LIASA!TERM!REPORT!2012A2014! … · UJALA!SATGOOR! PRESIDENT! 2012A2014! " """"" " " " "...

Library And Information Association of South Africa

LIASA National Office P O Box 1598 Pretoria, 0001

Tel: 012 323 4912 Fax: 012 323 1033

E-‐mail: [email protected] www.liasa.org.za

LIASA TERM REPORT 2012-‐2014

LIASA-‐IN-‐DIALOGUE

PRESENTED BY

UJALA SATGOOR PRESIDENT 2012-‐2014

NPO 009-‐577

2

INTRODUCTION The period under review, 2012-‐2014, may be described as a time of openness, boldness, consultation, change, growth, consolidation, dialogue, lots of work but also tremendous camaraderie and teamwork. It gives me great pleasure to present the highlights of this period. STRATEGIC VISION, MISSION AND FOCUS AREAS This period was informed by the Strategic Directions 2010-‐2014, which were formulated in 2010 to span two presidential terms for continuity and to consolidate a developmental mindset amongst LIS practitioners. This document expanded the vision and mission of LIASA to align it with the development agenda of the country and may be viewed at: http://liasa.org.za/sites/default/files/publications/strategic_directions_2010_to_2014.pdf

VISION

DYNAMIC ASSOCIATION OF EXCELLENCE FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION

SERVICES (LIS)

MISSION

“AN ASSOCIATION DRIVING LIS FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH

AFRICA“

3

LIASA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP, 2012 – 2014

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Ujala Satgoor President Segametsi Molawa President-‐elect Therese Els Secretary Karen Kitching Treasurer Mandla Ntombela PRO Manda Hough Membership Convenor Joyce Myeza Branches and Interest Groups Convenor Tebogo Mzizi Constitutional Matters and Good Governance Convenor Ingrid Thomson Advocacy and Social Media Convenor Annamarie Goosen LIASA Manager (ex officio) REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL Mathew Moyo Eastern Cape: Chair (resigned) Zuki Maya Eastern Cape: Chair (wef January 2014) Erna Mostert Free State: Chair Elmarie Kruger Free State: Chair Elect Modisa Khosie Gauteng North: Chair Danie Malan Gauteng North: Chair Elect Phindile Bekwa Gauteng South: Chair Ben Ramela Gauteng South: Chair Elect Tebogo Mzizi KwaZulu-‐Natal: Chair Siza Radebe KwaZulu-‐Natal: Chair Elect Maropene Ramabina Limpopo: Chair Abigail Chuene Limpopo: Chair Elect Shirley Xulu Mpumalanga: Chair Cyphus Maluleka Mpumalanga: Chair Elect Manda Hough Northern Cape: Chair Mary Tlhomelang Northern Cape: Chair Elect Anele Moko North West: Chair Enny Nyathi North West: Chair Elect Ingrid Thomson Western Cape: Chair Samantha Bennett Western Cape: Chair Elect Joyce Myeza HELIG: Chair Nikki Crowster ICTLIG: Chair Karen Esterhuyse IGBIS: Chair Collen Molefe ILLIG: Chair Busi Mbiyo LiSLIG: Chair Rebecca Senyolo MAIG: Chair Avishana Kushial PACLIG: Chair Bosire Onyancha RETIG: Chair Theresa De Young SLYSIG: Chair Laddy McKechnie SSIG: Chair Jaya Raju Editor: South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

(ex officio) Nohra Moerat Editor: LIASA in Touch (ex officio)

4

THEME FOR 2012-‐2014 The presidential theme adopted for this period, “LIASA in Dialogue”, informed many activities in alignment with the LIASA strategic plan. As a maturing association, it is important that LIASA initiates, engages widely and/or continues with the following dialogues: 1. The “inter-‐generational” dialogue between librarians:

This is a crucial conversation amongst librarians regarding the competencies, standards and skills sets for practicing librarianship in South Africa and the continent, as well as the need to contain the loss of expertise when librarians retire.

