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Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/book/10.1081/E-ELIS3

International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) a

Nancy Fjällbrant , Alice Trussell

b

a

Chalmers University of Technology Library, International Association of Technological University Libraries , Gothenberg , Sweden , b

Hale Library , Kansas State University , Manhattan , Kansas , U.S.A.

Published online: 09 Dec 2009

To cite this entry: Nancy Fjällbrant , Alice Trussell . International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition. Taylor and Francis: New York, Published online: 09 Dec 2009; 2861-2864. To link to this chapter: http://dx.doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS3-120044711

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International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) Nancy Fja¨llbrant Chalmers University of Technology Library, International Association of Technological University Libraries, Gothenberg, Sweden

Alice Trussell

Abstract The International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) was founded in Du¨sseldorf, Germany, in May 1955, as an international forum for the exchange of ideas relevant to librarianship in technological universities throughout the world. The IATUL is a voluntary international nongovernmental organization of a group of libraries, represented by their library directors or senior managers, who have responsibility for information services and resources management. Many of the members of IATUL provide services, not only to the teaching and research staff and students of their own university but also to industrial organizations and national research institutions, in their respective countries. The main objective of IATUL is to provide a forum where library directors and senior managers can meet to exchange views on matters of current significance and to provide an opportunity for them to develop a collaborative approach to solving problems. The IATUL is an excellent example of the development of an effective informal international network between libraries of similar type, with a common high level of professional expertise and offering a similar range of services to their users. The IATUL also welcomes into membership organizations that supply services to university libraries, if they wish to be identified with the association’s activities. This entry will examine the historical development, membership, organizational structure, activities, and publications of IATUL.

INTRODUCTION The International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) was founded in Du¨sseldorf, Germany, in May 1955, as an international forum for the exchange of ideas relevant to librarianship in technological universities throughout the world. The IATUL is a voluntary international nongovernmental organization of a group of libraries, represented by their library directors or senior managers, who have responsibility for information services and resources management. Many of the members of IATUL provide services, not only to the teaching and research staff and students of their own university but also to industrial organizations and national research institutions, in their respective countries. The main objective of IATUL is to provide a forum where library directors and senior managers can meet to exchange views on matters of current significance and to provide an opportunity for them to develop a collaborative approach to solving problems. The IATUL is an excellent example of the development of an effective informal international network between libraries of similar type, with a common high level of professional expertise and offering a similar range of services to their users. The IATUL also welcomes into membership

organizations that supply services to university libraries, if they wish to be identified with the association’s activities. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF IATUL Dr. E. Hemlin from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden was the founder of IATUL and also its first president, and, in this capacity, he did much to develop the association. In September 1955, IATUL was recognized as a subsection of the International Library Association’s division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). This division no longer exists, and IATUL, as an International Library Association member, now works in association with the IFLA Section of Science and Technology Libraries. In 1990, IATUL was formally affiliated with UNESCO. This affiliation operates now through IFLA. Since 1999, IATUL is also a member of the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information.[1–3] In the early years, many of the members of IATUL came from Europe, where there were a number of wellestablished institutions for technological education. The eighteenth century had seen the founding of some of the

Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition DOI: 10.1081/E-ELIS3-120044711 Copyright # 2010 by Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.

