Last FID conference of the millennium

Citation

Satija, M.P. (1999), "Last FID conference of the millennium", Asian Libraries, Vol. 8 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/al.1999.17308iac.001

Last FID conference of the millennium

A brief report on the 49th FID conference and congress

M.P. SatijaGuru Nanek Dev University

Keywords Conferences, India, Computer networks, Information systems

Abstract This report on the 49th FID Congress held in New Delhi summarizes the principal presentations and includes the New Delhi Statement prepared at the conclusion of the conference.

"Towards the new information society of tomorrow: innovation, challenges and imports" was the theme of the October 1998 FID Congress, with the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC) as the national host. There were about 500 participants from 25 countries. The main congress was inaugurated on 15 October as the last conference of the century, with Professor T. Vishwanathan (Director of INSDOC and President of the Conference) introducing FID and Dr Martha Stone (FID President) presenting a vision of the new information society.

The conference was organised into plenary and parallel technical sessions. There were three plenary sessions, with two lectures in each.

15 OctoberL. Hoffman (Canada)National information policies: the Canadian approach.

A. Khosla (India)Information for sustainable development.

16 OctoberS. Ramakrishnan (India)Information infrastructure: prospects for the twenty-first century.

P.M. BhargavaCreation and sustenance of a well-informed society.

17 OctoberT. Vishwanatha (India)Networked society: vision and technology options.

S. Sastry (India)Indian culture information potential.

Liz Hoffman indicated that, although Canada does not have a formal information policy, it does have a number of documents that together present the essential elements of such a policy. She explained the role of Information Highway Advisory Council, which advises the government on making Canada a more "connected" society. Ashok Khosla described information as a "bus" to sustainable development, and then discussed the nature and channels of information. He focused particularly on the functioning of DIANET, a major network which caters to NGOs working on economically durable and bio-friendly materials and energy.

Dr Ramakrishnan presented an analysis of the rapid growth of IT, which is now a US$1-5 trillion dollars industry. The pace of progress has been amazing, with millions of active Web sites, and deregulation opening the way to further growth and rapid globalisation. Technologies are converging and "shaking hands" to become more versatile and inexpensive. The computer industry is amalgamating to a large degree, and telecommunications is becoming cheaper and more powerful. Not only are there new products and services, but all forms of electronic media are becoming digital in the move to multimedia information services. As part of these developments, information professionals need to think holistically about the ways in which information is used for education, health, business and entertainment. In partial recognition of this need, India has set up an IT Task Force which has formulated a set of 108 recommendations; its mission is IT for all by 2008, with an export target of US$50 billion.

Professor Bhargava said that the skill-based society of tomorrow will need many specialists, people able to transform information into knowledge. New links between diverse area of knowledge have emerged as the fragmentation of specialised knowledge is being replaced with a more seamless view of disciplines and relationships between them. Reflecting on the cycle of human civilisation based on the Hindu scriptures, T. Vishwanathan opined that science and technology do not solve all of our social and economic problems. On the other hand, tension, war and poverty are all products of the unwise application of technology, and unfriendly technology pollutes our environment and depletes our resources. The solution to this situation is to develop a living partnership with nature, making optimum use of its bounteous gifts. Offering a vision of the social, educational and health care implications of the networked society, Vishwanathan suggested that customised production by the masses will be the rule instead of mass production, and information overload will be transformed to information on demand. In a dramatic audiovisual presentation, Ch. Srinivasa Sastri echoed Vishwanathan's presentation by relating information management principles to precepts enshrined in the ancient Vedas. The Indian scriptures offer many valuable guidelines for present-day information management and have the potential to solve many social and educational problems.

In the concluding session on 17 October there was a panel discussion on "A blueprint for the information society of the twenty-first century: technology, education, policies, economics and society". The panelists were A.W. Khan, L. Hoffman, T. Vishwanathan, T. Salo, A.M. Prat and M. Stone. Khan listed the problems of education as access, cost, quality, relevance and equity. From one-time education we have moved to a concept of lifelong learning as essential, with information literacy the key to personal and professional development. Hoffman presented a vision of the new information society, and Vishwanathan spoke about the convergence of technologies, interactive multimedia and increasing connectivity. Tuula Salo focused on business information services, stressing that global business intelligence is essential for success and that information professionals are best placed to add value to information. Anna Maria Prat urged that we place human beings at the centre of information policies. Information professionals, for instance, play a critical role in providing public access to information, and information content is far more important than information technology. Martha Stone opined that developments have taken place in ways not anticipated, and we need to be conscious of this as we move forward. For instance, only six per cent of people have access to higher education, and the poverty gap is widening, despite the fact that information technology provides equal access to knowledge.

More than 100 papers were read in the four parallel sub-theme tracks of the conference, covering research, technology and education; economic, social, educational and cultural issues; information modelling, analysis and systems; polices, regulations, laws and copyright. In brief, the Congress addressed a wide range of social, technological and professional issues. This was reflected in the concluding declaration (see Appendix), which emphasized the need to place human considerations at the fore when using information and formulating information-related policies.

Appendix. 49th FID Conference and Congress, 11-17 October 1998, New Delhi

New Delhi statement

The 49th Conference and Congress of the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) held in New Delhi, India from 11 to 17 October 1998, deliberated on all aspects of the evolving new information society. As a result of these deliberations, the congress has the following statement to make:

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  having recognized that the world is moving towards a networked electronic information society;

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  having given due regard to the importance of the wholesome development of humanity;

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  having discussed sustainability aspects of the future society, and the need for environmentally and user-friendly technologies; and

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  having recognised the need to empower the common man

The congress declares that:

The new information society, in applying research, education, information and communication technologies, and formulating social and economic policies and legislation must place humane considerations at centre stage to realise and sustain a welfare society.

Dr Martha B StonePresident, FID

Professor T. VishwanathanChair, International Organising Committee

(M.P. Satija is a member of the Asian Libraries Editorial Advisory Board and a regular contributor to the journal. Address: Department of Library and Information Science, Guru Nanek Dev University, Amritsar 143005, India. E-mail: dcse_gndu@yahoo.com)