• Cognition of the above contributed to the impetus to pursue professional body recognition and registration with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

• The LIASA Roadshow elicited the huge need for human resources development, professionalism and training of librarians

There is also a need for librarians to engage at a more intellectual level collectively to determine their role in the broader development landscape and demonstrate the value they contribute to realizing the Millennium Development Goals and national strategies.

• The LIASA President, as the leader of the proposal development team of the Gates-‐funded and NLSA-‐hosted “Enhancing Public Libraries in South Africa” project, highlighted the impact of this project to realizing the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 with specific reference to the following milestones

o Increasing the quality of education so that all children have at least two years of preschool education and all children in grade 3 can read and write

o Making high-‐speed broadband internet universally available at competitive prices

o Broadening social cohesion and unity while redressing the inequities of the past

o Strengthening youth service programmes and introduce new, community-‐based programmes to offer young people life-‐skills training, entrepreneurship training and opportunities to participate in community development programmes.

• Further to a motion adopted in 2013, a LIASA task team has been established to explore further the role of libraries to realize the key milestones in the National Development Plan.

• Bearing this theme in mind, the President addressed the Sabinet Client Conference, 06 September 2013 on “New Frontiers of Librarianship”, which focused on “From Collections to Connections”.

5

2. With the 9 LIS schools: This critical conversation should revolve around how the LIS curriculum may be standardized around core modules but also expanded to meet the changing needs of the industry and broader communities. We need to agree on core modules that promote the theoretical and intellectual understanding of librarianship but also that which provides for specialization in areas such as public, academic or research librarianship, librarianship in a development context, etc. It is important for us to ensure that the programmes are in synergy with the current practice of librarianship within a development and research context.

• The LIASA Research Education and Training Interest Group (RETIG) hosted a LIS Stakeholders meeting at UNISA on 1 July 2013 that focused on the disconnect between the requirements for practice and the competencies being taught. A report was subsequently shared at the Directors’ Forum held at the 15th LIASA Annual Conference.

• The Carnegie Next Generation Public Librarian (NGPL) Grant, awarded to LIASA in 2011 and implemented in 2012 has afforded LIASA the opportunity to broaden the conversation with selected Carnegie grantee employer institutions and library schools. This contributed to the sustainability of these library schools as well as the design of a quality, relevant academic programme and experience for the selected students who exit as dynamic and knowledgeable librarians! To date 73 graduates working in public library systems have had the opportunity to obtain the Post-‐Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Science from library schools at Universities of Cape Town, KwaZulu-‐Natal and Western Cape, with an additional 25 students currently enrolled for the 2014 academic year. Emanating from the initial conversation, UNISA will be offering the PGDipLIS from 2015 as a distance-‐learning programme and will also be a beneficiary of this grant. LIASA took the decision, which was subsequently approved by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, to broaden the scope of participation in this programme from 2014, to all graduates working in public libraries. LIASA acknowledges the employer institutions, namely City of Cape Town, City of Johannesburg, Ethekwini Municipality and Msunduzi Municipality, who collaborated proactively.

• Further to the application for registration as a Professional Body, the LIS schools have an excellent opportunity to work collaboratively with LIASA to ensure standardization of curricula, qualifications and CPD.

3. With government and civil society

The value of libraries is often ignored or overlooked in the face of more pressing basic human rights issues. But the right to know and access to information are essential for the other rights to be realized to ensure human dignity as a wholesome state of being. At every turn librarians should be able to locate themselves on the political agenda. The

6

ability to lobby, advocate and utilize the political processes available to the citizens of this country needs to be actively used. As a civil society entity, LIASA need to address and engage with relevant structures such as the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee; with political parties to understand their positions on libraries; and engage on an ongoing basis with community based organisations so that librarians are included in the major developmental dialogues.

• The President and the President-‐Elect participated in the Department of Arts and Culture review of the Draft white paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage on 12 July 2013. The Library Commission emphasized the importance of political recognition and acknowledgement of the value of libraries in the development of an informed nation.

