• Index of this issue

No. 55, March 2006

This is a paper presented by Mr. Hiroshi Sakamoto on behalf of Mr. Nasu at the CONSAL XIII, March 2006 , Manila, Philippines (abridged).

The National Diet Library (NDL) held a Meeting of Directors of the IFLA/PAC Regional Centres in Asia and Others on December 7, 2005, and, prior to the meeting, an Open Seminar on the Documentary Heritage Damaged by the Indian Ocean Tsunami on December 6. With the changes in the circumstances surrounding libraries, new and various problems have occurred in addition to existing needs. The IFLA/PAC core activity has also changed its framework to reorganize its areas of responsibility and revitalize its activities. In the Asian region, in addition to assigning the National Library of China (NLC) as the new centre for China, there are plans to establish new centres in Southeast Asia and South Asia. At the meeting, we discussed burden-sharing and cooperation among the centres under the new framework, defined preservation needs around Asia and confirmed future plans of the IFLA/PAC core activity. At the open seminar, as it was one year since the Indian Ocean Tsunami struck the surrounding countries, we invited speakers from the affected countries and encouraged them to speak on the actual situation of the damage caused by the tsunami to raise everyone's awareness of disaster prevention. It became an occasion to think about how Japan and other countries would be able to support the recovery through their cooperation with the IFLA relief program.

Open seminar at the Tokyo Main Library, NDL

1. Open seminar on the Documentary Heritage Damaged by the Indian Ocean Tsunami

The seminar started with a keynote address titled "Disaster programs of the IFLA/PAC" by Ms. Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff, Director of the PAC International Focal Point, followed by reports by Mr. Dady P. Rachmananta, Director of the National Library of Indonesia, titled "Rehabilitation and reconstruction plan for libraries and documentation centres in the province of Aceh," and by Mr. Upali Amarasiri, Director of the National Library of Sri Lanka, "Tsunami affected libraries in Sri Lanka: Rebuilding process and challenges." Next, a report "One Step Forward – Relief Work for Damaged Documents at Aceh, Indonesia" was read for Mr. Isamu Sakamoto, Paper Conservator, Director of the Tokyo Restoration & Conservation Center, who is working in Indonesia on the restoration of 30,000 volumes of land register documents held by the National Land Agency in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, one of the areas devastated by the tsunami, using the vacuum freeze-drying method. At the end, I reported about "Recent activities of the IFLA/PAC Regional Centre for Asia."

Mr. Rachmananta, Director of the National Library of Indonesia, reported on the damaged educational institutions in the province of Aceh. According to his report, a total of about 4,000 institutions including 1,755 schools from kindergartens to universities, and 2,206 non-formal educational institutions, were damaged to some degree or another, counting in slight damage as well as complete collapse.

The rehabilitation and reconstruction plan for libraries in the province of Aceh, "Increasing reading habit and interest and development of library" was formulated to make available damaged facilities and infrastructure and to increase the reading habit among community members and school students. To attain these targets, facilities and infrastructure of library and community reading centers will be procured. Main responsible organizations are the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the National Library, the Aceh Regional Office of Education and the Aceh Regional Office of Religious Affairs. The estimated cost of Rp 50,000 million (US$ 5 million) should be financed by the state budget, regional budget, contributions from the community and private sector as well as foreign assistance in the form of grants/loans. The rehabilitation and reconstruction plan is divided into three stages as follows:

• Emergency response stage: January – June 2005 (restarting of library services in some form)
• Rehabilitation stage: July 2005 – December 2006 (renovation of damaged library facilities and repositioning of library staff)
• Reconstruction Stage: January 2007 – Dec.2008 (fulfillment of the minimum standard of library services and their expansion)

Mr. Rachmananta said that they had only just moved on to the rehabilitation stage, but still have a long way to the reconstruction. Supporting activities such as school construction are being conducted by Japanese people through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other organizations, as well as the activities of Mr. Sakamoto mentioned earlier.

Mr. Rachmananta (left) and Mr. Amarasiri (right) presenting at the seminar

Next, Mr. Upali Amarasiri reported about damage and reconstruction in Sri Lanka as follows:

"Libraries of 182 schools were destroyed or severely damaged by the tsunami. It also destroyed about 50 public libraries run by local government authorities. The National Library and Documentation Services Board with the assistance of the government, UNESCO, local and international well wishers, the local library community and other concerned parties launched a rehabilitation and rebuilding programme of affected libraries.  To prepare the groundwork, a special committee titled ‘Sri Lanka Disaster Management Committee for Library Services and Archives’ (SL DMC for LISA) was formed incorporating all concerned parties. To assist the main committee a number of taskforces were also appointed."

