1947
The Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) is founded in Shanghai, China, to assist in post-war economic reconstruction.
Mr P.S. Lokanathan is the Commission’s first Executive Secretary. The United Nations’ Economic and Social Council devises terms of reference for ECAFE in their Resolution (37-IV) of 28 March 1947.
Among these is a crucial information-related mandate: “To undertake or sponsor the collection, evaluation and dissemination of economic, technological and statistical information.”
1950
To fulfil this information-related mandate, and to centralize each individual division’s growing collection of publications and acquisitions, ECAFE assigns its Research and Statistics Division the task of combining and managing these collections.
As ECAFE’s work programme rapidly expands, the urgent need for an organized, comprehensive library service is recognized.
Mr P.K. Garde (India) is recruited as ECAFE’s first Chief Librarian. A graduate from the Universities of Bombay and Madras in Library Science, Mr Garde began his career as Assistant Librarian and Lecturer in Librarian Science at the University of Delhi from 1946 to 1949 before joining the United Nations Service. Allocated a budget of $4000 and two other staff members, an assistant and a clerk, Mr Garde undertakes the challenge of developing and organizing the Commission’s first Library. In its early beginnings, the Library is administratively raised to the status of a Section and placed within the Division of Administration. The Library uses the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) for classifying its collection, and has a coded classified catalogue. An Area Index is used for all publications that deal with the region in general, or with countries in particular.
1952
The Library publishes the first Asian Bibliography. This semi-annual publication provides a comprehensive list of acquisitions pertaining to Asian countries and enjoys circulation to libraries worldwide. It serves as one of the most efficient and effective research tools available in the ECAFE Library.
1953
ECAFE moves from its modest office in Shanghai to Sala Look Khun in the Grand Palace, in Bangkok, Thailand. Shortly thereafter, ECAFE moves to Wang Parus Misakawan, and then again to Sala Santhitham on Rajdamnern Avenue. The ECAFE Library is located in the Mekong Building.
1954
It becomes increasingly apparent that in addition to Secretariat staff, numerous external users are turning to the Library for material which they cannot easily obtain elsewhere in the region. These include staff of specialized agencies in the region, technical experts, government officials and researchers from universities worldwide.
A plan to develop the Library into a centre for research on Asia and the Far East is submitted to the Ford Foundation in early 1954 with a request for financial assistance to achieve its objective. The Foundation responds with a gift of $25,000 for the purchase of new publications and equipment. With these funds, the Library acquires back volumes of important economic journals, additional reference works, many of them in the languages of the ECAFE region, books on contemporary political and social conditions in the Asian countries, catalogue cabinets and a microfilm reader.
1956
Mr Chintaman G. Ambekar (India) succeeds Mr Garde as Chief Librarian, who becomes Librarian of the UNESCO Social Science Research Centre at Calcutta (1957-1958). Mr Ambekar was Librarian of the United Nations Library in Geneva, and was Chief of the General Reference Section of the Dag Hammarskjold Library.
1965
In January 1965, a Mekong Documentation Centre is established in the ECAFE Library. Funded by the Committee for Coordination of Investigations of the Lower Mekong Basin otherwise known as the “Mekong Committee”, the Centre aims to acquire all available technical, economic and social documentation on and from Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam, and to disseminate information about its availability.
1966
ECAFE’s Library budget is $9000. The Library’s exchange arrangements with other organizations, and member governments’ donations of official publications help to alleviate pressure on available funds. With its unique resources, efficient organization and servicing, and the lack of regional research libraries in neighbouring countries, the ECAFE Library is recognized as the de facto Regional Library of the United Nations. The Library’s total collection stands at approximately 30,000 volumes. It receives about 1000 periodicals, the majority of which are gifts and exchanges. In January 1966, the first monthly list of selected periodical articles relevant to ECAFE’s various divisions and their work programmes, is prepared for distribution throughout the Secretariat.
1968
Mr Ambekar, Chief Librarian, is tragically killed in a car accident. Ms Cathleen Badger (Australia) is recruited as Chief Librarian.
1973
The planning and construction of the new Secretariat begins. In the meantime, a fire in the Mekong Building forces the Library out of its current temporary home to Sala Santitham Hall where it is divided into two rooms: (1) the journal room and (2) the book and archives room.
1974
The Commission changes its name from ECAFE to ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific) to reflect both the social and economic aspects of development in the region, and the geographical location of its member countries. Accordingly, the ECAFE Library becomes the ESCAP Library.