• In 2013 SALW was endorsed by the national Parliament of South Africa and was also actively and visibly supported by the then Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture.

• Representatives of various civil society entities shared their perspectives on democracy, education and the role of libraries in development at the 15th LIASA Annual Conference.

• During the LIASA Roadshows, the EXCO engaged with various representatives responsible for libraries in local and provincial governments

• The presence of the Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister: Arts and Culture at the 2014 IFLA/WLIC in Lyon, France was in response to the invitation extended by LIASA. It served to endorse the support of the Department for the 2015 IFLA/WLIC, LIASA and the importance of libraries in South Africa.

4. With partners and collaborators

LIASA continues to maintain its current strong partnerships but also needs to ascertain how it can expand its partnerships to take it to new levels of mutual benefit. It is also important to solicit new partnerships for future expansion.

• The LIASA President sits on the National Council for Library and Information Services.

• The collaboration between LIASA and the National Library of South Africa continues on various projects and through the Memorandum of Understanding for the use of LIASA House on the Pretoria campus of the NLSA.

• The partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture continues through grants for South African Library Week, the LIASA Annual Conference and most recently for the hosting of IFLA WLIC 2015 in Cape Town.

• Partnership with SAQA to entrench LIASA as the professional body and subsequent professional recognition and registration of practitioners

• The relationship with various corporate sponsors has been cemented through professional engagement resulting in continued sponsorship.

7

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP Leadership resides within the Representative Council (RC) and the Executive Committee comprising of the elected officials, namely the President, President-‐Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Public Relations Officer and 4 additional members from the RC.

• A formal handover meeting was held on 17 November 2012 • Between the Executive Committees of 2010-‐2012 and 2012-‐2014 • LIASA has embarked on a concerted effort to mentor and develop the next

generation of LIASA leaders through the introduction of the annual LIASA Leadership Weekend, which was held on 17-‐19 May 2013 and 25-‐26 April 2014. A Reading Circle was also introduced so that LIASA leaders may have access to relevant LIS national and international documents so that a culture of learning is inculcated and engagements with stakeholders are undertaken in an informed way

• As LIASA heads towards its 2nd decade of existence, it is important for us to flag the necessity to review its constitution and governance structure for expansion, cost-‐effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.

LIASA NATIONAL OFFICE (LNO) The LNO is located on the Pretoria campus of the National Library of South Africa for an indeterminate period as adopted in a Memorandum of Agreement between the two institutions. The staff complement at the LNO has posed a challenge for several years! However a structural review, led by the President-‐Elect, informed the decision to expand the capacity at the LIASA National Office in alignment with LIASA’s strategic objectives, future growth and development, as follows:

• LIASA Manager: Ms Annamarie Goosen (01 May 2014-‐30 April 2019) • Membership Officer: Mr Kagiso Ledwaba (29 April 2014-‐28 April 2016) • Administrative Officer: Ms Priscilla Chuene (17 June 2014 – 16 June 2016) • CPD Officer: Vacant.

We also acknowledge the contribution of Ms Hannelie Brink-‐Gerber, the former Office Manager, whose 3-‐year contract ended on 31 December 2013.

FINANCES LIASA has been declared in good financial standing and I can assure you that every effort is made to ensure the financial stability and sustainability of the Association. The Treasurer will be presenting the Financial Reports, which are available to all members.

8

CORPORATE PROJECTS

• South African Library Week (SALW) http://www.liasa.org.za/salw_events LIASA is responsible for declaring the dates and theme of the annual South African Library Week, which is observed nationally and actively supported by the Department of Arts and Culture. SALW has grown in stature over the years, succeeded in being recognized as a national partnership initiative between LIASA, DAC and the NLSA, and increasingly attracts mainstream and digital media attention resulting in a positive awareness of reading, books and libraries.

o SALW 2013 was observed from 16-‐22 March 2013 with the theme “Educate yourself @ your library”.

o SALW 2014 was observed from 15-‐22 March 2014 with the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy: Check in @ your library”, which captured the imagination of librarians and library users, and through the wide media coverage, resonated throughout the country. Mr Tebogo Ditshego, the SALW 2016 Ambassador, conveyed the message that “reading is cool!” at all school visits and branch meetings he attended.

