IFLA General Conference, 1990. IFLA Presession Seminar on Public Library Policy.

Five of the six papers in this collection focus on public library services, collection development problems, and involvement in literacy campaigns in developing countries; the sixth paper is concerned with public library services in Norway. (1) In "Big Cities, Its Inhabitants and Public Libraries Systems," May Brooking Negrao examines Sao Paulo's public library service to its inhabitants in terms of labor and education factors. (2) In "Collection Development in Public Libraries in Developing Countries," Karen Jesson attributes collection development problems in Zimbabwe and other developing nations to the shortage of foreign currency, import taxation on books, the government attitude toward indigenous publishing, proportions of local and imported material in libraries, and library promotion of indigenous literature. (3) In "Literacy Campaigns in West Africa," Kosi A. Kedem focuses primarily on campaign efforts in Ghana and Nigeria, the agencies involved in the campaigns, and the role of public libraries. (4) In "Bibliotheques a deux portes ou la Bibliotheque scolaire et ses relations avec la Bibliotheque publique (Libraries with Two Doors or the Academic Library and Its Relationship with the Public Library)," Remi Sagna argues that the public library and academic library complement each other in developing nations, and that the two together provide a tool for promoting education and reading in the traditionally oral societies of Africa, especially Senegal. (5) In "Literacy Campaigns in Asia and Thailand," Karmmanee Suckcharoen examines literacy campaigns in the Republic of China, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. (6) In "Public Library Policy," Else Granheim emphasizes those elements of public library service in Norway that guarantee nationwide user access throughout the country. (MAB)