New President of the Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia – Librarians Association of Malaysia

I honestly do not know when I started to love reading. There was no special occasion or incident that I could remember. One thing for sure, I came from a generation that loves knowledge and seeking knowledge. I am specifically talking about my great grandfather Muhammad Jabar and grandfather Aki Muhamad Nasib. Whenever I am back home in my village or balik kampung, I always see Aki at his desk reading or writing. I would sit there at the veranda looking at him at his small desk. His writing habits were fascinating to me. Deep down, subconsciously, I wanted to be like Aki and started reading novels such as A Samad Said’s Salina.

I did not have the ambition to be a librarian initially but somehow fate brought me to walk the path of a librarian. Thus, I am not surprised that I am what I am and now the President of Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia (PPM) or the Librarians Association of Malaysia. I also sometimes think that I was chosen to be in the field.

My love for reading took me to the Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), now UiTM, where I became a qualified librarian and information manager after three years. The urge to know more especially in the area of technology transported me to a foreign land, Syracuse University in New York, to open my young mind to other opportunities and possibilities. Indeed, I was exposed to new perspectives in information management and librarianship.

I came back to Malaysia excitedly with new beliefs and was always looking ahead to be at the frontier of knowledge in the library field. I traversed the corporate world of the Securities Commission, Telekom Multimedia, Multimedia Development Corporation and Bank Negara Malaysia as a librarian, information manager and eventually to someone who really understands and know how to implement knowledge management in organisations.

Upon retirement in 2018, I completed my Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management (Knowledge Management) at my alma mater Universiti Teknologi MARA.

Being curious about the next best things, I travelled to several countries to learn and progressed from the world of librarianship into information management and eventually knowledge management. My knowledge journey continues to this day.

As the President of PPM, I will pursue the agenda of changing the mindset of librarians in Malaysia to address issues, challenges and opportunities on the ground. One of the challenges and opportunities is progressive library development addressing all the current structural issues within all library sectors. With everything going global, the agenda will include creating greater connections and internationalisation, while continuously ensuring professional and leadership development.

PPM held its 66^th Annual General Meeting on 28 May 2022 and with it came a new batch of Council Members for the 2022/2024 term.

Written by Ghazali Mohamed Fadzil, President, Librarians Association of Malaysia