Transcript IUFRO International Union of Forest Research Organizations

International Union of
Forest Research Organizations:
“IUFRO”
IAMSLIC: Every Continent, Every Ocean
October 8-12, 2006
Portland, Oregon, USA
Bart Goossens – IUFRO 06.03.00
Research Institute for Nature and Forest
[email protected]
Bonnie Avery – IUFRO 06.03.01
Oregon State University Libraries
[email protected]
“Trying to describe the Canadian forest is
like trying to describe the sea. You see
it, but you can’t hold it with a look; you
admire it even as you fear it; it seems
the same, but is constantly changing;
it’s quiet on the surface, but ready to
burst into a torrent of flames. It is vast,
diverse, living and working.”
--State of Canadian Forests 2001/2002
--http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/cfs-scf/national/whatquoi/sof/sof02/overview_e.html
CONTENTS
• Introduction to IUFRO
• Division 6.03.00 – Information services
and knowledge organization
• Issues facing Forestry Librarians
• Perspectives and Discussion
What is IUFRO?
• IUFRO is the global network for forest science
cooperation;
• IUFRO is the only world-wide international
organization devoted to forest research;
• IUFRO unites more than 15,000 scientists in
almost 700 Member Organizations in more than
110 countries;
• Founded in 1892, IUFRO has a long history of
international forest science cooperation
• It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization
Vision
• science-based management, conservation
and sustainable development of the world’s
forest resources for the benefit of present and
future generations.
Mission
• IUFRO promotes global cooperation in forest-
related research and enhances the understanding
of the ecological, economic and social aspects of
forests and trees.
• It disseminates scientific knowledge to
stakeholders and decision-makers and contributes to
forest policy and on-the-ground forest management.
GOALS 2006-2010
• GOAL 1: To strengthen research for the benefit of forests and
people
– 1.1 To address the changing research needs and priorities related to
forests and trees
– 1.2 To promote quality research, improve equity, and strengthen
scientific capacity
– 1.3 To strengthen the administrative, financial and legal foundations of
IUFRO for the benefit of its members
• GOAL 2: To expand strategic partnerships and cooperation
– 2.1 To enhance interdisciplinary cooperation within the scientific
community
– 2.2 To expand partnerships and collaboration of IUFRO with
international organizations, governments and stakeholders
– 2.3 To strengthen cooperation within and between regions
• GOAL 3: To strengthen communication and links within the
scientific community and with students as well as with policy
makers and society at large
– 3.1 To enhance communication within the scientific community and
increase interest and involvement of students in forest science
– 3.2 To strengthen links between science and policy and provide
scientific information and advice for international policy-making
– 3.3 To increase public awareness about forest science
IUFRO structure (1)
• Eight permanent Divisions covering key forest research fields;
–Silviculture
–Physiology and Genetics
–Forest Operations Engineering
and Management
–Forest Assessment, Modelling and Management
–Forest Products
–Social, Economic, Information and Policy Sciences
–Forest Health
–Forest Environment
• Within the Divisions, about 280 Research Groups and
Working Parties address specific research topics.
IUFRO structure (2)
• Task Forces are established on a temporary basis for
inter-disciplinary cooperation in inter-divisional forest
research fields.
–Communicating Forest Science
–Endangered Species and Nature Conservation
–Forests and Carbon Sequestration
–Forests and Genetically Modified Trees
–Forests and Human Well-Being
–Forests and Water Interactions
–Forest Science-Policy Interface
–Illegal Logging and FLEGT
–Traditional Forest Knowledge
IUFRO structure (3)
• Special Programmes and Projects provide
services that support the science collaboration in
IUFRO:
–IUFRO Special Programme for Developing Countries
–SilvaVoc Terminology Project
–IUFRO Special Project “World Forests, Society and
Environment”
–Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) –Joint
Initiative of the CPF
Global Forest Information Service (GFIS)
• GFIS is an internet gateway that provides free
access to information resources through
metadata harvesting.
• GFIS is a partnership of information providers.
• GFIS browsing and metadata search facilities
allow the user to locate forest related
information through a single entry point
• Users can locate maps, datasets, web resources,
journal articles, books and other resources
relevant to their forest information needs.
