Maintaining our digital memory: a declaration of support for the World Summit on the Information Society
Communiqué from the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL)
The National Libraries of the world are the guardians of the cultural heritage expressed in a nation’s documented memory which includes the digital information produced in the Information Society.
National Libraries in all countries have a mandate and duty to collect and preserve this digital cultural heritage and to make it accessible both now and to future generations.
It is a matter of the highest importance to the National Libraries of the world that all states develop coordinated national strategies for inclusive information societies in which our digital heritage will be preserved and made accessible with the same commitment already shown to our nations’ printed records.
In the spirit of partnership and digital solidarity we, the Directors of the National Libraries of the world support the WSIS Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, adopted in Geneva, December 2003, in particular those principles related to:
Section A:
Our Common Vision of the Information Society
Section B:
An Information Society for All: Key Principles
Section C:
Towards an Information Society for All Based on Shared Knowledge
Furthermore we seek the endorsement of the Tunis meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society, November 2005, for the full implementation of these principles as well as the maintenance of our shared digital memory.
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Argentina Australia Austria Barbados Belgium Benin Brazil Canada Chile China Croatia Cuba Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Estonia Finland France Germany Hungary |
Iceland Iran Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kazakhstan Korea, Rep. of Latvia Lebanon Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Mali Malta Netherlands New Zealand Norway Portugal |
Russian Federation Scotland (UK) Serbia and Montenegro Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Thailand Trindad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Uganda United Kingdom USA Venezuela |
Adopted at IFLA/WLIC, Oslo, Norway, August 2005.