Sobre leis de Bibliotecas

A recente discussão sobre a legislação para bibliotecas publicas fez-me lembrar que tinha escrito sobre isso na minha tese em 2001. Aqui fica o extracto.

9.6. Legislation

The fact that Portugal does not have a library law was often mentioned by librarians as a hindering factor to the library being able to play their educational roles, and indeed affecting many aspects of the work of the library.

Some responses stressed the relevance that a law could have in helping libraries to gain more autonomy:

We are expected to do many things but we are not given the corresponding autonomy. This is an aspect that should be carefully looked at by librarians, and we should have legislation for the libraries.

(Librarian, small town, South of the country)

Another reason to justify the need for library legislation was the possible conflict of the roles of librarians and of elected members:

Libraries suffer from lack of autonomy. A Library Chart must be urgently defined; otherwise it may be very dangerous for us librarians, as we will be seen as competing with the elected members.

(Librarian, medium size town, North of the country)

The financing of the library was another issue considered by some respondents as likely to benefit from legislation, as illustrated in the following responses:

I think it would be important, for example, as far as the financing is concerned, that some national parameters existed, because, otherwise, we risk that some municipalities being penalised in favour of others with less sensitivity to cultural matters.

            (Councillor, medium size town, North of the country)

One response raised a set of diverse issues that justify the need for legislation for public libraries. Alongside the benefits associated with autonomy and financing, it considered that legislation could help to ease the administrative procedures by underlying the specificity of the library within the organization of the municipality. Another major issue was censorship of library materials by elected members, which, according to the respondent, a library law would make more difficult.

A different statute should be defined for the library. Presently it is considered just as any other service of the local authority. Or maybe specific rules should be defined within the local administration for the reality which is the library, even within the administrative constraints that we have mentioned. It should be defined clearly how bids should be considered, how acquisitions should be considered, how the autonomy of the management of the library should be considered, independently of some political pressures. I mean the role of the library, as a library, should be understood, for instance within the guidelines of the UNESCO Manifesto that cannot cope with specific political orientations. It happens, sadly, I believe it happens in some libraries, that they may be used by political powers to convey a certain way of seeing things and just a specific way of seeing things. I remember having heard some colleagues say that it was absolutely impossible for them to have in the library works that were not in favour of a certain political allegiance. A public library cannot be compatible with these things. This has nothing to do with what a public library should be. It is even hard for me to believe in such things, as I, myself, have never felt something like this but this is what I was told… and it is possible because, depending on the political power, it may intervene… All the entities that intervene at a cultural level, and are associated with political power, are vulnerable entities. I think that a specific statute should be established for libraries, I do not know what other solutions exist except for a library law.

(Librarian, medium size town, South of the country)

It should be underlined that this was the only response which raised the problems of censorship in Portuguese public libraries, suggesting thus that this is not a major issue in Portuguese public libraries. However, this is a topic that would need clarification and demands further research, since there is evidence of the importance of this issue in other parts of the world (Curry, 1997).

The literature provides arguments to substantiate the respondent’s perceptions about the usefulness of having legislation to serve as a framework for public libraries. Both the UNESCO Manifesto (UNESCO, 1995) and the new IFLA Guidelines (IFLA 2000) are clear in their acknowledgement of the positive outcomes of library legislation.  While the Manifesto states that the public library “must be supported by specific legislation…”, the guidelines suggest that this legislation “assures their continuance and their place in the government structure.”  According to Thomas (1997) several reasons may recommend the existence of legislation. These include preventing charges, guaranteeing a certain standard or avoiding cuts to activities and setting the conditions for state support.

Different legislative and administrative traditions in different countries may lead to different approaches to library legislation. Legislation, in itself, is not a secure panacea to solve all the problems of public libraries. Besides the evolving of society may make obsolete any piece of legislation within a few years of publication (Vittiello, 2000). However, the perceptions of the respondents to the present study result from their own experiences of working and living in a library universe that, literally, is outside the law. Their hopes for what library legislation could bring about match in many cases the positive outcomes achieved in other parts of the world.

This study suggests that the existence of legislation in Portugal could help public libraries in fulfilling their potential of supporting education. It could add to a clarification of their educational roles, it could help in guaranteeing that they are given the necessary resources in a coherent and continuous way, and it would allow a clarification of their management structures and processes. 

