Yulia Kashpruk

A report from Yulia Kashpruk, 2012 CILIP/IFLA Aspire Award winner

The largest and most important international conference of its kind in the world, the World Library and Information Congress: 78th IFLA General Conference and Assembly ran from August 11-17 in a multicultural center of Europe Helsinki, Finland, a metropolitan of a modern design in 2012, and featured some 218 sessions with close to 4,000 attendees. Echoing the conference theme, this Conference was really inspiring, surprising and empowering for me as a first timer.

Interview with Yulia Kashpruk (in Ukrainian)

As an active member of the Ukrainian Library Association (ULA) I participated in a number of sessions around building better library communities, open access, multilingualism, and forming new library professionals worldwide. It was really relevant to assist in presenting our innovative project ‘Building Strong Library Association in Ukraine’ on a poster session. 108 library vendors displayed and demonstrated their wares, including conference sponsors OCLC, Axiell Group, InforLibrary and Information Solutions, Gale Cengage Learning, De Gruyter Saur, Open Edition Center for Open Electronic Publishing, InterSystems Benelux, and LM Information Delivery.

Yulia Kashpruk and IFLA President Ingrid ParentIn a focus of my attention there were some programs and activities on e-lending considering how important any developments in this area are for libraries around the world. Tallinn Central Library’s e-book lending and reading environment for e-books captures my interest making ready to obtain this progressive experience and provide some info on it to a working group in my country.

A well-attended session on “Cloud Computing: Its Impact on Privacy, Jurisdiction, Security, Lawful Access, Ownership, and Permanence of Data,” sponsored by the Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters, featured some important IFLA key initiatives, international copyright policy favorable to libraries, new publishing models and envisioned how accessibility can be made easier and thoroughly appealing through technologies that are available but not yet fully harnessed in the library world. Presentations “IFLA’s Copyright Advocacy Work and How National Associations are Supporting It” on IFLA’s work with the World Intellectual Property Organization to create an exception for libraries in international copyright law in an atmosphere of corporate globalization were one of the main points in a personal planner.

Such a program titled “Sleepwalking into a Control Society” sponsored by the Committee on Free Access to Information Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) was really empowering. Jonathan Kelley (ALA) introduced the second meeting of the FAIFE Book Club and various activities on “Fahrenheit 451°” by Ray Bradbury. It is amazingly informative to get more experience on it as we organized the similar project in our Library “One Book, One City” in April 2012 and chose the same novel for a discussion in a community.

Yulia Kashpruk, Ukranian Library Association President Valentyna Pashkova and Fiona BradleyPerhaps, the most gratifying of all was to hear key speakers at the Conference. I was excited to be sort of a discussant to Siva Vaidhyanathan, the author of ‘The Googlization of Everything’. This panel was really lively and surprising.

What entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of Global Libraries is needed to be successful in the 21st century? Now in its 13th year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual Access to Learning Award recognizes the innovative efforts of the Caribbean nation’s Community Technology Centers in the Dominican Republic. It was presented to overcome poverty, and help people become more productive, innovative, engaged and competitive individuals, more empowered to influence their own futures.

The most rewarding experience at the Congress was to visit some sessions on building new library space designed to bring light and a sense to various architectural projects. We are really successful to promote these ideas on Designing Good Library Space in Ukraine to start our collaboration and future partnership with German library architects and librarians engaged into this research (Dr. Klaus Werner, a representative of Philological Library in Berlin).

One of the best things about being an IFLA participant is the opportunity to meet with a wonderful international community of librarians and their associations. And I have realized how inspiring, sometimes surprising, and invariably empowering libraries worldwide could only be.

Yulia KashprukOne of my proudest moments at the Congress was to speak with those library leaders to whom IFLA is the most rewarding part of a professional life (including past IFLA President Claudia Lux and CILIP representatives). I cannot express my gratitude enough to IFLA, CILIP and Bob McKee’s family for launching the Aspire Award in memory of CILIP’s Chief Executive Bob McKee supporting new professionals worldwide. This fantastic opportunity really provides me as a newcomer to the profession presenting a chance to learn more from colleagues at this professional conference and feel myself a part of the professional family.  

IFLA offers a space for everyone and for every creative idea. Start Planning for Singapore!

After returning to Ukraine, I had a chance to share my impressions and experience at the conference on seminars in Vinnytsia, Kirovograd and at the International Forum for Young Librarians in Luhansk, Ukraine.

 

Yulia Kashpruk
Vinnytsia Regional Universal Research Library
2012 CILIP / IFLA Aspire Award winner

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