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The Norwegian pioneer project
The Norwegian Forum for Freedom of Expression (1995 –2001)- NFFE -, was the
originator of the database project and the web site Beacon for freedom of
expression. NFFE was shut down in 2001, and up to 2006 the project was managed by a Norwegian Steering Committee
hosted by the Norwegian Library Association. From 2006 the management is in charge of
The National Library of Norway and an international board.
About NFFE
NFFE (1995 –2001) was established in Spring of 1995 as an
independent centre of documentation and information committed to defend freedom
of expression world-wide, entirely funded by the founding organisations. NFFE was shut down in 2001.
The following 15 organisations were the initiators
of NFFE:
Association of Norwegian Editors, Norwegian Press Council,
Norwegian Specialized Press, Norwegian Writers for Children and Juveniles, Norwegian
Union of Journalists, The Norwegian Author Union, The Norwegian Association
of Literary Translators, The Norwegian Booksellers Organization, The Norwegian
Helsinki Committee, The Norwegian Library Association, The Norwegian Non-fiction
Writers and Translators Association, The Norwegian Playwright's Association,
The Norwegian PEN Centre, The Norwegian Rushdie Defence Committee and
The Norwegian Publishers Association, later to be joined by The Norwegian
Society of Composers, The Resistance Press Society (W.W.II) and The Association
for Public Information in Norway.
International electronic networking – a vital
strategy
In 1995 NFFE became a member of IFEX – International
Freedom of Expression eXchange Clearing House, the worlds largest network
of independent freedom of expression organisations. On behalf of the
member organisations, NFFE in 1996 established the IFEX ALERT INTERNET SERVICE.
The service provides free access to the expert documentation on the current
state of freedom of expression and censorship world wide, supplied by the IFEX
member organisations on all continents.
Visit www.ifex.org for in
dept information on IFEX, the member organisations and the state of freedom
of expression.
Filling an information gap
In 1997 NFFE conducted a world wide survey with the intention
of both mapping available sources on censorship past and present, and sources
of indexed books and newspapers not easily accessible to the public. Simultaneously,
NFFE wished to determine the need for a bibliographical database documenting
the history of censorship and freedom of expression. The survey, limited to
queries about censorship on printed material, included Internet, National Libraries,
international non-governmental organisations, institutions for research and
culture, government bodies and international institutions.
Generally, the historic records on censored or prohibited books
and newspapers are held by government bodies or university and national libraries.
The survey confirmed that such information in all too many cases still only
exists on paper lists or in manual archives. This is indeed the situation in
a great number of libraries in countries having emerged from the extensive and
strict censorship of the former USSR.
Whereas libraries in most parts of the world are striving to
keep pace with the digital information revolution, libraries in poor countries
or countries in transition often have to cope with meagre recourses in the face
of increasingly high demands to do more. Consequently, undertaking the demanding
task of transferring paper archives of forbidden literature to electronically
available databases remains a far cry for many. Hence, the query of the NFFE
was met with positive response from a great number of libraries. However, the
survey also confirmed that the issue of censorship still is sensitive, mainly
to national government bodies, but surprisingly also to some libraries.
Much of today’s important documentation of the state of
freedom of expression and censorship is produced by independent international
NGOs. Through the latter part of the 20th century, the number of
independent freedom of expression organisations have been steadily growing,
most rapidly in countries of the Southern hemisphere. Consequently, the amount
of quality reports and documentation have been mounting. The survey confirmed
that these invaluable publications are frequently mainly obtainable through
the organisation’s own network, and thus are not easily available to the
public through libraries or bookstores.
NFFE concluded that although a huge variety of sources are to
be found – many freely available on Internet – there evidently was
a need to compile and make accessible in one database the historic and
current records of censored books and newspapers, as well as the publications
from independent organisations and international bodies such as the UN. No less
important, there was a need to systematically compile bibliographical data on
the vast and invaluable amount of literature published through the ages on the
subject of freedom of expression and censorship on all continents. The majority
of these books have long since gone out of print, but are still obtainable in
many world libraries.
NFFE, realising the importance of knowledge of past censorship
for today’s prevention of censorship, began planning the ambitious database project aimed to fill the information gap. Aware that the new library of
Alexandria, designed by the Norwegian architect’s Snøhetta
was to be inaugurated before the turn of the millennium, the project was initially
entitled Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Thus honouring the ancient library,
and celebrating the coming of the unique world library, dedicated to fostering
a spirit of openness and the quest for knowledge, as stated by the UNESCO’s
International Commission for the Revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandria
in the Aswan declaration.
UNESCO’s Unit for freedom of expression and democracy,
represents an important supporter of the Beacon for freedom of expression
database project.
The all important network of co-operation
Regarding the establishment of an electronic network of co-operation
spanning a variety of professional fields as fundamental to realising the aims
of the database project, NFFE in early 1998 invited more than 300 international
organisations and institutions, human rights organisations and institutions
of research, education and culture to participate in the project. The response
was overwhelmingly positive and confirmed that as the project emerged, the network
of partners, contacts and sources would be constantly growing.
This initial response also constituted the basis for NFFEs selection
of partners for close co-operation as well as the selection of countries and
periods of time to be included in the Norwegian pilot project.
In regarding partners, NFFE paid particular attention to libraries,
aware that the expert knowledge of the worlds libraries as invaluable to ensure
the professional quality of the database. Consequently, co-operation with selected
national or university libraries on all continents was established in 1998.
Evidently, modern libraries do not subscribe to censorship. But libraries have
at certain times and places through history been regarded by governments as
important instruments of censorship, hence some libraries today still keep national
archives on former censorship, while in some libraries such records are kept
as part of the national history.
Also libraries that do not hold information on censorship, such
as the British Library and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C, represent
invaluable supporters of the project, as well as being the most comprehensive
sources of literature on freedom of expression and censorship.
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