Debate sobre o código de ética dos bibliotecários

A ética profissional é um tema que tem passado algo despercebido aos bibliotecários alemães ao longo dos anos. No entanto, tendo em conta o papel que os bibliotecários desempenham na sociedade de informação actual, a questão da ética profissional está a ganhar cada vez maior importância.
Tradicionalmente, as bibliotecas das sociedades democráticas consideram sua missão assegurar o acesso à informação a todos os cidadãos. Tendo em conta esta grande responsabilidade social, é surpreendente constatar a falta de debate, entre os bibliotecários, sobre os princípios éticos do seu trabalho, especialmente porque, considerando devido aos cortes nos orçamentos e as novas tecnologias, os desafios não param de aumentar nos últimos anos, como por exemplo, no que à igualdade de tratamento de todos os cidadãos ou às questões sobre a protecção de dados diz respeito."
Veja o artigo completo no sítio do Goethe Institut

HISTÓRIA DO NATAL DIGITAL

:: rato de biblioteca ::: “A utilização dos recursos da biblioteca também se tornou uma constante…”

:: rato de biblioteca ::: “A utilização dos recursos da biblioteca também se tornou uma constante…”

Carlos Pinto Coelho, o bibliotecário honorário

Decididamente esta ano de 2010 é um ano malvado, e já perto do fim, traiçoeiramente, lá me levou mais um amigo.
Carlos Pinto Coelho tinha a bondade dos corações grandes,e talvez por isso ele lhe falhou. Era generoso, entusiasta, idealista até perto da ingenuidade, sempre com a cabeça a fervilhar de ideias e de projectos novos. Era um esteio e uma fonte de inspiração.
O Carlos era um dos (não muito numerosos) verdadeiros amigos das bibliotecas, em especial das bibliotecas públicas. Ponho de parte de propósito todo o muito que ele foi na sua área profissional e nos seus interesses pessoais, como a fotografia, pois o que  me fica na memória e nos afectos é o seu permanente interesse e apoio militante à causa das bibliotecas.
Ele era da maior importância e muito hábil naquilo a que em inglês se chama "advocacy". Interessava-se, procurava saber pormenores, ouvia atentamente e valorizava, encorajava o nosso trabalho. Sabia que tinha uma imagem pública influente e sempre esteve disponível para a pôr ao serviço das bibliotecas, e em apoio do trabalho dos bibliotecários, que sei que admirava e respeitava. "Já sabe, quando precisar de alguma coisa..." era a frase a princípio surpreendente com que muitas vezes se despedia.
Sendo um comunicador dos maiores, a sua participação em qualquer sessão era garantia de um brilho, de um ambiente caloroso, de relações fortes que se estabelecem. Ele era alguém que sentíamos estar sempre "do nosso lado", mesmo quando tinha críticas a fazer, e fazia-as docemente e com respeito pelo interlocutor. De algum modo (e com toda a razão), sendo um homem da comunicação, fazia-nos seus colegas, sendo o inverso igualmente verdadeiro. Por isso não hesito em propor que ele seja proclamado bibliotecário honorário, o que sempre será nas nossas memórias e nos nosso afectos.
Quando cheguei a Évora, o Carlos foi uma das pessoas que mais abertamente e de uma forma permanente se mostrou disponível para ajudar a Biblioteca Pública. De vez em quando almoçávamos e trocávamos ideias sobre o que estávamos a fazer. Infelizmente, a partir de agora isso não vai ser mais possível. Malvado ano de 2010!

Uma revista inspiradora

Numa fase em que muitas pessoas procuram temas para investigação com fins académicos ou outros, parece útil chamar a atenção para publicações na área de CID que podem ser fonte de inspiração para trabalhos a realizar entre nós.

Uma dessas publicações é "Ariadne", que se define a si mesma como um magazine publicado na web destinado aos profissionais de arquivo, bibliotecas e museus.

Fundada em 1996, o que lhe confere já uma notável longevidade, com uma periodicidade trimestral, esta revista tem um enfoque principal na área das tecnologias de informação, bibliotecas digitais e trabalho em rede um pouco por todo o mundo.

Destacam-se aqui alguns textos do último número (65, de Outubro 2010):

From Passive to Active Preservation of Electronic Records

Heather Briston and Karen Estlund provide a narrative of the process adopted by the University of Oregon in order to integrate electronic records management into its staff's workflow.

Locating Image Presentation Technology within Pedagogic Practice

Marie-Therese Gramstadt contextualises image presentation technology and methods within a pedagogic framework for the visual arts.

Trust Me, I'm an Archivist

Christopher Hilton, Dave Thompson and Natalie Walters describe some of the issues of engaging with donors when it comes to transferring born-digital material to the Library.

Why UK Further and Higher Education Needs Local Software Developers

Mahendra Mahey and Paul Walk discuss the work of the Developer Community Supporting Innovation (DevCSI) Project which focuses on building capacity for software developers in UK Further and Higher Education to support innovation in the sector.

Academic Liaison Librarianship: Curatorial Pedagogy or Pedagogical Curation?