1975/1976
After seven years of service, Ms Cathleen Badger retires as Chief Librarian. Her successor is Ms Zerrin Polite (Turkey).
The new secretariat, an impressive $5-million complex comprising a 14-story secretariat building, a 7-story service building and a conference centre, is completed. The ECAFE Library moves from its temporary location in the lobby and conference room of Sala Santitham into the new building and occupies the first floor of the commission’s Service Building, its current location. The Library is organized into four informal working units: Readers’ Services, Documents Reference, Serials and Catalogue. It also comprises three reading areas: the main reference room, which contains 2000 volumes, the periodicals room, where 250 journals and 15 newspapers are on display and the United Nations documents area, which has available 50,000 of the most important records and reports.
The Library begins to collect and collate materials on rural development as a supplement to its general holdings, and as part of the ESCAP Integrated Programme for Rural Development.
1978
An extensive survey of the ESCAP Library and the information centres is carried out in late 1978 by a team of experts sent from UN Headquarters by the United Nations Administrative Management Service. The team is sent to examine the possibility of coordinating all bibliographic information activities with the Dag Hammarskjold Library’s United Nations Bibliographic Information System.
The Library employs sixteen staff members: a Chief Librarian, two other professional staff and 13 general staff. The budget for purchase of books and serial subscriptions totals $24,000; the book collection numbers more than 70,000 volumes. The Library receives 2500 current periodical titles, both by subscription and gift or exchange, and issues of more than 40 newspapers. The Library’s holdings of United Nations and Specialized Agencies documents are recognized as the most complete in the region and grow by more than 30,000 items annually.
1979
Ms Zerrin Polite retires as Chief Librarian. Mr Allan Windsor (Guyana) is recruited as the new Chief Librarian. Mr Windsor and his staff undertake the task of manually consolidating the texts of resolutions adopted by the Commission during the 34 sessions from 1947-1978.27 Published in Hong Kong in November 1979, the Compendium of Resolutions (and its index) are a first for the UNESCAP Library.
1981
In response to the advent of new information technologies, which offer countless innovative and efficient ways to create, store, organize and provide information, the UNESCAP Library acquires its first two computers which are donated from the Government of Japan. A Regional Advisor on Data Processing, Mr W. Walter (Germany), provided through extrabudgetary funding from the Government of Germany, joins the library staff to facilitate their transition to computer-based systems. ESCAP documents are analyzed on UNBIS input forms, keyboarded, and sent in machine-readable form to the New York Computing Center, where the data are processed and the output returned to the Bangkok Library. On 20 July 1981, the Library inaugurates the ESCAP Bibliographic Information System – EBIS. EBIS consists of a database of bibliographical information on monographs, books, series, journal articles and meeting documents covering ESCAP’s diverse range of programme areas. Access to EBIS is available through the online Information Retrieval System (IRS-4) at computer terminal facilities located in the Library.
The Library launches the development of an information system for rural development with a view to formulate a network of national institutions and a mechanism for the dissemination and utilization of data. An information consultant funded by the Netherlands joins the Library staff as the coordinator of this project.
1982
The Library prepares and publishes the ESCAP Delegates Handbook, a basic “facts and hints” guide directed at the diplomat newcomer and usable as a general reference for all.
1983
Mr Allan Windsor retires as Chief Librarian and is succeeded by Mr Peter Cummings (Australia).
1995
After twelve years of service as Chief Librarian, Mr Peter Cummings retires. Ms J.K. Yoo (Republic of Korea) is recruited as the new Chief Librarian. The Library moves from ESCAP’s Administration Division and merges with UNIS, the United Nations Information Services.
1996/1997
The Library is now on-line, providing its first internet services to its staff and users.
1998
Ms J.K. Yoo is transferred to the Social Division and Ms Evelyn Domingo-Barker (USA) takes on the role of Chief Librarian. She worked as Librarian at the World Development Institute and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, as Senior Trade Information Adviser with the International Trade Centre ITC-UNCTAD/WTO, and as Trade Information Network Officer at ESCAP’s Trade and Investment Division.
The Library devises an archive collection in order to maintain a complete collection of ESCAP publications and to facilitate the users’ needs. A serial database is developed to register the receipt of annual publications in the library.
1999
The Library’s UN Documents Unit acquires the Optical Disk System ODS, which provides on-line access to full text of United Nations documentation.
