2007-2008 ALA CD #18.1
2008 ALA Annual Conference
International Relations Committee
Report to Council
Submitted by Blanche Woolls, Chair
Members: Buenaventura Bosco, Marcy Carrel (intern), Sergio Chaparro, Maurice Freedman,
Loida A. Garcia-Febo, Al Kagan, Haipeng Li, Josip Mocnik (intern), Eve Nyren, Win Shih,
Robert Walter, Patricia Wand, Michael Dowling (staff liaison)
International at Annual
There was a good turnout of international librarians in Anaheim--425, from a record setting 82
countries. There continues to be an increase in international-related programming at ALA. This
year, in addition to all of the support provided by the IRRT to international librarians
(orientation, visitors lounge, mentors), there were 22 international poster sessions and programs
on libraries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Mexico. All the programs were very well attended. As
usual, the International Reception was a sold-out hit, attended by 650.
IFLA
Incoming IFLA Secretary Jennifer Nicholson, from Australia, attended Annual to meet with
ALA leaders. IFLA is also designing a new website. IRO will be the distributor of the new
“IFLA/FAIFE World Report” through the ALA Store, using print-on-demand.
ALA is preparing for the WLIC in Quebec City in August. Over 350 U.S. librarians have preregistered. ALA will have an expanded booth presence in Quebec City, and will be joined by a
Choice booth.
ALA units have begun the process of coming up with nominations for various IFLA sections for
2009-2013.
2010 International Strategic Plan
The IRC spent time reviewing the 2010 International Strategic Plan, and would like to focus
additional efforts on assisting other library associations and servicing international members.
Connecting With Latin America
ALA participated in two recent meetings of Latin American and Carribean. IRO Director
Michael Dowling and member Loida Garcia-Febo participated in and presented at the meeting of
the Latin American and Caribbean library associations (LAC) in Bogota, Colombia, in April,
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organized by IFLA. Included was a presentation on the Campaign for the World Libraries, for
which IRO Program Officer Delin Guerra translated the Guide to the Campaign into Spanish.
In their new 2 year plan the LAC will encourage the use of en tu biblioteca (Spanish) and
n@ sua biblioteca (Portuguese).
IFLA’s 2011 conference is scheduled to be in either Mexico City or San Juan, Puerto Rico. To
help encourage all Latin American library associations to join IFLA, ALA is offering to provide
half of cost of IFLA membership ($100) to those national associations in Latin America that are
not current members of IFLA.
Also, ALA participated in the Association of Mexican Librarians (AMBAC) in May.
ALA President-elect Jim Rettig provided a presentation and ALA had a staffed booth.
Hong Kong Book Fair
The ALA-Hong Kong Book Fair continues this July with 9 ALA members collecting Chinese
language materials participating.
Cuba Update
The recent “Update on Cuba” was acknowledge by the IRC. The IRO will continue to follow up
with USAID and the State Department on ALA’ FOIA requests.
Iraq Replacement Resolution
At the Midwinter Meeting on January 16, 2008, in Philadelphia, Council passed the Resolution
on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents from the Iraq National Library and Archives (CD#18.3,
attached). The IRC discussed this resolution but did not make a recommendation due to a lack of
a quorum.
After the passage of the resolution, some inaccuracies in some of the “whereas” clauses came to
light. The documents that Dr. Saad Eskander requested repatriation of were not taken from the
Iraq National Library and Archives (INLA), but from other locations in Iraq. United States and
British forces did not take documents from INLA, and the British forces were not in Baghdad
during the invasion, only U.S. forces.
Therefore the IRC recommends replacing the resolution passed at Midwinter 2008 with a new
Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents (CD#18.2, attached) passed by the IRC on
Tuesday, July 1, 2008.
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Action
Replace
the Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents from the Iraq National Library and
Archives, passed January 16, 2008
RESOLVED, That ALA condemns the confiscation of documents from the Iraq National
Library and Archive by the Unites States and British forces and strongly
advocates the immediate return of all documents, and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ALA calls for the United States Government to honor the Hague
Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
Conflict and its Second Protocol.
with
Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents
RESOLVED, That ALA condemns the confiscation of all seized documents from Iraq and
strongly advocates the immediate return of those documents to the people of
Iraq, and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ALA calls for the United States Government to honor the Hague
Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
Conflict and its Second Protocol.
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Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Anaheim, California
2007-2008 ALA CD #18.2
2008 ALA Annual Conference
Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents
WHEREAS, the United States director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, posted
hundreds of Iraqi documents to the internet during the months of March 2006
through November 2006 for wider public distribution and dissemination; and
WHEREAS, Since November 2007, the director of the Iraq National Library and Archives, Dr.
