ULIA ready to receive delegates to the XXIII SCECSAL conference

As registration for the five-day event begins

Aloysius Mwanje (L) and Faith Akiteng (R)
at the conference registration desk

The Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA) has put in place the necessary arrangements to receive and register the delegates to the XXIIIrd SCECSAL conference which kicks off on Monday, 23 April.

Registration for the five-day conference opened on Sunday, 22 April at 14:00 local time

The biennial conference is taking place at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel and has attracted participants from countries within the SCECSAL region and outside the region including the Ghana, Italy, Nigeria and the United States of America.

This is the third time SCECSAL conference is taking place in Uganda having been hosted by ULIA in 1990 and 2004.

Representatives of the SCECSAL member national Library and Information Associations from Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and the host country, Uganda, are already in Entebbe to participate in the conference and the SCECSAL General Council meeting.

Delegates from Malawi consulting
in the registration hall

Representatives of national Library and Information Associations from Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe are also expected in Entebbe while Botswana and Tanzania have not confirmed their participation in the General Council meeting.

Expectations are high among the conference delegates as the SCECSAL General Council is set to discuss further the setting up of a permanent Secretariat, adopt the proposed amended constitution which will put in place a new governance structure for SCECSAL, confirm Namibia has the host for the biennial event in 2020 and announced the host for the event in 2022.

SCECSAL 2018 conference kicks off on Monday, 23 April

Look out for stories from Entebbe

The XXIII SCECSAL conference kicks off on Monday, 23 April to 27 April, in Entebbe, Uganda and the SCECSAL Forum reporting team will be on the ground to cover the event.

Stories and photos from the conference venue, the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel located on the shores of Lake Victoria,  will be posted on this Forum from Sunday, 22 April.

Look out for reports on the pre-conference events, conference opening session, SCECSAL Awards ceremony, key decisions from the SCECSAL General Council Business meeting, SCECSAL Cultural Evening event, host country for SCECSAL 2022 conference, and the conference resolutions, among others.

You can participate in the event by:

• following @SCECSAL and re-tweet content;
• tweeting content related to the Entebbe conference and other stories from the SCECSAL Forum blog;
• using #SCECSAL2018 hash tag.

Final SCECSAL conference and tours' programmes released

The final programme for the XXIII SCECSAL conference has been released and more than 50 library and information experts are expected to present papers or participate in the expert panel discussions at the conference.

The XXIII SCECSAL conference, to be held in Entebbe, Uganda, from 23 to 27 April, is expected to attract participants from within and outside the SCECSAL region.

The Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA), host for the conference, has also released the programme for the conference tours planned for Wednesday, 25 April 2018.

The tours, classified into two categories, will include visits to the Namugongo Martrys' Shrines, Uganda Museum and Buganda Kingdom Kasubi tombs, all under Category I; and to the Source of the Nile and Sezibwa Falls and the Crocodile Village – Buwam, under Category II.

The cost per person, to be paid to ULIA, is US$20 for Category I tours and US$40 for Category II.

Conference delegates planning to go on any of the tours should indicate their preference to secretariat@ulia.org.ug not later than 20 April 2018.

Preliminary programme for XXIII SCECSAL conference is out

The Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA), host for the forthcoming XXIII SCECSAL conference, has published the preliminary programme for the conference.

The 2018 conference, to be held from 23 to 27 April, in Entebbe, Uganda, will be a mixture of paper presentations in plenary and parallel sessions, workshops, expert panel discussions and excursions.

ULIA has scheduled keynote addresses and they include an address by Mr. Augustine Omare-Okurut on Positioning LIS to Achieve SDGs; Dr. Shana Ponelis who will speak on Broadening Innovations in LIS Education; and Dr. Cornelius Gulere on Whose access? Whose tools? Whose information? Creative LIS Partnerships to achieve SDGs.

Several sessions on different themes are also planned during the five-day event including on SDGs and Libraries and Information Services in the SCECSAL Region; Open Science, Open Data and LIS and SDGs; ICTs and Library and Information Services; Effective Records Management to Fight Corruption, and Library and Information Services to Improve Health Care, among others.

Three Expert Panel discussions are included on the programme and will focus on the following topics:

• Is there a gap between LIS education and practice in the SCECSAL region? 
• Contributions to SDGs in the SCECSAL region: are LIS institutions and professionals on the right track? 
• Marakesh Treaty and its impact on access to information by persons with disabilities

Departing away from the normal practice of holding SCECSAL Council Business Meetings on the last day of the conference, the 2018 Council meeting will be a pre-conference event on 22 April, an arrangement that will ensure that the Council has enough time to discuss all the agenda items.

Wednesday, 25 April is reserved for excursions during the day and a Cultural Event in evening at which the SCECSAL Author of the Year and SCECSAL Excellence Awards be given.

Online registration opens for XXIII SCECSAL conference planned for 23-27 April 2018

Early bird registration closes on 31 January

The Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA) has opened online registration for the XXIII SCECSAL conference, to be held 23-27 April 2018 in Entebbe, Uganda at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel.

Early bird registration for the conference closes on 31 January 2018.

Below are the applicable fees for the distinct categories of registration:

• Early Bird Registration (deadline 31st January 2018) – US$ 360
• Late Registration (by 31st March 2018) – US$ 400
• Onsite Registration (from 24th April 2018) – US$ 430
• Rental fees for Exhibition stalls (2 x 2 metres) – US$ 200

Click here to register for the XXIII SCECSAL Conference.

Click here for more information about the conference, including accommodation, entry visa information, etc.

Inquiries regarding online registration should be sent to: sarahkago@yahoo.com and sarkaddu2@gmail.com.

Preparations on track for an exciting XXIII SCECSAL conference 2018

Participants urged to take advantage of early bird registration fee

Preparations for the XXIII SCECSAL Conference to be hosted by the Uganda Library and

L-R: Prof. Kikongo-Bukenya, Ms. Sarah Kagoda-Batuwa,
Mr. Haumba Eric Nelson, Mr. Robert Buwule, Mr. Justin Chisenga
and Ms. Sarah Kagoda-Batuwa [Photo: Charles Batambuze] 

Information Association (ULIA) in Entebbe from 23 to 28 April 2018 are on track.
This was made known to Mr. Justin Chisenga when he held informal consultations with some members of the SCECSAL Local Organizing Committee (LOC) last Friday in Kampala at the Makerere University.

Dr Sarah Kaddu, ULIA President, informed Mr. Chisenga that her Association had confirmed the reservation for conference facilities at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, conference papers were undergoing peer-reviewed process, and library and information professionals in Uganda were ready to welcome their colleagues from the SCECSAL countries and beyond.

Dr Kaddu also urged library and information professionals from around the world planning to attend the SCECSAL conference in 2018 to take advantage of the reduced early registration fee of US$360 and register by 31 January 2018, after which the fees would be US$400 for registrations between(1 February – 30 March 2018 (late registration) and US$430 for  registrations from 1 to 24 April 2018 (onsite registration).

On his part, Mr. Chisenga expressed delight at the progress made so far and urged the members of the LOC to quickly publish the preliminary conference programme to enable potential participants to plan their visit to Uganda.

“For many, decisions as when to arrive and depart from the conference city are based on the activities planned for the event, and therefore timely knowledge of what the programme would be is very important”, Mr. Chisenga told LOC members.

Also present at the meeting were Prof. Kikongo-Bukenya, a SCECSAL veteran; Ms. Sarah Kagoda-Batuwa, ULIA Treasurer; Mr. Charles Batambuze, ULIA Secretary General; Mr. Haumba Eric Nelson, LOC Member; and Mr. Robert Buwule, member of the LOC.