Vienna calling

The title of this article has nothing to do with the 1985 song by Falco, to which most of my generation would have danced to on the mediocre dance floors available at the time.

This article is about a Vienna declaration, one of the many emanating from this enchanting city. This particular Vienna declaration was published following a joint conference of the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA) and the National Authorities for Public Libraries in Europe (NAPLE Forum), held last May. During this conference it was agreed that efforts will be made to strengthen the role and the potential of the library service throughout Europe in supporting the European Knowledge Society.

During the recent hullabaloo about the Renzo Piano City Gate project, the Malta Library and Information Association (MaLIA) proposal for a state-of-the-art public library to be integrated in the project was one of the many facets discussed in the aftermath of the official launch.

MaLIA's enthusiasm following Piano's interview in The Times (June 22), in which he clearly indicated that a public library would be included, was short-lived as during the official presentation a few days later, the people of Malta were told they would have the privilege of having a state-of-the-art interactive Museum of Maltese History and Political Development under the new Parliament building.

During the following weeks, articles and opinions proliferated on various media and MaLIA has noted with satisfaction a lot of support to its proposal. There were also factions of society, however, that seemed to have a vested interest in portraying the association as a group of lunatics who live in cuckoo land and still dream about the useless places that are called libraries. Although the words were not written, you could hear the distant echo all the way: "Who needs libraries these days anyway! We have the internet now and no one bothers going to these places anymore."

Well, the perfect answer to these sceptics had already been published in the Vienna declaration, just a few weeks before the City Gate project was officially launched!

The declaration touches on four important aspects. The first is a call for a White Paper about "public libraries in the knowledge society". The organisers are calling on the European Commission to adopt a White Paper that describes the new role of public libraries in the European knowledge society. This "new" role has in fact already been implemented in many public libraries abroad who have realised that their role must change and new and innovative services must be introduced apart from the traditional circulation of books.

Community services such as assistance to adults in finding employment, homework clubs for students, reading groups, adult learning sessions and cultural activities are only a few of the plethora of services that public libraries are, or should, be offering. The declaration also calls for the member states to act on behalf of their libraries and emphasises that the White Paper should be based on the work of a high-level group of libraries established by the Commission.

The second point of the declaration calls on the European Commission to establish a European knowledge centre for public libraries that will coordinate the provision of information about the public library services in all European member states. Such a centre would provide much needed guidelines on what libraries should offer and important information to assist public libraries in carrying benchmarking exercises to assess the level of their service.

The third point touches upon a fundamental aspect - funds. European-funded projects that promote the development of libraries in a meaningful and sustainable way are being encouraged. A European library infrastructure, complimenting existing projects and with high political visibility should be developed. A common infrastructure is also being encouraged as this will facilitate the uptake of online services and provide alternative learning opportunities. This is, of course, easier said than done but there is no debating the fact that the suggestion is a positive one.

The fourth and final point of this declaration touches upon the delicate aspect of copyright. EBLIDA has been very active in opposing aspects of copyright regulation that contradicts and is an obstacle to the idea and development of a knowledge-based society. The declaration calls for a fair copyright policy that while considering the rights of the copyright holders, establishes reasonable exceptions for the work of libraries.

The above points touch upon areas about which MaLIA has in fact been harping for some years. These include the important role that public libraries can and should play in the much hyped knowledge society and the need for more information and benchmarking to assess the services our public libraries are offering. The need for a state-of-the-art public library in a prominent position - possibly in Valletta - is considered by MaLIA as a first fundamental step in a comprehensive project that would revamp our public libraries in terms of standards and services offered. MaLIA notes with satisfaction the recent positive developments in the funding of our public libraries. The budget allocated to local councils for public libraries has been doubled and this is one step in the right direction. There are, of course, many other steps that need to be taken with some urgency and both Dolores Cristina, the minister responsible for libraries, as well as Chris Said, the parliamentary secretary for public dialogue and information, have declared their commitment to improve the local situation vis-à-vis libraries in meetings held earlier this year with MaLIA.

Let us hope that the Vienna declaration is taken on board by the authorities and a genuine effort is made to bring our libraries up to the level of other European countries, where these places are not only valued by the local community but also play a significant role in helping their countries to achieve the already mentioned knowledge-based society.

MaLIA, as a member of EBLIDA, has already written to the local MEPs asking for their comments on the Vienna declaration and these comments will be sent to EBLIDA to be added to the comments collected from all over Europe. These will serve to lobby in favour of the declaration at European level. At national level, MaLIA will also seek the commitment of local MPs to this declaration.

As true Europeans, we should not lose this opportunity to commit ourselves to the objectives of the Vienna declaration as we feel that these are not only important for Europe, but also vital for us to bring our public libraries in line with other public libraries in Europe - all this for the benefit of the people of Malta and Gozo.

Mr Mizzi is international relations officer of the Malta Library and Information Association.