Freedom Forum opens Miami library for journalists

01.18.01

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ARLINGTON, Va. — The Freedom Forum today opened a journalism library in Miami designed to provide resources and assistance to Latin American journalists. The library is a partnership between The Freedom Forum and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), an organization dedicated to defending freedom of expression and of the press throughout the Americas.

"Miami is the center for so much activity involving Latin America, so we hope this library will be a significant resource for journalists from the Latin American media," said Charles L. Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of The Freedom Forum. "Press freedom, at home and abroad, is one of The Freedom Forum's top priorities. Along with our partners at IAPA, we'd like to see a truly free press spread throughout the Western Hemisphere."

Overby was joined at the library opening by Danilo Arbilla, president of IAPA and director of Búsqueda in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Joe Carollo, mayor of the City of Miami.

The library is located at the IAPA headquarters in Miami (Jules Dubois Building, 1801 S.W. 3rd Ave.) and houses an extensive collection of journalism textbooks, training materials, periodicals, and resources for historical research. The library provides access to Internet services and online databases, and materials will be available in English and Spanish. The library is staffed by a full-time librarian. The Freedom Forum has had a long partnership with IAPA in providing assistance, including training workshops and guidance on press freedom issues, to Latin American journalists.

"Journalists from countries without a strong tradition of free press often lack access to basic journalistic knowledge and resources, as well as to research data and uncensored information," said Chris Wells, senior vice president/international at The Freedom Forum. "The Freedom Forum libraries around the world help fill these gaps for journalists."

The Miami facility is one of 18 Freedom Forum libraries. Others are located in Johannesburg, South Africa; Buenos Aires, Argentina; London; Hong Kong; Manila, Philippines; Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria; Zagreb, Croatia; Budapest, Hungary; Riga, Latvia; Vilnius, Lithuania; Bucharest, Romania; St. Petersburg, Russia; Bratislava, Slovakia; Lima, Peru; Bamako, Mali; Arlington, Va. and Nashville, Tenn.