• Annual LIASA Conference:

http://www.liasa.org.za/events/liasa_conference_events The annual LIASA conference has emerged as the highlight on the LIS calendar. It is an opportunity for practitioners to engage with international & local experts on current trends, share best practices, locate libraries on the national development agenda, library schools, and enhance skills & competencies at pre-‐conferences. The conference attracts between 650 and 750 delegates and is actively supported by LIS vendors and service providers.

o 15th LIASA Conference was held from 08-‐11 October, 2013 in Cape Town with the theme “Libraries in Dialogue for transformation and Innovation”

o 16th LIASA Conference will be held from 22-‐26 September 2014 in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng with the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy: continuing the dialogue…”

• Open Access Week As a signatory to the Berlin Declaration on Open Access, LIASA adopted international Open Access Week as a corporate project at the Representative Council meeting held on 27 April 2014. This enables LIS practitioners to engage in discussions with their respective constituencies and raise awareness of Open Access, its benefits for sharing research and research visibility, open publishing and open scholarship.

LIASA President and SALW Ambassador -‐ at an interview at 24.com, Cape Town

9

PUBLICATIONS LIASA has two official publications, namely LIASA-‐in-‐Touch and the South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science managed by editors appointed by the LIASA Representative Council. The LIASA-‐in-‐Touch, a quarterly magazine, continues to be a popular platform for primarily showcasing LIASA national, branch and interest group activities. General LIS issues of interest are also included. The South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science (SAJLIS) published as an Open Access journal since 2012, with its workflow managed via the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, has increased in academic reputation and stature internationally. SAJLIS has enjoyed almost a doubling of manuscript submissions. From receiving sixteen and fifteen manuscripts in the first and second semesters of 2013 respectively, the first half of 2014 saw close to thirty submissions to the journal, with many of these coming from African countries outside of South Africa and an increasing number from the Asian continent. The open access format has given both the journal and authors contributing to it greater visibility evidenced by download statistics generated by OJS (almost 27 000 downloads for issues between 2009 and 2013). Retrospective issues from 2002 are now available at http://sajlis.journals.ac.za/pub A new innovation for SAJLIS since the June 2014 issue is that authors are requested to generate ORCID IDs which are now included after the authors’ names. This is a unique researcher ID enabling all of a researcher’s work to be called up under a single identification, which is a useful tool in promoting the visibility of authors/researchers. LIASA acknowledges Stellenbosch University Library Services for hosting the journal on their Open Journal System platform.

MEMBERSHIP AND SECTOR ENGAGEMENT

It has been determined that LIASA requires a minimum of 1600 members to enable it to function at the standard it has currently achieved. Every effort is made to build the membership across sectors around the country.

MEMBERSHIP 2012-‐2014 Total paid-‐up

members Registered and no payments

made

Registered and incomplete

installment payments

Potential growth

2012 1650 2013 1624 144 1768/8.8% 2014 1540 198 160 1898/16.8%

10

The fact that we could not declare a growth despite every effort being made to encourage members to renew is indeed a disappointment! This could be attributed to colleagues who register as members but do not complete either the full or 3-‐month instalment payments, as listed above. The Executive has explored the debit order facility for implementation in 2015.

