Infrastructure is what enables things to happen. Typically, we think of it as things like bridges, power networks or pipes, that allow people to travel around, and to receive electricity and running water – physical connections going from one place to the next. Policies for infrastructure are therefore often seen as mainly being about construction, […]
Read moreEnglish version follows Con la colaboración del Instituto Ecuatoriano de la Propiedad Intelectual El acceso a la información es un claro activo para el desarrollo social y económico. Tal y como subraya el informe “Desarrollo y Acceso a la Información”, “el acceso a la información no es un fin en sí mismo sino un factor […]
Read moreOriginally posted in the IFLA SpeakUp! blog, run by IFLA’s FAIFE Committee. Libraries have traditionally acted as facilitators of access to information. In this role, libraries serve as intermediaries not gatekeepers or watchdogs. Libraries diffuse the use of new technologies to their patrons, empowering and unleashing the potential of human mind. The law generally views […]
Read moreWhy US Courts consider public library as the “quintessential locus” of information in a free and democratic society. By Tomas Lipinski (Professor, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) Anyone following recent library developments is the United States is likely to have seen legislative efforts in various states to restrict access to LGBTQIA+ or […]
Read moreThis week is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)’s Copyright Week. Watch IFLA’s Policy and Advocacy blog for posts on the rights libraries and their users have under copyright right law. Recently we shared a post on Monday’s theme, the Public Domain. Today: Fair Use. Fair use triumphs over proprietarianism. Consumers benefit from competition and advances in technology – […]
Read moreAmong the key themes on the table at the Transforming Education Summit taking place currently in New York is that of how to make the most of the promise of digital to help achieve education goals. This blog argues that in addition to school connectivity, library connectivity must also be guaranteed in order to do this.
Read moreInternational Mother Language Day (21 February) is an annual affirmation of the important role that cultural and linguistic diversity plays in building sustainable societies. Cultural and linguistic diversity are fundamentally linked to freedom of expression and access information; they are at the heart of the promotion of cultural and educational rights. If the availability of […]
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