| “Reaching
the Information Gateways:
An Unfinished
Task” Address given by Mr. Anand Panyarachun
at
the 65th General Conference of
International Federation of
Library Associations
and Institutions (IFLA)
Bangkok, August
24, 1999 Ladies and Gentlemen, The
invitation extended to me by Khunying Maenmas Chavalit, President of the National
Organizing Committee responsible for this Conference, presented me with a challenging
task. I must admit that the thought of addressing an audience of library and information
experts from all over the world was indeed daunting, since I am merely a user
of the final product, with limited knowledge of the theoretical and technical
processing of information. Nevertheless, I am a staunch advocate of the reading
habit, of self-acquiring of knowledge, and of life-long learning. Therefore, I
take this opportunity to share with you my concepts on libraries, and my views
on the roles of information and communication in the future. To perform effectively
in the business world, the “demand and supply” theory is an essential guideline.
Likewise, in the world of information and communication, the expectations and
needs of consumers have to be taken into account in charting the path of information
development. Looking back into the past,
humankind has evolved its communication mode from the primeval body language to
the ancient oral tradition, to the book culture, and now to the domain of information
technology. One of the most significant events of the 20th century
was no doubt the invention of the computer. A decade or so ago, we claimed to
be on the threshold of a new world - a global village where time and distance
had taken on new concepts. Consequently, we cannot discuss the new role of libraries
without examining the effect and implications of the advancement of information
technology. We are all aware that communication
techniques refer not only to tools and procedures, but also to knowledge, content
and symbols required for reading, renewing or transmitting information. When all
these technologies are harnessed in support of information collection, storage,
retrieval and dissemination, they can have a significant potential to enhance
life-long learning, in terms of quality and quantity. They posses the potential
to have an impact on poverty eradication, sustainable development, and in bringing
about social equity. The number of books
and written materials coming out of the press and other media continues to increase
day by day, which inevitably means that readers have to be more selective and
discerning. Likewise, libraries all over the world, large or small, public or
private, must find alternative ways of coping with the information deluge, while
keeping in constant view the demands of the clientele. To serve as a change agent,
libraries have to change their role constantly from being a mere depository of
books to being not only a reservoir of knowledge, which is essential for an individual
to make informed judgement and for sharpening a human mind, but also a facilitator
of the proficiencies to select the required information out of the deluge. When
one considers ways to support the development of libraries, the most obvious concern
is the physical infrastructure. The problems related to space, acquisition of
books and hardware items, design of hardware and software, repair and maintenance,
replacement of outdated machines, lack of power supply, etc., continue to plague
all types of libraries. Furthermore, the
current trends seem to suggest that books will increasingly be replaced by computer
elements processed by various types of software. The effect of globalization is
quite strong when it comes to the use of software programmes developed extra-nationally.
The development of indigeneous software is a demanding task, requiring time, skill
and funding, but it is a task that must be seriously considered, in order to safeguard
against intrusive foreign cultures, particularly when they affect the young minds,
and more so, national cultural identity. After all, technology in use is not simply
machines and hardware, but also a collection of transferred attitudes, values,
social norms and beliefs. Cultural pollution has already become a phenomenon of
serious concern in many countries. Let
us consider the Internet as a concrete example. When we mention Internet, we think
of the vast quantity of information available in an instant from all corners of
the globe. It is perhaps the largest knowledge and information base in the world
today. Internet is certainly a jungle of wonders, from which we can acquire information
at our own discretion. On the other hand, Internet is also a jungle of hazards,
where there is no control on pornography, propaganda, advertisement, violence
and crime. A recent example was the case of students learning from the Internet
how to make bombs, which killed a number of adults and teenagers at their own
school in the U.S.A. Then there have been cases of misuse of the Internet to get
information from children for illegal purposes. I was glad to read from a newspaper
recently that in the U.S.A. the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act will
become law in the year 2000. This will forbid advertisers to receive personal
information from children less than 13 years old without offline parental permission.
Controls on the Internet are possible, but, as has been shown in countries that
have applied these controls, the balance between control and freedom to obtain
information is a very sensitive one. Apart
from the question of hardware and software essential for user-friendly library
services, the psychosocial component has to be taken into account. If a library
is to be completely computerized, then efforts must be made to promote the willingness
of children and adults to go into information technology with confidence and enthusiasm.
This calls for intensive education and training, both for producers and users
of information. Otherwise what is the use of having sophisticated technologies
which people are hesitant to use, either because they are too complicated to handle,
or the products do not meet the requirements of the users? There is a recognized
need to instruct users how to cope with tools for searching for information. In
some countries, this is still a transitional period when both the old and new
skills are competing for limited instructional opportunities. While
on this subject, let me digress a little and mention that, with the globalization
and advancement of information technology, I believe that our educational direction
and effort should be geared towards equipping our children with the essential
tools for survival in the future world. Among these tools are computer literacy
and languages. Since English is currently the most common computer language, proficiency
in English must be stressed. However, sophisticated
the machines and electronic processing methods are they will become valuable only
when they are put to good use by the human component of the information set-up.
Hence librarians must play a dynamic and catalytic role. They must be sensitive
to the needs of their specific groups of clientele, be they the public, the institution
or organization staff, the teaching cadre and students in colleges and schools.