SECTOR ENGAGEMENT

PARTICIPATION IN IFLA BSLA The LIASA President and President-‐Elect participated in the IFLA Building Strong Library Associations (BSLA) programme held from 10-‐14 February 2014 in Kumasi, Ghana. It was encouraging to see the positive and enthusiastic response from library associations from the continent and their commitment to grow their associations and the LIS profession on the continent. The President was subsequently invited by the Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) to facilitate their strategy development process on 26-‐28 June 2014, which was shared during the IFLA BSLA session at the 2014 IFLA/WLIC in Lyons, France. XXI SCECSAL The President and LIASA Manager represented LIASA at the XX! SCECSAL (Standing Conference of Eastern, central and Southern African Libraries) held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 28 July to 01 August 2014 under the theme “Information and knowledge management as a driving force for socio-‐economic development in Africa”. As library associations mature and the demands of the development agenda on the African continent become more real, it may be time for SCECSAL to revisit its vision and goals. The Resolution adopted at this Conference will certainly steer the discussions within SCECSAL and libraries on the continent in this direction. http://www.scecsal.org/resolutions/scecsal2014_resolutions.pdf

IFLA/WLIC 2014 It was the responsibility of LIASA and the NC to promote the 2015 IFLA/WLIC at the 2014 IFLA/WLIC held in Lyon, France from 16-‐24 August 2014. The presence of the Deputy Minister: Arts & Culture, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi at the IFLA/WLIC in Lyon, France served to convey the importance of the 2015 IFLA/WLIC to South Africa as a country; the LIS sector and the African continent. She delivered the official invitation to the delegates at the Closing Session and accepted the official handover gift from the French NC most charmingly! IFLA 2015 was robustly promoted in Lyon, Marketing materials, which included a beautiful back drop of Cape Town, pull-‐up banners, iPad wipes, sweets, bookmarks and prizes sponsored by hotels and restaurants were a huge hit! I wish to acknowledge Wesgro all those who carried these items in their suitcases to Lyons and who spent time at the stand promoting Cape Town. The camaraderie, laughter and professionalism created a lovely buzz amongst the delegates. Several meetings were held with KIT, the IFLA Congress PCO and the French National Committee, which addressed the responsibilities to be undertaken by LIASA and the NC.

11

These include the Opening Session, Exhibition Opening, Cultural Evening and recruitment & management of 300 volunteers. I can assure the members the planning is on track and that we are committed to ensuring a quality experience for all!

PARTNERSHIPS During the SALW 2014 launch, the Global Libraries Initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced the award of the $3.25m grant to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA). A partnership project between the DAC, NLSA and LIASA, the grant was awarded to strengthen local communities through the provision of access to information, new technologies and relevant training in 27 selected public libraries in South Africa as a precursor to a national large-‐scale implementation plan. LIASA, as the recognized professional association, was named the training partner in this project. An interview on SABC Morning Live held 19 March 2014 wherein SALW 2014 and the launch of this new grant may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIcdD19HgfI This is an acknowledgement of the role played by current and former LIASA leadership, namely Ms Ujala Satgoor (President) and Ms Rachel More (former President), who were instrumental in leading the development of the proposal, and communication with the Global Libraries Program Officer, Mr Darren Hoerner and South African stakeholders from 2012 to date. ADVOCACY During this period, LIASA issued several statements to relevant government departments, which included:

• The Marrakesh WIPO Treaty for the Blind, Visually Impaired and other reading Disabled Persons

• The Department of Basic Education Draft Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure (focused on school libraries)

• The Draft White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage The President and President-‐Elect attended a DAC workshop on 12 July 2013, which was a review of the Draft White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage. The Library Commission emphasised the role that a network of over 1600 public libraries can play in fostering social cohesion and contributing to community development. Internationally libraries are widely acknowledged as “cultural institutions” and it needs ensure that they are included on the arts, culture and heritage agenda. This can only happen if there is political recognition and acknowledgement of the value of libraries for developing an informed nation.

