Theme. 1. Director, Library Services 2. Assistant Director, Library Services

Transcription

1 REPORT OF THE 16TH ASSOCIATION OF PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARIES OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (APLESA) CONFERENCE HELD AT SAROVA STANLEY HOTEL IN NAIROBI, KENYA FROM 18 TH TO 25 TH APRIL, 2015 Theme Redefining the Role of Parliamentary Libraries in the Advent of Global Information Trends and the Emerging Opportunities in the Information World By 1. Director, Library Services 2. Assistant Director, Library Services 1

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Delegates 3 Activities 3 Key Objectives of the Conference 3 Agreed Solutions 4 Paper And Country Reports 5 Annual General Meeting 6 Successes 7 Challenges 7 Conclusion 7 Aplesa Conference in Pictures 8 2

3 INTRODUCTION Delegates Delegates came from the parliaments of the following countries and regional parliaments 1. Angola 2. Botswana 3. Kenya 4. Malawi 5. Mozambique 6. Namibia 7. Swaziland 8. Uganda 9. Zambia 10. Zimbabwe 11. Seychelles 12. South Africa 13. Djibouti Observers 14. Ghana 15. Cameroun Regional Parliaments 16. EALA 17. Pan African Parliament Activities The 16 th APLESA conference comprised of the following activities; Paper presentation Excursions Annual General Meeting (AGM) KEY OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE The following were the key objectives of the 16 th APLESA Conference namely; A critical review of the journey thus far where APLESA has come from, where we are and the future for the Parliamentary Librarians. Exchange of knowledge on emerging new technological trends within the LIS services. Tackle hitches that have existed in information management and particularly digitization of information services as well as online platforms. Seeking solutions in knowledge and information management for Parliament Libraries. Re-think on the strategies: Access to libraries is slowly decreasing; more people are accessing knowledge, but not accepting the library physically. Professional Development: for example, Kenyan Parliament supports professional development and will be hosting more conferences for different departments such as Legal, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Hansard, in order to benchmark on best practices. 3

4 AGREED SOLUTIONS The following were outlined as way forward for APLESA member parliaments. Establishment of Parliament Museums to help in the preservation of the history of Parliaments. Digitization of the registry (Records Offices) of Parliamentary Libraries in Africa is key in the new era of online information sharing. Cloud Computing is a critical concept for information management and information. Parliamentary Librarians and information managers to invest in information security measures to ensure that information is safe and well protected. Have correct technologies (Tools and software s) to lead to operational efficiency i.e. tools specific to a work environment. This calls for a need assessment in our Parliament Libraries to establish the gaps that needs to be bridged. Establish specific secretariat offices for regional bodies like EALA and Pan African Parliament to help disseminate information to the members. Embrace Web 2.0 Digital information management. It s the innovative way of finding a number of existing technologies to work together on an integrated platform. Continuous training due to the emerging new technologies in library and information management which pose a critical challenge to library professionals on their skills in the current era. Benchmarking on best practices of Libraries across the world i.e. Library of Congress. How are the old libraries copying with the trends? What new ways have they adopted and how best can we utilize technology to enhance service delivery? Enhance synergy with Library and ICT departments need each other in supporting their users for effective delivery of services. It has emerged that there is need for research and library departments to partner in generating accurate and reliable information their users. Audio collections for example various speeches of leaders / members of Parliament should be digitized and embraced. Libraries should come up with new innovative ways to attract participation of Members for instance, the Ugandan Parliament s innovation of monthly media digest. Libraries liaising with various departments to ascertain what information they would upload on the D space. 4

