Monthly Archive for January, 2018

Data Privacy Day: Call the Information Specialists!

Libraries are specialised in preserving, storing and giving access to information. They have long understood its power to drive research, creativity, and development. And they have done so since long before terms such as knowledge management, evidence-based policy-making, or anything ‘smart’ were invented.   It is this understanding that also […]

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The Internet Governance Forum: Post-Event Reflections

As a network that shares and promotes access to information for the benefit of all, libraries are the original Internet. For this reason, the Internet in itself, and the way it is governed, are central to libraries and to the advocacy work of IFLA. But what is Internet governance exactly? […]

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From Shelf to Platform: Why Safe Harbours Matter for Libraries

In most of the discussions about either copyright or Internet policy that IFLA attends, the term ‘Internet platform’ is usually code for Google or Facebook. They provide a place where individuals – from writers and creators to propagandists and people uploading large numbers of illicit copies of films – can […]

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IFLA at OpenCon 2017

IFLA participated at OpenCon 2017 late last year, a key event in the open access, open education and open data movement. With over 10,000 applications received for the 2017 conference, IFLA was one of the lucky ones to be selected. Thanks to the variety of the sessions’ format, the conference […]

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Copyright’s threat to freedom of expressions: IFLA submits recommendations to UN special Rapporteur

The way people produce and access information has changed in the last decades. Internet platforms, for instance, make it possible for content – especially from new voices – to reach wide audiences. While some of the content shared might represent straightforward infringement,  a big part of it consists of original, […]

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We need access to information… about the laws that affect access to information!

The way that copyright laws are written has a major impact on how people can access, apply, and create information. This access is not only a basic human right, but is essential to education, innovation and broader development. In the light of this, citizens and the libraries that serve them […]

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The end of ownership of library material

The limits established by licensing agreements are a major and growing concern for libraries. In an effort to underline the challenges raised, IFLA commissioned a literature review on the limits of licensing. The study, written by Svetlana Yakovleva, underlines that licences stop far short of granting ownership, and identifies the […]

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