The Norman Transcript - International library committee meets in Norman

The Norman Transcript - International library committee meets in Norman: "Twelve members of the Public Libraries Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, IFLA, will visit Norman today through Sunday to discuss the development and promotion of public libraries worldwide.

The committee members, who represent the countries of Canada, Denmark, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States, are in Norman on the invitation of Mary Sherman, director of the Pioneer Library System and a longstanding member of the committee.

According to Sherman, the IFLA Section of Public Libraries provides an international forum and network to develop and insure free and equal access to information at the local level. With more than 300 members worldwide, the committee is one of the largest of the 45 IFLA sections.

'Our major project over the last five years has been the development of new guidelines and standards for public libraries. We published the first edition of 'Public Library Service: the IFLA/UNESCO Guidelines for Development' in 2001 and now it has been translated into more than 20 languages and distributed throughout the world,' Sherman said.

The group will meet at the Norman Public Library, 225 N. Webster Ave., for its mid-year business meeting. While in Norman, the group will visit libraries in Norman, Moore and Oklahoma City in addition to touring the State Capitol, the Oklahoma City National Memorial, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the History of Science Collection at Bizzell Memorial Library at the University of Oklahoma.

'This is the first time that IFLA has come to this part of the U.S. and we are happy to show them some Southwestern hospitality. The Norman library staff and the Friends of the Norman Library are hosting a dinner for them at the library. Our entertainment that evening will be a presentation by the Oklahoma Fancy Dancers. We are also planning some excursions to local malls and Bricktown to add to the fun," Sherman said.

For more information about the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions, visit the Web site at www.ifla.org."