5 PAPER AND COUNTRY REPORTS Paper and country reports presentation dominated the days deliberations and the issues that were discussed and agreed on were; Libraries are powerhouses for research in Parliaments and should be well established, well stocked and adequately and to be transformed into knowledge hubs: This shall help create interest in the end users. Richly learning from a true journey of the South African Library: progress on digital migration, software acquisition, online information dissemination and other innovations indicates that technologies are good and can be embraced to take up to the next step in information sharing. More benchmarking on successful implementation on library systems. Library Committees are great forums to champion for library needs and should be strengthened. They should be more of management committees and not Political.( A case study of the Seychelles library committee headed by the Clerk of the National Assembly). Library Committees are useful tools for Lobbying for budget, visibility when library reports are tabled in the House business. Library branding and presentation: Architectural design of libraries matter in their brand. There is need to create a brand identity in a logo, color codes and structure that quickly strikes the eye of anyone who comes across a library resource. Library Marketing: Librarians should create marketing to disseminate information about their services as well as create online advertisements on available information products for public access. Brand ambassadors: Librarians should be sellers of their products in diverse ways. Standing for their great information that they need to share. Participation in community service: Through community service activities Librarians shall be able to market their resources and issue brochures or even tell stories to students and other interested users. Organizational restructuring could also help align the library transformation and transition. Thus there is need to review on the interest and enthusiasm of library staff in doing their work. Installation of user friendly library management systems such as KOHA, D Space and other effective Software models will enhance efficiency in library service. Culture change: Attitude of library employees should change to accommodate their users needs. 5

6 Copyrights: In the quest for digitisation, there is need to have Copyright committees who will look into the issues of licences agreements to avoid exploitation from publishers as well as unnecessary law suits. More training on Library Integrated courses courses that borrow from other disciplines that have a direct link with the library such as ICT Library professionals should come up with effective communication channels to facilitate proper dissemination of timely, accurate and reliable information to their users. Annual performance plan for the parliamentary libraries to be developed and later a review be conducted to assess performance. (Realistic Short term goals and Long term goals ) IPads are necessary for Members to be accessing online content. There should further be continued installation of relevant applications such as Press Reader in the IPads. Parliamentary leadership must be at the forefront in leading reforms in the Library. Each Parliament should have an active Library page in their websites, to communicate their services to their clients. Social media? Taping into the potential of social media? FB, Twitter, Blogs? Categorization of library information, so that the sensitive in-house matters can be accessed through the intranet, while the rest of the information can be posted in website for the public access. QR Codes should be implemented in Libraries, since it is easier to scan the codes and the data is installed in their Ipad or phones. Networking within the Library professional is key to promote professional development by sharing knowledge, lessons learnt and innovations in the field not only among APLESA family but also with other existing Library bodies. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Reports presented indicated that the previous year 2014/15 was a successful year for APLESA. A number of issues agreed upon previously were implemented. Financial reporting was discussed and a proposal for a better financial reporting was agreed on. Elections were held and the entire current APLESA Executive was elected back to complete their second term of office with a motion moved by a member. It was also agreed that Angola Parliament hosts the 17 th APLESA Conference in 2016 and Botswana parliament to host the 18 th APLESA conference in

7 SUCCESSES At the end of the conference, there were successes reported from member parliaments during their country report presentations. These included; Established Parliament Libraries equipped with staff and operational tools. Continuous professional training and capacity building ongoing among Parliamentary Liberians. Digitization of library resources on going. Embracing new innovations on Library service delivery taken up. Great progress on knowledge sharing and interactions among Parliamentary Librarians. Continuous reviews and need analysis unique to each Country on library needs i.e Staff training, equipment's, technology etc. Incorporation and use of new media in library communication i.e. Social media channels Progress in synergy and resource pulling among related departments i.e. ICT, Research,communication and media departments CHALLENGES Much as there were successes reported, there were also challenges reported that parliament libraries face. These included; Diversion of Library funds to other uses. Lack of adequate staff to man the libraries. Lack of space for library expansion. Little or no training on new innovations. Resistance to change, in the introduction of Library Information Systems. Backlog of information that needs to be digitized. Websites that are rigid / cannot allow content to be uploaded. The biggest challenge we have as APLESA is IMPLEMENTATION. CONCLUSION We do need libraries, and will continue to need Libraries. Technologies will come and go but the book will stay for a little longer. Technology is here with us, how to incorporate it in our work, is up to us. You cannot isolate knowledge from the entire generation without occasioning some form of generational extinction. 7

8 Keeping the Library dream alive and continuous research on library system operations is important to help in strategic determination of useful systems for our Libraries. Parliament libraries should have updated, accurate, relevant and reliable information, to be sought after information hubs for parliamentarians and the public. APLESA CONFERENCE IN PICTURES 8

9 Excursion to the Geothermal Plant at Olkario in Naivasha Excursion to the Geothermal Plant at Olkario in Naivasha- Uncompleted Turbines being tested 9

10 APLESA conference Group Photo 10