Can Brussels tell us how to run our libraries? …. And should we care? Joanne Yeomans Director, EBLIDA (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations) www.eblida.org [email protected]
Can Brussels Tell Us How to Run Our Libraries? ....And Should We Care?
May 11, 2015
Joanna Yeomans, Director of EBLIDA, explains how library services are affected at a European level and how libraries can work to influence future legislation.
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Can Brussels tell us how to run our libraries? …. And should we care?
Joanne YeomansDirector, EBLIDA
(European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations)
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
The EU’s influence
% of UK legislation decided at EU level
EU influences the UK government and vice versa
Legislation – laws and regulations
Policy enforcement and guidance
Funding – direct and indirect
Education
Adult learning
Research assessment
Open Access
Information Society
Culture
Inclusion – disabled, aging population, migrants, ethnic minorities, e-inclusion
Copyright
Contracts
VAT
Plus many others…
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
What are politicians talking about that will affect libraries in the near future?
Legislation
Copyright revision for the digital era?
Piracy and “theft” of intellectual property, illegal downloads and “3-strikes”? (e.g. UK’s Digital Economy Bill)
Web privacy?
Policy
Culture: promoting access to culture - books, art, music, images, museums, etc
Google & Europeana (European Digital Library) – digitization and cross-border services
i2010 – to develop a European digital economy
Lifelong learning, skills
Inclusion: especially e-inclusion – participation in online society
Funding
Lifelong learning, support and services
Inclusion, training for e-inclusion, services for excluded members of society
Culture, digitization, innovation
Employment, training, links with business and industry, etc
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Can Brussels tell us how to run our libraries?
They will have a big influence on what we do.
Can we influence what they tell us?
Yes we can!
All of us: individuals, libraries, Library Associations, EBLIDA
Should we influence them?
Yes we must!
Otherwise we risk others telling them what libraries want.
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
So…
How do we influence them?
A little about how the EU works…
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
So…
EU structure
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of theEuropean Union
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
European Commission
MEPs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
Committees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs Permanent Representatives
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
How the EU works
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
Council of the EUEuropean Parliament
European CommissionEU
European Council2 per country +2
European Parliament
European CommissionEU
Council of the EUVoting per population
European Parliament
736
European Commission
34,000EU The
EU
The EU makes decisions about policy and funding
MEPs Permanent Representatives
Ministers
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent RepresentativesCivil servants
Head of StateMinisters
Depending on subject
UK Government
UKGov
Advise
The Council of the EU and the
European Parliamentare the decision-makers
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
Parties7+1
Committees22
European Parliament
736
MEPs72 UK
European Parliament
The Council of the EU and the
European ParliamentAre the decision-makers
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
Units
Directorate Generals24 departments
European Commission
27 Commissioners
EuropeanCommission
UK: Catherine Ashton,
Vice-President of the EC
The European Commission
does the work
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
All these should be influenced
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Council of the EU
European Council
Permanent Representatives
Head of StateMinisters
PartiesCommittees
Units
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
UK Government
EU
UK
EU countries, organisations, citizens
Brussels
PartiesCommitteesDGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
European Commission
MEPs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
DGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
CommitteesDGs
European Parliament
European Commission
MEPs
PartiesCommitteesDGs
European Parliament
European Commission
Committees
European Parliament
MEPs
PartiesDGs
European Commission
MEPs
Units
EBLIDA tries to influence these
Council of theEuropean Union
European Council
Head of StateMinisters
UK Government
Permanent Representatives
National Library Associations try to influence these
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
What is needed to influence them?
Enthusiasm
Evidence:
Information and data.
Case studies.
What you want.
Presentation designed for the audience
Get to know the audience/target and design your information accordingly.
If you can keep track of news, offer information related to relevant events.
Relationships
Don’t think of one-off meetings, develop relationships.
Offer expert advice if appropriate.
Ask for information, don’t just give it – they are servants of UK citizens.
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
What methods can be used to influence?
General updating
Distributing information leaflets, news, data, etc.
Meetings with individuals, invitations to events.
Particular topics
Position papers and campaigns - from libraries alone or from cross-interest groups.
Meetings with individuals.
Particular responses
Written responses to EU consultations.
Representation at meetings and in expert groups.
Meetings with individuals.
All of us can engage at any level – local, national, European.
You don’t need to do everything!
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
What EBLIDA does
EBLIDA – the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations.
Set up in 1992 with a strong copyright focus (at that time).
Members are Library Associations (LAs) and individual libraries (voluntary membership with membership fee).
Members in all 27 EU states plus 6 other (mainly European) countries.
Executive Committee of 10 European Country representatives.
Expert Groups arranged around EU subjects.
On behalf of members:
Perform lobbying for libraries at the EU – on all library-related topics.
Help share information on EU and other topics of interest among members.
Organise meetings and events to share best practice, news, etc.
1.6 employed staff.
125,000 EUR annual budget.
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
EBLIDA’s activities
Experts Groups – to develop expertise on EU topics so that libraries can react when necessary.
Write position papers and promote the work of libraries.
Write responses to EU consultations on behalf of libraries.
Collect data for the European Commission.
Meet MEPs from relevant Committees and relevant Commission staff to put forward the views of libraries.
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
What you can do
Library Association
Develop action plans for communicating outside the library world.
Feed information to the MEPs, EU office, Permanent Representatives to the EU, etc about what libraries in the UK/Scotland do and what they need.
Make contact and get regular meetings with MPs and MEPs to tell them what libraries do and why they should be supported.
Invite them to events.
Research and think about what interests your contacts (e.g.social inclusion, employment, economy, etc) and try to frame the library in terms they will care about.
Watch the EU news and try to relate your communication to what’s going on.
Individual
Contact your MEP or MP.
Volunteer to help CILIPS in this area.
Develop your own expertise in an area that interests you by reading and keeping up to date.
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
If you want to read more…UK and Scotland links with the EU
European Commission in the UK: includes contact for Scottish Office
List of Scottish MEPs
The Scottish Government’s EU Office in Brussels
UK Permanent Representation to the EU: Represents the UK’s interests in the European Council. The representatives for Information society and Copyright are listed under “Competitiveness and Markets”
UK Office of the European Parliament:: Raises awareness of what the EU is doing and helps makes links with organisations and the European Parliament
Scotland Europa: Organization that helps Scottish organizations network in the European Union
EU bodies
European Commission’s DG Information Society
European Commission’s DG Culture
European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)
European Organisations
EBLIDA newsletter: news collected by the EBLIDA Director for EBLIDA members
Open Rights Group: UK organisation representing citizens’ rights in the digital age
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Should we care?
Politics decides funding, policy and the future.
Put it another way…
Do we believe libraries should exist in the future?
7-9 June 2010 CILIPS Annual Conference 2010, Glasgow
Thank you
Joanne YeomansDirector, EBLIDA
(European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations)www.eblida.org
Related Documents
