CORDIS Archive

Highlights of the EP debate on the
Role of Libraries in the Modern World
Ryynänen Report

Updated: 17 NOV 98

Introduction

On 23 October 1998 in Strasbourg, the European Parliament adopted almost unanimously Mrs Ryynänen's report on the Role of Libraries in the Modern World . The report called on the European Commission and the Member States to support a number of measures in regard to consolidating the growing role played by libraries in organising widespread access to knowledge. An amendment on the need for European legislation on the use of permanent paper was also adopted. Congratulating Mrs Ryynänen on her comprehensive report, Commissioner Franz Fischler announced that the Commission would now begin work on a Communication stimulating concertation on all the important aspects affecting modern library services and citizen's access to them. The Communication would address a number of specific issues now facing libraries including lifelong learning, copyright, literacy, regional information services and public library collaboration on access to knowledge. It would also lead to more focus on R&D; activities involving libraries under the Fifth Framework Programme.

The English version of the report is directly accessible from: the Role of Libraries in the Modern World . The other language versions can be found from the Plenary Sessions page of the European Parliament web site by searching by rapporteur and entering Mrs Ryynänen name or just "Ryyn*".

Summary of the debate

The following summary is provided for initial guidance until such time as official in-extenso translations of the debate are made available.

Mrs Ryynänen, introducing her report, stressed the need for free access to publicly funded materials in libraries, for further training of librarians and for the continuation of Telematics for Libraries interests in the Fifth Framework Programme. In the context of the current discussion of copyright, libraries, museums and archives represented the citizen's and user's point of view. There was a need for stronger links between libraries in the Member States and provision for watching developments in countries joining the Union.

The main points made during the debate were as follows:

Passilinna (PSE/FIN) :

• expressed concern about divisions between those who could afford access to IT and those who could not;
• stressed the importance of the libraries' role in regard to preservation;
• copyright should not be an impediment for those accessing information from their PCs;
• library services should be free of charge and legislation should be amended in order to allow libraries to perform the work they were intended to do.

Valverde López (EPP/ESP) :

• the public needed to be informed that our libraries are slowly dying;
• concerned about the need for preservation by making use of permanent paper;
• the permanent paper issue had been tabled eight years ago but there had been no progress.

Virrankoski (ELDR/FIN) :

• need to ensure that in the smaller countries libraries could help to implement the information society and allow citizens to have wide access to the cultural heritage;
• libraries should safeguard equal opportunity;
• copyright needed to be clearly defined for the library context;
• libraries should continue to be open institutions and to support culture.

Alavasos (GUE/NGL) :

• in contrast to the Finns, Greek highschool students were only allowed one book for an exam;
• libraries should be promoted in all Europe's major cities;
• the Greek language, now disappearing from many libraries, should be safeguarded.

Kerr (V) :

• libraries were important for European civilisation and culture;
• the Scottish Socialist Party would make a strong commitment to public libraries.

Maes (ARE) :

• stressed the need for subsidiarity in the library context;
• the Commission needed to consider the copyright issue in connection with libraries;
• libraries were no longer mere book repositories but veritable IT centres for accessing the information and learning society with which everyone will need to cope;
• there was a need for an exchange of information in order to assess the degree progress in each country.

Blockland (I-EDN) :

• the role of libraries in modern society had changed fundamentally, moving from books to computers;
• questioned whether today's discussions were not really a matter for the Council of Europe and UNESCO rather than for the Commission and the Parliament;
• the Commission should speed up work on the green paper;
• supported the need for a European standard on permanent paper.

Sickrovsky (NI) :

• libraries were no longer really required for access to modern literature but rather to rare books not available in the megastores;
• they did however need to attract their customers back in the interests of reading and literacy;
• libraries could go much further than bookstores in providing worldwide access to information resources;
• there was thus a need for libraries to concentrate of electronic access to knowledge and learning.

