FAIFE is pleased to present two sets of learning materials for use by librarians working in the areas of Internet access and public access to health information. These learning materials, which take the form of a workshop manual and a set of accompanying workshop slides, are intended for use by library professionals who are engaged in training colleagues to consider the challenges that libraries face when providing Internet access to their users, or when supplying information about HIV/AIDS.

The materials have been developed in the past two years, and have been refined every time they are used. The materials presented here are the most up to date versions, and were most recently used in July 2008. FAIFE hopes that as more workshops are held around the world the materials will change to reflect new ideas and thinking, and that the new versions will be regularly updated on this webpage.

The Internet Manifesto Learning Materials

The IFLA Internet Manifesto was adopted at the 68th IFLA General Conference and Council, August 23rd 2002, Glasgow, Scotland. Since that time the document has been translated into 20 different languages, and has been adopted by over 30 library associations around the world. To help libraries implement the values of the Internet Manifesto, in 2006 IFLA prepared the IFLA Internet Manifesto Guidelines, a significant guidance document that is now available in English, Spanish, German and Russian.

Since 2005, IFLA has been delivering workshops on the Internet Manifesto around the world. To date, nearly 20 workshops have been held in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, and more workshops are planned for the future. In the workshops presenters have used various versions of the materials now available here, and have amended and edited the materials each time to reflect the diverse experiences of workshop participants.

The current set of materials is the product of a thorough learning process, and it will help presenters anywhere to reproduce a one-day Internet Manifesto workshop for colleagues, even if Internet access in the library is extremely limited. It is hoped that these materials will help presenters and participants understand more about the values of freedom of access to information and freedom of expression with regards to the Internet, and explain why it is our responsibility as librarians to ensure that access to the Internet remains as free, equal and unhampered as possible.

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Access to information on HIV/AIDS through Libraries Learning Materials

In recent years IFLA/FAIFE has been emphasising the role libraries can play in increasing public access to health information, especiallyaccess to information about the HIV/AIDS virus. Information about libraries’ activities in this area have been collected in both the 2005 and 2007 World Reports, and explored in more depth in the IFLA/FAIFE Theme Report 2006 which investigated the social responsibilities of libraries in relation to some of the big issues and major challenges facing the world today: the HIV/AIDS pandemic, poverty and corruption.

In 2006 preparations began on a set of resources relating to libraries’ role in tackling these issues and, following a drafting and consultation exercise in 2007, the Access to HIV/AIDS through Libraries Learning Materials have been created. The materials provide clear details on how to hold a one-day workshop on this topic, and they have already been successfully used by librarians in places such as Nigeria, Zambia, Brazil and Mexico.

IFLA/FAIFE is pleased to make the Learning Materials available for free through the IFLA website and encourages librarians with an interest in public access to health information to use them to inform and educate colleagues about the positive role libraries can play in increasing access to information about HIV/AIDS in the community.

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