Report back on the 16th Annual LIASA Conference - Abel Thulare

Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre 22-26 September 2014

Abel Thulare, Information Librarian 

Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA)

LIASA Conference Theme: "Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy: continuing the dialogue"

This year’s conference theme was to call to action national building and social cohesion of life to the common South African story. Everyone plays a part in the shared South African experience.

The LIASA Representative Council & Executive Committee together with the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) signed the Lyon Declaration with the United Nations which is guided by Human Rights. This declaration focuses mainly on poverty alleviation, HIV/Aids and focus on youth regarding access to education. Women and girls have the right of access to information in order to eradicate poverty. Information professionals manage data to provide accurate information to all sectors of government and society.Also cultural heritage preservation, more especially in the public sector. The focus should be on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to become pivotal in bridging the gap of technology, especially in rural communities. The declaration was signed by NLSA & LIASA and handed over to the United Nations.

Report by Justice Leshilo: LIASA 2014 Conference

LIASA 2014

The 16th annual Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) Annual Conference was held at the Birchwood Conference venue in Boksburg.

Justice Leshilo, Information Librarian from the SABC Information Library, reporting on his experiences.

Justice Leshilo

SESSION1: OPENING SESSION

LIASA president, Ujala Satgoor welcomed everybody to the 16th LIASA conference, saying that we are still celebrating libraries and continuing the dialogue of social cohesion.

She introduced Prof Rocky Ralebipi Simela, CEO of the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) as the National Librarian. Prof Rocky said the traditional library is shifting but it doesn't mean it is the end of librarianship, but that we have to move with the times. The issues of conditional grant and further education and training for librarians need to be reviewed . In terms of technology and digital library the NLSA spends R3bn for ICT annually.

Later we were introduced to the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi who is a former librarian of the then University of the North  (now University of Limpopo) who praised the efforts made by LIASA and the National Library of South Africa in 20 years of democracy by eradicating illiteracy and development of communities.

Read more: Notes from workshops