LIASA Fifteen Annual Conference
FOURTH ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
Date: 8-11 October
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre
Theme: LIBRARIES IN DIALOGUE FOR TRANSFORMATION AND INNOVATION
Contact: conference2013@liasa.org.za
Website: http://www.liasa.org.za
You are hereby invited to submit proposals for papers & posters that will focus on areas related to the theme of the conference.
The 15th Annual LIASA Conference aims to provide opportunities to debate, share, and learn from local and international professional colleagues and partners. All relevant stakeholders and partners are invited to participate in discussions and workshops around the proposed topics. Papers based on case studies and best practice would be given preference. Papers and poster proposals on topics such as the following will be considered for inclusion in the conference programme:
LIBRARIES IN DIALOGUE FOR TRANSFORMATION AND INNOVATION
Human conversation is the most ancient and easiest way to cultivate the conditions for change – personal change, community and organizational change… dialogue are powerful tools for developing the capacity for deep, authentic conversation in organizations (Deepika Nath).
The golden thread weaved into transformation and innovation is dialogue which allows for the creation of flow and meaning through and between people. Dialogue is conversations between equals; it makes the implicit explicit; it is a change agent in relationships to create new grounds for mutual respect and collaboration. Dialogue is fundamental in building collective meaning and growing a sense of community and, enriching the spirit of collaboration.
Transformation is interpreted to be the change in thinking, change in practice, change in behaviour, change in engagements with the goal of nurturing a culture of innovation for a vibrant and better individual and contributor to national and global imperatives. The library as the epicentre of knowledge production and innovation must stimulate transformation for an improved quality of life for all.
South Africa has been on a positive political transformation trajectory since 1994. However, there has to be an extension of the political transformation agenda to include the development agenda which must be underpinned by open engagement with and between all stakeholders. The quadruple helix, that is, the library, government, civil society and the corporate world must collaborate to inspire and incite continuous and sustained dialogue en route to the development and strengthening of the transformation agenda: dialogue and transformation must become infectiously systemic.
It is beyond debate that information is the essential ingredient for dialogue and concomitant transformation. The core business of libraries is the acquisition, organization and dissemination of information. At the base of the formal learning hierarchy, school libraries are pivotal for a strong educational system. It is here that learners, exposed to appropriate, supplementary and complementary information are nurtured to become critical thinkers and active participants in a knowledge economy. Reinforcing critical thinking and participation in the knowledge economy is the people’s university – the public library. At the upper end of the formal learning hierarchy is tertiary education which, again, is totally dependent on libraries for success in producing active contributors to the national and global knowledge economy.
The growth and development of the library and information sector and the country demands ‘three-sixty’ dialogues with all within the quadruple helix: through dialogue will South Africa come out on the other side as economically and socially transformed and innovative.
The following are the sub-themes of the Conference:
Libraries in dialogue
Libraries and transformation
Libraries and innovation
Best practices in libraries
Libraries enhancing user experience
Libraries as an agent of change
School libraries and education
Academic and research Libraries
New modes of scholarly communication
Public libraries and social development
Libraries and civil society engagement
Special libraries
Libraries on the political agenda
The deadline for receipt of abstract for paper presentation and poster proposals is 21 June 2013.
To submit your abstract online go to: “Submit Abstract” You should also upload your brief CV.
For general queries contact: conference2013@liasa.org.za.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS
Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts for short papers based on practical experience, case studies and best practice.
Priority will be given to papers on the main theme, although papers on related topics will also be considered.
Papers must be presented in English.
Submissions must include:
- full title of the paper;
- name(s) of author(s),
- institutional affiliation,
- full contact details of author(s),
- an abstract of the paper of 300 - 500 words
- Each abstract file should be named with the surname of the presenting author, e.g.: Smith abst1.doc
- Include the contact details of author(s) in the abstract file brief CV of the author(s) (separate file) named with the surname of the presenting author, e.g.: Smith CV.doc
- The abstracts of the accepted papers will be published in the conference programme and on the LIASA website.
- Authors of accepted papers will be notified as soon as possible after 01 July 2013.
- No correspondence will be entered into about acceptance or non-acceptance of papers.
- The final version of the presentation (PowerPoint) must be submitted in electronic form for publication on the website by 27 September 2013.
- Full papers submitted may be published as part of the conference proceedings. This must be submitted in electronic format (as an MS Word file) by 20 September 2013 for publication. .
- There will be a selection of papers, presented at the LIASA Conference that will be published in a special conference edition of the South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science.
- There will be a selection of papers, presented at the LIASA Conference that will be submitted to the international Library 2.013 conference to which LIASA is a partner. The Library 2.013 conference will be held virtually from 18-19 October 2013.
- This call for papers is for the plenary and parallel sessions of the Conference, including the Interest Group sessions.
- Please note that all presenters are responsible for their own expenses to attend the
Conference.