Hard copy materials from the collections of the Fertilizer Advisory, Development and Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (FADINAP), Trade and Investment Information Services (TISNET); and Statistics, were redeployed from their respective divisions, to the Library.
2000
The ESCAP Library is transferred from UNIS back to the Division of Administrative Services. The Library launches a number of innovative projects, including its own web page. Improved hardware configuration is made available to expand the collection and access to electronic resources. The Library becomes a member of the United Nations Consortium, a group of libraries and information centres which facilitates access to subscriptions of bibliographic data and text. The Consortium also provides real time access to major world news agencies and to electronic newspapers, current awareness services for decision-makers, and on-line research assistance services.
2003
To meet growing needs for information in digital format, the Library launches its first Electronic Information Products (EIPs). The E-digest series is produced, along thematic lines adopted by the secretariat, for Poverty Reduction, Emerging Social Issues, Environment, Globalization, and Information, Communication and Technology. Other EIPs were being conceptualized and tested, including data mining from the Internet for material suitable to match with research and information requirements of staff and clients.
2004
With funding support from headquarters, a comprehensive physical renovation takes place to modernize the library premises. Staff training becomes a priority particularly in the gradual migration from manual to computerized library procedures, products and processes. The Associate Librarian post was filled by Mr Bentley Jenson (USA).
2005
The ESCAP Library once more is moved to the Office of the Executive Secretary, UNIS. The Library launches a number of innovative projects. It was used as a testing laboratory for Knowledge Management initiatives including a database for Regional Advisers, consolidation of broadcast email messages.
User statistics indicated that the top subject areas requested relate to MDG goals and activities in the region, UN reform, trends in the Asian and Pacific on sustainable development, space technology applications, macro-economic analysis, social services, water resources and other areas of ongoing interest in the region. These demands were met with library products and services including UNESCAP documents and reports, UN documents, flagship publications of UN and international agencies, access to global databases and other externally-produced information. Harvesting and purchase of electronic database access represented a large proportion of our resources and budget.
The Library produced a total of 433 issues of EIPs, (23 titles) ranging from reference material to thematic focus alerts to news reports to online global databases. This activity constitutes a “push” technology, e.g., a current awareness service/ selective dissemination of information for the Library’s selected user base.
A week-long Training Course for Library and Information Staff of ESCAP Regional Institutions and Intergovernmental Organizations was held.
The first library staff exchange with the Asian Development Bank that was identified was in the area of library computerization. A staff member participated in the programme for three weeks. This exchange was evaluated as a successful and cost-effective instrument both for learning and teaching, and further supports ESCAP’s research capacities.
2006
During this year, the digitization of ESCAP official documents took most of staff time to enable soft copies to be made more widely available through the web page. Almost all of the retrospective official documents were scanned, cleaned and made available as CD ROMs or as web pages.
The second library staff exchange took place, for a period of four weeks at Asian Development Bank in Manila. The results were likewise encouraging for increasing awareness of the methods and information products and services available at each library.
iSeek, the internal communication mechanism adopted for the UN, had included the participation of Bangkok as the first duty station to be included.
The first Knowledge Management Officer, Ms Maria Consuelo Garcia (Philippines), worked closely with the Library on the development of a number of initiatives for testing and developing.
2007
Mr Hak-Fan Lau (UK) is assigned as the UNIS Chief, replacing Mr David Lazarus (Malaysia).
Mr Bentley Jenson was deployed to the Dag Hammarskjold Library (DHL), replaced by Mr Frederic Fath (France) from DHL.
The Knowledge Management Officer, Mr Manuel Rincon, was transferred from the Office of the Executive Secretary, to the Library.
Based upon a review of the Library 2008-2009 budget proposals, the staffing level was reduced in 2007 by one GS staff on retirement, and redeployed to the programme of work. The second GS staff on retirement’s post will be re-positioned to add to the Library’s subscription budget.
Under the inter-agency OMT, the 2007-08 action plan includes the merging of separate libraries into the ESCAP Library facilities, with the participation of the ILO, UNFPA and UNAIDS libraries.
Work began on the digitization of old, brittle and insect-infested pages of official ESCAP documents.
In cooperation with the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, a regional workshop was organized, “Creating partnerships with libraries in Asia: regional workshop to promote knowledge sharing Bangkok, 6-9 November 2007".
A MindMap is developed to chart the Library’s current outputs of electronic products and services. |
