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The WTO, and especially one of its agreements called the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services), poses a threat to libraries and all publicly funded institutions! The WTO strives to abolish the public sector and encourages privatization and deregulation.Under GATS, libraries could have their public funds revoked and could have to compete against private sector information services.
Effect of the WTO/GATS on libraries
The following scenario is a good reason why GATS, the WTO and National Treatment are a threat to libraries :
Public libraries are in the public domain, supported by public taxes. Imagine an « information services » company entering a market and demanding the same subsidies and tax support that public libraries get. It would be entitled to do so under national treatment rules, providing it can prove itself to be the same kind of operation. The government’s most likely response would be to cut back on or eliminate public funding to libraries so as to avoid similar claims in the future. Libraries would find themselves forced to generate income to survive. The worst case scenario is that, without public funding, libraries could disappear altogether. The public would then be required to buy their information from « information companies » or from libraries, if libraries could stay afloat by charging for their services. Either way, the public would find itself paying for information that was once in the public domain.
In response to this, the CLA strongly supports the creation of an exemption for library services in the GATS.
What other librarians have done
1. Canadian Library Association (CLA)
The CLA has already taken position on this issue, stating that:
"Our fundamental position is opposition to the WTO/GATS as presently outlined in the WTO documents"
http://www.cla.ca/about/wto.htm
http://www.cla.ca/top/whatsnew/wnjn25991.htm (See Resolution 5)
2. American Library Association (ALA)
In 2000, the ALA passed a resolution on World Trade Organization Policies Affecting Libraries
3. International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)
In 2001, the IFLA Governing Board described there position on the World Trade Organisation and their specific concerns for not-profit-libraries, intellectual property and cultural diversity.
4. British Columbia Library Association (BCLA)
The BCLA's Information Policy Committee was one of the first library associations to raise awareness on the issue of the WTO/GATS.
Final thoughts:
"Libraries are a public good. They are unique social organisations dedicated to providing the broadest range of information and ideas to the public (...) The well being of libraries is essential in ensuring access to the full range of human expression."
-- IFLA