IFLA International Advocacy Programme Programme goals Address the

IFLA: International Advocacy Programme

Programme goals • Address the information gap of library workers at community, national and regional levels • Build capacity among public library workers to advocate within their communities • Increase participation of public library representatives in advocacy

Scope of the programme • IAP will focus on the regions of Africa; Latin America and Caribbean; and Asia and Oceania, with some activities in Europe • Will commence with regional advocacy agenda setting, followed by implementation in targeted countries • Start/end dates – Implementation will scale up in remainder of 2016 – Programme concludes August 2018

What will success look like The library field will be able to meet their community needs and increase commitment by policy makers, helping libraries address two substantial challenges: • The contribution of libraries to development (national development plans; the SDGs); • The shift from a print to a digital environment

Potential Outcomes • Library leaders understand the issues in the information environment that affect libraries; • Librarians can anticipate and respond to the changing environment and the opportunities to get involved according to their own priorities and context; • Library organisations have the skills to assess their needs, to advocate for libraries at different levels, and to engage stakeholders within and beyond the library field; • Libraries are included in national development plans; • Stories and data about the role of libraries in development help to influence the international agenda.

Some of the issues the programme aims to address • Issues could include, but are not limited to: – Aligning public libraries with government priorities and community needs – Demonstrating the contribution libraries make to regional and global development agendas – Promoting public access to ICTs and digital inclusion – User-generated content, Open Access, e. Books and e. Lending, public access to research and scientific data and information, online privacy and freedom – Legal issues such as licensing and copyright

Regional Advocacy Agendas & Workplans High level meetings Programme structure Regional workshops Country projects Regional projects 1 per region and/or subregion Number varies by regional needs Africa LAC Asia & Oceania Europe Monitoring & Evaluation International Advocacy

IAP Activities • Implementation: – Builds on BSLA as the foundation – 1: High level meeting to develop a regional advocacy agenda – 2: Regional workshops – 3: Country projects – 4: Links to international advocacy – 5: Impact assessment

How is BSLA related to IAP? • IAP will build on the capacity building approach and materials used in the Building Strong Library Associations programme • We expect that some of the countries that will participate in IAP have previously worked with IFLA through BSLA, other countries will not have participated in BSLA

1. High-level meetings and advocacy agendas • High-level meetings bring together influential experts from the library community • Meetings produce advocacy agendas that identify regional issues and builds consensus among participants about priorities for IAP

Advocacy Agenda Workplans • Each advocacy agenda will be supported by a workplan that: – Identifies priority actions – Agrees on coordination across the region, which actions are for IAP, and which may be implemented by other organisations – Outlines the process for endorsement of the Advocacy Agenda document within the region – Provides input to the IAP Steering Committee on implementation method and timing – Identifies experts in advocacy and public libraries from the region to serve as advisors and trainers

Example: Africa Advocacy Agenda • 22 leaders from across the continent developed a regional advocacy agenda over the next 10 years • Based on inputs including Aspen report, Africa Union 2063, 2030 Agenda, Africa Library Summit outcomes • Achieved consensus around 4 priorities (abbreviated): – Align public and community library services with government priorities and with community needs and issues; and development agendas; – Promote public access through public and community libraries to information in any format; – Demonstrate public and community librarians’ roles in developing local content using indigenous knowledge; – Promote a culture of reading, while recognizing the critical role of oral culture on the African continent.

2. Regional Workshops – Will include: • Workshops on issues identified in the regional advocacy agenda • Talks and sessions from experts on strategies to address these issues • Advocacy and awareness-raising planning based on BSLA module Libraries on the Agenda • An event for the local library community

3. Country projects • After the regional workshops, countries will be chosen for nationallevel activities. Selection criteria will: – Show countries where they are at now – What they can aim for – And be flexible enough to identify a range of countries to participate at national level

Eligible organisations for country projects • Applicants will be organisations at the national level in a country, working with or serving public libraries and their interests such as National Libraries, National Library Services, or Associations • The following types of organisations will be eligible to apply, subject to other criteria (e. g. capacity): – National Library; – National Library Service; – National Library Association, or National Public Library Association, or a regional library association.

4. Links to international advocacy • Stories and outcomes from the regions will contribute to: • Trend report, in depth analysis of information trends and their impact on libraries • Representation, eg at at Internet Governance Forums to highlight the role libraries play as providers of public access to ICTs and the internet • Key initiatives, including promote reading and literacy as an essential requirement for active participation in access to information in any format

National advocacy is important • Decisions are increasingly being taken at the regional and national level – we need to engage both internationally and build capacity nationally to advocate for libraries

5. Impact assessment • We will assess the programme, activities and country projects to identify the difference the programme makes • We will use this information to share learning across countries, and to adapt the programme to meet emerging needs over time

Timeline Africa 2015 2016 2017 2018 High-level meeting Namibia Q 3/4 regional workshops Implementatio n continues Africa Advocacy Agenda endorsed Q 4 countrylevel activities begin Implementatio n continues, and assessment Asia and Oceania Sub-regional high-level meetings Q 3/4 Country-level activities begin Implementatio n continues, and assessment Latin America and Caribbean High-level meeting Q 3 Country-level activities begin Implementatio n continues, and assessment Europe High-level workshop (TBD)

Further information • Visit: http: //www. ifla. org/iap