• Joint statement with CHELSA and SANLiC regarding VAT on digital media and its impact on libraries was issued on 18 March 2014

• The Department of Trade and Industries regarding the WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) which was meeting in Geneva to discuss an

12

international framework in support of copyright exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives (20 June 2014)

• Signed The Lyon Declaration at IFLA/WLIC 2014, www.lyondeclaration.org

LIASA ROADSHOW – LIASA-‐in-‐DIALOGUE, FEBRUARY-‐AUGUST 2014 It was decided that between February and July 2014 the Executive Committee would travel to every branch to meet with members, library directors and stakeholders including local and provincial government officials, as well as visits to various libraries in urban and rural areas. As the association leadership, it is important to visit members in their environments

and ascertain the circumstances and conditions under which they function. These visits, open conversations and business meetings were extremely well received by stakeholders and members. This Roadshow commenced on Sunday, 16 February 2014, with Mr Tebogo Ditshego, the LIASA SALW ambassador, who accompanied the LIASA Executive Committee on the roadshow to the Northern Cape, Free State and the Western Cape.

His youthfulness, engaging manner and motivating words encapsulated in the themes “Reading for Success” and “It’s cool to check in @ your library” captured the attention of learners at the various schools which were visited. It is evident that we still need to actively engage with schools, learners and communities if we want the libraries to play their rightful role.

From L to R: Tebogo Ditshego, Segametsi Molawa, Annamarie Goosen, Therese Els, Tebogo Mzizi and Joyce Myeza. Ujala Satgoor (seated)

LIASA%in%Dialogue% 3%

25%June%

04%Dec;%14815%March%

17818%Feb%28829%May%

18%819%Feb%

03804%July%

23%June%24%June%485%August%

LIASA in Dialogue

13

USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA Since 2012 LIASA has embraced social media, which has increased its visibility and communication with members and the profession. LIASA has an active presence on Facebook (LIASANews, 899 likes) and Twitter (@LIASANews, 679 followers). All branches except one have their own Facebook page and interest groups are encouraged to use social media for a wider reach and engendering communities of practice. Twitter is less popular, but the active accounts belong to LIASA (National) and HELIG (Higher Education Libraries Interest Group). Use is made of Hootsuite and Tweetdeck for analytics. It is very clear that social media should be part of the long term marketing strategy for LIASA, so it needs to be incorporated in the marketing and communication strategy and the social media policy used to ensure proper branding, professional language, administration and relevant content.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT • LIASA continues to be included in the ETDP-‐SETA Chambers of Quality Provisioning,

FET Colleges, Higher Education & Research • Eight EXCO members were given the opportunity to participate in 12 CPD

programmes that were funded by the ETDP-‐SETA. This was deemed capacity building for staff but was extended to EXCO members.

• LIASA was involved in the re-‐development of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations approved Library Assistant Qualification, which is now awaiting SAQA approval

• The NGPL is on track! Since 2012, 73 students took up the offer of the grant from the library services of the City of Johannesburg, City of Cape Town, eThekwini & Msunduzi Municipalities, KZNPLIS, FSPLIS & GPLIS. 43 students graduated, 1 failed, 4 will repeat modules next year and 25 are currently enrolled. This grant is now available to all graduates working in a public library in South Africa.

• The CiCD Project, funded by the CCNY is now completed. The CiCD will continue to function as the CPD arm of LIASA and programmes will no longer be subsidized. The new independent CICD organized the following: § Together with Eastern Cape branch organized a Collection Development

workshop in East London § Four of the 9 pre-‐conferences held at the 2013 conference § Four of the 8 pre-‐conferences held at the 2014 conference

14

IFLA 2015 In 2012 LIASA submitted a bid to host the 81st IFLA World library and Information Congress in Cape Town from 15-‐21 August 2015. The result hereof was announced at the IFLA/WLIC in Singapore on 22 August 2013. This is the 2nd time that South Africa will be hosting the IFLA/WLIC and it will be the 3rd time on the African continent, with the first event being held in 1984 Nairobi. Kenya. We would like to acknowledge the Department of Arts and Culture for its generous support through a grant of R7.5m towards the hosting of the IFLA WLIC.

