World Library and Information Congress: 75th IFLA General Conference and Assembly

"Libraries create futures: Building on cultural heritage"

23-27 August 2009, Milan, Italy

Call for Papers

Education and Training Section

Theme: "The role of library and cultural institution professionals in cultural heritage: education for the convergence of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LAM)"

As part of the 75th IFLA General Conference & Assembly, the Education and Training Section is planning to organise an open session on education for library and information professionals engaged in cultural heritage preservation and access.

In the Information Society, the Libraries, Archives and Museums (LAM) sector encourages its members to adopt the role of mediators and producers of knowledge: to help people to learn, to be active citizens and, finally, to create new knowledge. Furthermore digitisation projects provide better access to cultural resources, opportunities for lifelong learning, and greater cultural understanding. These new contexts require librarians to become agents of change, prepared to meet the new demands of society and technology. The current dynamic environment means that significant changes have an impact on education, technology, the economy, demographics, population and employment.

To successfully respond to these changes and to establish a learning society, cultural institutions need to provide effective learning for personal development, preparation and growth needed to address information-poor environments and the digital divide. In the Information Society, education becomes not only an individual right for personal development, but also a key factor for employment and economic development. Barriers that may exist between libraries, archives and museums should be removed in order to ensure that integrated projects can evolve in partnership with the private sector.

Invitation for discussion

The theme of the SET Open Session builds on previous SET forums, to involve cross-sectoral stakeholders working in libraries, archives, museums, publishing, etc. The Open Session invites discussion on a range of topics:

In the Knowledge Economy, what roles do information and/or LAM professionals play, and what kind of education will they need for the kinds of jobs that need to be performed?
What are the basic principles of the knowledge domain which all information workers should be familiar to effectively work with cultural heritage issues?
How should professional qualifications approach theory and knowledge development, as opposed to the acquisition of mere technical skills?
Does the increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) create a standardised platform which prevents the cultivation of cultural differences? Are such differences an obstacle or is there a generic profile of the preferred graduate incorporating ICT?
What combination of technological and content-based knowledge is needed to work in partnership with cultural heritage?
Are there cultural differences that differentiate the Knowledge Economy in each country? Does this mean that there are differences and similarities in the skills required of archivists, museologists and librarians as information workers?
What are the basic/minimum/essential qualities that such a person should demonstrate?

Submissions

Authors are encouraged to present a theoretical exploration of the professional and social roles of information professionals in the new, technology-based and culturally-rich Knowledge Economy: and how can we prepare graduates for the roles they might play Views from students are welcome.

Please send a detailed abstract (no more than 300 words) of the proposed paper (which must not have been published elsewhere). Proposals should include:

Title of proposed presentation
Outline of the proposed presentation (no more than 300 words)
Name(s) of presenter(s)
Position or title of presenter(s)
Presenter(s) employer or affiliated institution
E-mail address
Telephone/fax numbers
Short biographical statement regarding the presenter/s

Important dates and information

Proposals for papers must be submitted by 30 December 2008. Please send an email to:

Anna Maria Tammaro
Email: annamaria.tammaro@unipr.it

Successful candidates will be notified by 15 February 2009.

The full paper is due no later than 15 April 2009 and must be an original submission not published elsewhere. Papers may be written and presented in any of the IFLA working languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish) however, simultaneous translation is not guaranteed.

Presentations at the conference will be limited to approximately 20-30 minutes and will be a summary of the original paper and may use PowerPoint. At least one of the paper's authors must undertake to be present to deliver a summary of the paper during the Section's programme in Milan.

Language of the session: English, although any IFLA approved language is welcome. However, simultaneous interpretation is not guaranted. We will ask speakers to use English for their power.point presentations.

All proposals will be evaluated by a refereeing committee representing the IFLA Section of Education and Training: Anna Maria Tammaro (Italy), Patricia Oyler (United States), Barbara Dewey (United States)

Please note that the Section for Education and Training has no funds to assist prospective authors: abstracts should only be submitted on the understanding that the expenses of attending the Milan conference (including travel, expenses and conference fee) will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.