Saad Eskander, has publicly requested of the State Department and of the
international community that millions of pages of Iraqi records and other artifacts
seized after the fall of the Ba’ath regime be returned; and
WHEREAS, Historical documents unify a diverse population through the representation of a
shared social and cultural memory; and
WHEREAS, Documents seized represent Iraqi social memory and, as products of political and
cultural institution, should be preserved for longevity as cultural property in the
Iraq National Library and Archive; and
WHEREAS, The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of
Armed Conflict, Chapter I, Article 1, defines cultural property as “moveable or
immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people”;
and
WHEREAS, In 2003, the American Library Association Council adopted the Resolution on
Libraries and Cultural Resources in Iraq urging “The U.S. Government to ratify
and comply with The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in
the Event of Armed Conflict and its Second Protocol”, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That ALA condemns the confiscation of all seized documents from Iraq and
strongly advocates the immediate return of those documents to the people of Iraq,
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That ALA calls for the United States Government to honor the Hague Convention
for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its
Second Protocol.
Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
In Anaheim, California
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Resources for Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents:
Council of the American Library Association (2003, June 23). Resolution on the Libraries and
Cultural Resources in Iraq. Resolution adopted at the annual meeting of the American Library
Association, Toronto, Canada.
English, S. (2005, September 17). Iraqi’s Libraries: What Recovery from ‘a national disaster
beyond imaginations’? World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from
http://www.wsws/org/articles/2005sep2005/libs-s17.shtml
Eskander, S. (2004). The Tale of Iraq’s ‘Cemetery of Books’. International Report. Retrieved
January 2, 2008, from http://www.infotoday.com/it/dec04/eskander.shtml
Fergal, K. (2008, January 8). Taking a Stand; Fergal Keane interviews Dr. Saad Eskander.
[Radio broadcast]. London: BBC Radio 4. Retrieved January 9, 2008, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/takingastand/pip/0u2j8/
International Committee of the Red Cross. Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in
the Event of Armed Conflict. The Hague, 14 May 1954. International Humanitarian LawTreaties and Documents. Retrieved January 2, 2008. from
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/400?OpenDocument
Rich, F. (2003, April 27). Operation Iraqi Looting. [And Now] The New York Times, p. AR1.
Rose, C (Executive Producer). (2007, November 12). A Look at the Middle East and Iraq
Through Three Different Perspectives; Interview with Saad Eskander. Charlie Rose Show
[Television broadcast]. New York: Public Broadcasting Services.
Shane, S. (2006, March 28). Iraqi Documents Are Put On Web, and Search is On. New York
Times. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/politics/28intel.html
University of Chicago Oriental Institute. Lost Treasures from Iraq. Retrieved January 8, 2008,
from http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/iraq.html
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Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2007-2008 ALA CD #18.3
2008 ALA Annual Conference
Resolution on the Confiscation of Iraqi Documents
from the Iraq National Library and Archives
WHEREAS,
The Unites States director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, posted hundreds of
Iraqi documents to the internet during the months of March 2006 through November
2006 for wider public distribution and dissemination; and
WHEREAS,
Since November 2007, the director of the Iraq National Library and Archives, Dr. Saad
Eskander, has publicly requested of the State Department and of the international
community that the millions of Iraqi documents seized from the Archives by the United
States and British forces after the fall of the Ba’ath regime be returned; and
WHEREAS,
As of January 9, 2008, there is no evidence suggesting that seized Iraqi documents have
been returned; and
WHEREAS,
Historical documents unify a diverse population through the representation of a shared
social and cultural memory; and
WHERAS,
Documents seized from the Iraq National Library and Archive represent Iraqi social
memory and, as products of political and cultural institutions, had been preserved for
longevity as cultural property in the Iraq National Library and Archive; and
WHEREAS,
The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
Conflict, Chapter I, Article 1, defines cultural property as “moveable or immovable
property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people”; and
WHEREAS,
In 2003, the American Library Association Council adopted the Resolution on Libraries
and Cultural Resources in Iraq urging “The U.S. Government to ratify and comply with
The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
Conflict an its Second Protocol”, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED,
That ALA condemns the confiscation of documents from the Iraq National Library and
Archive by the Unites States and British forces and strongly advocates the immediate
return of all documents, and, be it further
RESOLVED,
That ALA calls for the United States Government to honor the Hague Convention for the
Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Second Protocol.
Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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