FYI France: "Rencontres de BIBLIO-FR", Caen, April 3-6 The first conference of BIBLIO-FR "online" librarians in France will take place in Caen this April 3-6. Discussions will be held in French, but I am assured that foreigners are very welcome. No better way to meet French librarians, visit France in the Spring, see the Caen of William the Conqueror and Mathilde of Flanders, and climb the Mont Saint Michel! There is even to be a lecture - tour of the Mont's remarkable manuscripts collection, now housed in the Bibliothe`que Municipale at Avranches. * A special need, for the "Rencontres": if any of you know of good videos on international librarianship, which might be shown to the Rencontres attendees, recommendations and full citations will be received gratefully by Herve Le Crosnier at Herve.Le_Crosnier@info.unicaen.fr (but please send conference applications via the Website shown below). The "Rencontres" program is included here, translated into English -- even if you cannot make the conference in Caen yourself, the concerns of non - English medium professionals in making this technology work in their often different situations makes very interesting reading -- the program may be seen online in French at http://www.info.unicaen.fr/bnum/biblio-fr --oOo-- Program: Rencontres de BIBLIO-FR, Caen, April 3-6 1998 "The purpose of the Rencontres is to permit librarians who are active on the Internet to get to know one another better as a prelude to cooperation together in their professional work. A large place is accorded, therefore, to informal chats, coffee - breaks, and mealtime discussions." "The 'round-tables' are collective sessions which anticipate the discussion of general issues. The 'workshops' are by contrast intended to promote professional education through the discussion of common experiences." * Friday April 3 10h00 : Welcome 10h30 : Opening Session 11h30 : Round Table : The Usefulness of E-conferences 12h30 : Luncheon 14h00 : Round Tables, running concurrently : * E-journals * Digitization : issues and projects 16h00 : Workshops, running concurrently : * Websites for Libraries * Documentary Research on the Web * CD-ROM Networks * Free Access to the Internet for Patrons 18h30 : Dinner 20h00 : General Session : E-journals and License Negotiations Invited speakers : Ann Okerson, Yale University, ARL / Association of Research Libraries, moderator of LIBLICENSE-L e-conference (Invitation undertaken in partnership with the ENSSIB.) Jean-Claude Gue'don , Universite' de Montre'al, Conseiller du Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication du Que'bec (Invitation undertaken in partnership with Universite' de Lyon 2.) * Saturday April 4 09h00 : Round-table : Continuing Education for Professionals in Librarianship and Documentation 10h30 : Workshops, running concurrently : * LINUX, and Free Software Generally * Library Management Software and the Internet * French Experience with Subject Library Networks (mathematics, medicine...) * Electronic Commerce in Books and Digital Documents 12h30 : Luncheon 14H00 : Round-tables, running concurrently : * Cooperative Projects * The Bibliothe`ques Municipales and the Democratization of Internet Access 15h30 : Workshops, running concurrently : * E-texts * The Metadata and Cataloging of Digital Documents * Training the Users * New Jobs and Skills in Libraries, and Research Tools for the Jobsearch (JOBILISE) 17h00 : Round-table : Copyright in the era of Digital Documents -- The Impact on Libraries From 19 h on... (plan on a full evening -- this is France) : Gala Soire'e -- buffet dinner, music, Les Blancs Mollets, dancing * Sunday, April 5 9h30 : "15 Minutes of Convincing..." : Various firms in software, publishing and e-commerce which wish to present their products and services to libraries each will be provided with 15 minutes and Internet / video access... 12h00 : Luncheon 13h30 : Bibliothèques sans frontières "The information networks enable the development of new means of access to knowledge and to education, and new approaches to global rules about the circulation of information. * How are we to prevent such developments from creating a new division between the informatio - rich and the information - poor? * What can be done to resolve the unequal information development which has occurred so far? * What role can libraries play in this global "bouleversement" of traditional means of the diffusion of knowledge and the management of power?" with : Georges Sadowsky (ISOC) Jean - Claude Gue'don, Universite' de Montre'al "and video contributions sent in by librarians from all of the five continents." 16h00 : Guided tour of the City of Caen Free evening * Monday, April 6 Tour of the Mont Saint Michel and of the Re'serve des Manuscrits of the Bibliothe`que Municipale d'Avranches (separate from the "Rencontres") Departure from Caen by bus at 8h, return to Caen at 18h30 --oOo-- The above program is the January 26 version and is subject to change. Whatever specific agenda BIBLIO-FR offers at their "Rencontres" conference, this chance to meet people in France who are grappling with the digital information revolution in their daily professional lives is a valuable opportunity for anyone so - grappling outside of France. Most of us are doing what we do online in English, "the language of the operating manual". If you think _you_ get frustrated, wait until you see what happens to folks who do _not_ work comfortably in "the language of the operating manual": imagine doing setup, repairs, replacements, presentations - to - the - committee, user training, research, and emergency fixes -- just as you do -- but all on a "batteries - not - included" basis! And yet the French are doing some wonderful things, using some very innovative approaches, linguistic and other differences with the orientation of their "operating manuals" notwithstanding. Caen would be a good place to appreciate the additional flexibility which the Internet must achieve before it expands to places like Burma and Senegal and Japan. A Spring trip to France would not be a bad way to begin any process. Bonne route. --oOo-- FYI France (sm)(tm) e-journal ISSN 1071 - 5916 * | FYI France (sm)(tm) is a monthly electronic journal, | published since 1992 as a small - scale, personal, | experiment, in the creation of large - scale | "information overload", by Jack Kessler. Any material / \ written by me which appears in FYI France may be ----- copied and used by anyone for any good purpose, so // \\ long as, a) they give me credit and show my e - mail --------- address and, b) it isn't going to make them money: if // \\ if it is going to make them money, they must get my permission in advance, and share some of the money which they get with me. Use of material written by others requires their permission. FYI France archives are at http://infolib.berkeley.edu (search fyifrance), or http://www.cru.fr/listes/biblio-fr@cru.fr/ (BIBLIO-FR econference archive), or at http://www.fyifrance.com , or at http://listserv.uh.edu/archives/pacs-l.html . Suggestions, reactions, criticisms, praise, and poison-pen letters all will be gratefully received at kessler@well.sf.ca.us . Copyright 1992- by Jack Kessler, all rights reserved.