TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRESIDENT'S FOREWORD

After submission by the Executive Committee to the membership, the EBLIDA Strategy 2004 – 2007 has been approved by the EBLIDA Council in Estoril in May 2004.

This strategic plan replaces the EBLIDA Strategy for the Future 2001 - 2005 which was reviewed at the request of the EBLIDA Executive Committee by a working group consisting of the President and Director of EBLIDA and four other members of the EBLIDA Executive Committee: Klaus-Peter Böttger, Pedro Hípola (Vice-President), Antonio da Pina Falcâo and Finn Vester.

EBLIDA, founded in 1992, has successfully surpassed its decade of existence, expanding and achieving outstanding results as a key organization representing libraries, archives and information sectors and professionals in Europe.

The Strategy is conceived to be a living document and the Executive consider it necessary that it should be reviewed by each new Executive Committee every two years, who will then submit their report to the EBLIDA annual Council.

As concluded by the Executive Committee in The Hague, October 2003, EBLIDA should promote and defend the interests of the library, archive and information sectors and professionals working for European citizens.

This document is intended to outline EBLIDA’s overall direction and broad goals for the period covered, in order to allow for transparency, democracy and focus for the organisation and its membership, who are the main reason for the existence of EBLIDA, especially in the new context of European Union enlargement.

Jan Ewout van der Putten

President EBLIDA

Taking into account the key role of libraries, archives and information sectors and professionals in:

§         securing access for all to the benefits of the information society in all formats

§         formal, informal and non-formal education at all levels, including lifelong learning

§         making culture and cultural diversity accessible, and securing their preservation

§         supporting scientific and technical development

EBLIDA should promote and defend the interests of the library, archive and information sectors and professionals working for the people living in Europe, by:

§         Lobbying at European level

§         Encouraging and supporting national organisations lobbying at national level

2. Objectives

The primary objectives of EBLIDA are:

• to foster consultation between its members on matters of common concern

• to act as a channel of communication between its members and other interlocutors, foremost amongst which would be the European Commission, the European Parliament, other institutions of the European Community and the Council of Europe

• to act as a representative voice of the library and information science profession in European matters and, finally,

• to serve and promote other interests of the library and information science profession, its institutions and its professional workers in Europe

EBLIDA also aims:

• to increase the influence, impact and cohesion of the library, archive and information sectors and professionals in Europe

• to represent the views of its membership to the European Union Institutions and other relevant European and international policy-making bodies and to ensure by lobbying and other means that members’ legitimate interests are heeded

• to identify European policy issues of legitimate interest and lobby for favourable outcomes

• to raise awareness and disseminate information that is consistent with its mission and objectives

• to recruit and mobilise membership at European level on matters of common concern

EBLIDA engages in different policy issues at different lobbying levels as appropriate. Some require quick and intensive action, whilst others have to be tackled from a perspective circumscribed to the monitoring level. The allocation of EBLIDA lobbying issues to one category or the other depends very much on the current approach by the European Institutions’ agendas towards those matters. The EBLIDA Annual Work Programme reflects this classification on a yearly basis.

The broad policy issues in which EBLIDA should act are:

ü       Intellectual property rights [including WIPO issues]

ü       Information Society issues

ü       Professional Education

ü       Culture

ü       International Trade matters [e.g. GATS & TRIPS]

A more detailed list of policy issues should be reflected and updated in the EBLIDA Annual Work Programme.

EBLIDA lobbies to defend and promote the interests of the library, archive and information sector and professionals in Europe, following mainly the policy agenda of the European Commission. The lobbying efforts of EBLIDA operate in two directions:

§         Influencing the European and International institutions and organisations

§         Providing support to national member organisations

Influencing European Institutions and officials, and achieving positive results, is not a single-direction task. There are many possibilities for action, but often a combined effort is required to achieve a successful outcome. EBLIDA acts mainly through its Secretariat, headed by the Director, who is responsible for the management of relations with the European Institutions and international organisations.

As regards members, it is the EBLIDA commitment to encourage, inspire and support their national lobbying actions, providing the necessary alert and background information when action is required towards a certain policy issue.

It is crucial for EBLIDA’s lobbying activities that statements and Position Papers in relation to a certain subject, are carefully prepared, issued and disseminated, in order to maintain and develop institutional and political relations.

The EBLIDA working groups are a useful and consistent means of lobbying, adding value to the Secretariat actions towards certain policy issues e.g. EBLIDA’s Copyright Expert Group (CEG) and the World Trade Organization Working Group (WTO).

These ad hoc groups have proved to be crucial, not only for providing expertise and support to the Secretariat in complex matters, but also for the active involvement of the members in raising national awareness and dissemination of the EBLIDA actions.

Members of the working groups are appointed from EBLIDA members’ organizations. Their functioning is efficient and well structured and members of the working groups are in permanent contact with the Director of EBLIDA, mainly via e-mail. The working groups also meet twice a year for in-depth discussions of the issues concerned.

The new EBLIDA working group on Professional Qualifications (PQ) will be constituted in 2004, as approved by the Executive Committee and the Council.

As a complement to the lobbying mechanisms, EBLIDA participates in transnational European Commission funded projects whose main goals are in line with EBLIDA’s objectives and mission. This allows EBLIDA to further expand its network and presence in Europe and to receive feedback on policy issues.

EBLIDA’s great potential strength is its legitimacy, based on the membership structure of national associations as well as individual institutions, representing library, archive and information sectors and professionals in Europe. Therefore a main goal for EBLIDA is to increase its full and associate membership among these sectors, paying special attention to the new European Union member countries. 

The recruitment of new members is one of the main tasks of the EBLIDA Secretariat. However members of EBLIDA are also encouraged to contribute to this task, on a voluntary basis, by sponsoring new members, i.e. offering to pay their membership fees.

EBLIDA’s main source of funds is subscription income from members and this should continue by increasing the membership base. The membership fees will be increased on an annual basis in accordance with the yearly Dutch inflation rate in order to ensure maintenance of the core income and operability of the organisation.

Human resources

Despite having a small Secretariat of 2FTE staff, EBLIDA has made a considerable external impact as a large network of national associations, governed by an active Executive Committee. It remains flexible and non bureaucratic and needs to ensure that it continues to be proactive and outward looking.

Professional external assistance with financial issues should be maintained as an extra means of financial accuracy.

• Hot News is the EBLIDA monthly newsletter, through which valuable information is disseminated and lobbying actions promoted amongst the members. The possibility of switching from a hard copy to an electronic version will be discussed.

• EBLIDA website. As an international organization EBLIDA needs to maintain an up-to-date informative website as a key marketing and information dissemination resource.

• EBLIDA mailing  list

• Conferences and workshops. EBLIDA should consider the possibility of organising such events on European relevant policy issues seeking the active involvement and support of its members in the country concerned.

• EBLIDA has much to gain from active co-operation with partner organizations. Detailed descriptions of which organisations have been selected, and why, specifying the appropriate level of cooperation should be reflected in the annual work programme. EBLIDA should seek closer cooperation with organizations from the following sectors:

  §         European and international library, archive and information sector organisations, e.g. IFLA, ICA, EUCLID, LIBER

  §         Cultural European and international organisations, e.g. Council of Europe, UNESCO, EFAH, NEMO

  §         Other related European organizations and groups, e.g. BEUC; European Association for the Education of Adults; EBU, Consumer and “Handicap” organisations; Frankfurt Group, EDItEUR

Created: 8 April 2004

Last updated: 30 July 2004