Theme: Dynamic Libraries: Access, Development and Transformation The logo includes the following elements:

• Table Mountain -‐ synonymous with Cape Town, Table Mountain was awarded the status of being one of the New7Wonders of Nature in 2011, as well as being declared in 2000 a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is home to 1460 different species of fynbos

• The African Penguin -‐ a charismatic species and so popular with tourists in the region, the African Penguin is listed in the Red Data Book as an endangered species. It is also popularly referred to as the pride and spirit of Cape Town!

• The book symbolising the library and knowledge • A pointer/cursor forming the inside of the letter A is symbolic of the technological

advancement and the availability of data and information in digital format in libraries.

I wish to acknowledge Ms Carina Young of MediaChef for her winning design! A National Committee (NC) comprising of various LIS representatives has been established to oversee the specific responsibilities entrusted to the host. The secretariat is located at the LNO. The NC met on 31 October 2013, 08 January 2014, 30 June 2014, 25 September 2014. Throughout this process, extensive updates were shared regularly with members via the listserve. The members of the National Committee are:

Ms Ujala Satgoor (Co-‐chair) Ms Segametsi Molawa (Co-‐chair)

Annamarie Goosen (Secretary) Ms Karin Muller (Treasurer)

Naomi Haasbroek Tommy Matthee

Rachel More Robert Moropa

Ellen Tise Ms Lucille Webster

Mr Puleng Kekana Prof Rocky Ralebipi-‐Simela

Ms Nomaza Dingayo Ms Rosalind Hattingh

Ms Pateka Matshaya Dr Buhle Mbambo Thata

Dr Daisy Selamatsela Ms Ninnie Steyn

Ms Ingrid Thomson

15

South Africa celebrates 20 years of democracy in 2014 and in alignment with this national event, the LIASA Executive Committee, as part of its strategic review and 2014 year-‐plan, adopted the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy”. Since 1994 great strides have been made to build new public and school libraries, merge academic libraries and upgrade historically disparate library facilities throughout the country. The burgeoning

of the library and information services (LIS) sector in South Africa has resulted in a wide network of libraries that currently serves 51.7m South Africans.

During this time the LIS sector has been on the receiving end of over $25m in grants from external donors including the European Union, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and most recently the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Approx. R2bn for public libraries have been made available as Conditional Grants from the Community Library Services Grant and managed by the Department of Arts and Culture. These huge investments have contributed to the enhancement of existing library building, design of new buildings, purchase of resources in all formats, and training & development of public and academic librarians.

LIASA has been instrumental in focusing on training and development of librarians with a special emphasis on leadership, management, technology in libraries and scholarships for acquiring professional qualifications in alignment with its continuing professional development strategy.

Hence this theme and activities served as opportunities to:

• Celebrate the development and role of libraries in the 20 years of South African democracy

• Highlight how libraries are making the right to freedom of access to information, as enshrined in the Bill of Rights, a reality

• Enhance nation building and community development by opening the doors of learning to all

• Showcase libraries as desired spaces for:

o connecting people to each other, learning resources, communities, government, the world and the environment

o advancing literacy through the intellectual and aesthetic development of all ages o providing access to global knowledge and information in different formats to

advance research and create new knowledge o fostering a spirit of enquiry and desire for lifelong learning o challenging one’s own beliefs and inculcating a respect for diverse beliefs, opinions

and views all o contributing towards the development of an informed nation, and South Africa

becoming an information society

16

This theme informed the following LIASA corporate activities during 2014: South African Library Week (SALW), 15-‐22 March 2014 with the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy: Check in @ your library” LIASA took the bold step of appointing Tebogo Ditshego as its SALW ambassador from January-‐April 2014. He is the Managing Director of the largest Twitter based book club, @ReadaBookSA, named one of Forbes Top 30 African Entrepreneurs under the age of 30 (2014) and included amongst the 2014 Top 200 influential young persons in South Africa. He contributed tremendously to raising awareness of libraries, books, reading and LIASA during radio and television interviews as well as on Twitter.

