Outreach

Terms of reference
The purpose of the Outreach Committee is to offer and provide assistance both to individuals and to music libraries, archives and documentation centres facing significant economic challenges. The Committee is keen to identify institutions and colleagues not only in countries already represented in IAML but also in others which do not yet have a IAML representative. The Outreach perspective aims also to encourage institutions and colleagues to participate in an international professional network for mutual benefit, looking for new ways to help and support. The Committee should have between five and eight members, representing the diversity of the Association. It also works closely with the Advocacy and Membership Committees.

What is outreach?

IAML has an honourable history of members assisting colleagues in less fortunate circumstances. 

Assistance may take several forms:

• Giving advice and assistance, or suggesting sources of advice and assistance, on professional matters, such as cataloguing, classification, collection development and electronic resources in music, and setting up new services.
• Providing financial support to enable music librarians to attend international IAML congresses.
• Donating library materials to institutions in particular need or to libraries which have been affected by disasters.

Donation of library material

In many countries libraries have little money to buy stock, and there is a great need for printed and recorded music and for music textbooks. The IAML Outreach Committee facilitates donations between institutions. Institutions and publishers who have materials to donate, and institutions that are in need of materials, may contact the IAML Outreach Committee at outreach@iaml.info.

Support for attendance at IAML congresses

Funding was set up in 1998 to assist music librarians from economically disadvantaged countries to attend the annual IAML congresses.  The amount available for congress support varies from year to year. The Treasurer confirms the total amount available for each congress and this sum is administered by the Outreach Committee. Additional funding is available from donations made by other delegates specifically for this purpose. Guidelines are provided by the Secretary General to the Outreach Committee.

Guidelines for applicants for congress attendance support

The application for the 2024 Congress must be submitted through this form. The deadline is 23 February 2024. Please write to the IAML Outreach Committee with your questions: outreach@iaml.info. 

1. Applications to the fund may be made by music librarians, archivists and individuals working with music collections whose papers/posters have been accepted for the congress, but whose institutions cannot fund them or who have sought funding elsewhere without success. 

2. Ideally, applications should be received by the organising committee 4 months before the first day of the congress. 

3. You should try to obtain some support in your own country, for example, from embassies or cultural organisations. Please include the following information with your application:

• To what other organisations have you applied for funding?

• Has this been successful?

• If so, what elements of the costs will be covered? (travel, accommodation, conference fee, subsistence)

How can you help?

Financial support

The need for outreach support is always far greater than the funding available. Donations are always welcome and can be made in several ways:

• The congress registration form always includes a space for donations. These are specifically used to support attendance at that particular congress and can make a real difference to the number of people who can be supported. The names of contributors are listed in the congress programme.
• Contributions are welcome at any time during the year; perhaps you would like to make a donation in memory of a friend or colleague, or simply because you want to support colleagues in economically challenged circumstances.
• Contributions may be made to support the cost of access to electronic materials for institutions in economically challenged circumstances. Your donation may support electronic materials access generally, or may be earmarked for particular e-publications, aggregations, or databases.
• You may wish to leave something in your will to support outreach work.

Donations to the general outreach fund should be sent to the IAML Treasurer. Cheques should be made payable to IAML.

Expertise

Colleagues trying to develop their services often need advice, for example in cataloguing, stock acquisition or planning a library. If you have skills that can be used to support colleagues in other countries, please contact a member of the Outreach Committee. Don't forget that help and advice is a two-way process: Librarians in countries normally receiving support can often contribute expertise and information that is hard to come by in other countries.

Projects