LISNews: Librarian News

The BBC in Reporting that libraries are
being given new standards to meet as part of a drive to
improve services across England.

\"My hope is that the publication of these
standards and the pressure they will bring to bear on
library authorities will help to reverse the drift towards
reduced opening hours.\"

New on the SRRT International Responsibilities Task Force web site, a Resolution on the Draft ALA International Relations Agenda from the 2000 annual conference. ALA released its proposed international relations agenda, and SRRT members, being the conscience of ALA (and I don\'t mean that ironically), responded with a very thoughtful resolution which said the things that needed to be said. Will the right people listen? I hope so.

What do you think?

Bill Gates is giving $5 Million dollars get libraries in Chile hooked up to the Internet. Chile was chosen because of it has a history of open access. Read the full story from the Seattle Times.\"The program, announced Tuesday, would put an estimated 1,200 computers in the libraries and would pay for librarians\' Internet training. Microsoft Corp., which Bill Gates co-founded in 1975, will separately give $1.2 million in software.\" -- Read More

The Daily Star has a story on the national library, that after years of war and neglect, is having somethings restored. Plans are going ahead with the renovation of a building to house what has made it throgh the war. The new national library will be the present School of Law at the Lebanese University in Sanayeh.

“The process of rehabilitating the library has been divided into two general phases. During the first phase, which will take between three and four years, the books will be cleaned, sorted and organized in their current temporary location at the Science Library of the Lebanese University’s Hadath campus.” -Maud Stephan, the director of the National Library Rehabilitation Project