[Sigiii-l] FW: Update on: Assistance for Libraries, Information Services & Archives

[Yin Zhang]

Forwarded message from i.m.johnson at rgu.ac.uk

-----Original Message----- 
From: sophie.felfoldi at ifla.nl [mailto:sophie.felfoldi at ifla.nl] 
Sent: 10 January 2005 15:02 
To: ifla-l at infoserv.inist.fr 
Subject: Update on: Assistance for Libraries, Information Services & 
Archives 


ASSISTANCE FOR LIBRARIES, INFORMATION SERVICES & ARCHIVES 
IN SRI LANKA 

Today (Monday 10 January) the newly-established Sri Lanka Disaster 
Management Committee for Libraries, Information Services and Archives 
[SL DMC for LISA] held its fourth meeting and agreed a list of 
requirements to assist with the rehabilitation of libraries and 
information services and government records destroyed or damaged by the 
tsunami. The opportunity is also to be taken to not only rebuild but 
also develop them so that they are in positions to play positive roles 
in the Government's ambitious plans to establish an e-Lanka. Time scales 
will obviously depend to a large extent on what becomes available but 
attention is being paid to those outlines in the Action Plans from the 
World Summit on the Information Society. 

The lists that follow are still preliminary. It is also still too early 
to prioritise items in them particularly because, although it has been 
possible to travel to view libraries by National Library staff as far 
south as Hambantota, it has not been possible yet to actually visit and 
survey those on the east coast where (as I write) cyclonic weather 
conditions are building to add to the misery caused by the tsunami and 
the monsoon floods that have followed it and where already damaged roads 
and bridges now have been made totally impassable. However it is known 
that many have been swept away entirely or severely damaged. See the 
Map. See also photos of damaged library buildings between Colombo and 
Hambantatota on the south-west coast. 

The National Library and Documentation Services Board provide the 
executive and services for the SL DMC for LISA. To communicate with it 
use: 
E-mail: dg at mail.natlib.lk 
nldsb at mail.natlib.lk 
Web site: www.natlib.lk 
www.lankapage.lk 
Phones: ++ 94 11 26 87 58 1 
Fax: ++ 94 11 26 85 20 1 
Address: 
Director-General, NLDSB, 14 Independence Avenue, Colombo 7 Sri Lanka. 

For money donations a special bank account, monitored by the Disaster 
Management Committee, has been opened: send them to NLDSB. 

LIST OF REQUIREMENTS: 
MONEY: 
At this stage monies are probably the best form of assistance in that 
they can be speedily raised (perhaps by sponsored events such as 
marathons, coffee mornings etc. etc.), can be speedily transmitted and 
on arrival can be quickly committed and, in so doing, help to provide 
employment to local people. Monies are required for: Reconstruction and 
repair of severely damaged or destroyed buildings; To purchase 
locally-published books in Sinhala or buy Tamil books from South India; 
To buy locally-made furniture and equipment; To engage foreign 
expertise. 

PLANS & ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS: 
Required to construct low-cost buildings particularly plans and designs 
that can be adapted to make use of locally-available materials. 

MOBILE LIBRARIES: 
In order to be able to speedily restore services to users. First to be 
based on the National Library in Colombo until local buildings have been 
repaired or reconstructed. In obtaining this mobility there is the 
possibility of reaching the largest numbers of users. Vehicles - x 2 or 
3 of middle size (because roads are narrow and damaged). Equipment and 
stationary to make them operational in the shortest time. Stand alone 
computers and databases and modems to establish them not only as 
book-based lending libraries but also as communication centres. (Phone 
lines are being speedily restored). 

FURNITURE: 
a. Designs for low-cost furniture to be manufactured locally; b. Display 
boards; c. Issue desks; d. Reading tables & chairs; 
e. Catalogue Cabinets; 
f. Librarians' tables & chairs; 
g. Book trolleys; 
h. Book racks; 
i. Other types of furniture i.e. kik stools etc. 

AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT: 
a. DVD players and discs 
b. CD Players and CDs 
c. Video players and tapes (although less of a priority because in the 
hot and damp climate they quickly deteriorate with mould); 

COMPUTERS: 
Required to develop the libraries into information providing centres via 
ICT, Internet, on-line access etc; a. terminals, keyboards, printers, 
drives, modems; b. scanners (particularly for damaged government records 
that should have been destined for the National Archives). 

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT: 
a. Fax machines; 
b. Photocopiers. 

PRINT & NON-PRINT MATERIALS: 
Be aware that many of the destroyed communities had little knowledge of 
the English language and that the books primarily required will need to 
be in the Sinhala and Tamil languages. Nevertheless some English books 
will be welcomed particularly when they are suitable for young children 
(i.e. picture books) or are reference materials. a. childrens' 
literature; b. reference materials (including in CD formats); c. general 
reading; d. leisure reading (Sinhala & Tamils requirements are specially 
relevant here); e. special subject areas (that relate to the work and 
interests of the community before the waves struck) 1. fishing, prawn 
farming, ornamental fish farming; 2. small industries such as coir 
products, mask-making; gem cutting; milk food manufacturing; palm-leaf 
industry; boat building; carpentry; motor repairs including tinkering 
and body repairs; 3. paddy and cashew nut cultivation; 4. basic learning 
materials for foreign languages; 5. on Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and 
Christianity. 
f. support materials for counseling (the huge numbers of 
traumatized people). 

FOR HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING: 
As part of human rehabilitation (in cooperation with the Sri Lanka 
Library Association) and to assist in the up-grading of knowledge and 
the acquisition of new skills (to work in the e-Lanka situations) 
training courses and operations will be established (MONEY) and outside 
expertise will be necessary (SKILLED EXPERTS) a. Money to operate the 
programmes and to pay for overseas experts; b. People with specialist 
skills; Required for the following areas: 1. recovery and conservation 
of documents - especially govt. records as well as books; 2. records 
management; 3. conservation in general. c. Money & expertise to 
reinforce currently-existing training centres i.e. SL LA; National 
Institute of Library & Information Sciences; Dept. of Library Science, 
University of Kelaniya; National Library and Documentation Services 
Board. 

CONSERVATION (particularly of local government records many of which 
have been severely damaged not only by contact with water but by the 
force of it): 1. expertise see above; 2. specialist equipment 3. mobile 
conservation units (to move on after assisting in one area) 

VEHICLES: 
1. The National Library possesses few vehicles with which to move around 
the coastal belt - for instance moving around experts; 2. It has no 
vehicles suitable for transporting large quantities of books and heavier 
equipment and furniture e.g. from the airport or ports to the venues 
requiring it. 

As the rescue operations continue it is highly likely that more and 
different sorts of aid may become apparent. PLEASE, THEREFORE, CONTINUE 
TO WATCH THIS SPACE. FOR THOSE PLANNING TO ASSIST THE SL DMC HOPES THAT 
THIS LIST WILL HELP. 
IN ANTICIPATION IT ALSO WISHES TO RECORD ITS THANKS. 

Russell Bowden Honorary 
Fellow of IFLA 
KOTTAWA 
Sri Lanka.