African Forum for ICT in Libraries and Information Centres (AFILIC)

There are many libraries in Africa that are still using the card
catalogue in steady of online systems (Photo: Justin Chisenga)

Library and information professionals with a strong interest in the use of ICT in libraries and information centres in Africa, who in April 2016 attended the XXII SCECSAL conference in Ezulwini, Swaziland, have established the African Forum for ICT in Libraries and Information Centres (AFILIC).

The goal of AFILIC will be to provide a platform for expertise and dialogue on how to effectively and efficiently integrate ICT into libraries and information centres in Africa to facilitate the delivery of dynamic library and information services that contribute to national, regional and global development agendas.

AFILIC will:

• Facilitate knowledge sharing, lessons learned and good practices on the use of ICT in libraries and information centres; 
• Promote innovative use of ICT in libraries and information centres;
• Advocate for increased investments in ICT facilities for libraries and information centres and equitable access to ICT; 
• Facilitate capacity development for ICT staff in libraries and information centres; 
• Conduct research, document and disseminate information on the use of ICT in libraries and information centres.

AFILIC will carry out its activities through virtual and face-to-face forums including online platforms such as Dgroups, Webinars, etc.; and conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. AFILIC also plans to organize a biennial Africa ICT in Libraries Conference.

AFILIC membership is open to decision makers and practitioners involved in ICT initiatives in libraries and information centres. Specifically these include:

• Individuals (i.e. directors, head of ICT departments/units, etc.) with overall responsibility for ICT initiatives in libraries and information centres;
• Individuals (i.e. systems librarians, information technology librarians, IT specialists, etc.) managing ICT in in libraries and information centres; 
• Individuals with a strong interest in the application of ICT in libraries and information services;
• Students of IT/ICT and library and information studies interested in the in the application of ICT in libraries and information services.

To join AFILIC, complete the Forum’s Dgroups membership form (all the fields should be completed) at:

 https://dgroups.org/fao/afilic/join

Justin Chisenga (Italy) is leading the Forum as Executive Coordinator, with Ms Winny Nekesa (Uganda) serving as Secretary, and Ms Khosie Ndlangamandla (Swaziland) as Professional Networking Officer.

The Forum’s Secretariat is hosted by ITOCA (Information Training and Outreach Centre for Africa) based in Centurion, South Africa.

Apply Now: Young African Entrepreneurs Competition

The Young African entrepreneurs deserve every opportunity to be supported to succeed in their business ventures; they also deserve the opportunity to be heard, exposed and supported to increase their social capital and network horizon. RUFORUM invites young (<40 years) African entrepreneurs and incubatees, to compete for 10 conference awards to show case their innovations, enterprises and business concepts and propositions. The focus is for the young entrepreneurs to share their story at an International stage with close to 700 participants drawn from academia, business and industry, development organisations, practitioners and philanthropists.  It is hoped that through this competition, young entrepreneurs’ business concepts, impact, innovation and business opportunities can be expanded.While the focus of this competition is on innovation in agribusiness, other innovations, incubations, business enterprises and business concepts along ICTs, health, engineering, natural resources, meteorology,  urbanization, green economy, and transport and communication, among other areas, will be considered.

The ten (10) competitively selected business enterprises will receive all expenses paid trip (air ticket, conference registration, and hotel costs) for participation at the RUFORUM Biennial Conference (17th -21st October, 2016) in Cape Town, South Africa. The selected young innovators will also receive a competition cash price award.

Eligibility

Applications are invited from enterprises and individuals that meet the following eligibility criteria.

Persons with an established business enterprise and/or those with innovations that can potentially be commercialized and/or those with business concepts

The business enterprise/potential enterprise should have a defined business model that show case the innovativeness of the proposed enterprise/business/innovation.

Application submission process: All applications should be sent to biennial@ruforum.org with copy to Dr. Egeru Anthony (a.egeru@ruforum.org) and Dr. Uwituze Solange (s.uwituze@ruforum.org).

Submissions should be in English or French using the template provided.

Deadline for submissions is 30th July, 2016. Results will be announced by 30th August, 2016.

For details click: www.ruforum.org)

Good luck!!!!!

SCECSAL 2016 proceedings available at US$25

Copies of the publication on display during the SCECSAL
conference in Swaziland

A limited number of copies of the book containing the papers presented at the XXIInd Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL), 25-29 June 2016, Ezulwini, Swaziland, are available for purchase from the the Swaziland Library and Information Association (SWALA) at US$25 + postage.

Send requests to:

John Paul Anbu K.
Vice-Chairperson – SCECSAL 2016 LOC
Email: anbuj@uniswa.sz

A selection of the papers in the book include the following:

• Prof. Kingo Mchombu & Dr. Chiku Mchombu, University of Namibia - “Achievement Of Digital Literacy In A Country: The Role Of African Public Libraries”
• Neesha Ramsumar, Universal Knowledge Software (UKS), South Africa - “A Sustainable Information Environment in Africa, With Specific Reference to Cloud and Mobile Technologies”
• Dr. Connie Bitso, University of Cape Town, South Africa - “Using Whatsapp to Sustain Functional School Libraries in Khayelitsha”
• Esther Nderitu Imbamba and Nancy M Kimile, Maasai Mara University, Narok, Kenya. - “Assessing the Status of E-Government Development in Kenya”
• Prof. Maria G. N. Musoke, Makerere University - “Electronic Health Initiatives Support Information Access and Use for Sustainable Development in Uganda”
• Khosie Ndlangamandla,  Mananga Centre, Ezulwini, Swaziland &  Justin Chisenga, FAO. Rome, Italy - “Social Media in University Libraries in the SADC Region”
• Siviwe Bangani, Sabelo Chizwina, and Mathew Moyo, North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, South Africa - “Beyond The Ivory Towers: The Experiences Of North-West University (NWU) Library Services In Community Engagement Projects”
• Prof. Ondari-Okemwa Ezra, University of Fort Hare, South Africa - “Developing Digital Information Literacy at institutions of higher learning in sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities and Challenges”

Information Studies Conference at the University of Zululand

The Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand will be hosting the 17th Information Studies Conference on the 7th – 9th September 2016. The purpose of the conference is to explore and share current research results and experiences in information and knowledge in the changing environment of the 21st century. The conference theme is "Information and Knowledge in a Changing Environment". Some of the topics of interest to be addressed include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Archival Management
• Bibliometrics, Webmetrics and Scientometrics
• Digital Divide
• Digital Libraries and Open Source Software Technology
• E-government/E-governance
• E-learning Innovations
• Freedom of Access to Information and Privacy
• ICT for Development
• ILS Education and Training in Information/Knowledge Management
• Indigenous Knowledge Management
• Information and Knowledge Economy
• Information and Knowledge in the Cloud
• Information Security
• Information Storage and Retrieval
• Information/Knowledge Ethics
• Integration of Social Networking Tools
• Knowledge Discovery Tools – Web and Linked data
• Open Data and Open Government
• Records Management
• Research and Data Management
• Virtual Community Information/Knowledge Services

The conference will be held at Richards Bay. A lot of accommodation is available at surrounding lodges and hotels.

For more information about the conference, click here

Also contact:

 Dr. Neil Evans at EnvansN@unizulu.ac.za
 Dr. Trywell Kalusopa at KalusopaT@unizulu.ac.za

See you there!