LIASA Tenth Annual Conference - 2008

The Tenth Annual LIASA Conference provides an opportunity to debate, share and learn about the changing roles of LIS in South Africa, Africa and globally in the new millennium. In South Africa, different LIS sectors have experienced the South African Society in transition. LIASA is entering into its second decade of existence. Funding has been finally made available to the public libraries and will relieve some of the pressure that public librarians have carried for a decade.

Academic libraries have gone through a series of changes as a result of the mergers. How well has the LIS sector fared in contributing to a democratic South Africa, nation building and the creation of a society that values and respects diversity? How does the LIS sector position itself for the next decade in the transformed society of South Africa? What is the role of LIS on the African continent in the second decade of the new millennium? What is the role of South African and African LIS in the global space and how can it be realized?

Local and international professional colleagues and partners are invited to participate in discussions and workshops around the proposed topics.

Date: 6-10 October 2008
Venue: Cape Town, Cape Town Convention Centre
Theme: Looking ahead: the changing role of LIS

You are invited to submit proposals for papers & posters that will focus on areas related to the theme of the conference. The deadline for receipt of proposals/abstracts is 28 March 2008. Topics such as the following will be considered for inclusion in the conference programme:
* Partnerships for the future
* The future role of national libraries
* The future role of public libraries
* The future role of academic libraries
* The future role of special libraries
* The future role of school libraries
* The future role of LIS associations
* Libraries and preservation of national heritage
* Access to information and freedom of expression
* Information literacy
* Indigenous knowledge systems
* Knowledge management
* Nation building and development: the role of libraries
* Education and training
* Reference in digital environments (Instant Messaging, Text Messaging (SMS), and other emerging modes for offering reference services and Web 2.0 applications)
* Digital Library applications in e-science, e-learning, e-government, cultural heritage, etc.
* Bridging the digital divide
* Service delivery in challenging environments, especially where the infrastructure may be sub-optimal as in some developing countries, or where the user group represents particular challenges
* Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Current status and strategy
* The future role of ethics in the management of libraries
* Institutional repositories/ self-archiving
* The future role of standards in the management of libraries
* Research agenda in LIS