• www.gfis.net (hosted by FAO)
Global Forest Information Service (GFIS)
Member Benefits
• the possibility of global networking in forest research
and related sciences
• the receipt of documentation
• the guaranteed unrestricted access to the IUFRO
website (www.iufro.org)
• the possibility of a free link of your organization’s own
homepage to the IUFRO website
• the advantage of IUFRO’s representation at regional,
national and international fora such as UNFF and the
advantage of IUFRO’s close cooperation with other
scientific fields and groups of civil society.
http://www.iufro.org
Division 6.03.00 – Information services
and knowledge organization
• History
with thanks to
Roger Mills – Oxford Forest
Information Service
• Division Activities
with thanks to
Carol Green – University of
Washington
Barbara Holder – FORINTEK Canada
Corp., Vancouver, BC
• Issues facing forestry
librarians
Pre-World War I, 1903-1914
IUFRO “Bibliographical Committee” is formed
• Need for a bibliography observed in 1903
• “International Committee on Forest
•
Bibliography” formed in 1906
Goals
–
–
–
–
Secretariat (permanent home for bibliography)
Support work via Subscriptions
Create Card catalogue and ‘quarterly magazine’
Publish index to past literature from 1750 in book
form
• All activity stopped by the first World War
Between world wars, 1922-39
Birmensdorf to Oxford
• Forest Bibliography: an International Decimal Classification
on the basis of Melvil Dewey’s system
-- the “Flury system” (Dr. Philipp Flury, Birmensdorf)
– published in German 1933,
– translated to French and English in 1936
• Professor R.S. Troup Imperial Forestry Institute (Oxford)
Chairs Bibliographical committee
– card index and ‘magazine’ Current Monthly Record of Forestry
Literature in 1934
– Imperial Agricultural Bureaux (IAB/CAB) invited to found Imperial
Forestry Bureau (IFB/CFB) at Oxford with IUFRO’s support 1938
– Forestry Abstracts first published 1939
• World War II ends plans for IUFRO International Forestry
Bibliography Secretariat
Post World War II, 1945-1971:
Bibliographical Committee revived as “Joint FAO/IUFRO
Committee on Forest Bibliography” (IUFRO Section 01)
• Joint Committee is closely allied with Oxford
Forestry Institute (OFI) whose library by default
– adopts the Clearinghouse role
– Receives > 2000 current serials (~1900 via donation)
– All contents indexed and abstracted via CFB.
• CFB begins work on a New Forestry classification
in 1949, the Oxford System of Decimal
Classification for Forestry,
– adopted by IUFRO and FAO in 1953
– published in 1955 by the Commonwealth Agriculture Bureaux
(CAB)
• Joint Committee embarks on publication of a
multi-lingual terminology, Terminology of Forest
Science, Technology, Practice and Products,
published in 1971 by SAF.
1972-2001
More work for Serial Librarians
• 1972 -- “Joint Committee” becomes S6.03 = Information systems
and terminology
• 1981 -- Oxford Decimal Classification for Forestry is revised and
updated
• 1990 -- Forest Decimal Classification published
• 1995 -- Section 6.03 renames self and adds subgroups
06.03.00: Information services and knowledge organization
01: Libraries and Information Services
02: Trends in forest terminology
03: Forest Decimal Classification
04: Latin American systems network
• 2001 -- Two more name changes
6.03.01 Bibliographic information and library networks
6.03.04 Latin American and Caribbean information systems
network
2002-date
New goals and recent accomplishments
GOALS:
– to create networks among information professionals
– to coordinate efforts in the field of information
services
– to contribute to the organization of knowledge
through terminology, classification and indexing
– to evaluate and introduce latest technologies in
communication and information services
– to strengthen the geographical diversity of
information exchange, partly through partnerships
• Recent accomplishments…
Accomplishment: Networks/Geographic Diversity:
International Directory of Forest Information
Services
International Directory of
Forest Information Services
• An effort to update International directory of
forestry & forest products libraries
• Initiated in 2002 by Carol Green (U. Washington)
•
•
•
as Coordinator of 06.03.01 with assistance and
Forintek library staff.
