Author Archives: richards

Meet the candidates: Kent Oliver

Kent Oliver
Library Director
Nashville Public Library
USA

I am thrilled to be to be nominated by the Public Library Association of the American Library Association (ALA) for IFLA’s Public Libraries Standing Committee.  It has been my privilege to participate as a member volunteer and leader with ALA at many levels.  Part of my ALA experience  includes serving as an ALA Executive Board Member, Chapter Councilor, Council Committee Chairs (most recently the Committee on Legislation) and as President of our associated organization, the Freedom to Read Foundation.  These and other roles provide me insight into the breadth and scope of issues impacting our profession and librarians.  Issues such as copyright, human rights, intellectual freedom, information access and public facilities development are certainly not United States centric and should never be considered as such.

My entire professional library career has been as a public librarian.  I am currently the Library Director of the Nashville (TN) Public Library, 2017 Library Journal Library of the Year.  Prior to joining Nashville I was the Director of the Stark County (OH) Library District (SCDL) in Canton Ohio. SCDL was a winner of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service during my tenure.

I believe the common threads for successful public library services worldwide are collaboration, innovation, advocacy and engaging community and national challenges.  Becoming part of a committee in an organization such as IFLA requires a set of association skills and values.  Those include civility, inclusiveness, respect for process and thoughtfulness. I would bring all of these to the table and embrace the opportunity to contribute to my profession at the global level.

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.

Meet the candidates: Annie Brigant

Annie Brigant
Deputy Director 
Bibliothèque publique d’information
FRANCE

Having spent a large part of my career in public libraries (in the French cultural network abroad, in the Grenoble public libraries network and at the Bibliothèque publique d’information of the Centre Pompidou in Paris), I am highly interested in the activities of this section and willing to participate.

During my 3 decades career, I have developed a great variety of skills and interests : digital matters as I took part in building the French national system of ebook lending and created a “digital public library” in Grenoble, cultural projects (as the co-director of a literary festival for instance) or building renovation at the Bpi. I have also developed a taste for management (at the head of Grenoble public libraries or as Bpi deputy director), libraries marketing and communication.

Public reading is an international cause which is frequently endangered and requires constant lobbying work and I would be very happy to share my experience as well as my enthusiasm.

May I add that I have a personal experience as an English to French translator which I will be glad to place at the service of the standing committee if need be.

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.

Meet the candidates: Hitomi Takeuchi

Hitomi Takeuchi
Lecturer
JAPAN

I worked in the National Diet Library, Japan. I worked several sections.  One of the section which were Japanese congress service section where I was in charge of making Diet Minutes database which is very useful for not only the diet member but also for all nation who want to know what kind discussion is going on, and who discuss what kind content and what is the hot issues in the diet and in the Japanese society.

Besides working in the National Diet Library, I teach several Universities about the reference services, the information retrieval and other library services.  To teach the library things is interesting for me to train and make  capable and empowering librarians.

I joined the standing committee of IFLA Public Library Section in 2002 in Puerto Rico Conference as my first term.  It was the wonderful experience to meet and discuss about the public library with the other countries librarians.  Completed my first term, I had been the correspondent member in the next term. This time is my second term of the standing committee.  Through my first term experience I could contribute not only to Japanese public library making useful but also I could do the other countries members especially Asian countries.

The end of February I will have a presentation about UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 1994 at the Japanese Public Library research conference which held every year. I’ll explain the Manifesto and its history. I know it is the fundamental document and how important it is.  If I could have the second term member of Public Library Section, I could flourish the spirit of Manifesto.

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.

Meet the candidates: Martin Memet Könick

Meet the candidates: Sander van Kempen

Sander van Kempen
Senior adviser
Royal Dutch Library
The Netherlands

I have been active since 2011 within public libraries and since 2015 at the Royal Dutch Library (Koninklijke Bibliotheek). I have a background in ICT and digitization but more recently have broadened my expertise to include digital inclusion, digital innovation and supporting local libraries.

Currently my main focus is the connection between the local library and our national digital library infrastructure, which includes a digital library catalogue, ID system, Datawarehouse, etc. I love to work with all kinds of public libraries and feel that we all have something to contribute to achieve the mission set out in the Public Library Manifesto.

A part of my drive to work in the public library domain is that I feel that reading is an essential part of the upbringing of my two small boys. I also strongly believe in the mission of the public library as being central to freedom and equity of access to knowledge and information for all people. I would like to contribute to a stronger relationship between public and scientific libraries.

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.

Meet the candidates: Ulrike Krass

Ulrike Krass
Deputy Director Public Library Freiburg
GERMANY

My name is Ulrike Krass, I have been working in public libraries in Germany for many years, now as deputy director in Freiburg, a city near the black forest and close to the border to France and Switzerland. After concentrating on marketing, I am now focusing on organization and customer services. Further I´m also responsible for the branch libraries (including our mobile library), section for children, music and reference services in the central library.

My main motivation as a librarian is to enable people participating in society through free and equal access to information of any format. This is my vision for a progressive forward looking viability for libraries.

Since the beginning of my professional career I have been active in the German Association of Information and Library Professionals (BIB). My main emphasis here is   to support professional development at libraries in general.

I have been observing the IFLA activities since many years. I have participated at the WLIC in Glasgow, Oslo and Berlin. At Lyon and Wroclaw I intensified my participation with a poster presentation.

Now I feel ready to work more active in the international library movement with a focus on public libraries and their concerns – in the Public Libraries Section. The Action Plan with the objectives and activities is challenging and ambitious. As for example the Public Library Service Guidelines, the annual Public Library of the Year Award or the organisation of relevant conference programs. I would be happy to contribute constructive ideas to above objectives based on my experiences.

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.

Meet the candidates: Adriana Cybelle Ferrari

Adriana Cybelle Ferrari
President
Brazilian Federation of Librarians’ Associations
BRAZIL

I am a candidate for re-election (having served on the Standing Committee 2015-2019) and I would like to say that interaction at this moment with the Committee has been extremely enriching. I really wish to continue collaborating and learning, especially, to work with the revision of the Guidelines for Public Libraries, a project that is ongoing.

I was the coordinator of the projects – Biblioteca de São Paulo (launched in 2009 ) and Biblioteca Villa Lobos Park, (launched in 2015) which are considered references in promoting reading and citizenship. These libraries received national awards and were finalists of international awards.

I am the President of the Brazilian Federation of Librarians’ Associations (FEBAB) and for this reason, I strongly believe that at this political moment especially in Latin America, we must talk more about advocacy, spread the libraries´s work as a partners of  the 2030 Agenda. Is extremely important to make our voice reach out to decision makers! Libraries are being threatened and we can be an important advocated in defending this cause. The new Guidelines for Public Libraries will be an important tool for us!

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.