New NEC for ZimLA

By Kenneth Mangemba

The 52nd Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) Annual conference ended on a high note last week with an election that dissolved the National Executive Council (NEC) led by Mr. Lantern Fusire. A new NEC was elected with Shadreck Ndinde elected President of ZimLA.

The new ZimLA National Executive Council for ZimLA.

Shadreck Ndinde was the Vice president in the previous Council and has a vast of experience having been involved at branch level as ZimLA Masvingo branch Chairperson for several terms. The incumbent president encouraged ZimLA members and the information professionals at large to support the growth of the library association through utilization of talent and skills to foster cooperation in various ZimLA programmes.

    

The Annual General Meeting adopted a new clause in the Constitution, to have the position of President-elect, abolishing the position of vice president, of which Jerry Mathema won the vote from Matebeleland branch. The president-elect will take over as President of ZimLA when the term of incumbent president expires. The new clause gives room for a succession plan to enable smooth transfer of projects and activities. Under the old constitution, a new president would come in and take a completely new direction making it difficult to continue with projects and other ideas for ZimLA.

Charles Poterai and Praymore Tendai retained their positions as Treasurer and Advocacy Officer respectively. Another new comer is non-other than the ZimLA Mashonaland Branch Secretary, Alice Parakokwa. The position of Editor was also won by Bruce Nyabadza from Mashonaland branch. The new executive will be in place until 2020.

Incoming NEC members are expected to relinquish branch positions as they assume the new roles. Branches are therefore expected to ensure they have new members coming in to fill the vacant positions through a vote or appointing members.

A full meeting is expected to be held for a handover and takeover briefing soon. About 34 members attended the AGM despite a high attendance for the conferencing days. This indicates need for membership mobilization to ensure that more registered members attend the AGM as directed by the constitution. The next ZimLA election will be held in 2020.

ZimLA announces its fifty-second annual conference and call for papers

By Kenneth Mangemba, ZimLA Editor

The Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) has announced the Call for Papers for its 52nd annual conference to be held in Mutare in July 2018 under the theme ‘Libraries in Transition:  Emerging Trends and Technologies’.

“Many people in positions of power, however, do not yet understand the expanded roles and capabilities of modern libraries nor recognize the extent to which libraries can be catalysts for national development and greater opportunities”, stated ZimLA in the call for papers.  It is against this background that the conference seeks to explore the changing role of libraries in the advent of technology, hence the sub-themes that seek to explore the various technological advancement in libraries and allied institutions.

The fifty-second ZimLA conference will provide platform to scrutinize the current technological trends transforming the information sector assessing their adoption and envisioned benefits information delivery. 

In addition to the conference, ZimLA will hold its Annual General Meeting whose agenda will include elections for the National Executive Council, a body that runs the affairs of ZimLA. The Executive Council comprises the President, Vice President, Secretary General, Treasurer, Advocacy Officer and National Editor.

The current constitution of ZimLA provide for 2 year-long office terms for the Executive Council members, and requires only registered members to nominate and vote for officers and those nominees should have been paid up members for successive years.

Access the call for papers here.

ZimLA poised for growth

By Kenneth Mangemba

The Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) is poised for growth following increased strategies for stakeholder engagement. This was narrated by ZimLA president, Mr. Lantern Fusire at the 51th ZimLA Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Fairmile Regency Hotel in Gweru from July 4 – 7, 2017.

ZimLA president, Mr. Lantern Fusire (standing) at the Conference.

The conference held under the theme Libraries in the National Development Agenda: Repositioning libraries for sustainable development was attended by many information professionals from Botswana, South Africa and Zambia.

Presenting his annual report, the ZimLA president outlined the various stakeholder engagements that the association accomplished. He attributed the success of the engagement to teamwork, regional and international libraries bodies support. Last year the association representatives and AfLIA president, Mr. John Tsebe managed to engage with the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education to discuss various issues surrounding library development in Zimbabwe.

Several other initiatives were undertaken including the recent call to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary, Dr. Utete-Masango to discuss the role of library association in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr. Fusire highlighted on the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) International Advocacy Programme (IAP) Africa workshop held in Pretoria, South Africa which he attended with Ms. Tinashe Kuzuwazuwa and Ms. Kathy Matsika that discussed advocacy plans on national development plans, African Union plans and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the IFLA website, the IFLA-IAP is a new capacity-building programme designed to promote and support the role libraries can play in the planning and implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

The president however bemoaned the low membership that is a cause for concern for the library association. “We have so many opportunities from AfLIA and IFLA that require members to participant in the programmes, we failed to nominate enough participants for the AfLIA INELI initiatives as we do not have a sound public library interest group that can assist Branch Chairs to identify active members to take part in such programmes”, said the ZimLA president. “Our thrust for the coming year which is an elective year is to increase membership by a wide margin so that we can run a successful election supported by ZimLA members”, he said.

ZimLA president stated that, “A strong membership is the backbone of any library association and the vitality of the membership is a stepping stone for growth.” He urged information professionals in Zimbabwe to understand the library association’s membership dynamics instead of openly criticizing the leadership without openly contributing to the growth of the association.

He concluded that there is need to amend the current constitution and the exercise should start soon so that it’s completed by March 2018. The new constitution should be launched at the 52nd ZimLA Conference. The ZimLA president indicated that further work need to be done on the strategic plan and a new plan should be ready by 2018. 

