Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section
& Education and Training Section

The Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section and Education and Training Section invites proposals for papers to be presented at a two-hour session in the next IFLA General Conference on August 2013 in Singapore.

This joint session focuses on the issues of diverse communities and the ways that LIS education and library training need to incorporate cultural competencies, knowledge and practices. While some countries have found success in educating library school students and library workers some areas of the world need help with advocating, developing and sustaining these initiatives. This session will further the awareness of the importance of LIS education in multicultural competencies, and indigenous knowledge paradigms and how these efforts can be extended effectively into in-house training programs for library professional and their staff.

Subjects of interest include:

• Teaching awareness of indigenous knowledge paradigms
• Teaching multicultural perspectives to library school students and library practitioners
• Promotion of cultural competencies to library school students and library educators
• Promotion of cultural competencies to library professionals and their staff
• Promotion of cultural competencies to politicians and decision makers
• Best practices and knowledge sharing of in-house library training programs on cultural competencies, and indigenous knowledge paradigms

Proposals should include:

• Title of presentation
• Abstract of no more than 500 words in English, French, or Spanish
• Name, E-mail address, position (title) of presenter(s), plus a brief presenter(s) biography
• Presenter(s) employed or affiliated institution

Important dates and timelines

Please send your proposal for papers no later than 15 February 2013 to both:

Stephen Stratton
E-mail: stephen.stratton@csuci.edu
and
Lea Starr
E-mail: lea.starr@ubc.ca

The proposals will be evaluated by the Program Committee members of IFLA Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section and the notification of acceptance will be sent by March 15, 2013.

The presenters selected for the program at the WLIC Singapore conference will be asked to submit a formal paper ( for inclusion on the IFLA conference website) no later than May 1, 2013.

Papers will be accepted in any of the IFLA non-English languages (Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Russian and Arabic), however, they should include an abstract in English as well. Simultaneous translation will allow for papers to be presented in any of the seven IFLA languages.

Both abstracts and full papers should be submitted as a MS Word file by e-mail. Proposed papers must be original and not have been published elsewhere.

Please note

All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation can be issued to authors.

Congress Attendance Grants

The Singapore National Committee and IFLA have worked hard to secure funds for Conference Participation Grants. Up-to-date information will be available on our Conference Participation Grants webpage.