This calls for full involvement of librarians in the planning and operational
aspects of the set-up, so that the work of librarians not only reflects the immediate
needs of the users, but also a forecast of what is to come. For example, when
a school curriculum is to be refocused on, let us say, environment, teachers and
students should be able to gather information ahead of time on the subject, which
means that the librarian must start acquiring materials and software on environment
prior to the actual implementation of the curriculum. Unfortunately I have heard
complaints from librarians that they are sometimes isolated from the decision-making
process of institutions, as if they can function in any direction they like, and
not as information support to on-going or future undertakings. That will not do.
Librarians must take part in conferences and seminars where plans and programmes
are initially discussed and developed. How can any decision be made without a
proper information base? At the same time, every effort and provision should be
made to encourage librarians to undergo regular training and attend refresher
courses to update their knowledge and skills to keep up with the latest accesses
to information. Surely the caretakers of the various information gateways must
be kept alert and ready to usher in those who pass through the threshold of the
information sphere. I am sure all of us
here still recall vividly our school and college days when libraries were essential
and indispensable study rooms where we spent long hours searching and digesting
information. Without libraries, we would not have been exposed to scientific knowledge,
artistic work and philosophical thoughts, and the visions and wisdom’s of great
minds. People of my generation had library books as tools for learning, but my
grandchildren’s generation is more fortunate to have a variety of electronic tools
to access information. While appreciating
the good fortune that enabled me to recognize the full value of libraries, I often
ask myself the question: How many others are not so fortunate? Let me take Thai
children as examples. Although nowadays a much larger number of students make
good use of libraries, thanks to the government and private-sector efforts to
set up libraries both in the urban and rural areas, often I noticed that the books
and materials remained almost too neatly arranged on shelves, with very few being
used. Worse still, some schools are still lacking space and funds for setting
up book corners, let alone proper libraries. When it comes to information technology,
the disparities between elite schools and poor schools are quite vast and increasing.
The trend appears to marginalize the latter more and more, which in fact means
marginalizing the poor evenmore. This must
surely disturb us, as we strive for social justice and equity, and as we advocate
participatory democracy across the nation. The more this disparity increases,
the more knowledge becomes monopolized by the minority “non-poor”,
and the capacity of the poor for wholesome participatory decision-making is correspondingly
denuded. The picture is even more dismal
when we consider the Asia and Pacific region as a whole, where the population
is almost 3.3 billion, or 54.5 percent of the world’s total population 1/. In
terms of geography, culture, population density and income distribution, it is
a region of sharp contrasts, a home to over two-thirds of the world’s poor, with
620 million illiterates, or 70 percent of the world’s total illiterates 2/. With
such socio-economic, cultural and educational deficiencies, any effort to improve
the quality of the people must be encouraged, and this certainly includes the
active role of libraries in opening up the knowledge horizon, especially amongst
the young. Concern must also be expressed,
as within countries, of the dangers of marginalizing whole nations as the information
technology gap widens among them. Every
time I hear people in urban areas talk about the Internet, E-mail and faxes, I
cannot help but think of a large number of those who do not have access even to
conventional telephone services. Governments in least developed and developing
countries are still dependent on outside resources to improve their information
and communication technologies. Even within a country, these technologies may
widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Hence the question of access
and equity cannot be ignored. It is an established fact that those equipped with
information technologies exert more economic, cultural and political power over
those without, since knowledge is power, and those with better knowledge are likely
to survive in this highly competitive world. A
wealth of information is available via various modes of information and data processing.
To-day information technologies greatly facilitate libraries to ensure that the
content of information meets the real needs of the consumers in terms of timeliness,
relevance and utility. Those making use of libraries have recognized that behind
the information gateways lie multiple paths to knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment.
Some of us have passed through some of these gateways, while several others are
unfortunately struggling to reach them, due to both internal and external circumstances
and limitations. There must be an honest sensitivity of all concerned, particularly
policy makers. To the need of the unreached, otherwise the
continued marginalization will widen the gap and seriously affect national development
efforts, and a nation’s place in the international arena. The
main theme of this Conference mentions an “enlightened” world. Although
the concept of “enlightenment” may seem rather Utopian, it is worth
striving towards it. To me an enlightened society must first and foremost be a
learning society, where people are eager to become wiser through the search for
proper knowledge. This is by no means an easy task. Several gateways towards knowledge
sources are available, among them libraries. Still, it is the will of human beings
that spurs them on to reach those gateways. Perhaps the very first step would
be to develop a critical reading and listening culture, to encourage the young
to ask questions and get correct answers, to think for themselves and apply what
they have learnt to improve the quality of life. Some pockets of society may be
more “enlightened” than others. It is the unreached that should
be the focus for development actions, and the target of library service planning. Several
tasks remain to be done, and must be done quickly to narrow the chasm between
the influx of information and the transmittal and spreading of information. All
actions should focus on equal access to information, which is the right of a citizen.
Libraries must make it their mission to reach the currently unreached population,
thus contributing towards the development of an egalitarian society. Most important
of all, the ultimate goal of libraries is to turn data and information into knowledge,
and to ensure that such knowledge serves as a source of wisdom; for without wisdom
there is no enlightenment. Only then can we expect the 21st century
to usher in an era of an “enlightened” world. The word “enlightenment”
to me, as a Buddhist, brings with it a vision of a world of Metta, Karuna, Mudita,
Upekkha, which mean loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.
Let us all unite our efforts to make this world a peaceful world. 1/
UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, 1997 (Year 2000 projection) 2/
UNESCO Compendium of Statistics on Illiteracy, 1995 (Year
2000 projection) |