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earliest “schools” of this type in France, Germany, and Hungary. The first half of the nineteenth century was a period of considerable economic and social growth and development. This period saw the increasing use of steam power for industry, the rapid change from local craft production to factory-based industries, and considerable improvements in communications. These changes led to an increased need for the provision of technical education and training, resulting in the founding of “trades and craft schools,” and polytechnic institutions throughout Europe. Similar institutions were founded in the United States.[4] The early members of IATUL came mostly from European universities of technology and from some American institutions. During the last 25 years, there has been a steady growth in IATUL members coming from all parts of the world, resulting in a truly international organization. At the 16th IATUL Conference, which was held at the University of Twente in the Netherlands in 1995, IATUL celebrated its first 40 years with a special session on the history of the organization. Several papers given at this session by previous board members provide interesting glimpses of the history of IATUL from a variety of angles.[5–8] The 50th anniversary was celebrated at the 26th IATUL Conference, which was held at the University of Laval in 2005. An extensive display of historic photographs was on display, and the speakers at the conference banquet provided a warm reflection on half a century of service. MEMBERSHIP Ordinary and associate membership of IATUL is open to the libraries of universities and other higher educational institutions that offer programs of science and technology. Applications for membership of IATUL shall be addressed to the Secretary of the Association. In addition to academic institutional membership, there are two other types of membership. These are the categories of membership:[9] Ordinary membership—available to libraries/information services whose institutions offer masters or doctoral degrees in engineering, science, or technology; Associate Membership—available, subject to confirmation by the Board, to libraries/information services interested in supporting the aims and objectives of IATUL Honorary Membership—which the Board may confer upon individuals who have served the Association, or international librarianship, with particular distinction; and Sustaining Membership—available, subject to confirmation by the Board, to commercial organizations interested in supporting the aims and objectives of IATUL

International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL)

The new fee structure was based on the UNESCO Scale of Assessments. Libraries in those countries whose current UNESCO assessment is at 0.251 or greater pay the standard fee. Those libraries in countries whose UNESCO assessment is at 0.250 or below pay a fee of 50% of the standard membership rate.[10] In 2007, President Maria Heijne reported that there were 241 member libraries from 46 countries.[11] The IATUL is small enough to allow individual members to develop a close relationship, yet widespread enough to cover the interests of libraries operating in virtually all modern social, economic, and political situations. ORGANIZATION AND ACTIVITIES The association is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, and at least three board members elected by member libraries.[9] The board meets at least two times each year. Beginning in 2005, the board organizes a regional seminar in conjunction with the fall board meeting. The goals of hosting a regional seminar are to “interact with representatives of local libraries, to share information about developments for technological university libraries, and to create interest for the activities of IATUL.”[12] The current president of IATUL is Maria Heijne, University Librarian at the Delft Institute of Technology. The IATUL brings its members together by means of meetings, an e-mail list for members, and a Web site. The meetings include conferences, seminars, and regional gatherings. The conferences started as triennial meetings, which then became biennial, and finally, in 1997, annual conferences. During the period of biennial conferences, seminars were held during the year when there was no conference. Recent conferences: 









In an effort to recruit more members from countries and continents outside of Europe, a graduated membership fee structure was adopted at the general meeting in 2005.

The 28th IATUL Conference was held at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden in 2007 with the theme Global Access to Science. The 27th IATUL Conference was held at the Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal in 2006 with the theme of Embedding Libraries in Learning and Research. The 26th IATUL Conference was held at the Universite´ Laval Library, Que´bec City, Canada in 2005 with the theme of Information and Innovation. The 25th IATUL Conference was held at the Library of Krakow University of Technology in Krakow Poland in 2004 on the theme of Library Management in Changing Environment. The 24th IATUL Conference was held at the Middle Eastern Technical University in Ankara, Turkey in 2003 on the theme of Libraries and Education in the Networked Information Environment.

International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL)



The 30th IATUL Conference was held at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Belgium in 2009 with the theme of Just for you: Quality through innovation. The 29th IATUL Conference was held at the Auckland University of Technology, Auckland New Zealand in 2008 with the theme of Digital Discovery: Strategies and Solutions.

