgements

The Association would like to thank An Chomhairle Leabharlanna for making facilities for meetings available to the Association and for use of an office and correspondence address at 53 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2. We would also like to thank Dublin City Public Libraries and Fingal County Libraries for providing facilities for Executive Board meetings during the year. The Association thanks the Royal Irish Academy for facilitating the reception for our Italian colleagues.

Membership

As of December 31st, 2001 personal membership stood at 551, with 65 institutional members.

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Cumann Leabharlann na hÉireann The Library Association of Ireland Annual Report 2001

Contents