IAML newsletter

Highlights of the Council Meetings

Language(s)

A lively discussion on the use of languages in the Association was sparked off by the President's message to IAML-L for ideas about the future of IAML. There seemed to be a unanimous feeling from the start that a move to an 'English only' environment was not an option. Interest was expressed in the possible expansion of the number of official languages, for example, adding Spanish, however, this could be viewed as the thin end of the wedge, as once one new language is added, then it will not be long before other languages will be knocking at the door. The situation has also to be viewed from an administrative point of view, as to how many official languages IAML can sustain. Another issue was the presentation of papers in languages other than the three official ones, especially in countries whose language is not one of these. In summation, the Board suggested that the status quo be maintained, but that a flexible attitude be adopted towards publicity in other languages, also to allow papers to be presented in other languages, provided a full text translation, or at least detailed abstracts, are provided in the official languages. Debate on this matter will continue.

Jazzing up the programme

Several ideas were forthcoming on this point, such as presenting the official programme in a less forbidding, more user-friendly way, putting out calls for papers on IAML-L, or other related lists, and introducing workshops on current topics for a more hands-on experience. Time will tell how we do on this one.

Full text electronic Fontes

Both Chadwyck Healey and H.W. Wilson have made offers to make Fontes available electronically. This has both a down side and an up side. On the one hand, it would make the journal for accessible to a wider sphere of readers, but on the other hand, this availability could result on a certain loss of membership. Royalties would be recieved, but it is unclear how much this would be. The situation is complicated by the fact that the situation of periodicals in electronic format is still unstable, as is the question of archiving materials in electronic form. The Board will pursue the issue, looking for more information from both firms concerned, and will also investigate what IAML itself can do in placing the Table of Contents and abstracts on the Home page.

Electronic Newsletter

Go, go, go!!