LIAZ President challenges Zimbabwean library community to contribute to SDGs

By KENNETH MANGEMBA

The president of the Library and Information Association of Zambia (LIAZ), Mrs. Velenasi Mwale Munsanje has challenged Zimbabwean library community to devise strategies that would enable librarians to contribute towards achieving the United Nations developed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

LIAZ Preisdent, Mrs. Velenasi Mwale Munsanje
delivering her keynote address (standing),
Session Chair, Mr. Sauel Chabikwa (middle) and
 ZimLA Vice Rresident, Mr. Shadreck Ndinde (left).
[Photo: Kenneth Mangemba]

Delivering her keynote address at the 51th Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) Conference in Gweru, she said that Libraries are considered as third place, coming after homes and the workplace. “Libraries are seen as third places as people see homes as first place with the workplace coming second and if we do not devise activities that change lives libraries will lose customer base, therefore we should provide services that change lives”, she said.

“IFLA has developed advocacy toolkits to assist library associations to spearhead and engage with stakeholders on the role of libraries towards achieving SDGs”, said Mrs. Munsanje.

She said that libraries make an important contribution towards achieving SDGs, emphasizing that the local library community should devise strategies to sensitize communities on SDGs. The involvement of libraries in SDGs is an opportunity for the information institutions to remain relevant.

The keynote presentation encouraged librarians to leverage on the discourse surrounding SDGs to influence stakeholders on the value of libraries. Mrs. Munsanje noted that coordinated efforts to inform stakeholders with proper statistics that reveal the impact of libraries on citizens with regard to SDGs are necessary for the world to note the significance of library institution.

LIAZ president emphasized that the library community should move beyond building collections to formulate services that significantly impact communities they serve, for instance through advancing digital inclusion through access to ICTs and dedicate staff to help people develop new digital skills.

The 51th ZimLA conference has provided an opportunity for the information professionals to reflect on the role of libraries in advancing SGDs. The role of IFLA as an international body in providing strategic direction towards engaging stakeholders in realizing the impact of libraries is fundamental to realize the role of libraries in achieving SGDs.

NIWA and ZimLA miss SCECSAL 2014

The Namibia Information Workers Association (NIWA) and the Zimbabwe Library Association

Participants at SCECSAL 2014 walking to the conference venue

(ZimLA) failed to send official delegates to the SCECSAL 2014 held in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 28 July to 1 August. 

NIWA’s failure to take part in SCECSAL 2014 conferences was attributed, in some quarters, to the inability by the professionals in the country to organize themselves and plan for such events. However, a participant from Namibia attributed this to the fact that NIWA has very few members, in fact less than 40.

NIWA has also failed to make available, in digital format for posting on SCECSAL websites, its biennial country reports since 2004.

NIWA hosted SCECSAL 2002, rated among the best SCECSAL events in terms of organization, entertainment, and papers presented. For example, the SCECSAL Author Award and best paper presenters have so far only been awarded at SCECSAL 2000, organized by NIWA, and SCECSAL 2002 organized by the Library and Information Association of South Africa.

Regarding SCECSAL, the Zimbabwe Library Association has been in the doldrums for a long time. It has officially missed several SCECSAL conferences and has not provided its biennial reports since SCECSAL 2004.  

It is difficult to understand why ZimLA missed SCECSAL 2014. The Association recently held its 48th Conference and Annual General Assembly, 24 - 27 June 2014, and one would have thought that participation in SCECSAL 2014 was also discussed on the side.

The few participants who came from Zimbabwe had no idea as to why there were no official representatives from ZimLA. It also looked like they had no link with ZimLA. No wonder, they could not organize themselves to take part in the SCECSAL 2014 Cultural Evening.

NIWA and ZimLA should note that when they are unable to send a member of their Executive Committees to attend and officially represent the Association at the SCECSAL conference, they can designate any member of their association, already traveling to the conference, to officially represent them. All they will have to do is to write a letter to the host Library Association indicating their designated representative and give him/her a copy of the country report to be presented at the SCECSAL General Assembly.

 

Zimbabwe Library Association - 48th Conference & AGM, Victorial Falls, 24-27 June 2014

Main Theme: ‘Working smarter and adding value: Library services in a new paradigm‘ 

3rd Call for Papers

The Internet, with its array of new media technologies has opened a new world to information seekers from academics, researchers, business communities and even those with a casual information need. The increasing Internet penetration as a means of communication has resulted in the flourishing of digital publishing and increased capacity of individuals to access vast amounts of information. It has also provided the means for new connected virtual communities to develop across the world. This development has resulted in many regarding the library as an antiquated institution from another period  no longer relevant and easily targeted for budget cuts and low prioritisation. Libraries are also attracting criticism from people who argue that technology has made them obsolete. The question that arise from these views is; ‘Is the library still playing an indispensable role in today’s information society?’

It is against this backdrop that the Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) invites interested professionals from the broad, interdisciplinary Library and Information Science field to submit abstracts of papers to be presented at its 48th conference and AGM. These papers should attempt to address the above main theme but stemming from, but not necessarily limited to the sub-themes listed below.

Sub-Themes

• Innovation in library services
• Information literacy and lifelong learning

          - In different types of libraries
          - Approaches/models in academic and school curricula
          - As a vital life skill
          - In protecting Intellectual property and Copyright

• Embedded librarianship
• Responsiveness to changing information and technology landscape
• Information brokering and info-preneurship
• Community librarianship
• Library out-reach services
• Corporate librarianship
• Use of social media in library services
• Changing roles of librarians
• Proactive librarianship
• Knowledge management
• Open access

Dates to note:

28 March 2014: Deadline for submission of abstracts

15 April 2014:  Submission of full text papers

15 May  2014:  Program with presenters sent out

For gudelines on submision of abstracts, please contanct any of the folloiwng:
 Ronald Munatsi [ronaldmunatsi@gmail.com]

Lantern R Fusire [lantern.fusire@nust.ac.zw; fusirelantern@gmail.com]

Harriet R Ncube [hrncube@nrz.co.zw; hrncube@gmail.com]