LIAC spent the majority of the day receiving updates on significant issues and discussing its initial response to the recently launched Digital Strategy.  Support was expressed for the National Content Strategy, which aligns with a LIAC interest in surveying the information landscape.

 

Winston Roberts, Information Strategist at the National Library, provided LIAC with an update on the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).  Focused on implementation, the second phase will take place in Tunis hosted by the Government of Tunisia, from 16-18 November 2005.  It is anticipated that the New Zealand delegation to WSIS will be confirmed later in the year.  For further information on WSIS see http://www.itu.int/wsis/.

 

Continuing on a similar theme Laurence Zwimpfer, representing UNESCO, presented LIAC with an overview of UNESCO’s Information For All Programme (IFAP).  IFAP provides a framework for international co-operation and partnerships and supports the development of common strategies, methods and tools for building an information society for all.  It was confirmed that key issues in the IFAP agenda included the second phase of WSIS and building partnerships in the non-government world at a global level.  Laurence also noted that the recently launched Digital Strategy would be welcomed by IFAP.  For further information on IFAP see http://www.unesco.org.

 

LIAC members also held a productive meeting with the Guardians/Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library.  Each group discussed work they had been involved with to date.  It was agreed to identify areas of common interest and plan for some shared time at future meetings to discuss these.  Mātauranga Māori was an obvious example of an area of interest to both Commissions. 

 

Other areas covered at the meeting included:

 

 

Ainslie Dewe

Chair, LIAC

20 June 2005