• Interviews held on March 14 (Tebogo Ditshego and Ujala Satgoor), March 19 (Rachel More, Deputy National Librarian and Ujala Satgoor) and March 22 2014 (Segametsi Molawa) may be viewed at:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aY60pVkS38; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIcdD19HgfI; and

• https://twitter.com/LIASANews/status/448817414919421952 respectively.

The Librarians’ Choice: Top 20 South African Books, 1994-‐2014 Librarians across the country were invited to identify the Top 20 books published during these 20 years of democracy. It served to highlight the role librarians are playing in promoting local writers as well as influencing the reading habits of the communities they serve. This eclectic list is truly reflective of the social discourse that prevails in South Africa. http://www.liasa.org.za/node/1274. Indeed, the work of librarians does not go unnoticed and unappreciated by the writers who were selected!

Branch seminars on “Librarians as agents for social change, community development and democracy” Between May and August, all 10 branches of LIASA hosted a seminar wherein government, civil society, LIS employers and librarians engaged in open discussions on this topic. Issues raised included the need for more libraries, the changing role of libraries and broader community engagement; availability of emerging ICTs; the image, skills and knowledge of professionals; the development of a reading culture; support for local authors; and the importance of advocacy and lobbying

LIASA Annual Conference, 22-‐26 September 2014 -‐ Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy: the dialogue continues… http://www.liasa.org.za/conference/

"I am both grateful and honored for the singular "prize" of having two of my novels on the list. What makes this honor greater than the many prizes that I have received in my writing life is that this is the choice of the Librarians of South Africa, people who have their ear to the ground as to what South Africans are reading. Most of the lists that I have seen are compiled by some "literary expert" from the academy or from the book reviewing community. This honor is bestowed upon me by the readers of South Africa as represented by the Librarians. I cannot thank LIASA enough and of course I will treasure this for the rest of my days." Zakes Mda

17

CONCLUSION

This has been an extremely busy and demanding term! I recognize that we are at a crossroads regarding the role of libraries and librarians in broader civil society and the academy; and for LIASA, the challenges of leadership, membership and sustainability are very prevalent. However the opportunity to review, reimagine, repurpose and redefine LIASA and the profession is very strong but the responsibility resides with each one of us to take the baton. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge each one of you for your support, confidence and trust placed in me for taking the Association forward -‐ it’s been an absolute privilege to work for you! I wish to acknowledge:

• Rhodes University for its unstinting support for my involvement in LIASA and the LIS sector

• The various partners and sponsors who always responded positively to the various calls made on their time and resources

• The Executive Committee and Representative Council for embracing and engendering a strong team spirit as reflected by their ideas, discussions, debates, camaraderie and professionalism.

• The Executive Committee -‐ Segametsi Molawa, Therese Els, Karin Kitching, Mandla Ntombela, Joyce Myeza, Ingrid Thomson, Manda Hough, Tebogo Mzizi and Annamarie Goosen for their unstinting support and willingness to give up their long weekends and working hours for meetings and teleconferences so that our strategic priorities are met. We have indeed travelled many miles together and you have been an amazing team

• The staff of the LIASA National Office for their time, efforts and administrative support – you truly are the backbone of LIASA!

I wish the President-‐Elect Ms Segametsi Molawa and her team well as they take on the reins in September 2014 for the 2014-‐2016 term and lead LIASA towards a brighter future! Having travelled to all branches, seen some of the varied library and community environs, and being cognisant of the huge challenges in the education sector, I truly believe that librarians can fill the gaps towards the realisation of educational goals and a knowledge society provided they realise the enormous power of libraries and their own roles!

18

Let us continue the dialogue so that we realize our role, value and forge ahead as a strong and dynamic collective! Together we can make a difference…

25 September 2014

LIASA!TERM!REPORT!2012A2014! … · UJALA!SATGOOR! PRESIDENT! 2012A2014! " """"" " " " "...

Documents

Transcript of LIASA!TERM!REPORT!2012A2014! … · UJALA!SATGOOR! PRESIDENT! 2012A2014! " """"" " " " "...