"In the process of rebuilding affected libraries, land acquisition, developing suitable architectural plans, sourcing funds and problems of working with politicians, bureaucracy and NGOs have become main constraints. Substantial assistance has already been delivered in the form of library books and other reading material, library furniture and others, conduct of seminars and training programmes for librarians and special children’s publication projects. On the whole we consider this entire re-building and re-construction project to be a valuable learning experience for all associated parties."

We received a great response from the audience, most of whom were from inside the country, and the seminar also received a high degree of media coverage in Japan. I firmly believe that it was a very successful and fruitful seminar, which gave us a good occasion to figure out how we would be able to do recovery work and support rehabilitation once a disaster occurs, as well as to raise awareness of daily disaster prevention.

2. Meeting of Directors of the IFLA/PAC Regional Centres in Asia

Ms. Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff, Director of the IFLA/PAC International Focal Point, Ms. Jennifer Lloyd, proxy for the Director of the Regional Centre for Oceania and Southeast Asia, Mr. Yan Xiangdong, proxy for the Director of the Regional Centre for China, Mr. Dady Rachmananta, Director of the National Library of Indonesia, Mr. Upali Amarasiri, Director General of the National Library of Sri Lanka and Mr. Lee Kwi-bok, conservator of the National Library of Korea, were invited to the meeting. From the NDL, the Director General of the Acquisitions Department, the Director of Preservation Division and I participated in the meeting.

At the meeting, we had discussions about shared responsibility, networking, survey on preservation needs, cooperation, disaster planning and relief activities, problems peculiar to Asia, how to take advantage of the meetings of CONSAL and CDNLAO, and future tasks. The following is the gist of the meeting:

(1) Cooperation between the NLA and the NDL for Southeast Asia and South Asia and the relationship with prospective regional centres

To cover the tropical region of Southeast Asia and a part of South Asia, a network will be made involving new centres under a cooperative effort between the NLA and NDL just as they do for Southeast Asia now. We are waiting for the proposal from the Chiengmai University in Thailand to stand as a candidate. We continue the discussion to set up a partner library in South Asia, too.

Regional centres of the NLA and NDL will collect information on the needs of each country and institution through constant communication. They will accelerate communication and cooperation between preservation institutions and regional centres through exchanging mailing list that each centre updates.

(2) Survey on preservation needs

Regional centres will discuss whether or not a survey on preservation needs relating to specific subject matter or specific region is necessary watching the present and future circumstances.

(3) Preservation cooperation activities (information services, research and studies, education and training programs)

Each regional centre will make an English website through which preservation information services will be provided. A digital forum (discussion list) for centres will also be established and maintained.

Information on training programs carried out by regional centres will be shared so that they can act efficiently without overlap.

(4) Disaster planning (prevention, preparedness, response, recovery) and reconstruction support

Regional centres will encourage and support libraries, mainly national libraries, to make a disaster plan. They will establish a system that will enable a regional centre to get information immediately after a disaster strikes in its area and inform the disaster-stricken libraries of appropriate first-aid measures. The centre will also share information with the International Focal Point and other regional centres.

(5) Problems peculiar to Asia

In cooperation with experts and regional centres to be established in future, we will deliberate on the problems relating to preservation of palm leaf materials, environment in a tropical climate, and collection management in inadequate facilities.

(6) Taking advantage of the meetings of CONSAL and CDNLAO

We will use these forums for discussing preservation issues, including periodically reporting progress with critical preservation issues to CDNLAO members. Regional centres will proactively contribute to the CDNLAO Newsletter to publicize their activities.

(7) Future tasks ("IFLA/PAC Strategic Plan 2006-2008" and "Action plan of the Regional Centres in Asia")

What we agreed at the meeting will be incorporated in the "IFLA/ PAC Strategic Plan 2006-2008" as an opinion from Asia. Moreover, based on the Strategic Plan and the agreement at the meeting, an action plan for Asia will be formulated at the earliest possible time after this coming April. The action plan will be coordinated by the National Diet Library in cooperation with the NLA and the NLC.

(From left) Author, Mr. Amarasiri, Ms. Varlamoff, Ms. Lloyd, Mr. Yan, Mr. Lee, Mr. Rachmananta

More information on these events: http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/iflapac/news.html