Brief Description: IFLA Council and General Conference File of Robert Doyle, IFLA 1985 Coordinator for ALA Executive Director Robert Wedgeworth, Co- chairman of the U.S. Organizing Committee, including Organizing Committee correspondence and minutes (August 22, 1982-January 19, 1986), program and local arrangements correspondence (May-July 1985), art libraries preconference and pre-session seminar files, tour notebook, program for the 51st IFLA conference (August 18-24, 1985), IFLA Express (August 16-23, 1985), abstracts and participants list, plenary session and reception files (August 19, 22, 23, 1985) and IFLA correspondence about arrangements and programs. A report on the conference theme - Libraries and the Universal Availability of Information and sessions is in the 1986 Yearbook (RS 2/4/72) pp. 161-165.

Record Series Number: 70/1/16

Created by: International Relations Committee

Volume: 0.6 Cubic Feet

Acquired: 10/10/1989

Arrangement: By type of material & chronological thereunder

Biographical Note for International Relations Committee :

In 1956, Council created the International Relations Committee (IRC) to replace the International Relations Board (1), which had in turn replaced the Committee on International Relations in 1942 (2). Its purpose is "to promote the exchange of librarians between this and other countries; to encourage and facilitate the use of library and bibliographic techniques and knowledge throughout the world; to assist in the exchange of professional information, ideas, and literature between this and other countries; to coordinate the activities of other units of the Association within this field? (3).

The IRC functions primarily through its elected members, although there is a staff liaison--historically, often ALA's Executive Director. Its meeting goals include a) the study and examination of international aspects of librarianship that are of concern to the Association, b) advice to the Executive Director and other units involved in international projects, and c) recommendations of policy to the Executive Board and Council (4).

The administrative relationships among IRC and other international groups within ALA are not uniform or explicitly stated. Divisional international committees were never compelled to coordinate their activities with IRC (5), and IRC never issued directives to govern the creation of international relations committees in the divisions (6). Five types of groups have relationships with the IRC:

1. Division IRC Subcommittees (appointed by Divisions, report to IRC);

2. Special Project Subcommittees (established by IRC, report to IRC);

3. Panels and Round Tables (report to IRC);

4. ALA Representatives to International Organizations (appointed by ALA President on the Motion of IRC);

5. Committees of Interest to IRC (which do not report to IRC) (7).

IRC's closest working relationship was with the International Relations Office. Reductions in the Office's budget and its termination affected the ability of IRC to implement its goals (8). IRC emphasized international library education but its actual programs and activities were never clearly differentiated from other areas under the IRC umbrella (9).

Sub-Groups

1 -  Chair

2 - UNESCO

30 -  Committee on Library Cooperation with Latin America

60 - Importations

91 - Advisory Committees

93 - Ad Hoc Committees - Liaison with Japanese Libraries

Subject Index

Languages of Materials