US embassy cable - 05ANKARA6424

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006424 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IIP/G/EUR - CSIEMONH; IIP/T/GIC - GWILLIAMS; 
IIP/G/IR - CBORYS; EUR/PPD - CTEAL; 
ROME FOR IRO MMELUN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OIIP, SCUL 
SUBJECT:  TRACKER 24124 - REPORT ON U.S. SPEAKER SALLY 
GARDNER REED, SEPTEMBER 18 - 24, 2005 
 
 
1.  DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY: U.S. Speaker Sally Gardner 
Reed, President of Friends of the Library USA, spent a week 
in Turkey interacting with library professionals in Istanbul 
and Ankara September 18-24, 2005.  In Istanbul, Ms. Reed 
delivered the keynote address at a conference that took 
place at Istanbul Bilgi University on "Libraries as Gateways 
to the Information Society: Increasing Public Awareness," 
organized by the Innovative Library Initiatives Promotion 
Group (ILIPG) in cooperation with the Turkish Librarians 
Association.  Istanbul IRC specialists led a workshop 
entitled "Lobbying for Libraries"; and IRC Istanbul and IRC 
Ankara prepared a subject-specific web site and bibliography 
focusing on the U.S. experience for the participants at the 
conference and Ankara seminar. 
 
In Ankara, Ms. Reed gave a seminar to 80 public library 
professionals and government officials on "Advocacy for 
Public Libraries" at Ankara's main public library, which was 
attended by the deputy director of the National Library and 
officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which 
administers libraries in Turkey.  She called on the new 
Director of the National Library and toured the Library, 
accompanied by IRO Marge Melun, Ankara IRC Director Figen 
Sahin, and the Dean of Ankara University's Library School, 
Turkey's oldest. They also called on the head of the 
Parliament Library and met with academics from three Ankara 
universities that have library studies departments. 
 
2.  JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVES: This is a pivotal year for 
Turkey's public libraries, as their control and funding are 
expected to move from the national Ministry of Culture and 
Tourism to local government at the municipality level.  As a 
result, "libraries in Turkey are going through a difficult 
time" and "library professionals are in a state of panic," 
according to the deputy director of the National Library. 
Because new administrative procedures have not yet been put 
in place, there is considerable concern about the immediate 
future of public libraries among library professionals. 
With the Istanbul conference, the ILIPG and the Turkish 
Librarians' Association sought to galvanize librarians, NGOs 
and the media to launch a proactive campaign to inform the 
public and to lobby local government officials for increased 
support and funding. The Ankara seminar provided an 
opportunity for public library professionals to gain a 
different perspective on their situation and to see the 
opportunities that this change opens up for public library 
support at the community level. 
 
4.  AUDIENCES REACHED: An audience of 140 librarians, 
academicians, NGOs and state and local authorities heard Ms. 
Reed's keynote presentation in Istanbul, and another 80 
public library professionals and government officials 
attended her seminar in Ankara.  With the active 
participation of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of 
Culture and Tourism, the Istanbul conference received a 
great deal of media attention.  In Ankara, the seminar was 
attended by the deputy director of the National Library and 
officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 
 
5.  RESULTS: Outstanding.  The National Library deputy 
director said Ms. Reed's presentation was "a source of 
oxygen" that should give public library professionals 
encouragement and enthusiasm.  He said her presentation 
offered not only a positive perspective but a number of 
tactics and strategies that will be very helpful to public 
librarians in Turkey as they go through the transition from 
national to local government authority.  Ms. Reed, a 
professional librarian with more than twenty years of 
experience at all levels, was an exceptionally effective 
speaker. Friends of the Library USA is the preeminent 
organization in the field of library advocacy.  Her 
presentations were persuasive, practical and inspiring; they 
elicited excellent questions and comments from the audience. 
Moreover, she offered to forward a "toolkit for public 
librarians" that post will translate into Turkish for use by 
library professionals in organizing advocacy activities. 
 
The conference in Istanbul was significant in that it 
brought together NGOs, local administrators and 
professionals in the field of information science for the 
first time.  This was a major step in establishing 
cooperation and communication for a sustainable relationship 
between the relevant parties.  Press coverage resulted in 
articles in all major dailies and the conference was 
featured in several national TV newscasts. 
 
6.  NON-USG SOURCES OF IN-COUNTRY FUNDING: The conference in 
Istanbul was organized by the Innovative Library Initiatives 
Promotion Group (ILIPG) in cooperation with the Turkish 
Librarians Association and Istanbul Bilgi University.  In 
Ankara, the Adnan Otuken City Public Library, Ankara's main 
public library, co-sponsored the seminar and provided the 
venue. 
 
7.  QUALITY OF U.S. SUPPORT AND AGENCY OFFICE:  Outstanding. 
Post once again thanks Cathy Siemonh at IIP/G/EUR and Gerri 
Williams in IIP/T/GIC for their support for this project. 
MCELDOWNEY