SCECSAL Comes to Botswana for the Second Time

For the second time since the establishment of the then Standing Conference of Eastern and Southern Africa Librarians (SCECSAL) in 1974, the Botswana Library Association will be hosting the SCECSAL Conference from 1 – 3 December 2010. Librarians in Botswana last hosted SCECSAL in 1988 under the theme Libraries and Literacy. The theme for SCECSAL XIX Conference to be held at the University of Botswana in Gaborone is Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance Through Effective Information and Knowledge Services.

About 40 papers will be presented at the Conference (now called Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations) by library and information specialists coming from as far as the United States and Italy. Papers to be presented include:

• Towards a democratic society: the role of Libraries in facilitating Social Equality andEconomic growth in Uganda - Caroline Kobusingye and Monica Naluwooza (Uganda).


• Making of a Botswana Information Society Through Access to Information Communication Technologies - Sebusang E.M. Sebusang, Tshepo Maswabi, Tiroyamodimo Sethate Resego Taolo (Botswana).


• Public libraries in a world society – what’s happening - Sarah Webb (USA).


• The Role of Internet in the Provision of Information for National Development and Political Education: a Hyperlink Analysis of SADC E-government Websites - A. Akakandelwa (Zambia).


• Supporting Human Rights in Africa: The Library of the African Union Court on Human and Peoples Rights - Fidelis K.Mutisya (Tanzania).


• Open Source Software deployment at the National Library of South Africa with reference to Suse Linux migration - Lesiba S Ledwaba & John K Tsebe (South Africa).


• Open access to information as a means of creating an enabling environment to democracy and good governance: the case of Chancellor College Institutional Repository - Dickson Vuwa-Phiri &Francis Kachala (Malawi).


• Public Libraries in their communities: a catalyst for change - Monika Segbert (Italy).

Over the years, SCECSAL Conferences attract a lot of interest from several professionals in the field in the SCECSAL region, the rest of Africa and outside Africa. The SCECSAL XIX Conference will be no exception.