Myller (PSE) :

• in the future, libraries should continue to provide access to information without charge;
• libraries now provided access to material on computers and not just on shelves;
• in Finland, authors were compensated for books made available to the public and this approach should be applied to electronic information too;
• Europe should strive to enhance cross-border library networks;
• information technology should be made available in all countries.

Habsburg-Lothringen (PPE) :

• it was timely for the Parliament to be dealing with new technologies and copyright in the library context:
• Mr Valverde López was correct in referring to our "dying libraries";
• libraries would need to rely on new ideas, not additional funds, if they were to survive;
• there was now a need to see how we could bring the works of the past into the future with appropriate measures for preservation.

Seppänen (GUE/NGL) :

• it was important to ensure that everyone has access to libraries free of charge;
• people needed to be taught what information and learning were all about;
• however, libraries should be independent of all European institutions in order to protect their identity.

Elchlepp (PSE) :

• libraries had a key role to play in the information society;
• there must be special provisions for copyright in libraries;
• there should be cross-border exchanges of books and multimedia in a spirit of openness.

Baldi (PPE) :

• all citizens should be able to access information and should be able to appreciate cultural diversity in the interests of European integration;
• networking needed to be funded by each and every Member State;
• cooperation based on Telematics for Libraries would be needed to develop and assess new library services;
• important too to consider the needs of the smaller libraries and those at the local level;
• important now to address the need for permanent paper.

Cushnahan (PPE) :

• expressed full support for member states to include public libraries in their information society initiatives;
• explained that there might be opposition to copyright regulation in some Member States and linguistic difficulties with legal deposit;
• welcomed the introduction of a European focal point to coordinate library affairs.

Response from the Commission expressed by Mr Fischler

"On behalf of the Commission, I would first like to congratulate you, Mrs Ryynänen, on your initiative report.

"The report shows considerable insight in presenting a comprehensive view of the technical, economic, educational and cultural issues facing libraries. The emphasis given to the growing role played by libraries in organising access to knowledge deserves special attention. In the face of the rapidly increasing supply of information of all types, there is indeed a real need to link public libraries across Europe to form a network close to all citizens, comparable to schools, to convey knowledge and culture.

"As the rapporteur points out, the Commission has participated actively in the development of new library services, especially through the support given to projects under the Libraries Sector of the Telematics Programmes since 1990. As a result of this work, the Commission has gained good insight into many of the issues confronting libraries in their efforts to improve services. It is heartening to see that, partly as a result of collaboration through European actions, many Member States are now beginning to develop modern networked library services which are widely accessible to users.

"The issues facing libraries cover a very wide spectrum as your analysis shows. Under the Fifth Framework Programme we shall be able to support research on many of the technical aspects identified, particularly in relation to standards for processing, conserving and transferring information and the establishment of links through collaborative projects; others - such as copyright and universal access - are being dealt with in a much broader context. Indeed, the fact that the proposed copyright directive is under discussion in several parliamentary committees should help to preserve the balanced treatment of copyright among the various parties which is called for in the report.

"The report calls on the Commission to accelerate work on a Green Paper on the Role of Libraries in the Information Society. Since the Morgan Report was adopted in March 1997, we have made considerable progress in researching developments in the Member States and have collected background material on most of the issues under discussion. We were happy to be able to share this information and are pleased to see that the Culture Committee has found it useful in the context of today's report.

"The Commission now feels confident it can move forward directly to a Communication on the Role of Libraries which will provide a basis for concertation on all the important aspects affecting modern library and information services and our citizens' access to them. The Communication will therefore need to address a number of specific issues now facing libraries including lifelong learning, copyright, services in support of literacy, regional information services and wider collaboration between public libraries on access to knowledge resources and services. In addition, the Communication will lead to added focus for library participation in the User-Friendly Information Society chapter of the Fifth Framework Programme, including actions to assist citizens of all ages and all walks of life to benefit from the fruits of electronic information resources and services."

Vote

Members voting: 67
For: 59
Against: 2
Abstentions: 6

Text adopted

The text as adopted is available from the Europarl site via Minutes Part II, Texts Adopted.