In April 2000 the Russian State Library organised a major international conference on its own premises attended by 250 people [others had to be turned away] from 20 countries and major international organisations. It was entitled "Managing the Digital Future of Libraries". David Fuegi and Monika Segbert report.
In exceptionally warm and balmy weather without a snowflake in sight, the conference “Managing the Digital Future of Libraries”, took place in the magnificent conference hall of the Russian State Library in Moscow on 17-19 April 2000. It was jointly organised by the Russian State Library and the TACIS Project [1] “Creation of an Information System for the Russian State Library”. The conference papers [2] will be of wide interest, not least to those who want up to date knowledge of current Russian developments in this field. The papers in both English and Russian versions will shortly be available in full on the library's website [3] and on the 2nd edition of the conference CD-ROM [with the same title as the conference itself]. This CD-ROM will be distributed at the international conferences Crimea and IFLA, and will be obtainable from the Tacis Project Office. The aims of the conference were to present results from the Tacis/RSL project, to discuss main issues and future activities of digital library development in Russia and to stimulate Russian-international dialogue and co-operation in digital library development. Thus this conference had a wider significance than the diffusion of professional knowledge. It broke with the recent past and reached forward into the future.
In the recent past, many people will recall that the Russian State Library [formerly known as the Lenin Library, the national library of the Soviet Union] was struggling to find a role in a post-Soviet Russian Federation. It had difficulties to mobilise the necessary resources to conserve the best of the old and to modernise itself and adapt to new circumstances. The more than 300 delegates from all parts of Russia, representing all major elements of the profession, and from 20 foreign countries, were able to see and hear for themselves that the years of struggle are beginning to pay off. Not only did the Library devote its own resources to this event, but it also attracted the inputs of an impressive list of sponsors including the European Commission [TACIS Moscow Office], UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the Goethe Institute, the British Council, the Xerox Company, MCB and the Open Society Institute. Evidence of a resurgence was also demonstrated by recent refurbishments and service improvements in the library such as the new Internet Reading Room with 40 PCs, the Center for Legal Information and Official Publications, the new OPAC room and the extension in opening hours.
In his opening remarks, Victor Montviloff of UNESCO said:
"We hope that these first results will encourage both national and foreign private and governmental authorities to invest even more in the digitization of Russian libraries" and went on to advise the conference to "make strong recommendations in this direction."
Delegates were responsive to this advice and the following actions are in hand:
The Moscow Manifesto was produced.
The Moscow Manifesto is available in full on the RSL/TACIS website [1]. Some of its major recommendations are summarised here.
The major recommendation to the Russian government, foreign governments, multinational agencies and private sector partners in Russia and abroad is that substantial resources should be identified to allow joint digital library /museum /archive research programmes with Russia, the EU and other countries, in particular the US, on issues of mutual concern. The Manifesto goes on to specify the essential elements of such a programme.
Other recommendations to the Russian Government suggest that it seek to:
Amongst the recommendations to Russian libraries and other memory institutions are that they should:
Non-Russian speakers keen to keep in touch with the Russian State Library will find it easier to do so from September, when it plans to launch a new English language website, currently under development with financial support from the TACIS Bistro programme.
and on the CDRom of the conference papers:
Monika Segbert
Team Leader
EU TACIS Project Office
Russian State Library
3/5 Vozdvizhenka
101000 Moscow
Russian Federation
Email: monika@rsl.ru
Tel: +7 095 202 2570
Fax: +7 095 200 2255
Monika Segbert MBE FLA (hon) is team leader of the EU-Tacis project
Creation of an Information System for the Russian State Library,
running from 10.12.1998 - 9.6.2000.
From 1995 - 1998 she worked with the European Commission DGXIII
Telematics for Libraries Department, with the primary responsibility to develop research co-operation for the sector with the accession countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Previously she held the post of Head, Libraries, Information and Books, with the British Council Germany, while being engaged in numerous professional assignments around the world.
For citation purposes:
David Fuegi & Monica Segbert, "Moscow Manifesto",
Exploit Interactive, issue 6, 26th June 2000
URL: <http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue6/moscow/>
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