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Conferences immediately prior to these most current ones were held in Greece, Norway, Australia, the United States, and South Africa. The scope of the conference themes and venues illustrate the world-wide impact of IATUL. Future plans for IATUL will take the annual conferences to Purdue University in the United States in 2010 and to Warsaw University of Technology in Poland in 2011. PUBLICATIONS The first IATUL publications were a series of irregular reprints and publications from 1956 (Number 1) to 1967 (Number 25).[13] The first regular publications of IATUL were the Newsletters (January 1963–November 1965) with about 20 more extensive contributions and innumerable brief reports about the activities of the members. In 1965, the journal IATUL Proceedings started publication. Publication started at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and was transferred first to Loughborough University of Technology in the United Kingdom during the years 1968–1973, and then from 1974 till 1986 to Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.[14]. From 1987 to 1991, the IATUL Proceedings and the IATUL Conference Proceedings were merged to form the IATUL Quarterly (Volumes 1–5) published by Oxford University Press. Owing to the high costs of publishing the IATUL Quarterly, it was decided to cease publication in 1991 and instead to publish the IATUL News as a quarterly newsletter, with the aim of providing a timely flow of information to members, together with the annual IATUL Proceedings (New Series), which contains a selection of the papers presented at the IATUL Conferences and Seminars. From 1996 onward, papers from IATUL Proceedings are available on the IATUL Web site at http://www.iatul. org. From 1997 to 2006, the IATUL Proceedings (New Series) is also distributed in a CD-ROM version; prior to 1997, a print version was produced. For a description of the IATUL, Proceedings see the article published in 1996 by Elin To¨rnuudd, former president of IATUL—IATUL as a Mirror of Library Developments Since 1966 as Documented in IATUL Proceedings.[6] The IATUL News, Editor Nancy Fja¨llbrant, was published at Chalmers University of Technology from 1992 onward, in two forms: as a print publication from 1992 to 2000, with a parallel Web version available beginning in 1994. At the 2000 General Assembly of IATUL in Brisbane, it was decided

to end the printed version of the IATUL News at the end of 2000. Distribution of IATUL News moved to mailing lists with archived issues maintained on the organizational Web site. This transition brings about the realization of the IATUL Electronic Publishing Plan that was launched in 1997— with the aim of publishing all the IATUL publications in electronic form. CONCLUSION Although IATUL began as a European centric organization of technological university library managers, the scope of service and participating membership has expanded far beyond the geographical distribution of the original members. The IATUL continues to build membership and service to the engineering and technology library community around the world. The IATUL has recognized that due to variations in university organizational differences, participation by university libraries offering a wide scope of disciplines including engineering and technology needs to be cultivated. This organizational difference is most noticeably present in North America, where participation by universities is greatly encouraged. The forum provided by IATUL for the exchange of ideas relevant to engineering and technological librarianship continues to help enable the library community to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century information needs. REFERENCES 1. Schmidmaier, D. The history of the International Association of Technological University Libraries. IATUL Proc. 1976, 8, 42–45. 2. Schmidmaier, D. The early history of IATUL from 1953– 1962. IATUL Quart. 1990, 4 (4), 200–204. 3. Shaw, D. IATUL and library cooperation. IATUL Quart. 1989, 3 (3), 153–157. 4. Fja¨llbrant, N. The library of the Institute for the History of Electricity at Chalmers University of Technology in Go¨teborg. IATUL Quart. 1987, 1 (3), 182–195. 5. Shaw, D. Whither IATUL 1986–1990? (Reflections of a former president). IATUL Proc. (new series) 1996, 5, 353–360. 6. To¨rnudd, E. IATUL as a mirror of library developments since 1966 as documented in IATUL Proceedings. IATUL Proc. (new series) 1996, 5, 362–365. 7. Do¨mo¨to¨r, A. Small is beautiful. IATUL Proc. (new series) 1996, 5, 350–352. 8. Slajpah, M. The impact of IATUL on the development of the central technical library in the Republic of Slovenia. IATUL Proc. (new series) 1996, 5, 341–349. 9. IATUL Constitution. http://www.iatul.org/about/constitution. asp (accessed August 2007). 10. Minutes, IATUL General Assembly 2005. May 31, 2005, 2, http://www.iatul.org/doclibrary/public/ MeetingMinutes/2005GA.pdf (accessed August 2007).

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Heijne, M. President’s Report 2006–2007. General Assembly Meet Handout 2007. Heijne, M. IATUL President’s Report 2007. June 12, 2007, http://www.iatul.org/about/general.asp.

13. 14.

Schmidmaier, D. The publications of IATUL from 1955 to 1965. IATUL Proc. 11(new series) 1996, 5, 329–340. van Marle, G.A.J.S. Presidential address. IATUL Proc. (new series) 1996, 5, 6–10.