I had the honour of being invited among nine non-Baltic guests to your congress. It is inspiring to be among the Baltic colleagues, these days it is also a pleasure to notice how well professionals of the three Baltic nations get along among themselves, as foreign newspapers focus on border disputes about fish and oil - disagreements for the worse of any small nation of the North.
I attended three library conferences in 1996. The Norwegian Biannual Conference of the Norwegian Library Association at Lillehammer, IFLA 96 in Beijing, and the 5th Congress of Baltic Librarians in Tallinn.
The prime minister of Norway opened the first one, the prime minister of China opened the second, and the speaker of the Estonian Parliament made the official opening in Tallinn. Librarians everywhere realize the importance of inviting top level politicians to their congresses. Of course, within all the favourable phrases of their speeches, there is also a substantial portion of lip-service to the audience. Nevertheless, none of the vips in question declined to open library events, and by pronouncing great statements aloud, they also make commitments. Commitments that it is our task to remind them of later.
At all three conferences, there were produced papers of high quality. At the Baltic conference, the presentations I listened to - and those I have read - were interesting in the general professional sense at the same time as many of them shed light on the Baltic scene in particular. In contrast to Lillehammer and Beijing, however, the papers of the Tallinn conference were most outstandingly compiled and presented at the registration desk. Look to the Baltics!
Above, I have admitted that politicians pay lip-service from time to time. But what is this, an endless stream of flattery from a foreign guest to a host's journal? No real critical remarks? Maybe the editorial board of INFOFOORUM rejects the article?
A significant feature of the Baltic congress, contrasting the two others, was too little real discussion among the participants to follow the presentations. Of course, I could not accomplish to attend all the sessions, but still I dare to maintain this. Even in rather small groups, and with fairly concrete topics on the agenda, it was too silent, even if the chairmen encouraged the audience to speak up.
The reasons might be various. Silence is in some cases be connected to the discrepancy between goals and targets of a brilliant lecture on the one hand and the harsh reality of the listener's workplace on the other. The gap between how it is and how it should have been is so big that there is nothing to discuss.
Too few vivid discussions might also be connected with a tradition of formal obedience from the "pre-open society" of the past. But, if so, the average participant of a session is not fully to blame. To speak up in a larger group, one must feel comfortable. The feeling of comfort in the company of other people is a matter of confidence.
This is demanding. It is demanding to those who lack the courage to take the floor. It is equally demanding to the very important persons, with great authority in their respective fields, who breath normally whatever the size of the audience is. But in another way.
The challenge of those with authority (or maybe I rather should say "us," rather than "those" as I belong to the category that gradually has overcome breathing problems at such occasions) is to react to criticism without arrogance. Of course, everybody has the right to get hurt or to get angry whenever appropriate. What I focus on here is the game of power that is exclusive in its function. A game played everywhere, by some even without knowing.
The title of the congress was "Independence and Libraries." One prerequisite for independence is activity. Let us urge more members of the library community to take action in the future. For the benefit of libraries as well as for the benefit of independent societies.
Then, there was the pleasure of walking the streets of Tallinn, there is not really any "old town" in Norway, revisiting the national library, each floor with novelties and surprises, and reexperiencing Estonian hospitality.
Cordial thanks for fine days in October, and congratulations to Ms Anne Valmas and the Estonian Libarary Association for a job perfectly done!