Hosted by ANDORNOT.COM (Canada)
Uses regional coordinators to solicit additions
and ideally to remind contributors to refresh
content.
Located on web at: iufro.andornot.com
Accomplishment: Terminology
Directory of Experts
• Includes 240 experts
– in 395 forest-related fields and
representing 42 languages;
– Who will answer questions
directly via e-mail, phone or fax
• Organized by 06.03.02
• http://www.wsl.ch/forest/risks
/iufro/
Increase “terminological awareness”
• E-conferences to inventory terminological divergences
•
for selected concepts:
– Old growth forests, primary forests, virgin forests
– Reforestation, afforestation, deforestation
– Low forest cover
– Forest health
Consensus opinion from discussions are included in the
SilvaTerm Database (an initiative within SilvaVoc)
Accomplishment: Classification and Indexing:
Global Forest Decimal Classification
•
•
•
•
•
Updating of the Forest Decimal Classification
Published in 2006 = No. 19 IUFRO World Series
Official UDC expansion for forestry (630)
Collaborative process with online development toolkit
– suggesting new concepts
– hosted at:
http://iufro.andornot.com/gfdceditssearch.aspx
– German and English with French and Spanish
translations in process
06.03.03 coordinates this effort.
Global Forest Decimal Classification (GFDC)
Accomplishment: Geographic Diversity
Latin American and Caribbean information systems network
Accomplishment: Networking & Coordination
Meetings and communication
• Formal:
– September 2003 (Quebec City): Joint Conference with
04.03.03 (Information Management and Information
Technologies): “INFORMATION INTEROPERABILITY AND
ORGANIZATION FOR NATIONAL AND GLOBAL FOREST
INFORMATION SYSTEMS”
– December 2005 (Oxford): Centennial Celebration of Oxford
Forestry Institute: “FRONTIERS IN FOREST INFORMATION”
• Informal:
– Division Coordinators where possible at IUFRO and/or Forestry
meetings
– PNW Forestry Librarians Annual Meeting (loosely affiliated with
IUFRO)
• Webconferencing and email
Issues facing forestry librarians
• Lost expertise and institutional memory
– Decline in the number of specialized forestry collections due to
funding constraints and lack of space.
– Decline in number of “forestry” librarians due to a need to serve
interdisciplinary institutional goals.
• Perceived relevance of sustaining libraries as an
information resource
– more is available electronically and high value placed on electronic
access to information
– Decline in the visibility of historical materials as current collections
are used electronically
• Challenge of locating, archiving and providing a permanent
home for research findings that are borne digital
Positioning IUFRO 06.03 to address issues
• IUFRO has provided a solid history of concern
•
•
for organizing global forestry information;
Oxford Forestry Institute and CABI have
provided continuity in the past and will likely be
critical partners in the future;
New Model may be needed to foster:
– forestry librarianship to replace lost expertise
– access to distributed resources
– collaboration with other organizations
Perspectives and Discussion
• Effective networking (contacting IUFRO libraries)
– Via international directory of forest information services
– Latin American and Caribbean information systems network
• Effective resource sharing
– Setting up a listserver
• Z39.50 Distributed Library
• Regular meetings
• Collaboration with other Library Organizations
– Iamslic
– Special Library Association (SLA) – Environment & Resource
Management Division (Forestry Section)
– CBHL, EBHL
– IAALD, …
Perspectives and Discussion
• Financial possibilities
– Funding from IUFRO? No funds at all for groups
– IUFRO tradition revolves around meetings being hosted and paid
for voluntarily by the institution organizing the meeting
– IUFRO Yearly Membership fee: covers the cost of running the
Secretariat in Vienna (organises the quinquennial Congress )
– As a IUFRO group we can't charge a subscription and keep our
own bank account, and we don't have 'members' as such since
all staff of any institution which is a member of IUFRO can
attend any IUFRO group events.
Barrier for initiatives
Perspectives and Discussion
• Establish a new forestry librarians
organization?
• Find or establish a 'parallel' librarians
organization to which 6.03 could affiliate?
• Establish a group within an existing library
organization?
• Take the lead from 06.03.04 and add more
regional divisions.
Thank you!
[email protected]
[email protected]