Allan Parsons presents a strategic view of the need to develop the academic liaison librarianship role.

What Is a URI and Why Does It Matter?

Henry S. Thompson describes how recent developments in Web technology have affected the relationship between URI and resource representation and the related consequences.

Developing Infrastructure for Research Data Management at the University of Oxford

James A. J. Wilson, Michael A. Fraser, Luis Martinez-Uribe, Paul Jeffreys, Meriel Patrick, Asif Akram and Tahir Mansoori describe the approaches taken, findings, and issues encountered while developing research data management services and infrastructure at the University of Oxford.

Moving Researchers across the eResearch Chasm

Malcolm Wolski and Joanna Richardson outline an Australian initiative to address technology challenges within current research paradigms

Leia mais no sítio na Internet de Ariadne.

Muito preocupante

Massive cutbacks to library services begin

29.11.10 | Benedicte Page

Librarians have said they are “angry and depressed" at the wave of library cutbacks announced since the comprehensive spending review in October but feel “powerless" because they cannot speak openly about them. The Reading Agency director Miranda McKearney has called the scale of library job losses involved “scary".

At least 25 local authorities have announced new proposals for cost-cutting to their library services since the October review, with fresh details emerging almost every day. Because many of the proposals are provisional and involve different options, it is unclear what the exact number of individual libraries and librarian posts already at risk.

Last year the statistical body CIPFA, which measures library book lending, found that almost 1,000 librarians lost their jobs, with 24,765 left in their posts at the end of March 2010. But this year the downsizing could escalate, with some councils proposing a worst-case scenario loss of up to half their libraries, and recent proposals including the axing of 20 smaller libraries in Leeds, and up to 23 out of 42 libraries set to go in North Yorkshire. Further closures in Dumfries and Galloway and in Barnsley are among the latest announcements.

In Wiltshire some accounts suggest that just 10 librarians are intended to remain in place across the entire county, which has 34 libraries. A spokesperson for Wiltshire Council denied this was the case, but said that the council was “looking to get 240 managers out of about 550 across the council to apply for voluntary redundancy", and that library workers with management experience were among those receiving letters to that effect.

Some local authorities are following a trend called “management delayering", involving fewer lines of management between the chief executive and the front line, while others are employing “channel shift", automating as much of the council's contact with the public as possible, through the internet or call centres. It is believed that in some areas the entire library workforce has been told it is at risk.

Many library workers say they are unable to speak out because of fear they will lose redundancy payments if they breach confidentiality clauses in their contracts. One member of staff, who would only speak anonymously, said: “As angry and depressed as people are, when I raise the issue of why so many people in the profession are not talking to customers or the press about the dismantling of our services, people admit fear and powerlessness. There is great frustration that no one is taking the lead. I very much get the feeling that everyone is too fearful to stick their necks out as it would be professional suicide."

At The Reading Agency Miranda McKearney said: “What's clear is, lots of staff are going. One risk is that it is the specialist staff, the staff who push the reader development movement. In some authorities they are definitely being targeted." She added: “The worst I've heard of is that 60% of specialist staff [in one library service] are going. It's really scary."

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA) said: “Library services are a non-statutory service in that councils are not legally obliged to provide a library in every town. They have to provide a service, but there doesn't need to be a library—you could provide a mobile library, for example. Councils are legally obliged to provide other services, such as protecting vulnerable children and adults, and they are very expensive. We have a 28% reduction in funding over four years, so popular non-statutory services like libraries and leisure centres are being reduced. But it is very much a local decision and all councils will consult with local residents." The spokesperson added: “We have to be honest with people. We can't pretend we will be able to provide the same level of service in future."

Confidentiality agreements were part of the terms and conditions set by each individual council as an employer in its own right, the LGA spokesperson added.

Grupos focais na "Social Research Update"

Social Research Update é uma publicação trimestral do Departamento de Sociologia da Universidade de Surrey, em Guilford, Inglaterra.

No seu número 19 (Inverno de 1997) Anita Gibbs, do  Centre for Criminological Research, da Universidade de Oxford, aborda a temática dos "Grupos Focais", um método de investigação então, como ainda hoje, pouco conhecido e pouco usado em Portugal.

Leia o texto completo aqui.

General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews

Introduction

Interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind a participant's experiences. The interviewer can pursue in-depth information around a topic. Interviews may be useful as follow-up to certain respondents to questionnaires, e.g., to further investigate their responses. Usually open-ended questions are asked during interviews.

Before you start to design your interview questions and process, clearly articulate to yourself what problem or need is to be addressed using the information to be gathered by the interviews. This helps you keep clear focus on the intent of each question.

Veja mais em General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews

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